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Division III basketball (Posting Up) => Men's Basketball => Region 2 men's basketball => Topic started by: nehoops4life on March 03, 2005, 10:39:13 AM

Title: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nehoops4life on March 03, 2005, 10:39:13 AM
I think I used the wrong spelling of "berth" in that last post ... whatever.  I love when I don't proofread my posts.  Makes me look wicked smaht!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPIStudent on March 03, 2005, 09:20:18 PM
Western CT won their first round game against Endicott so we're facing West Conn on Saturday. They have, in the 6-6 powerhouse from the Ivory Coast - Brice Assie, supposedly one of the best big men in the nation, and he's undoubtedly going to be a major factor on Saturday. Well I dont think its going to be a problem because our own big men Scott Misaziek and Antowain Coleman are going to have an incredible game and contain him, and maybe even stuff him a couple of times ;) :-) I'm really looking forward to the contest and the game as a whole! GO TECH!

Springfield beat Norwich quite handily but now they're on the road to Amherst, sooooooo..... well lets see what happens there.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 04, 2005, 09:26:36 AM
I don't know if Misaziek or Coleman will be able to handle Assie. Misaziek is not strong enough inside and Coleman is still a freshman. I just hope Cain and our outside game is on, we will need it to open up the inside a little.If we get out put from Steele & Flynn we should be ok! Man for man I think we are a better team.This game should prove how far we have come in the Northeast or how far we need to go.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hoops Fan on March 04, 2005, 11:46:05 AM
Endicott only lost because the strength of their team (a very strong backcourrt just choked).  They were missing their best shooter and the two guards who weren't hurt went 4-20 from three.

Assie scored 21, but allowed the EC big man 22.  I think Assie will get his points no matter who you put on him.  That should not be the focus of your game.  If you have solid guard play and decent perimeter defense, WConn isn't much of a challenge.

They are a strong team with good discipline and talent, but they can be beat with a disciplined defense and decent scouting.

Just so long as the post players don't run and hide, Cain should be able to wreak some havoc.  It would be a huge suprise to me if WPI won by less than 12 or 15.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nehoops4life on March 04, 2005, 12:50:09 PM
I am sure Bartley will have a perfect scout on WConn ... Im sure he was even at the game last night too.  If there is one area WPI won't be beat on, it is preparation.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 04, 2005, 12:50:40 PM
Hoops Fan:
Everybody made it sound like Assie walks on water. If he is not a denfensive player Misaziek and Coleman should handle him. One player does not win or lose a game. Hopefully this will be on some web-broadcast for me to listen to! Tech give them HELL! Scott be tough inside and play smart!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 04, 2005, 01:29:37 PM
WPIFAN, it won't be from us if it's on the air. We asked if there were phone lines available and got no response.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: diehardfan on March 04, 2005, 01:33:17 PM
Wow, that's really a shame, someone needs to give their SI office some friendly encouragement to be a little more responsive. :-)
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 04, 2005, 01:44:00 PM
I had heard from one of our broadcasters that he'd heard they had no phone lines in the gym. I was looking for a clarification.

It's too late for us to rejigger the schedule to get there now (especially since Ramapo installed a line we can use and we are already rejiggering for them), but we are always planning ahead for future rounds -- and seasons -- as well.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 04, 2005, 02:29:22 PM
Thanks everybody for your fast response to my request! WPI really has one of the nicest basketball gyms in the Northeast. It is a shame and I find it hard to believe that there are no phone lines in the gym. This is Worcester polytechnic institute of tech. You would think somebody could come up with a way of broadcasting the game for fans.Come on WPI, you have alot of fans that would love to be there but can't. Oh well, maybe something could be done for the next round!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nehoops4life on March 04, 2005, 09:20:06 PM
Wheaton 85, Western New England 62

WC was up by as much as 36 at one point.  at home vs. Rode Island College tomorrow

Good luck to both the Pride and Engineers tomorrow ... always nice to see the NEWMAC advance far in the tourney since nobody ever seems to want to give our conference respect!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 05, 2005, 06:15:56 AM
NEHoops:
It is great to hear that Wheaton is doing well in the ECAC. Your right ! The NEWMAC is representing itself well. Let's not forget about Springfield! I hope they knock off Amherst.
Good luck to all teams!!!!
I know Bartley will have WPI ready!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 05, 2005, 09:23:08 PM
Congrats to WPI on their win over W. Conn 79-77.
Details of the game to follow. Next stop York ( PA )
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 05, 2005, 09:28:34 PM
Congrats on Wheatons win over Rhode Island 78-66 and their ECAC Championship!
NEWMAC NEWMAC !!!!!!!!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: geronimo on March 05, 2005, 11:50:58 PM
Amherst 81 - Springfield 68.

The Pride played well and had Amherst in foul trouble.  Amherst's bench came up big.  

Springfield's best player is the little kid with the headband who shows off his streetball moves during warmups!  Who is that kid.  He's legendary!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nehoops4life on March 06, 2005, 12:13:57 AM
WPIFAN - good night for the two of us, unfortunately Springfield didn't win.  Amherst is tough!  

Congrats to Wheaton for breaking the school record for wins.   I know it wasn't the NCAA's but this is a great accomplishment to grow on.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 06, 2005, 07:28:40 AM
Here are some facts on last night WPI win over Western Conn from the Worcester Tel & Gaz:
Cain had 18 points and was 9/10 from the foul line. Flynn had 17 points off the bench. Coleman had 16 points 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Marois had 9 points and 5 rebounds.
Our two big guys ( Misiaszek & Marois ) fouled out with five minutes to go and this opened the door for Western to mount their comeback. But with the clock winding down and the score 79-77 ( after two free throws by Cain )they tried to get the ball inside to their big guy AssIe but Coleman tip it away and Western never got the shot off.
Once again congrats to WPI for getting to the Sweet Sixteen. Wish I was there to cheer you guys on.
NEWMAC NEWMAC !!!!!!! It is all about respect!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 06, 2005, 07:31:10 AM
Pat:
Do you think you will be able to get a web- broadcast for the WPI vs YORK (PA) game?
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 06, 2005, 10:31:10 AM
Official Basketball Box Score
Western Conn vs WPI
03/05/05 7:00 PM at Harrington Auditorium, Worcester, MA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: WPI 24-3
                         TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
55 Antoine Coleman..... f  7-12   0-0    2-5    7  2  9   4  16  0  0  2  1  31
45 Scott Misiaszek..... c  2-4    0-0    2-2    0  5  5   5   6  1  0  1  0  17
12 Ryan Cain........... g  4-15   1-7    9-10   0  1  1   4  18  3  7  0  2  33
13 Mike Prestileo...... g  1-8    1-5    0-0    0  2  2   1   3  0  0  0  1  15
33 Brian Steele........ g  2-5    0-1    4-5    0  4  4   1   8  0  0  0  1  15
10 Brett Dickson.......    0-0    0-0    2-2    0  3  3   2   2  1  2  0  3  25
32 James Marois........    4-5    0-1    1-2    1  3  4   5   9  1  1  0  0  22
42 Steve Furber........    0-2    0-2    0-0    1  2  3   1   0  0  1  0  0  17
44 Ryan Flynn..........    4-8    1-1    8-10   0  1  1   4  17  2  1  0  3  25
  TEAM................                         3  1  4
  Totals..............   24-59   3-17  28-36  12 24 36  27  79  8 12  3 11 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-32 34.4%   2nd Half: 13-27 48.1%   Game: 40.7%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-11 18.2%   2nd Half:  1-6  16.7%   Game: 17.6%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  9-11 81.8%   2nd Half: 19-25 76.0%   Game: 77.8%    3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Jim Byrne,Peter Hansen,Peter Palermino,Mark O'Malley (alt)
Technical fouls: Western Conn-None. WPI-None.
Attendance: 1050
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Western Conn..................   25   52  -   77
WPI...........................   33   46  -   79
NCAA Championship 2nd-Round Game; Winner advances to Round of 16
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newspaper Box Score
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 06, 2005, 11:02:38 AM
Newspaper Box Score
Western Conn vs WPI
03/05/05 7:00 PM at Harrington Auditorium, Worcester, MA
At Harrington Auditorium, Worcester, MA
WPI 79, WESTERN CONN 77
WESTERN CONN (24-5)
Brice Assie 10-17 8-10 28; Greg Cole 6-16 1-2 19; Jeff Gene 3-9 7-8 13;
Kimani Crawford 1-3 5-7 7; Jay Reginatto 2-8 2-2 7; Lamar White 0-1 2-2 2;
Kyle Norfleet 0-1 1-2 1; Jason Barnett 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 22-58 26-33 77.
WPI (24-3)
Ryan Cain 4-15 9-10 18; Ryan Flynn 4-8 8-10 17; Antoine Coleman 7-12 2-5 16;
James Marois 4-5 1-2 9; Brian Steele 2-5 4-5 8; Scott Misiaszek 2-4 2-2 6;
Mike Prestileo 1-8 0-0 3; Steve Furber 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-59 28-36 79.
Western Conn..................   25   52  -   77
WPI...........................   33   46  -   79
3-point goals-Western Conn 7-21 (Greg Cole 6-14; Jay Reginatto 1-5; Kyle
Norfleet 0-1; Jeff Gene 0-1), WPI 3-17 (Ryan Flynn 1-1; Mike Prestileo 1-5;
Ryan Cain 1-7; Brian Steele 0-1; Steve Furber 0-2; James Marois 0-1). Fouled
out--Western Conn-None, WPI-Scott Misiaszek; James Marois. Rebounds-Western
Conn 45 (Brice Assie 12), WPI 36 (Antoine Coleman 9). Assists-Western Conn
13 (Brice Assie 2; Jason Barnett 2; Kimani Crawford 2; Jay Reginatto 2; Jeff
Gene 2; Greg Cole 2), WPI 8 (Ryan Cain 3). Total fouls-Western Conn 25, WPI
27. A-1050
NCAA Championship 2nd-Round Game; Winner advances to Round of 16
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 06, 2005, 04:34:17 PM
Friday night at Ramapo 6:00 PM. I hope to see everybody there! Never give up! never surrender!
Go WPI!!!!!!!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 06, 2005, 05:22:35 PM
WPIFAN, yes, a D3hoops.com crew will broadcast the entire sectional at Ramapo for NCAASports.com.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 06, 2005, 08:28:31 PM
Pat:
Thanks!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Lyon Pride on March 06, 2005, 09:36:04 PM
Went to the Springfield/Amherst game on Saturday.  Have a lengthy post in the NESCAC room, though it is very Amherst-focused.

Springfield was UNBELIEVABLE in the first 7 minutes, jumping out to a 16-5 lead.  The Pride had LeFrak jumpin'...

Amherst is a tough team.  WAY too solid on all fronts.  Springfield was OK at a couple of spots, but had way too many holes in its arsenal.  If #41 or #24 didn't score, their trip down court was an empty one.  That's what you get when you turn into a "regional" team.

Charlie Brock almost killed one his players who fouled one of the Amherst guys late in the game.  I really thought he might Bobby Knight him on the spot.  I don't care about that guy's X's and O's, but he is a borderline snapshow with coaching mannerisms that are deplorable.  

Wheaton's ECAC win: hopefully a building block.  I'm convinced they're going to have to win the NEWMAC to get their chance at the dance, though.  The comittee isn't going to "gift" them an entry until they prove on their own that they belong.  Just my hunch.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Cummings on March 07, 2005, 07:44:14 PM
NCAASports.com will have full coverage of the Ramapo regional starting at 5:45pm on Friday afternoon.  Hope you will be able to tune in if you can't make the trip.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d-mac on March 08, 2005, 04:45:26 PM
Basketball in Division III at this time of year... is so SWEET!!!
32 teams still have a chance at two national titles... and many teams weren't expected to get this far.
Tonight, a preview of this weekend's Sweet 16 action and preparations for the Final Four... on "Hoopsville"!!!


Wooster, Wittenburg, and Illinois Wesleyan are out of the men's bracket!
So, who in the world is still left in the Men's Road to Salem?
Well... UW-Stevens Point, Amherst, and St. John Fisher.

Trinity (TX) is still alive. Most thought they would be playing IWU on Friday night, instead they face Hanover. Tonight, we will chat with Coach Pat Cunningham about his Tigers. Their road to the Final Four is going to be a tough one.

Then there is John Carrol, who defeated Wittenburg to earn their Sweet 16 berth. Coach Mike Moran seems to have his Blue Streaks team clicking on all the right cylinders, having won the OAC before their run in the NCAA's. We will chat with Coach Moran about his upcoming game against Albion... who got by on what some say is a questionable win over Wooster.

On the women's side, not too many upsets, even though DePauw and Buena Vista were eliminated on their Road to Virginia Beach.

Wesleyan continues to surprise as they took out Staten Island to earn their Sweet 16 game against Springfield. Coach Kate Mullen will join us live on the air to talk about how this season's finish isn't what the Cardinals planned on... and how they're looking to keep dancing.

George Fox will be earning a lot of frequent flyer miles this weekend. Coach Scott Rueck has his Bruins playing very good basketball and will take on St. Benedict, who upset Buena Vista. But how are the Bruins going to handle flying across the entire length of the nation for the game(s)... we will ask Coach Rueck.

And Salem is getting ready for their tenth Men's Final Four. ODAC Commissioner Brad Bankston will join us live on the air to let us know how the preparations are going. How you can get tickets! And what else you can expect and should do while in the great city of Salem (and Roanoke), Virginia.

Oh... and of course we will chat with our regional reporters - Gordon Mann will actually join us in studio. And we will certainly take your questions and comments on the air and try and cover a very busy week of basketball.

So come join us online and LIVE from 8PM - 10PM Eastern!

"Hoopsville": only place where you can listen or chat about Division III Basketball in the nation.

Check out the "Hoopsville" page for information on how you can listen... and be a part of the show.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 10, 2005, 05:03:25 PM
Come on WPI. I been taking a lot of heat from the YORK fans. So do us a big favor and take it to them Friday night. I am hoping that the weather holds up and I will be there.
Go Tech!!!!!!!!!!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 11, 2005, 03:03:34 PM
WPI  77
YORK 75
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 11, 2005, 07:45:34 PM
Tough game! Sweet sixteen is still nice. WPI you have nothing to hang your head about. We love ya!
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: coachz on March 11, 2005, 09:37:37 PM
I think I speak for many of us on this board who were rooting for WPI and their representation of our conference.  WPI now has earned the necessary battle experience, and with returning all their major players next year, will be the team to beat in the league.  Congratulations to the team, they represented us well getting to the Sweet 16.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nehoops4life on March 14, 2005, 04:30:02 PM
Back after a long weekend.  sad to see the Techsters loose in the Sweet 16.  game looked like it was a shootout.  It was a great season and WPI is looking dangerous next year as well.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on March 16, 2005, 09:55:35 AM
Congrats to Cain ( WPI ) on being named to the second team all Northeast!!!!!! Nice season.
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Doc Hoops on March 22, 2005, 02:27:02 PM
so, who are the top teams next year?
any news on recruits?
Title: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: coachz on July 05, 2005, 04:03:02 AM
I'm posting, just because we have not had a post on this forum since March 22nd.  Has anyone heard of any outstanding recruits our conference has commitments from for 2009?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on September 22, 2005, 12:05:00 PM
Watch out for the Clark University Cougars next year......Mo Cassara will have the Cougars back to the way they used to be.....and better!!!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: formerbant10 on September 22, 2005, 04:02:06 PM
Who did the Cougars bring in this year?  They had a lot to improve on from last year, and the Conference is very good again.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on September 23, 2005, 10:39:13 AM
10 guys.....3 transfers and one coming at the break from Central Ct. State.  They will contend for the league title.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: formerbant10 on September 23, 2005, 12:01:52 PM
Well that certainly is the way to turn a program back around...any name for the Central player??
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on October 28, 2005, 01:21:09 PM
The 2005-2006 Clark University Roster is posted.  Lots of new faces.  Looks like they will be taking a few steps forward this year.  Watch out NEWMAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacfan2005 on November 16, 2005, 04:28:30 PM
Has anyone seen Clark scrimmage yet this year?  How did they look?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hoopsitup on November 21, 2005, 07:13:10 PM
Hey, just found this website.  Notice MIT won a tournament last week.  My boy Jimmy B is gonna bring lots of W's and will be rewriting the record books.  Our buddy Andy B. is lightin up Lafayete to.  Both know will be rookie of the year.  U can take that to the bank.  Jimmy should be D1 not D3.  U r lucky to get him MIT.  Who is MIT big rival. Later
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 25, 2005, 12:34:01 AM
Welcome. Not much MIT talk around here.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Onefaceinthecrowd on November 27, 2005, 09:09:06 PM
Strong win for WPI today against Salem.  Salem has started out slow but will put the pieces together before the end of the season.  WPI has now beat three MASCAC teams, Salem, Worcester and Bridgewater.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on November 30, 2005, 09:08:50 AM
WPI is looking good! Best of luck to all the guys.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 30, 2005, 10:47:32 AM

I was impressed with the Lasell score, but your boys will probably have to be a little sharper at Williams this weekend.  That shaky pre-season sure doesn't seem to be hurting them any.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on November 30, 2005, 11:58:27 AM
Clark University had a very impressive win at Worcester State.  They could be a dangerous team this year....espeacially in February and March.  Sklarz could be one of the best players in NE.  Don't sleep on the Cougars.  They could be back like the good old days!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on November 30, 2005, 04:08:55 PM
Williams seems to always be a measuring stick. I wish we had a chance to play Amherst. We will see, this weekend should be fun.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 01, 2005, 09:27:09 AM

If your boys come through, they will get Amherst eventually.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d3bballinboston on December 03, 2005, 09:51:06 PM
JWU beat Coast Guard!!! wow!!  a GNAC team beats a NEWMAC team
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on December 06, 2005, 09:46:06 PM
Well WPI is off to one of the great starts in school history. Great job guys!!! Keep it up.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wpifan on December 10, 2005, 09:16:59 PM
This board is dead! Where are all the WPI and Newmac fans. This will be a great year for our team. Lets get into it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on December 10, 2005, 09:53:57 PM
Hey WPIfan...fill us in on some of what you've seen from the team...we're all ears. It's a little early to get a read on some teams...Springfield's start is fascinating to me...Wheaton is off to a nice start considering how much they lost from last year's team...Coast Guard and MIT have played well but are basically untested...Clark has had some ups and downs
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 12, 2005, 10:26:09 AM


They held off EC the other night and rebounded to spank Roger Williams.  The WPI boys may be back on track.  They might even creep up a spot in the rankings today as York will drop with a loss.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on December 14, 2005, 10:47:19 PM
I would certainly see WPI as the team to beat, they are doing a great job and no reason to think it won't continue.
To me, the most interesting situation is at Clark.  Wholesale personnel changes ( NOT the result of graduation-- they only had one senior on last year's team) theoretically make them much more athletic and up-tempo.  I agree with earlier poster who said look out for them in Feb/March.  HOWEVER, the most painfully obvious thing about the Cougars is that it is a team without a face... it's a bunch of pretty good athletes who don't seem to understand the sets they are supposed to run.... the point being they have no court general out there to define purpose.  Without this ingredient.. and I do not know if it exists within current personnel... they will probably continue to be inconsistent....though dangerous
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on January 09, 2006, 09:28:26 PM
It will be interesting to see how WPI comes back from their loss against the current leaders of the NEWMAC, MIT.  MIT has two solid conference wins vs. CGA and at Wheaton (who beat Clark by 25).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 10, 2006, 09:25:10 AM

MIT and Wheaton have both looked very strong early on and even Springfield seems to be bouncing back from the early season troubles.  The NEWMAC, if not the best, certainly seems to be the most competitive conference in New England right now.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: formerbant10 on January 10, 2006, 12:40:35 PM
I think it's a little tough to say that Springfield is bouncing back after they were beaten soundly by Coast Guard the other night.  Looks more like their troubles continue.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on January 17, 2006, 10:01:50 PM
MIT beats clark tonight, taking sole possession of first in the NEWMAC...at least for one night until WPI plays tomorrow.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescachoopsfan on January 18, 2006, 02:37:06 AM
tufts is 5-0 in the newmac, tough stat for the conference with wins over some of the best tteams in the conference
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d3bballinboston on January 20, 2006, 07:35:25 AM
clark barely beats newbury last night at Newbury
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on January 24, 2006, 04:13:59 AM
any thoughts on tonight's WPI-Clark rematch?  Clark has home court advantage and some sort of big fan "spirt day" but I bet WPI is thirsting for revenge.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on January 24, 2006, 03:19:51 PM
WPI is undefeated on the road but they let teams hang around too long. I'll give the edge to Clark tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 24, 2006, 03:21:55 PM

Clark's not beating them twice, I'm more interested in the road games at UMass-Boston, MIT, and Wheaton, along with the Springfield rematch.  There is a long way to go for WPI.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on January 24, 2006, 05:06:51 PM
Well I usually follow WPI, but I'm out of New England for the rest of the season and I'm having withdrawls.  So I'd love to hear game comments or reports from anyone who can actually make it there.  Keep me updated!

I'm biased, but I don't Clark can beat them twice either, I'm gonna call a WPI win here
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on January 24, 2006, 11:31:13 PM
Well you guys were right. WPI wins. They tried to give it away but Clark was disorganized at the end. How long will they get away with not putting teams away, no wonder why they win 2 games and drop in the polls. no respect and they don't deserve any yet.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on January 24, 2006, 11:36:52 PM
MIT plays solid and remains even with WPI in the loss column, by sweeping Wheaton for the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on January 25, 2006, 02:05:25 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 24, 2006, 11:36:52 PM
MIT plays solid and remains even with WPI in the loss column, by sweeping Wheaton for the season.

yes, but considering MIT's one loss is to WPI, that still puts WPI on top of the NEWMAC.

I agree, it's been frustrating watching (and hearing about) every game coming down to the wire, but somehow they keep pulling it off....I was hoping their only loss to Clark would wake them up a bit, but I guess not.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 25, 2006, 10:45:13 AM

After the Babson game, WPI has got a rough road ahead in which every game should challenge them.  I think they will drop at least one more game if not two.  MIT is still in it and even Coast Guard if they can maintain a high level of play for several weeks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on January 25, 2006, 03:52:45 PM
Not only is MIT still in it, they are one of two teams that control their own destiny (WPI being the other).  If MIT takes care of WPI at home, then that puts them in first place all by themselves.  Every other team in the NEWMAC needs help, and alot of it, to get a regular season crown.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ashleyjb on January 26, 2006, 04:15:26 AM
That'll be a good game.  I'm curious to see if MIT can handle Coleman, b/c they certainly blew it last time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on January 30, 2006, 05:54:31 PM
WPI @ UMass Boston tomorrow night....historically this has been a pretty interesting game. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: umbfan05 on January 31, 2006, 02:00:21 AM
a sixer,WPI is in big trouble going to umass-boston, this is the biggest game in school history. Probably The best team umass-boston ever had. Believe me they will play light out, and leave every thing on the floor. WATCH THE RESULT
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on January 31, 2006, 03:18:35 AM
oh God, but UMass Boston has lost to both Fitchburg State and Salem State, and they're terrible!  Those are two teams WPI has actually managed to win by a significant margin (20+ points each)

I wouldn't say WPI is "in trouble" going to UMass Boston....but I think it'll be a decent game b/c if I remember correctly UMB's style is quite different from WPI's.

you'll have to watch the game and let me know b/c i'm out of the area and can't make it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 31, 2006, 09:12:02 AM

UMass-Boston has always had lots of talent and they have always played poorly against bad teams and very well against good teams.  They have a history of inconsistency.  Although, they haven't had the huge win they normally get once a year, so it could happen.  The bottom line is that UMass-Boston is not in the NEWMAC and therefore this game doesn't matter whole lot to either team; unless WPI doesn't win the conference tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on January 31, 2006, 10:00:37 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on January 31, 2006, 09:12:02 AM

The bottom line is that UMass-Boston is not in the NEWMAC and therefore this game doesn't matter whole lot to either team; unless WPI doesn't win the conference tourney.

Well with all the close games WPI's been pulling out lately I don't think it's safe to assume they'll take the conference tourney.  Two seasons ago I believe they were the regular season champs and lost in the tourney, so it could happen.  Considering that I think every game matters.

Hoops Fan, if you claim UMass-Boston plays to the level of their competition then this really should be interesting b/c it seems WPI does the same.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 31, 2006, 10:03:14 AM

No, I mean it doesn't matter who UMass-Boston is playing, they could win or lose any game they get into, at least traditionally.  WPI can play their best possible game and UMass-B can win or WPI can play their worst game ever and UMass-B can lose.  They've been doing stuff like that for years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: akirk on January 31, 2006, 10:28:11 AM
the difference is that WPI wins the close games and UMASS-Boston has not.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 31, 2006, 10:31:06 AM

I can't help but remember the Plymouth and Salem games last year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on January 31, 2006, 11:07:51 AM
WPI should  win this game after all they are the #15 team in the country. That being said  many of there wins have been close. The games could have gone either way and yes they have been very lucky. If they let this game turn into a track meet they loose BIG. If they get beat tonight, it's going to be very tough with MIT and Wheaton up next  on the road not to mention Coast Guard at home. They could loose 4 of the next 5.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 31, 2006, 11:38:20 AM
Quote from: newmacnewcommer on January 31, 2006, 11:07:51 AM
They could loose 4 of the next 5.

That's been true most of the year and they've come through ok.  I'm not saying this team isn't deserving of these wins, I'm just saying they aren't one of the 15 or even 25 best teams in the country.  They have good coaching and clutch players (as evidenced by the close wins), they will have to work hard the next few weeks, but they have been doing so all along.  I just wish they hadn't gotten so overrated by the voters early on.  To many this season may end up being a disappointment for WPI, when in reality they've had a great year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on January 31, 2006, 03:10:44 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on January 31, 2006, 10:03:14 AM

WPI can play their best possible game and UMass-B can win or WPI can play their worst game ever and UMass-B can lose.

I disagree, I think when WPI brings their A game there's very few teams (especially in New England) that can beat them.  I just don't think they've had very many games yet this season where's it's all come together.  So far they've been able to squeak by because when someone's having an off night they have enough depth that another guy will step up and light it up.  For example, look at Ryan Flynn averaging 11.7 ppg off the bench. 

Now if only they could get everyone playing well at once....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: akirk on January 31, 2006, 03:23:29 PM
sixer

You could probably say the same thing about every other team in the country.  Since when have we ever seen a team play to their full potential and make no mistakes.  It just doesn't happen in basketball.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 31, 2006, 04:05:11 PM

I was commenting more on UMass-Boston's squad, but you can feel free to take anything I say mentioning WPI as an attack.  I'm used to it on the other boards.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 31, 2006, 05:13:53 PM

MIT's got Springfield tonight and after the good showing on Saturday, who knows which Springfield team will show up.  It should be a good one.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on January 31, 2006, 06:25:56 PM
hoops fan, What do you have against WPI?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPIgrad on January 31, 2006, 06:41:04 PM
You guys honestly seriously underestimate WPI. Losing 4 of the next 5 - preposterous. The team has won the close games all year not because they've been lucky, but because they know how to win! Have you guys watched any of the WPI games? Have you seen the expression of control and confidence on the players' faces when they're in a close one? They know they can win and probably will! It doesn't just happen by luck, they've worked REALLY hard! This is a team that just revels in close situations.

I seriously doubt they'll lose tonight to UMass Boston, or for that matter even 1 game out of the next 5, let alone 4! I say WPI ends the year 22-1. The road game at MIT should be a good one sure, but I've watched MIT play and I think WPI has the edge. MIT simply has no player that can post up. That leads to a limited inside presence. The guard play of D'Auria and Kanamori can be nuetralized/answered by WPI's own quartet of guards Cain/Dickson/Flynn/Steele. Coleman, Borque, Ivey (and recently even Marois) will give WPI the edge.

Dont you worry, WPI's going to live up to its potential! They're deep, they're talented, they're hardworking, they know how to win close ones, and they're hungry!

GOOOOOOOOOOO TECH!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPIgrad on January 31, 2006, 08:05:44 PM
I agree with sixer! Thanks for pointing out Flynn's performance this year. Flynnie scoring 11.7 off the bench isn't any kind of fluke. I think Bartley just plays him off the bench because he likes the dynamic that gives him. He averages a serious amount of minutes in most important games.

I think WPI wins at UMass Boston tonight, because from what I remember UMB plays an almost street-like style of basketball. They probably wont come in hard on defense (they allow opposition to score 84 points a game) and WPI sure will (allows 68 points per game).

Also, MIT just lost to Springfield. Sure is a testimony to MIT's supposed 'strong fundamentals'. I wish they tallied points in the paint for MIT, so people could see what I'm talking about. I'm so looking forward to this Saturday's game. I really hope WPI comes through strong and answers all doubters.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 01, 2006, 04:11:59 AM
Called it.   Overtime, phew! I knew it'd be a good game (WPIgrad, I remeber the street-ball style too).  Looks like WPI was a bit outmatched under the boards - 22pts vs 44pts for UMB, but like I said before, they have enough depth (especially in their guards) to overcome something like that.

MIT is no intimidating venue, not to mention they're coming off a loss, so I think the guys should be OK @ MIT.

Anyone get to see the UMass Boston game?  Any highlights?  I hate not being able to get to these games!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 01, 2006, 08:58:47 AM

OT was an interesting result.  WPI pulled out another close one.  Again, I have nothing against WPI, but I just feel like they have been overhyped.  They are the most talented team in the NEWMAC and one of the best in the region, but they just aren't on the same level as some of the national powers. 

On another note, Springfield is really playing well of late.  EC and MIT are no pushovers and they were dominated.  That last game of the season should be a great one.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 01, 2006, 11:36:58 AM
How can you say MIT was dominated when they were down 3 with under 30 seconds left, with the ball, with a chance to tie the game.  It was a very close game and the score was tied a couple of times in the final 5-10 minutes although MIT never took the lead.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 01, 2006, 11:40:15 AM

Ok that was rash.  I was more referring to the EC game.  I shouldn't have grouped those together.  I meant to say that neither team is a pushover and EC was dominated.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 01, 2006, 01:49:24 PM
Last nights game at Umass-Boston was a very big win for WPI. I felt a loss could carry over and make the up coming games more difficult. But lets be honest, WPI was up 15 in the first half and couldn't extend it. The second half they lost by 10 thus overtime. In overtime Umass had 3 bad turnovers in tennis they call it unforced errors. umass handed them the game in the end. If thats not lucky what is?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 01, 2006, 02:14:32 PM

We can call them unforced errors in basketball too.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 01, 2006, 06:12:44 PM
newmacnewcomer,
From what I head it sounded like the last few minutes were pretty ugly.  You think they were definately UMass Boston unforced errors and not caused  by pressure from tough D on WPI's part?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 02, 2006, 09:33:11 AM
Sixer, The UMB passes to the invisable man and the player dribbling
the ball off his knee were unforced (with 15 seconds left down 2 ). Seriously, I bet half of the TO's were unforced. WPI plays the best defense in the league but they got a lot of help from UMB that night.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 02, 2006, 04:40:43 PM
Quote from: newmacnewcommer on February 02, 2006, 09:33:11 AM
Sixer, The UMB passes to the invisable man and the player dribbling
the ball off his knee were unforced (with 15 seconds left down 2 ). Seriously, I bet half of the TO's were unforced. WPI plays the best defense in the league but they got a lot of help from UMB that night.

Just a quick question, when you say WPI plays the best D in the league what are you basing that on? Scoring Defense? Field Goal Percentage Defense? Because WPI is 3rd and 4th in those categories.  They are also 4th in opponents rebounds per game and rebound margin.  They may be the most balanced (offense and defense) and the team that plays best in close games, but you cannot tell me they are the best defensive team in the NEWMAC. If you were saying that they would be the best defensive team in the Little East, then that is a different story.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 02, 2006, 07:49:57 PM
Hugenerd,

I knew when I made that posting someone would qoute those stats.
I wish the stats had just in conference games included. That would give a better indication of where any one team is relative to another.
However, my comment is really based on my observation that WPI is the team that I would least like to play against if I were the opposing coach.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d3bballinboston on February 03, 2006, 01:01:26 PM
mit beat newbury by only 8 last night
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 03, 2006, 02:37:41 PM

I don't know what to make of that.  Newbury was the worst team in the country to start the year, but there have been games when they looked good.  They know how to score and if they happen to hit a good night on the defensive end they can be quite pesky.  Still, MIT probably should have dispatched them with more ease.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: TheFence on February 03, 2006, 04:07:41 PM
I've seem WPI 3 times and I agree with Hoopsfan when he says they don't stack up nationally.  The just don't have enough inside and the other power teams from strong conferences will be able to match thier intensity and their firepower from the perimeter.

Unfortunately the way the tourney works they will be lumped in a group with the winners from the CCC, MASCAC, Little East, GNAC and will probably win 2 games or so.  They'll falter after that as they will be forced to  play any elite team.  They'll end up 22-3 or something on the year but with just  a single bigtime win (over Williams on 12/3).  I guess you can only beat who you play which they have certainly done this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 03, 2006, 04:46:37 PM
A few comments about making a big deal about an 8 point win.

Exhibit A:  WPI wins everyone of their games by 5 or less and they are ranked top 15 nationally.

Exhibit B: Newbury lost to Clark by 3, WPI lost to Clark and beat them by 2 the second time they played. Newbury also lost to Salem State by only 3.

Exhibit C: MIT only shot 4-10 from the FT line in the last 3 minutes, thus making the game look closer than it truly was.

Exhibit D: MIT's starting backcourt shot a combined 4-19, players are going to have bad nights and making a big deal about an 8 point win is ridiculous.

and finally...

Exhibit E: Newbury has a very young and explosive team, as well as a really hard gym to play in, look for them to be good in the coming years as their young players mature.

Quote from: d3bballinboston on February 03, 2006, 01:01:26 PM
mit beat newbury by only 8 last night

In my opinion, this was just an unnecessary comment, but I understand that MIT is one of the most hated on teams just because nobody wants to lose to a bunch of nerds (huge nerds if you ask me!).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 07, 2006, 08:12:03 AM
So we all know that WPI likes to keep their games interesting, but I returned from a long weekend to see that they brought it down to 0.2 seconds this time!!!!  Once again Coleman was the demise of MIT.  Musta been a hell of a game...

Makes me nervous for tonight's game @ Wheaton...judging by the stats (assits, steals) it looks like they have a decent guard in Sean Kelly.  How does he match up against WPI's guards?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 07, 2006, 09:10:12 AM
What no one tells you is the no call that took place with about 1.8 s left.  Coleman was standing by himself at the free throw line because his teammate steam rolled the player guarding him who had left him to take a charge.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 07, 2006, 09:19:34 AM
As for matchups, Coleman is the best defending guard in the league and he will probably guard Zukowski with Cain guarding Kelley.  In my opinion, WPI is very weak inside.  They only have one player, Borque, who can do anything inside and the only other player over 6'4" who plays is his backup.  Even the guys who are 6'4" on WPI, who play power forward, dont really postup or look for anything inside, they are drivers and shooters.  I think they will have alot of trouble playing with a team who's focus is scoring inside, not that Wheaton is, but looking ahead to the NCAA tourney they will not match up against alot of teams.  As for the game with Wheaton, it will probably go down to the wire as usual because WPI cannot put away anybody, they may get upset, but they will probably win by 5 points or less.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 07, 2006, 09:53:54 AM

The post play is what wins tournament games.  You have to have solid post defenders and big time rebounders to win.  I'm not making any comment on WPI, because I haven't seen enough to do that reasonably, but it is a critique I've heard a lot from others.

Fortunately, WPI's record will probably get them a first round game that they can dominate without the post and they might sneak past the seecond round because they'll probably be hosting.  However, the sectional matchup is where things get tricky.  They aren't 100% to make it to the third round, but if they do, that's where it gets real and any weakness they have will be exposed.

Of course, if they lose in the conference tourny and have to get in on Pool C, that all changes and they may have a tough match-up right away.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: TheFence on February 07, 2006, 09:57:07 AM
I'd agree that WPI is soft inside but Coleman plays big.  He's very athletic and reabonds very well for his size so WPI doesn't get killed on the boards, which is critical when your undersized.

Also, it is my observation that there are not many d3 teams that are loaded inside.  This is why WPI is getting away with it right now.  Coming tourney time they won't have a problem until they get out of the region because nobody in NE will kill them upfront due to Coleman's athletisim.  Again once they get out of the region they have bigger problems as their strength (Guard play and intensity) will be matched and probably overmatched not be mention what some teams may be able to do them inside.

Of course we said that about Keene State a couple years ago as well and they beat Rochester who had one of the best big men in the country to get to the elite 8.

None the less WPI is the class of New England in my opinion.  I think their better than Amhearst.  Sleeper in NEWMAC tourney is Springfield.  They have the best player in the conference.  As far as the NCAA's you don't want to be Amhearst or WPI and See Salem State in round 2.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 07, 2006, 10:04:47 AM
Quote from: TheFence on February 07, 2006, 09:57:07 AM
As far as the NCAA's you don't want to be Amhearst or WPI and See Salem State in round 2.

Fence, is that because of their size in the post?  Because they certainly are playing even more sporadically than usual.  They might not even make the tourny this year; I'm not confident they can string together enough games to win their conference tournament.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 07, 2006, 10:59:02 AM
Quote from: TheFence on February 07, 2006, 09:57:07 AM
As far as the NCAA's you don't want to be Amhearst or WPI and See Salem State in round 2.

I'm with Hoops Fan, why do you say that?  Maybe I misunderstood you, but I don't think WPI would have any problem at all with Salem State.  They beat Salem 96-71 early in the season.  It was actually one of their few decisive vistories.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: TheFence on February 07, 2006, 11:25:27 AM
They are both sleepers so keep my comments in perspective. Here's my rational.

Springfield: I think the Guard (Yvon is it) can carry them to a few victories despit there terrible record.  Also, they have played a very tough schedule so they will be tested come the conference tourney.

Salem State.  I saw them twice and they are big and athletic.  They struggled big time early on in the non-conference season but that I believe that was because they had bunch guys who had not played together.  It is a typical Salem State crew, a bunch of  transfers from all over the counrty Juco and D2 as well.  I think their talent alone will make them tough.  They are playing better of late, of course that could be becasue they are playing in a weak conference. (Though not as bad as the CCC, Kidding Hoopsfan Just Kidding)

Keep in mind, no ever accussed me of being the Stu Feiner of D3.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 07, 2006, 11:54:38 AM

I assumed that's what you meant.  They are big and athletic as always, but they have to play together for long stretches, which seems like, well a stretch, for this crew.  It is true, they pose match-up problems in the post for a lot of teams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 07, 2006, 12:02:08 PM

Another question I have for you guys.  I know Gordon has talked to the NEWMAC about becoming school #8.  There seems to be a decent fit in terms of mission and vision and the direction of the school's development.  Do you know what the procedure is for schools joining the NEWMAC?  Is there a waiting period?  How many schools have to approve the addition?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 07, 2006, 01:28:11 PM
Hoops Fan,
Keep in mind that Gordon would make team #8 for the men's side of the conference, but team #11 for the women.

From the NEWMAC handbook:

Section 4.
Minimal Principles Governing Full Membership:
1. Must demonstrate a commitment to academic excellence.
2. Must be NCAA Division III member.
3. Must maintain consistent, broad based, gender equitable programs sponsoring a majority of the
sports in which the conference currently offers championships.
4. Must be a college or university that is within a reasonable travel distance for all member
institutions.
5. Must maintain full conference participation in all sports that are part of the varsity program, and
are classified as a NCAA Division III sport.

Section 5.
Application Process:
If the conference is considering member expansion or replacement, or if an institution initiates a
request for membership, a majority plus one vote of the Athletic Directors is required to issue an
invitation to apply for membership.

All those seeking membership must adhere to the following procedures:
1. A letter of application should be sent to the Conference President indicating interest in
membership.
2. Input on the applicant will be gathered by the Executive Director and shared with the Athletic
Directors. The Athletic Directors will have a minimum of 30 days to review application
materials.
3. The Athletic Directors will vote on new members at the June meeting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 07, 2006, 02:07:40 PM

Thanks for the quick, thorough reference sixer; I take back anything I may have said about you.

I'm hearing rumblings from Gordon that they may be looking to leave sooner rather than later (hence the admission of WNEC to the CCC next season).

I wonder if there is any way to know what if any steps in the process have been done?  I don't think they are at the point of petitioning, but I know there have been "talks."
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 07, 2006, 06:13:45 PM
I'm a little in the dark, why is Gordon looking to leave the CCC?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 617primetime on February 07, 2006, 09:34:20 PM
 Springfield looked good and got a nice win over Clark by 15. Swingman Derek Yvon broke the school's alltime scoring record with 29 points to put him a little over 2000.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mattyt02 on February 07, 2006, 09:39:19 PM
Quote from: 617primetime on February 07, 2006, 09:34:20 PM
Springfield looked good and got a nice win over Clark by 15. Swingman Derek Yvon broke the school's alltime scoring record with 29 points to put him a little over 2000.

He ended up with 2006, breaking Hassan Robinson ('95) old mark of 2005.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: formerbant10 on February 07, 2006, 11:39:08 PM
Congrats to Mr. Yvon, 2000 a lotta f'in points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 08, 2006, 08:42:55 AM

That's not a half bad career right there.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 08, 2006, 08:45:17 AM

And to answer you sixer, Gordon has been on the rise both in their academics and in the attention they've been paying to the athletic department for the last few years.  They see the NEWMAC as a better fit for the Athletic Department in all sports as well as a better fit in terms of academic mission, etc.

No matter how much money some of the schools have, the CCC is a blue-collar conference and GC just doesn't want that anymore.  They do have aspirations for being more well rounded and complete athletically.  They probably do or are aspiring to have more in common with the NEWMAC schools.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: TheFence on February 08, 2006, 10:16:07 AM
Any time you score more points in a career than Hassan Robinson your doing something.  Congrats to Derek Yvon.

I wonder if he's and all-american baseball player like Robinson was.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wildgoose on February 08, 2006, 10:54:09 AM
Yvon starts as a 3b on the baseball team
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 617primetime on February 08, 2006, 11:14:05 AM
 Wonder if you guys think Springfield could make a run in the newmac tourney. After a horrendous start this year, they have won four straight including a 20 point win over Endicott. Also, they've played WPI, Amherst, and Tufts very tight; and took Williams to OT. Granted, they'll probably have to lock up with WPI early, but I wanted to know if you guys think this is a team that could run the table and get in.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 08, 2006, 11:16:31 AM

I was just thinking the same thing.  I think they are probably the most capable team of knocking WPI off and it would certainly boost the talent level of the NE region reps in the tourney if they made it in.  They were so highly regarded to start the year and had a great year last year.  I think they can do it, but they're still probably a longshot at this point.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 08, 2006, 03:20:35 PM
I think any team in the NEWMAC could win the tourney.  There is no team that much better than any other team.  Especially if you consider WPI the best team, they have not beaten anyone by more than a few points so it is wide open.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: TheFence on February 08, 2006, 03:54:28 PM
I think I posted it here yesterday saying the Springfield was the team to watch in the NEWMAC Tourney.

Interesting to here that Yvon plays baseball as well.  Hassan Robinson was a outstanding shortstop and was darfted by the Houston Astros organiztion.  He made it far as Double A I believe before hanging up his spikes.  Oh yeah, he could really score on the Basketball court as well. That of course was back when Spirngfield played D2 in the NE 10 Conference.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 08, 2006, 03:59:46 PM
I hope Yvon gets serious consideration for Player of the Year, even if Springfield doesn't win the tourney. He's been the most consistent player for 4 years.

I agree that the the tourney is wide open with the exception of Clark and Babson.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 08, 2006, 04:05:20 PM

WPI is in at #2 in the first rankings, no other NEWMAC team got a mention.  Keene at #10 is very surprising.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 08, 2006, 06:08:04 PM
Quote from: newmacnewcommer on February 08, 2006, 03:59:46 PM
I agree that the the tourney is wide open with the exception of Clark and Babson.

I totally agree.  2 years ago WPI was the regular season champs, and Babson stole the NEWMAC championship in the tourney.  WPI may be getting the most attention, but since they've played so many NEWMAC opponents down to the wire I agree that anything could happen in the tourney.

"IF" WPI slips up and doesn't win the tourney, they'd still be a safe bid to the NCAA tournament, right?  But then they'd lose home court advantage and draw a more difficult 1st round game.

I think next week's Springfield @ WPI could set the tone here.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 08, 2006, 09:11:47 PM
According to the scoreboard WPI lost to Wheaton tonight by 2.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wildgoose on February 08, 2006, 10:14:42 PM
Babson beat Coast guard!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 08, 2006, 10:39:31 PM
Tonights results make the last few games of the season interesting , MIT and CGA are now tied for second in the conference with Wheaton 4th.  I am not 100% but I am pretty sure WPI has already clinched the conference.  The only teams that can technically have the same record as them if everything goes right are CGA and MIT.  MIT has already lost twice to WPI and even if CGA wins out and WPI loses out, their head to head will be 1-1 and CGA would lose the next tiebreaker which is record against the third place team, which is MIT whom CGA lost to.  Thus, it will be interesting to see who can get that second place spot (as well as 3rd and 4th) and host some games in the NEWMAC tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 617primetime on February 08, 2006, 10:50:19 PM
Like to see the North Shore native Ryan Flynn drop 22 for WPI... wonder why Cain only got 7 shots off
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 08, 2006, 11:55:06 PM
Cain only got 7 shots tonight because WPI's ball movement stinks and has for quite some time ! WPI doesn't have 1 player in the top 10 in assists in the conference. They have 3 or 4 guy's who try to beat you 1 on 1.  They are not good at sharing the ball. This is why they won't go very far in the NCAA tourney. When another team takes away your
best player you have to make even more of an effort to get him the ball otherwise the defense wins. I think this escapes the coaching staff.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 09, 2006, 02:03:04 AM
and when you put that up against Sean Kelly's 7 assists for the night it makes for a tough matchup.  Doesn't help that WPI shot for 18% from 3-point territory, where they usually excell.

I think Tue's game against Springfield will be a real test.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 09, 2006, 09:05:35 AM

I'd just like to mention that after last night, Springfield just has to win out to get the #2 seed in the tournament (or at least a tie for it).

Things are shaping up to be very interesting indeed.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on February 09, 2006, 10:25:24 AM
NESCAC is rooting for that to happen (at least until the finals of the NEWMAC tourney, where a Springfield win would almost guarantee two NEWMAC teams in the NCAA, barring a huge collapse by WPI), because the big five from NESCAC all beat Springfield, and Springfield getting to .500 would help all of their SOSI's (unless SOSI is calculate based on the time the teams met, but I can't imagine that is the case?). 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 09, 2006, 10:30:06 AM

No its figured from the end of the year.  If WPI loses a few more, they might be out of the Pool C race.  Anything is possible.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 09, 2006, 10:50:48 AM
Quote from: sixer on February 09, 2006, 02:03:04 AM
and when you put that up against Sean Kelly's 7 assists for the night it makes for a tough matchup.  Doesn't help that WPI shot for 18% from 3-point territory, where they usually excell.

I think Tue's game against Springfield will be a real test.

Iagree. I also believe that Saturday's game against CGA is a test. Last year CGA beat a better WPI team ( my opinon ). WPI had the other 6' 11" player and he's still better than this years version. Although he is getting better with each game. Must be nice to have an extra big guy around if you need one. I think that with the talent and experience that WPI has they should have beat teams in their conf. more soundly. What do you think their record would be if they were in the NESCAC?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 09, 2006, 10:58:56 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 09, 2006, 10:30:06 AM

No its figured from the end of the year.  If WPI loses a few more, they might be out of the Pool C race.  Anything is possible.

Hoops Fan, can you clarify that?  By end of the year do you mean the Pool C bids are figured by the end of all games prior to the NCAA tournament, or by the end of regular season play?

Worst case scenario, if WPI loses a few more and drops the NEWMAC tourney who do you forsee getting the Pool C bids from New England?


I think the reason Wheaton won last night was because they're one of few teams so far that has been able to silence Cain AND Coleman at the same time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 617primetime on February 09, 2006, 11:16:07 AM
 I would just like to say that WPI doesn't seem to get the respect they deserve. Everyone, myself included, tends to look at the faults of this team, instead of their strengths. I'm very aware they've played some not so good teams to the wire (WOR ST) and lost two games you wouldn't think (CLA & WHEATON)they would, but anyone who sees them play immediately knows they're loaded with talent. They are 18-2 and have beaten two current top 10 teams, WILL & SAL ST. I just think that they'd be a fan favorite if they had snuck up this year, instead of being expected to be a national power. I think this is a legit team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 09, 2006, 11:34:09 AM
617Primetime

I agree that WPI is loaded with talent and thats why they have won as many games as they have. I was at the Williams game and I thought that WPI was the better team from a talent standpoint in fact I would say 10 points better. However, Williams is so well coached that they almost won the game. I would guess that by this time if WPI played them again Williams would win going away. I'm sure that they're a better team by now and WPI is struggling to win close games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 09, 2006, 11:48:07 AM

The selection committee looks at all in-region games, including the conference tournament. If WPI loses to Coast Guard and Springfield and then drops a game before the tourney championship, they could be in trouble.  I mean its a worse case scenario, but 5 regional losses, 4 of them in a row, they could be in trouble.  I think if they win one of the next two and lose in the conference final, they are still in.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 617primetime on February 09, 2006, 11:50:22 AM
Does the committe take momentum into account (i.e. 4 losses to end the year)? Does it benefit to end strong, or is it stricly numbers?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 09, 2006, 11:58:24 AM

The committee has primary and secondary criteria.  So if they are trying to decide between two teams, they have some extra things they consider other things.

Primary criteria (after in-region record and QOWI):

in-region head-to-head
in-region common opponents
(these two are only for ranking teams within a region though)
in-region games versus regionally ranked teams (ranked at the time of selection only)

Secondary criteria (which matter more when comparing teams from different regions):

out of region head-to-head
overall d3 winning percentage
results vs common d3 opponents
results vs teams ranked in any region
overall winning percentage
overall results vs common opponents
overall QOWI
play during the last 25% of the schedule

These criteria are in no particular order.  From past experience it seems losing before the conference tourney final will hurt a team more than anything else.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 617primetime on February 09, 2006, 12:33:55 PM
Thanks for the education brotha
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 09, 2006, 12:46:35 PM
I think WPI has an amazing amount of talent too!  But that's why people pick them apart so much, because we know what they could be doing. 

And don't forget where they came from too...it was only a few years ('02-'03) ago that they were 1-11 in the NEWMAC and the year before that they were even worse. 

So clearly there was some great coaching there to turn a program around so dramatically.  But sometimes I start to wonder if last year's run went to Bartley's head and now he's aiming for a championship instead of focusing on playing good basketball...

Don't get me wrong, I think he's a great coach and a great guy (I mean he invited the entire team to his wedding), I just think he might have changed his focus a bit.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 09, 2006, 01:34:46 PM

I think they've got a good program developing there.  I never want to put a damper on people getting excited, I just wanted to keep realistic expectations, especially with the way the voters pumped them up so much.  I don't think the final four is a legitimate goal for this team.  I've seen too many good this falter because the expectations got too high, too fast.  Keep supporting the WPI boys, but don't expect them to be in Amherst or Williams' class (overall, as a program) just yet.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 09, 2006, 03:48:43 PM
SIXER,

From what I understand, Prior to Bartley, WPI didn't really actively recruit players.
So the big turnaround is largely due to the fact that they starting recruiting. Also, Bartley's prior assistant is responsible for all the players curently there. He's gone so we"ll see what kind of players come in now.

Bartley gets and deserves credit for the intense and effective defense his teams have played under his watch.

He also has to assume responsibilty for the offense. Earlier I stated that he doesn't have 1 player in the top 10 in assists. This is because he has 4 players, who play alot of minutes , who feel that they are the #1 option, at least thats how they play.They won't give up the ball unless they can't do anything with it, even if another player has a better shot. This is the problem in a nut shell. There is 1 player that he's been encourging to pass all year, well coach, if hes not doing it 19 games into the season , he either doesn't understand or doesn't care.

IF they could get it going on both sides of the ball at the same time they could do some serious damage in the big tournment. I for one would love to see it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 09, 2006, 10:19:42 PM
Mike Dauria of MIT was selected as First Team All Academic for District I today by CoSida.  He is now eligible for Academica All-American.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 10, 2006, 09:55:23 AM

What does that say about one of the most prestigious academic schools in the region, that they only get one guy elligible for academic all-american??

I love MIT (one of the best libraries around, by the way); they should demand more respect than that.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 10, 2006, 11:46:55 AM
The problem is that they only have one non-freshman averaging over 9 ppg.  So to get Academic All District you have to have both Academics and excel on the court.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 10, 2006, 12:43:31 PM

Well, I guess that's good for the future of the program.  Assuming they all stay on the court; does MIT have a problem with upperclassmen leaving the team to focus on studies?  I know that's an issue a lot of places across d3; I would assume it would be even more so at some of the more challenging academic institutions.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 10, 2006, 04:44:18 PM
No, not that I know of.  There are 4 seniors and a couple are role players and a couple start.
Title: wpi loses again!
Post by: wildgoose on February 12, 2006, 10:15:01 AM
whats up with WPi - did any one see that game - ya think CG can make a run during the tourney-   I think so - watch out for Springfield
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wildgoose on February 12, 2006, 10:16:02 AM
WPI loses again?
Title: Re: wpi loses again!
Post by: albinomascot19 on February 12, 2006, 07:04:25 PM
Teams go through tough stretches each year, but it all depends on how they respond to them.  WPI is now losers of two straight, but they are a well coached and talented team.  I feel they will bounce back, and handle Springfield.  I feel they will definitely win the conference tournament.  So its too soon to get worried, or concerned yet!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 13, 2006, 08:24:55 AM
You know, if WPI had to lose a few in a row, I don't think now is such a bad time to do it.  Maybe it'll give them a little wake up call before the NEWMAC tourney starts, make the guys realize that they don't necessarily have this one in the bag.

Like I said last week, tomorrow night against Springfield is gonna be a real test...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 13, 2006, 08:48:09 AM

It's getting very interesting.  WPI is lucky they got out to such a big lead in the conference.  I'm not sure they will get by Springfield.  If they don't, that first conference tourney game is going to have a ton of pressure on it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 13, 2006, 10:01:37 AM
I must disagree, now is not a good time to lose 2 couple.
What are they going to do now to fire up the offense?
This should have been addressed when they were just getting out of the gym's by the skin of their teeth.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 13, 2006, 10:03:49 AM
If they lose four in a row, its trouble for even making the tournament.  It's never a good thing to lose back-to-back games.  They really need to win the conference tournament.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 13, 2006, 04:00:49 PM
WPI out of the top 25!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 13, 2006, 04:16:39 PM

That's quite a drop, probably deserved, but rare in the poll.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 14, 2006, 08:04:29 AM
I'm gonna stand by my tough-love theory.  WPI losing a couple of games and dropping out of the polls...a little scare might just motivate them to pick it up a notch.  We all know the close-calls wins haven't don't the trick.

Plus they have a good group of seniors who probably aren't ready to lay down their careers just yet.  I think they just might bounce back from this slide.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 14, 2006, 04:07:17 PM
Sixer,

They don't need motivation they need to make some changes. It should have happened awhile ago so I don't think you'll see it now.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPIgrad on February 14, 2006, 09:35:57 PM
WPI just beat Springfield 83-76 and clinched the 1-seed and homecourt for the tourney. Springfield came in on a 5 game win streak and was widely acknowledged to be playing their best basketball of the year. WPI came in on a 2 game losing streak and was allegedly nervous, crumbling, and poised for a fall. If a nervous and crumbling WPI can shut down the best of Springfield, hey I'll take that with a smile and a fist pump.

To everyone who keeps saying WPI's crumbling and is just waiting for them to do badly and pounce on them - save it. You guys have had precious little opportunity to gloat this year so make the most of WPI's 3 losses. Watch and love the incredible WPI NEWMAC and NCAA tournament runs that are coming up. GO TECH GO!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 14, 2006, 11:17:17 PM
Also, since Coast Guard won, one first round match up is set.  Springfield and Wheaton will meet in the 4 v 5 matchup and the winner will play WPI.  There are a couple of scenarios on the other side of the bracket.  MIT and CGA will be the 2 and 3 seeds (order not decided yet) and will play either Babson or Clark in the first round.  First round home games will be played at MIT, CGA and the Springfield/Wheaton site is yet to be decided.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 15, 2006, 02:02:15 AM
newmacnewcomer,

Exactly what changes do you suggest they make?  You can make all the tactical changes, line-up changes, play changes in the world....but if the guys on the court aren't motivated then those changes are useless. 

Hoops Fan, where are you?  I think I remember awhile ago you predicted a 20-3 final record for WPI.  Right on.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 15, 2006, 08:46:34 AM

Hey, even the losers get lucky sometime.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 15, 2006, 01:07:45 PM
How can you call WPI losers at 20-3?? 

Overrated?  Perhaps. 
But losers? No way.

Hoopsfan, you got what you wanted, they dropped out of the top 25, so why do you have to keep ragging on them?  I think you like to see them stuggle, that's a poor attitude

CONGRATS to WPI seniors for pulling themselves back up on Senior night.

Probably gonna lose a "karma-point" for this one....whatever
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 15, 2006, 01:50:46 PM

I was referring to myself, for having predicted the correct record.





..you probably think this song is about you...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 15, 2006, 02:32:22 PM
Hoops Fan,

I knew exactly what you meant.

Sixer,
I think there is plenty of motivation by the players. I never said there wasn't .
I think line-up changes are appropriate> Last night is a good example, some people might be surprised by Steele's game, I'm not. The difference is last night he got to play,
he got off to a good start and Bartley left him in. Normally, it's one mistake and come sit on the bench. There is a big difference between playing 31 min and 15-20. And thats how Bartley plays most of the seniors. He doesn't take advantage of their experience and heart. Those are the guys that went 7-18 and 1-11 as freshman and turned the program around in 1 year. Now he plays them like freshman. Are some of the sophs better BB players  Yes but they lack experience.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 15, 2006, 04:42:09 PM
well that's a little embarassing, my apologies, Hoopsfan.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 15, 2006, 04:44:56 PM

No problem; I've had my share of embarassing misreads over the years.

New rankings are out, somehow WPI stayed in the #2 slot.  I guess this new committee is only looking as record and QOWI, not about what the teams did over the past week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 15, 2006, 10:15:05 PM
Where did Westfield State come from?  Also, I know NE is the biggest region, but there are only 3 teams ranked in the entire NCAAs (men's DIII to be specific) with 7 in region losses and all 3 are ranked in the NE (Williams, RIC and Westfield).  I wonder why a team like CGA isnt getting a look after beating the #2 ranked WPI team by 12 on the road, other than losing to Babson twice they havent had a bad loss in the last 23 games.  MIT might also deserve a look, their only "bad" loss has come to a surging Springfield team.  In my opinion the NEWMAC deserves two teams in the NE rankings, they may not be the strongest conference overall, but all the teams are competitive and the top 5 or 6 teams could play with anyone on a given night.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: qbsfinest on February 15, 2006, 11:30:41 PM
Coast Guard isnt gettin a look for the simple fact that u just stated. they lost to babson twice. Babson is not a good team. they play hard and have a  strong defensive presence but for god's sakes they can't score. they are not good at all. And like i been tellin all u guys, WPI is very overrated and would not be surprised if they did not win their conference tournament. So CGA beating them and losing twice to Babson makes them like the rest of the teams in the NEWMAC-AVERAGE!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 16, 2006, 09:12:05 AM

QOWI is a big factor.  Westfield beat Salem this week and their number is pretty good, plus the committee seems to think it needs a rep from all the "major" conferences in the region, which means NESCAC, NEWMAC, LEC, CCC and MASCAC.

In their defense, Westfield has been playing pretty well this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 18, 2006, 09:27:28 PM
NEWMAC's final standings are not only symmetric, but between every spot there is exactly a one game difference.  If that isnt clear, here is what I mean:

WPI 9-3
MIT 8-4
CGA 7-5
Wheaton 6-6
Springfield 5-7
Clark 4-8
Babson 3-9

Conference tourney is now set:

First Round:

WPI (1): bye
MIT (2) : hosts Babson (7) (season series 2-0 MIT)
CGA (3): hosts Clark (6) (season series 1-1)
Wheaton (4) : hosts Springfield (5) (season series 1-1)

Interesting Matchups:
Clark just beat CGA at CGA
Wheaton and Springfield have split previous games, each blowing the other out at home

Second Round:

WPI plays Wheaton/Springfield winner
MIT/Babson winner plays CGA/Clark winner
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 20, 2006, 08:55:15 AM

It should be a fun time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 20, 2006, 09:52:31 AM
I'm thinking a Wheaton win tomorrow night based on momentum (Springfield has dropped 2 in a row) and home court advantage....but anything could happen

plus, as a WPI fan I'd rather face Springfield in the second round, we have a bad history with Wheaton
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 20, 2006, 10:51:52 AM
Sixer,

I would much rather play Wheaton, it always very difficult to beat the same team 3 times
in 1 season and that would be the case with Springfield.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 22, 2006, 12:04:26 AM
MIT won its 19th game of the year, tying a school record set 39 years ago.  Dou Soumare returned after a open dislocation of his thumb that kept him out 7 games. Her is MIT's best defensive threat.  He was instrumental on the defensive end in the second half of tonight's game.  Getting 5 blocks and 9 boards in the final 8-10 minutes of the game.  MIT faces CGA on saturday.  Soumare was injured a month ago in the two team's last meeting.  Should be a good one, along with the other NEWMAC final between WPI and Wheaton.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 22, 2006, 09:28:32 AM

MIT actually has a shot at an at-large bid if they keep winning.  They will need a lot of other teams who are supposed to win, continue to win, but there is an outside shot if the beat Coast Guard.  I think the 8 region losses might kill them, but their QOWI number is way up right now.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 22, 2006, 10:19:33 AM
It would be justice for MIT to get in. If not for 1 bad no call at the end of the WPI game, MIT would be the regular season champs. However, they are probably going to have to win the tourney to get in.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 22, 2006, 10:21:59 AM

Yeah, it would be a bit crazy if MIT got in without winning the tournament.  I think they can do it though.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 22, 2006, 11:20:27 AM
I'm glad to see MIT and WPI both doing so well this season.  It's good to see some "geek" schools do well in a conference that definately has its share of "jock" schools (ie Wheaton and Springfield).  WPI catches a lot of crap about being so nerdy, it's great to be able to hear about something other than robotics competitions on camps.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 22, 2006, 11:22:02 AM
what would need to happen in the other NE conferences for MIT to have a good shot at an at-large bid?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 22, 2006, 11:56:57 AM

It's not the NE conferences, its every conference in the country.  Pretty much every team that is leading their conference would have to win the automatic bid.

In the last QOWI rankings, MIT was 19th among teams not leading their conference.  Add to that their regional losses (which will be 8 by the time they get to Pool C) and its a super long shot.  They are better off winning the tournament.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 22, 2006, 12:55:24 PM
Hoops Fan,

What happen's to WPI if they lose to Wheaton? I would think they are still in>
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 22, 2006, 01:03:13 PM

Yeah, I think they are in no matter what.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on February 22, 2006, 01:07:32 PM
Hoops Fan,

Thanks.
Who gets knocked  out if someone other than WPI wins?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 22, 2006, 01:16:59 PM

That's tough to know until it all pans out.  Teams like NYU, NJCU, and St Thomas are "on the bubble" so to speak.  You really can't know who would be hurt by that loss until Sunday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: babsongunz on February 22, 2006, 09:46:08 PM
enough talk about mit.  if they do make it to the finals they will have to prove that they can hang with wpi and coleman anyways.  give them crdeit for last nihgts win at least - that big kid #21 stalled us, and what surprises me most about that team is how deep they are.  i sat in the stands and watched a blond kid and an asian kid with a headband hit like 15 consecutive threes in warmups.  ive been to all three babson matchups this year, i dont think those two played a combined 5 minutes.  go figure. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 22, 2006, 11:34:17 PM
That was #21's (Soumare) first game back after missing 7 games, he dominated the last 10 minutes of the game getting 5 blocks and 9 of his 10 rebounds in that span.  He should make a big impact in the Coast Guard game, Johnson had a field day last time the two teams met after Soumare was injured early in the first half.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 23, 2006, 08:56:30 AM

With Soumare back, MIT becomes the favorite in this game, in my book.  He adds something that MIT really needed.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 23, 2006, 08:56:54 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 23, 2006, 08:56:30 AM

With Soumare back, MIT becomes the favorite in this game, in my book.  He adds something that MIT really needed.


Wow, talk about subject-verb agreement problems...ouch.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nehoops4life on February 23, 2006, 10:59:51 AM
Did someone call Wheaton a "jock" school???  AS an alum and former athlete of that institution, it is FAR from a jock school.  Good athletics, yes ... jock school, no.

Springfield, yes, THAT is a jock school
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 23, 2006, 11:03:06 AM
Quote from: nehoops4life on February 23, 2006, 10:59:51 AM
Springfield, yes, THAT is a jock school

They do have somewhat of a reputation to live up to.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 23, 2006, 11:15:37 AM
Just some trivia for you, before Naismith came to Springfield and invented the game we now call basketball, he taught at and went to school at a very good school in Montreal...McGill University.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 23, 2006, 01:34:30 PM

Yes, yes, the great American game was invented by a Canadian, but he did invent it in Springfield, just not while he was at Springfield.  It's still a rep to live up to.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on February 23, 2006, 03:13:35 PM
I have lived in Mass my whole life and I've never heard of Wheaton for anything BUT athletics...

What else are they known for?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 23, 2006, 03:19:18 PM

I think Wheaton is best known for being mistaken for the other Wheaton out in Illinois.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WNECFAN on February 23, 2006, 09:07:24 PM
I'm an SC alum and Naismith did invent basketball while he was at Springfield.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 23, 2006, 09:37:59 PM
If you read the posts, there was no argument about the location of the invention.  I was actually at Springfield's gym last week.  The point was that he came from Canada, where he was born, raised and schooled, and then came up with the sport after coming to work at Springfield.  Here is a quote from my previous post "before Naismith came to Springfield and invented the game", hence I am stating that before he both came to Springfield and invented the game, he worked and went to school at McGill.  No need to be touchy about the subject, no one is trying to steal Springfield's thunder.  Just adding a little historical taste to the board, since most people don't know much about Naismith, the man, not just the myth.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 24, 2006, 09:11:26 AM

I'm guessing most New England basketball fans do know something about him, because of the proximity.

I just thought the timing of the post was strange.  It seemed like you were trying to debate the fact that Springfield has an athletic legacy to live up to.  If you weren't, fine.  No big deal.


I was also alluding to the fact that Volleyball was invented in Holyoke, as well.  Two major d3 sports invented really close to your school, that is a legacy to live up to.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 24, 2006, 11:30:08 AM
That is why I prefaced the post, "Just some trivia for you...", the timing of the post was irrelevant, I just think that is interesting.
Title: NEWMAC Tourney
Post by: mikejeep on February 25, 2006, 08:11:10 PM
Just got back from the NEWMAC Tourney at WPI...

WPI beat Wheaton fairly handily, but they did have a 34-point lead early in the second half nearly evaporate due to a great run by Wheaton.  Coleman did his usual thing grabbing several key rebounds, and freshman Adam Lirette got quite a bit of playing time and looks like he is going to be a central component of this team over the next few years.

MIT beat Coast Guard in a pretty good game, giving MIT 20 wins for the first time ever.  MIT's Dau had a great game even with a large bandage on his hand, including a monster dunk.

All-Engineer final at 1pm tomorrow for the trophy!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 25, 2006, 08:13:06 PM
MIT handles CGA today, leading by as much as 24 in the 2nd half before winning by 12.  Dou Soumare again had a big game, as did freshman Jimmy Bartollota and scoring leader Mike Dauria.  Alex Krull also scored in double figures off the bench.  Soumare had a pretty nasty dunk after a steal in the first half.

WPI was up by 32 at half time (53-21) after scoring 25 points in the first 6 minutes and leading 31-6 after about 9 minutes.  Wheaton didnt give up though, as they cut it to 10 with about 5 minutes remaing, again WPI showed why they have won every game so close this year: they cant close out a game.  Luckily they had built up a big enough lead to hold off Wheaton with free throw shooting at the end of the game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 26, 2006, 07:34:12 AM
NEWMAC men's title game.

#1 seed WPI vs #2 seed MIT

Tip at 1PM ET, pre-game at 12:50, featuring brief interviews with MIT head coach Larry Anderson and WPI senior guard Ryan Flynn.

Those with high-speed internet can go here for the video/audio feed

http://mfile.akamai.com/21612/live/reflector:49031.asx?prop=n

Those on dial-up can go here for an audio feed

http://www.bcmonsters.com

(not sure if interviews will be available on the video feed)

I imagine we'll also be updating the women's title game (Springfield vs Mount Holyoke)

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPIgrad on February 26, 2006, 03:37:54 PM
WPI won in pretty convincing fashion today against MIT 69-56. Solid performances all around with Flynn leading WPI with 20 points. We've really played well in the tournament and I'm looking forward to the NCAAs. Coleman had two emphatic dunks and MIT's supposedly big defensive threat 'Dou' was silent. To everyone who keeps doubting WPI - I think we answered pretty nicely.

Here we come NCAAs!!!!

GO TECH!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: broke_ya_ankles on February 26, 2006, 08:48:13 PM
as far as what Wheaton is known for, they are respected in terms of athletics, however they offer a quality education, average SAT scores to get in are about 1260 and average GPA is 3.45 so its got a solic academic foundation.  student faculty ratio of 11:1 is solid too for the small college idea they try and offer.... on a side note, they usually have some rather appealing girls there too haha  :D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: broke_ya_ankles on February 26, 2006, 11:05:58 PM
any idea on who the 8 for the ECAC tourney will be?

a few come to mind quickly...

Keene State (shoe-in)
Colby-Sawyer
Roger Williams
Rhode Island College
Wheaton
Salem State
Husson

others?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 26, 2006, 11:49:33 PM
I dont know how Wheaton could come to mind before MIT and Coast Guard, both of whom finished ahead of Wheaton in the NEWMAC with better records.  Also, Bates and Trinity (CT) are locks for sure out of the NESCAC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 26, 2006, 11:52:59 PM
Emmanuel and Williams will also get consideration.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: broke_ya_ankles on February 26, 2006, 11:58:15 PM
someone brought up the point NESCAC teams dont usually participate in the ECAC....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 27, 2006, 12:19:12 AM
Oh really, I didnt read the whole conversation then, but if that is the case I still think MIT and CGA get in before Wheaton.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 27, 2006, 01:12:16 PM
The New England Region has been announced:

1. Keene State
2. MIT
3. Emmanuel
4. Rhode Island College
5. Coast Guard
6. Wheaton
7. Plymouth State
8. Colby Sawyer

You guys were right about the NESCAC schools not participating.  Also, there are 3 NEWMAC schools in the tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on February 28, 2006, 12:17:24 PM
Are these WPI teams better than the Clark teams of 00-01 and 01-02?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: formerbant10 on February 28, 2006, 01:52:55 PM
I know they aren't better than the Clark teams from 1984 and 1987 or probably not the 1981 team either.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 28, 2006, 01:56:52 PM
Quote from: Clark Basketball on February 28, 2006, 12:17:24 PM
Are these WPI teams better than the Clark teams of 00-01 and 01-02?

Probably not, but then again those comparisons are so subjective.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 28, 2006, 08:48:19 PM
MIT swept the individual awards in the NEWMAC.

Mike Dauria was selected player of the year, Jimmy Bartollota was named rookie of the year and Larry Anderson was named Coach of the Year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 28, 2006, 11:13:09 PM
Congratulations to Mike D'auria for also being named as a Cosida Academic All-American.

Mike is also 26 points away from 1500 for his career and will pursue that mark and a ECAC crown beginning tomorrow against Plymouth.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sixer on March 01, 2006, 01:32:38 AM
Rounding out the rest of the all-conference team:

FIRST TEAM
Craig Johnson     Coast Guard     Forward   So   Medford, OR
Mike D'Auria         MIT                  Guard       Sr    Newton, MA
Derek Yvon          Springfield       Guard       Sr    East Longmeadow, MA
Sean Kelly           Wheaton          Guard       Sr    Providence, RI
Ryan Flynn          WPI                  Guard       Sr    Hamilton, MA

SECOND TEAM
Al Sowers            Coast Guard   Guard        So    Monrovia, MD
Jeff Prebeck         Coast Guard   Forward    So    Columbus, IN
Brian Zukowski    Wheaton        Guard        Jr     Dracut, MA
Ryan Cain            WPI                Guard        Jr     Webster, MA
Antoine Coleman WPI                Forward    So    Everett, MA



I'm a little suprised to see Flynn on the 1st team with Cain and Coleman on the 2nd team.  I don't disagree, just surprised people saw it that way.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 01, 2006, 09:12:25 AM

Hey, where did you see the All-America list?  It's not even up on the CoSIDA website yet, although today is the release day.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on March 01, 2006, 10:25:05 AM
Cograts to MIT players and coaches, very well deserved.
also to HUGENERD your team had and is having a great season, I hope they win the ECAC'S.

I'm not surprised that Flynn is first team, without his end of game heroics, Wpi"s record is much different ( 3 or 4 more loses )
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 01, 2006, 10:32:51 AM

Wow, all three of those CGA guys are sophomores?  That could be one heck of a squad in a year or two.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmacnewcommer on March 01, 2006, 10:37:02 AM
Hoops Fan

I agree, at times CGA looked great this year, the next 2 years s/b great for them.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on March 01, 2006, 11:29:30 AM
Way to forget Tim Dutille. His sophomore year he was Second Team All-NEWMAC, his junior year, First Team. Now he doesn't even get a shout. Hmmm.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 01, 2006, 12:08:20 PM

Dutille seems a slight omission, but its hard to argue with any of the guys who made these teams.  I'd have probably given him a nod, especially because of the larger body of work.  I guess you can only blame the coaches.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on March 01, 2006, 12:53:22 PM
Hoops Fan,
The coaches find out a day earlier and so do SIDs, so if you go to the actual schools athletic page they will have an article.  For example, I also know the Clayton Barlow Wilcox of Carnegie Mellon got 3rd team Academic All-America because you can see the article at www.cmu.edu/athletic.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 01, 2006, 12:59:16 PM

Gotcha, I guess I'll just have to wait another couple hours for the official posting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on March 01, 2006, 04:02:56 PM
I understand that is up to the SIDs and the coaches, but do we honestly need 3 representatives from Coast Guard? They made a huge turnaround, no one can deny that, but even when the Clark teams were unstoppable a few years ago there were only 2 representatives on the team. Coast Guard did lose twice to the bottom team in the NEWMAC?

Go WPI!! Represent the NEWMAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on March 01, 2006, 10:26:04 PM
NEWMAC had a decent night in the ECAC, MIT won 60-55, Wheaton blew out Emmanuel and unfortunately Coast Guard lost in overtime to RIC.  MIT and Wheaton meat in the Semis on Friday, as do Keene State and RIC.

Mike Dauria scored 22 for MIT and is now 4 points from 1500.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on March 01, 2006, 10:27:08 PM
One other thing,  MIT extended its record for most wins in a season to 21, the previous record had been 19 40 years ago.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on March 15, 2006, 02:26:25 AM
Congratulations to 1st team all Northeat Region and NE region Player of the year Mike Dauria of MIT.  He had a great season and deserves all the accolades he gets (which have been numerous this season).  Hopefully the voters will make him a first team all american as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 15, 2006, 08:36:41 AM

I doubt he gets first team all-america, having not been big on the radar and being behind quite a few amazing guards around the country.  He was a suprise pick to me, but no less deserving of the honor.  Congratulations.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on April 21, 2006, 09:07:52 AM

So Cassara is out at Clark?  Anyone not see this coming?  I thought he'd last one more year, but oh well.  We need some input as to how this affects the players who were set to come this year.  Will this be a major setback to the basketball revival at Clark?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: formerbant10 on April 21, 2006, 10:55:26 AM
Tough to say if anyone saw it coming, but I'm sure some will say they knew what was going on.  Either way, you can't argue a change like that for Coach Cassara, great opportunity for him. 

I don't think it'll be a setback, seeing as though longtime assistant Tyrone Hicks is still their and can handle the recruiting load.

And on the D3 level, I haven't heard of many players transfering out because a coach leaves.  It's quite possible, but unlikely.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on April 21, 2006, 11:39:38 AM

I meant more about the class of Freshmen coming in.  At this point, some of them may not even have deposited yet.  I know Cassera had a lot to do with last year's class and the one upcoming.  I was just wondering if people heard about incoming freshman who may be back on the market.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on April 27, 2006, 02:46:01 PM
i've heard at least two recruits are coming from my alumni pals...i was just checking my alma mater's website and the position is officially posted, anyone know who will apply?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on April 27, 2006, 04:26:42 PM

Not Dana Barros; he already got a job.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on May 13, 2006, 01:45:59 PM
In a recent article in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Clark AD Linda Moulton said that she is hoping for a June 1 hire date for the new coach. Also, she said that one of the finalists from the last search when Paul Phillips left is a top contender. I'm guessing Kevin Clark, or maybe Walter Townes. Has anyone heard anything?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 13, 2006, 04:12:54 PM
I have not heard anything but wanted to post to say it was good to say a Clark poster on the board. Not much representation here, usually.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on May 15, 2006, 10:25:24 AM
I am hearing that Kevin Clark has been offered the job and that the only thing that has to be resolved is money.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 15, 2006, 10:56:29 AM

The same Kevin Clark who was already Clark Head Coach back in he late 80's?  Why would he take what has to amount as a demotion at this point in his career?  I know he's an alum and all, but they would have to put up a lot of money to get me to take that gig.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on May 15, 2006, 04:51:43 PM
I think its a no brainer to take the job. Kevin Clark is in his late 40's and has children. A D3 job, though demanding eliminates a lot of the travel that D1 brings and he has many ties to the area. One of his best friends is Tyrone Hicks, the associate head coach now. Clark knows Clark (that'd be fun to say too for us alums), and knows that with its strong academic and basketball reputation that he can succeed. He knows D3, thats what is important.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 15, 2006, 04:59:15 PM

If those are true, I truly so applaud him.  We need more college basketball guys standing up for family and academics.  From a career standpoint, I just don't see it; it would be great for Clark and NE d3 ball though; Clark's a good guy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: formerbant10 on May 16, 2006, 04:20:50 PM
I think Clarkie has the right thoughts on the situation.  If the job was offered to Clark and he accepted it, I don't think he'd have to worry about making any more moves.  Could be a very good move for Clark if that is true, great recruiter and motivator....plenty of experience. 

Watch out for the Cougars in a couple of years if this rumor is true.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on June 01, 2006, 10:55:59 AM
what is up with the Clark job?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on June 01, 2006, 11:15:58 AM

I haven't heard anything official yet.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: sully6827 on June 01, 2006, 03:18:57 PM
anyone know anything about the other openings in New England?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on June 02, 2006, 11:16:57 AM
This was in the Worcester paper today:

Clark's search for a new men's basketball coach continues.

Sources said Kevin Clark, the top contender for the position when the search began early last month, is no longer a candidate.

"Things didn't work out," one of the sources said. 


Clark, an assistant at the University of Rhode Island, was the Cougars' head coach from 1987-91.

Clark director of athletics Linda Moulton had originally targeted yesterday as a hire date, but now, "we are probably a couple weeks away," she said.

Clark is seeking a new coach for the second time in three seasons. Mo Cassara, who replaced Paul Phillips as head coach in 2004, resigned in April to become an assistant at Boston College. Moulton said the school received about 50 applications for the job, considered one of the top Division 3 positions in New England.

"Overall, the pool isn't as large as last time," Moulton said, "but we have some great quality candidates. We're in the process of developing our short list."

According to sources, Assumption assistant and Clark graduate John Ginnity, Cougars assistant and Clark grad Chris Oroszko, Norwich coach Paul Booth, Brown assistant Kevin Jaskiewicz and former Assumption coach Tom Ackerman are among those in the mix.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on June 02, 2006, 11:48:11 AM


I'd like to see what Paul Booth could do at Clark.  He's done so well with quite a few limitations at Norwich.  I don't know anything about the man or his coaching philosophy, but he certainly has produced well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: All-around on June 02, 2006, 02:03:52 PM
In some recruiting news, other than on the first page I have heard that Jerome Kirkland will be attending WPI next year. He is a PG out of Boston who attended Northeastern last year. He is a very good player, good job for WPI.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on June 03, 2006, 12:56:14 AM
I have heard from a very reputable source (one of the candidates that has been listed) that former Clark coach (and a fantastic guy) Paul Philips is also on the very short list. Clark needs an older coach, a fatherly type that can turn the program around correctly.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on June 05, 2006, 09:02:12 AM

Check out the front page.  MIT destroys the best basketball teams Taiwan has to offer.  I had no idea Basketball was so behind the times in Taiwan.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on June 05, 2006, 11:59:29 AM
I heard MIT played really well in the tournament.  The team they played in the finals was no joke, it was a professional team with some guys that even competed on Taiwan's national team.  MIT has some really talented young big men and I think they will be a force next year in the NEWMAC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on June 05, 2006, 12:31:54 PM
They say that every year....without D'Auria they wont be as good as they were last year. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on June 05, 2006, 12:43:09 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on June 05, 2006, 11:59:29 AM
I heard MIT played really well in the tournament.  The team they played in the finals was no joke, it was a professional team with some guys that even competed on Taiwan's national team.  MIT has some really talented young big men and I think they will be a force next year in the NEWMAC.

Taiwan National Team is not necessarily indicative of anything.  They might be the best the island has to offer, but you have to take it all in perspective.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on June 05, 2006, 02:56:02 PM
Quote from: Clark Basketball on June 05, 2006, 12:31:54 PM
They say that every year....without D'Auria they wont be as good as they were last year. 

I guess we'll have to wait for the season to start to see that.  Don't forget that MIT also had the NEWMAC rookie of the year last year, Jimmy B., who happens to play the same positions as D'auria (1-3).  He may not be as good offensively yet but he is a better defender already. 

I hope Clark is better next year, only 4 conference wins this year.  Although you could make the argument (like you have with D'auria and MIT) that since they lost Dutile they may be even worse next year. 

Also, I don't know where you get this "every year" stuff, I don't think MIT has ever got enough hype to make that comment (there is pretty much no MIT talk on this board other than me).  Regardless, unlike other years, MIT has a player in Soumare who took over two conference tournament games last year (Babson and CGA) and who has shown that he can score as well.  They have three solid inside/outside scorers in Bartolotta, Krull, and Mroz and they have depth in the post with Juneau and Johnson.  They will be solid again and contend for the NEWMAC championship.  I think the top 3 teams next year in no given order will be MIT, WPI and CGA.

Quote from: Hoops Fan on June 05, 2006, 12:43:09 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on June 05, 2006, 11:59:29 AM
I heard MIT played really well in the tournament. The team they played in the finals was no joke, it was a professional team with some guys that even competed on Taiwan's national team. MIT has some really talented young big men and I think they will be a force next year in the NEWMAC.

Taiwan National Team is not necessarily indicative of anything. They might be the best the island has to offer, but you have to take it all in perspective.

Let me ask you this, when you say you have to take it all in perspective, what does that mean? Do you have an insiders perspective because you have seen Taiwan play, scouted their talent and made an informed decision. Or are you making your comments on the assumption that MIT is not good and any team they beat must be not good as well.  Unfortunately, I believe you are making your comments on preconceived notions and not on any sort of fact.  What if the Professional team they played in the finals is legit and MIT just played really well?  For some reason, no one believes that MIT can actually be good at basketball.  Everyone can continue to hate on MIT, but I am going to give them some respect for winning 21 games last year and coming one game from winning both the NEWMAC regular season crown and the conference tournament.  Everyone on this board can continue to take them lightly, but I gaurantee that the coaches in the NEWMAC won't.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on June 05, 2006, 03:26:19 PM


I like MIT; I think they are a good squad.  I think they will be competitive this year.  However, that being said, there are at least 300 collegiate US teams that are better than they are.  That doesn't count all of the professional squads here.  In comparison, they are not at the top of the ladder.  That was all I was refferencing.

I actually do follow international ball a little bit and Taiwan is consistently in the bottom of world rankings and don't show well, even in the historically weak Asian Sectional.  It's a good trip for MIT, but its not like they beat the Argentinian national squad or anything.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on June 05, 2006, 03:50:59 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on June 05, 2006, 02:56:02 PM
Everyone can continue to hate on MIT, but I am going to give them some respect for winning 21 games last year and coming one game from winning both the NEWMAC regular season crown and the conference tournament.  Everyone on this board can continue to take them lightly, but I gaurantee that the coaches in the NEWMAC won't.

I will give them respect for doing that as well, though not for dominating various levels of Taiwan basketball. It's a fun trip and a good story but beating lower-level competition doesn't elevate MIT as a Division III basketball program.

But as I said, good story and worthy of the recognition.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on June 05, 2006, 05:10:56 PM
I agree with the last two posts.  It just seems that whenever there is something positive written about a school that isn't a historical powerhouse, there is immediate resistence from posters manifested as negative comments. 

Also, when I said MIT was going to be competitive and good, I was by no way comparing them to any other division or all of dIII for that matter.  I was comparing them to teams in the NEWMAC and saying they would be competitive in their league.


The Taiwanese professional team was the favorite going in, the tournament was even covered on ESPN(whichever version is broadcast in taiwan), MIT got the win and the upset.  All I am saying is there is no need to put down MIT for winning, regardless who the opponent was.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on June 05, 2006, 06:51:03 PM
Soumare plays like a soccer player. He slide tackles and talks more trash than any player I have ever watched. A good athlete yes. But not a true basketball player.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on June 05, 2006, 06:54:00 PM
And yes Timmy Dutille has graduated, but Clark has a star in Dominique Beck and Trey Thomas. Also, I've heard that despite Cassara leaving, three recruits are coming to Clark, including their number one recruit that is not listed on the Daily Dose site. It will take a year or two, but hopefully Clark will once again be the headlines in the alumni magazine. Also, Cory Szklarz has one year left of eligibility and did not graduate this year, despite his senior status. That might make things interesting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on June 05, 2006, 07:59:22 PM
Quote from: clarkie on June 05, 2006, 06:51:03 PM
Soumare plays like a soccer player. He slide tackles and talks more trash than any player I have ever watched. A good athlete yes. But not a true basketball player.

If by slide tackle, you mean he takes charges--I agree.  And for that matter, being a "true" basketball player doesn't matter (have you seen Diop play for the Mavs in the playoffs, he started playing basketball when he was 17).  He can run faster and jump higher than anyone in the NEWMAC.  He also has a better court sense on defense and passing the ball than most big men I have seen in the NEWMAC.  He is one of the few players I have seen in DIII (especially in the NEWMAC), who can change the complexion of an entire game with just his rebounding and defense (he gets most of his offense of put-backs and dunks).  For example, last season against Babson in the first round of the conference tourney: It was his first game back after breaking his thumb and he and MIT were playing absolutely awful for most of the game until the last 10 minutes when Soumare had 5 blocks and something like 10 boards and MIT won relatively easily.  Not to mention the next game against CGA when he shutdown Craig Johnson who had scored 32 the previous game when Soumare was out (in addition to the most ridiculous play I saw all season when Soumare stole the ball at the opposing free-throw line, outran CGA's entire team dribbling down the court and dunked 2-handed from outside the lane over one of CGAs players).   

You may say he isnt a true basketball player, but there is no way you wouldn't want him on your team.

And who cares about trashtalking, that is just part of the game now, you'll find that at any level from high school to the NBA.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on June 06, 2006, 12:15:23 PM
No I am not talking about taking charges thank you very much, I'm not a basketball fool. At a game I watched between MIT and Clark, Soumare literally slide tackled one of Clark's players right in front of the scorers table. Coach Anderson had to take him out and remind him that he was playing basketball, not soccer. And yes trash talk is trash talk, but after watching and playing basketball in high school and college and having season tickets to an NBA team my whole life, Soumare trash talks like Ben Wallace. He too has to remember that though an extremely good athlete, he is also a student and is representing his school. Many left that game with poor feelings towards MIT, because of the trashy style of play of Soumare. MIT has a great coaching staff and some nice kids that have talent, but Soumare needs to tone it down and prove that he is indeed a great basketball player.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on June 06, 2006, 02:47:27 PM
First off, I as well played high school and college basketball and I was actually a part of the coaching staff you spoke of highly (although I am no longer a part of it because I am focusing on my studies) and I appreciate the kind words.  I haven't seen Soumare do that, but I will admit that I was not at the first Clark-MIT game last year because of academic commitments (so if that is when you were talking about, you are entitled to your opinion and I cannot say anything because I was not at that game). However, I would not go so far as to say that his style of play is "trashy".  He plays extremely hard and I am sure that, like anyone, he can get carried away sometimes.  In the 25 games I watched him play last year I can not remember a time when he was completely out of line.  Anyway, I didn't mean to start any hostilities, I was just trying to defend the team.  Good luck next season and I am sure all these arguments will settle themselves on the court next year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on June 06, 2006, 03:33:19 PM

Wow lots of animosity in the NE region today.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on June 19, 2006, 11:18:58 AM

Have we gotten word on the NEWMAC's response to the alleged Gordon petition for membership?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on June 29, 2006, 03:25:58 PM
Has anyone heard anything about the Clark job? I keep checking the papers and the Clark athletic web site and no updates...I thought there was supposed to be a hire by the beginning of next week? I am getting antsy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on June 30, 2006, 12:50:22 AM
Answer:

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables.php?item=736
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on June 30, 2006, 08:52:33 AM

Well, there you go.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on July 01, 2006, 10:01:03 AM
I think that this may be a great move for Clark. Coach Phillips knows Division III basketball, something that I think Mo Cassara missed. Lets go cougars!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on September 29, 2006, 04:11:38 PM
any preseason polls for the newmac....anyone want to predict the standings....the cougars I think will take a step forward with Phillips back at the helm!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: heythere on October 31, 2006, 04:59:48 PM
Here is my predections this year

1.wpi- coleman and cain are to much, lots of talent on this team and experience

2. mit- lost dauria, which will hurt alot

3. coast guard

4.clark- phillips is back

5. wheaton- lost kelly, who will replace him

6. Springfield

7. Babson
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on October 31, 2006, 05:09:46 PM

I'd put coast guard over MIT, maybe even at the top.  The NEWMAC is always tight; we'll see how things play out in conference.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: heythere on November 08, 2006, 07:38:41 PM
ryan cain 1st team all american, wow thats a reach. he is a very very good player but not in the top 5 in all of d3, maybe in new england
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 09, 2006, 09:15:27 AM

D3hoops.com needs one guy on the first team every year who ends up falling off the all-america list altogether by the end of the season.  It's sort of a tradition, at least for the last couple of years.




(Yes, Pat.  I know you do your best.)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Gfarls8010 on November 16, 2006, 07:28:47 PM
what about springfield there has been no talk about them what do u think they will do this year?  they still have Pizzo and Farley.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: All-around on November 20, 2006, 04:38:00 PM
I think that WPI's best player infact is not R. Cain but is Antoine Coleman. Look out for him this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Gfarls8010 on November 20, 2006, 09:47:36 PM
Everybody already knew who he was so its not like hes going to surprise everyone in the newmac, he was a very good player last year probably one of the top players in the league, you are saying as if no one knew who he was.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: All-around on November 20, 2006, 10:33:56 PM
No I was saying that because Ryan Cain was a pre-season all american.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 21, 2006, 09:18:01 AM

Cain will be the pre-season first teamer who gets shut out at the end of the season.  It's becoming a d3hoops.com tradition.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 25, 2006, 11:19:38 AM
I heard you the first time. You probably don't need to keep repeating it.

I didn't see your preseason All-American team where you do better.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Gfarls8010 on November 27, 2006, 10:14:35 AM
Pat i have a question for you becuase i respect our opinion seriously, what do u think about springfield college? i know there youn but i think they could do damage especially with pizzo and farley?

your thoughts
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: All-around on November 27, 2006, 03:48:24 PM
WPI goes down to Salem. Makes you wonder about them this year. Does anyone know who they lost form last year, because I thought they were actually getting more talent with Kirkland coming in, and it doesn't seem like they are as good as last yr.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 29, 2006, 02:32:10 AM
Quote from: Gfarls8010 on November 27, 2006, 10:14:35 AM
Pat i have a question for you becuase i respect our opinion seriously, what do u think about springfield college? i know there youn but i think they could do damage especially with pizzo and farley?

your thoughts

I haven't seen them personally play -- ever -- but when I was there for football two weeks ago the subject of basketball did come up and it was suggested that the team as a team might be better this year despite losing Yvon.

I can say from experience that if that were to happen, it would be far from the first time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on December 01, 2006, 04:32:44 PM
After watching a very impressive win by WPI against Elms I think that the loss against Salem State was a fluke.  Don't get me wrong I think Salem State is a good basketball team but WPI did not play to their capabilities.  WPI is showing a new look this year with a very good front line lead by Antoine Coleman and Ryan Bourque to go along with the sharp-shooting of Ryan Cain and the quickness of Jerome Kirkland.  Once this team pulls it together they should run away with the Newmac.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wildgoose on December 07, 2006, 09:35:03 AM
Springfield finally got a big win  beating trinty, they have a few new freshman getting there legs under them and Brock is doing his usual thing of playing everybody early. Look for them to get better and make a few surprises during the season
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: old_lion on December 07, 2006, 11:41:25 AM
Babson fans,

Can anyone tell me what happened to David Votta?

Is he playing somewhere else?

Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on December 08, 2006, 04:25:00 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on November 21, 2006, 09:18:01 AM

Cain will be the pre-season first teamer who gets shut out at the end of the season.  It's becoming a d3hoops.com tradition.

Perhaps our preseason picks were for the long haul rather than the opening weekend.


                                       |---TOTAL---| |---3-PTS---|               |----REBOUNDS----|
Player    GP-GS  Min--Avg  FG-FGA   Pct 3FG-FGA   Pct  FT-FTA   Pct  Off Def  Tot  Avg   A  TO Blk Stl  Pts  Avg
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ryan Cain  7-7   243 34.7  44-89   .494  12-35   .343  46-55   .836    8  17   25  3.6  18  12   2  12  146 20.9
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: gullfan on December 08, 2006, 08:18:56 AM
 Scroll up the page and see what "all-around" has to say about Cain and Coleman. He's right on it. I was at the WPI/EC game last night. Coleman shot the effing lights out. Corbett, a 6'5" 200+ pounder shut Cain down for the first part of the game. For some reason, Endicott changed their defense (mainly because Coleman was electric from outside, then Cain started to move.
Cain had the quietest 30 points I've seen in a while. He didn't add much in the first half and got garbage points and foul shots (courtesy of A LOT of "reputation calls" from a horrible reffing crew). He didn't impress me as anybody's candidate for All-America. He was the third best guy on the floor for WPI.
He's good, but let's lightne up a little here.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 08, 2006, 09:12:10 AM

C'mon Pat, you know I'm just messing around.  You get so many things right, I have to bring it up when you make a hmmm, let's call it "bold" move.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on December 08, 2006, 05:30:36 PM
it doesn't matter who WPI's best player is.....with Coleman and Cain they have two players that can both light it up on any night.  Coleman can pretty much do it all and Cain is starting to find his shot and is going the basket a lot more recently which has resulted in getting to the line where he has been automatic the past few years.  They are a very difficult team to cover because if you try to take one of them out of the picture then the other one is gonna have a big night.  Cain is starting to prove you doubters wrong and starting to show Pat that his preseason all-americans might have been accurate after all.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d3bballinboston on December 08, 2006, 07:39:58 PM
wow coast guard lost ot CCC cellar dweller Wentworth
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 11, 2006, 09:26:35 AM

Wentworth is a little better than cellar dweller and their sophomore point guard actually showed up for the first time this year, so they had some help.


I'm not sure how they overcame the height difference, but a good win for the CCC.  While Coast Guard should be disappointed in themselves, they can probably avoid total humiliation.  WIT is improved over last year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: old_lion on December 11, 2006, 02:12:30 PM
Little help here guys ...

Doesn't anyone know what happened to David Votta?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 11, 2006, 02:34:50 PM

I actually checked the other day and I couldn't find anyone who knew what happened to him.  Granted, my connections around the NEWMAC are a little thin, but my best guess is that he's not playing anywhere this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: old_lion on December 11, 2006, 03:20:06 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on December 11, 2006, 02:34:50 PM

I actually checked the other day and I couldn't find anyone who knew what happened to him.  Granted, my connections around the NEWMAC are a little thin, but my best guess is that he's not playing anywhere this year.

OK, thanks ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: old_lion on December 12, 2006, 10:30:51 AM
Quote from: Gfarls8010 on December 11, 2006, 08:08:16 PM
Votta got cut from the babson team he came in overwieght and out of shape and i also heard he had a bad attitude. My highschool coache used to coach at Babson so that is a good and accrurate source.

So, he is still at Babson, just not playing? What a waste, didn't he have a decent season last year?

Thanks for the info.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: heythere on December 12, 2006, 08:25:17 PM
what happen to mit big guy Billy Johnson, he was very tough a 6'8 wing man at this level is very hard to find anyone have info on this. without him mit will find it tough to contend for the title
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 13, 2006, 08:59:36 AM

Johnson's still on the roster, but he hasn't played a minute since the Endicott game.  I assume he's hurt.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 14, 2006, 02:03:02 PM
He has been at every game sitting on the bench...with a cast on.  I heard he has a stress fracture in his leg.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ramz on December 21, 2006, 04:41:06 PM
Quote from: Gfarls8010 on December 11, 2006, 08:08:16 PM
Votta got cut from the babson team he came in overwieght and out of shape and i also heard he had a bad attitude. My highschool coache used to coach at Babson so that is a good and accrurate source.
Your source is wrong. He was the strongest guard on the team in preseason. Despite injuries to knees and feet, and missing the 1st week, dominated the starting PG in practice. With above mentioned injuries, was cut before the 1st scrimmage (after 5 days)  because Babson coach decided to bring in transfers and freshmen and go in different direction. Would not have looked too good to see him do well. None have stepped up.
Fact is, he was not recruited to Babson, he went there for academics. The coach there is playing his "boys" as he has relationships with the HS coaches in MA. Look at last  years stats in the turnover category. Both played the same minutes, yet current PG had double the TO's. (44 vs. 110!)
This year, without Votta to bail him out, he is at 41 TOs in 8 games--on pace for 135 TO's.
Bad attitude? No, tired of double standard as certain players can miss practice and have GPA's under 2.0 yet they can run the show.
Brennan is on the hot seat with a new AD on board, and hopefully changes will be made. Votta is not the fastest or quickest, but ask Sean Kelly who was one of his toughest opponents. I obviously have a vested interest, but hate to see comments from 3rd or 4th parties without all the facts.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on December 22, 2006, 01:23:34 PM
I'm not a big fan of spin doctors with an axe to grind either. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: All-around on December 22, 2006, 06:46:05 PM
Im with you Pat. Sounds like a palyer, or parent of a players. Anyways MIT also lost another big guy from last year with a last name Soumare or something like that. I big African kid with a lot of potential, anyone know what happened to him?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ramz on December 22, 2006, 11:06:03 PM
Pat, I responded to someone who said he heard from a "good source" once removed that a player was overweight, out of shape and had a bad attitude. If that is not true, why is it an axe to grind? I did not start the conversation, but I guess you would rather hear from someone who knows someone who knows someone else! BTW, this NEWMAC board is so lame and quiet compared to others you should want more people posting ! ;)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ramz on December 22, 2006, 11:30:55 PM
Change of pace...Has there ever been thoughts of NEWMAC teams playing against another NE conference ala Big10/SEC challenge? I realize the schools already play each other throughout the season, but maybe a triple header(have to leave 1 team out each year) in a central or rotating venue could be exciting, and draw some crowds that do not normally go to games.(alumni with kids, etc.) Too much planning to pull this off?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on December 23, 2006, 02:16:14 AM
Quote from: ramz on December 21, 2006, 04:41:06 PM
The coach there is playing his "boys" as he has relationships with the HS coaches in MA.
...
Bad attitude? No, tired of double standard as certain players can miss practice and have GPA's under 2.0 yet they can run the show.
...
Brennan is on the hot seat with a new AD on board, and hopefully changes will be made.
...
I obviously have a vested interest, but hate to see comments from 3rd or 4th parties without all the facts.

Yet you seem to be interested in making third party comments of your own. That was why I called you on it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ramz on December 23, 2006, 10:15:14 AM
TRUCE!!! I am close to the situation, and obviously frustrated by it; sometimes typing finger(s) lets off too much steam...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 10d310 on December 23, 2006, 07:09:50 PM
i think it's time I come on the board and set things straight...this is David Votta....i don't read these things much anymore but I heard that I was the topic of conversation so I thought I'd set things straight....first off the comment about me being fat and overweight by Damien Farley (yes that's who wrote it) is kinda from left field....his high school source TC the coach at Natick High keeps in touch with Brennan and that's what Steve probally said about me when he asked....I'm not going to sit here and argue that I should be playing or not....but I will say that I love my ex teamates and would do anything to be out there with them...that team meant a lot and still means a lot to me so to say I have a bad attitude towards them kinda hurts...coach Brennen brought in a new point gaurd transfer and was never dropping Norm de Silva so that was that....there wasn't room for me anymore....I came to Babson based on playing for Coach Brennan because I respected the way he handled his program, but I think he's lost touch with his players....i know the team very well and that's a close nit group of guys...they would do anything to win for each other, but they don't feel that way about him...i couldn't really say why because he's a pretty good guy, but I guess people repect loyalty a lot more than he realizes....they have one of the best young basketball minds there as an ast coach, Mike Smiley, who is just going to waste with the way Steve is running things...on top of that all the philosophys of the coaching staff but heads...Gagnon is teaching things like it's still the 70s...the game has changed a lot, but Smiley is stuck to just go along with the flow...it can get confusting for the players though...especially our freshmen last year...hopefully Smiley will find his way out of there and get the opportunity he deserves....as for Steve I think he is on the hot seat there with the new AD he talked about it a lot, but hopefully he'll realize that he's got some talent, some tough kids, and some heart on that team....but if doesn't have there repect they'll continue to underachieve like we did the past few years....hope this clears things up....i'm not closed to never playing again, just looking for a place that needs a transfer point gaurd
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on December 24, 2006, 11:27:23 PM
In reply to a previous message...I asked the MIT folks this during a volleyball season...Soumare is on an academic exchange program (forget with whom) for the year...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: dfarley25 on December 26, 2006, 01:46:11 AM
i enjoyed that post by David Votta...however...the person that posted that information about him getting cut was actually indeed my brother Griffin Farley a current member and junior on the Natick High School basketball team whose coach is Tim Collins, a former asst. coach at Babson...this is infact Damian Farley speaking, Votta and myself have cleared up any mis-communication there may have been via thefacebook...anyway this will be my first and last post...HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 31, 2006, 12:21:06 PM
Quote from: All-around on December 22, 2006, 06:46:05 PM
Im with you Pat. Sounds like a palyer, or parent of a players. Anyways MIT also lost another big guy from last year with a last name Soumare or something like that. I big African kid with a lot of potential, anyone know what happened to him?

Dou Soumare is not on the roster this year, but should be on it next year.  I believe he is on a study abroad program.  MIT also lost another big man this year, Adam Juneau, who would have been a sophomore but decided to take a year off.  With the injury to Billy Johnson, who doesnt play like a big man anyway, they have only one post player, who is a freshman, Eric Bracht.  Bracht is putting up big numbers, but there is little chance they will achieve what they did last year without some depth in the middle (which Soumare and Juneau would have provided).  It has to be tough to coach at a school where you have some talent, but guys dont play for whatever reason.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 31, 2006, 12:24:46 PM
Quote from: atnwriter on December 24, 2006, 11:27:23 PM
In reply to a previous message...I asked the MIT folks this during a volleyball season...Soumare is on an academic exchange program (forget with whom) for the year...

UK
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on January 10, 2007, 01:12:17 AM
Not that anyone really cares, but I attended the MIT-Babson game this evening and was astonished by what I saw.  This had nothing to do with the game but rather the respective benches- Babson had 10 guys suited up ready to sub in while MIT had 3 (which really may have been 2 because one player didnt play and may have been injured).  This wouldnt be THAT shocking if MIT had started the season with maybe 8 or 9 players (a couple are bound to get injured) but, with their returning guys the should have had 14 (there are only 12 on the roster and the reason will be made clear soon).  In addition to that, two of the guys playing significant minutes now didnt play at all in the first couple of games (which was not due to injury).  So, in fact, Coach Anderson has only 5 of the guys he thought would be contributing significantly to the team playing in this game.  Now starting at 14, here is how the team siphoned down to where it is now:

Preseason: Two returning big men (would be soph and junior) who played significant minutes last year decide to take the year off (one to study abroad, the other without reason)

Injuries:
Billy Johnson- stress fracture
Bradley Gampel - knee injury
plus 1-2 more guys who didnt play as much (at least one, but I am not sure about the other)

And, finally, my personal favorite:
A player who was the sixth man on the team took a whole month off (10 games), to do an internship.


So in all they have lost their likely two starting big men (preseason), their back-up small forward (Johnson) and starting point guard (Gampel) to injury, as well as their sixth man (Mroz). 5 of their top 7 players. The only players who I think would have started who played tonight are the returning NEWMAC Newcomer of the year, Bartollota, and possibly Alex Krull.

I honestly dont know how they practice with 7-8 players, coaches must jump in or something. It must be pretty tough.  I am sure other teams around the country or in the past have had the same amount, or fewer, players but the way in which they keep losing guys is what really hurts. 

To sum this all up, I wasnt trying to put down the MIT team at all,  I am very much a fan.  The purpose of the message was more to congratulate Coach Anderson on still doing a wonderful job in preparing his players and still competing despite all the defections.  I kind of wonder what might of been if they had everyone this year. Luckily, the only senior I mentioned in that group is Krull, so they should give WPI a good run at it next year (that is if they same thing doesnt happen again).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on January 11, 2007, 01:33:47 PM
and for those who follow MIT (or others), tune in to their game against coast guard at 7 ET tonight on sportsjuice.com

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on January 11, 2007, 11:20:34 PM
MIT got it done with the 7 players I mentioned in my previous message.  Huge night for Alex Krull, scoring a career high 31 points. 3 guys for MIT played 40 minutes (and conference points leader Bartollotta was night one of them).

I wonder what is going on with CGA, they return pretty much everyone from a team that finished 3rd in the conference last year.  They have already lost 5 games through 13 this year, whereas last year they had not lost 5 games until they had played 19.  The team looks to be regressing rather than progressing.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on January 15, 2007, 01:51:12 PM
well i heard Craig Johnson wasn't playing for CGA this year and he was huge for them in the middle last year.  From the looks of it Prebeck and Sowers are having another good season but Johnson might have been too much to lose. 

Also, I went to the WPI @ Clark game the other day and I wasn't very impressed with Clark.  I don't know how they beat Coast Guard in 2 OT because they just didn't seem that good.  WPI looked very solid and early on it seems like they will run away with this conference.  Ryan Cain is putting up huge numbers lately and I don't think anyone will challenge them this year. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on January 16, 2007, 02:01:35 AM
Quote from: cheeks14 on January 15, 2007, 01:51:12 PM
well i heard Craig Johnson wasn't playing for CGA this year and he was huge for them in the middle last year.  From the looks of it Prebeck and Sowers are having another good season but Johnson might have been too much to lose. 

Also, I went to the WPI @ Clark game the other day and I wasn't very impressed with Clark.  I don't know how they beat Coast Guard in 2 OT because they just didn't seem that good.  WPI looked very solid and early on it seems like they will run away with this conference.  Ryan Cain is putting up huge numbers lately and I don't think anyone will challenge them this year. 

I had looked at the boxscores and seen the name "Johnson", turns out that it was Grant not Craig.  I guess that explains part of their struggles.  I still think they should be doing better than they are.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on January 16, 2007, 02:19:44 AM
Remember, it is a rebuilding year for Clark...Cassara left mid-recruiting and they lost two scoring forces (Dutille and Szklarz). They also only have one senior.

Though I was not at the WPI game, I was at the Coast Guard game and they won because of solid coaching, a game they certainly would not be in if Cassara was still at the helm.

Will Clark win the NEWMAC this year? Probably not. But will they be a team that all other teams in the conference know they cannot look over and prepare for? Absolutely.

Lets go Cougars!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mattapn02126 on January 20, 2007, 05:55:48 PM
Babson wins at home vs. MIT to improve to 4-1 in the NEWMAC. Anyone think they can make a run?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on January 24, 2007, 09:18:25 PM
I think Babson will run away with second place in the NEWMAC.  As far as having a chance to beat WPI, I can't really see WPI losing a game the rest of the season.  They are playing really well and they are a very well balanced team.  They have a very solid inside outside game going and they are on a long winning streak.  WPI could and should go undefeated for the first time in NEWMAC history which is really a big accomplishment but they are just a step above every other team in the league at the moment. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on January 24, 2007, 11:02:59 PM
Cain -- 8-for-13, 4-for-6, 2-for-2. 22 points, seven rebounds.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 25, 2007, 08:58:06 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on January 24, 2007, 11:02:59 PM
Cain -- 8-for-13, 4-for-6, 2-for-2. 22 points, seven rebounds.


Yeah, yeah.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wildgoose on January 25, 2007, 11:50:22 AM
Quote from: cheeks14 on January 24, 2007, 09:18:25 PM
I think Babson will run away with second place in the NEWMAC.  As far as having a chance to beat WPI, I can't really see WPI losing a game the rest of the season.  They are playing really well and they are a very well balanced team.  They have a very solid inside outside game going and they are on a long winning streak.  WPI could and should go undefeated for the first time in NEWMAC history which is really a big accomplishment but they are just a step above every other team in the league at the moment. 

AT BABSON

Springfield 64
Babson 58

I dont think Babson will make any kind of Run .  WPI is a entire step above everyone - they are a excelllent defensive team
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on January 28, 2007, 12:16:48 AM
Big day for MIT and Bartollotta .  Alex Krull had 27 points while Jimmy Bartollotta had 26, 10 and 8.  Both played 40 minutes in the win vs. newbury. 

MIT can get to over .500 in conference if they can pick up a couple of wins vs. Wheaton and Coast Guard this week.

They still only have 7 active players (this is the 7th game in a row, dating back to Jan. 9).  They are 4-3 over that span (3-3 NEWMAC). In my opinion, Coach Anderson is doing an even a better job than he did last year-- when he won NEWMAC coach of the year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on January 29, 2007, 12:04:49 AM
I just wanted to share this article about the poor Clark Cougars woes this season in NEWMAC play. Despite a 6 game skid, Paul Phillips captures what basketball is all about in my opinion in this article in The Worcester Telegram and Gazette :http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070128/NEWS/701280613/1009/SPORTS (http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070128/NEWS/701280613/1009/SPORTS)

Clark is playing with conviction and passion again and with some added depth (hopefully size though Normandin is really playing BIG in more ways than one) and as the team matures they will be once again be a force in the NEWMAC in the years to come.

Boys, you are making me a proud alum!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mattapn02126 on January 31, 2007, 12:50:21 PM
Real nice win for Babson over Tufts last night...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mattapn02126 on February 03, 2007, 07:53:10 PM
Babson by 10 over WPI. The Beavers are now 6-2 in the NEWMAC, and they have some real nice momemtum going.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 10d310 on February 06, 2007, 01:49:56 AM
huge win for babson against WPI...they finally seem to be making some sense and only giving minutes to the top players rather than playing ever person possible...Kyle McDonald has been running the show and had another huge game 19 and 7 boards....WPI is a good team but they  have huge soft spots and can't handle a double teams...babson didn't let them run there offense, cain faded away like "all-americans" do, and WPI's coach (sidenote: he consistly runs illegal practice type pickup games all year long and is a real shady character) lost his cool on a babson player and the fans...they probally still are the best Newmac team, but if Newmac teams watch this game tape there are huge holes in there defense and they can't handle a double team in the post if there life depended on it....It'll be interesting to see them rebound from this loss
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 10d310 on February 06, 2007, 01:55:06 AM
also on another note WPI is 17-2, but they have played some crap teams outside the Newmac...there top two wins are Bridgewater State and Elms college.....i think Bridgewater is a pretty tough team, but WPI plays nobody.....u gotta give it to Babson for the schedule they play
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 06, 2007, 08:57:47 AM

Babson has played a tougher schedule, but they're not quite up to WPI's level just yet.

I looked down their respective schedules and it seems to me that if they switched schedules, they'd both have about 4-5 losses right now.


I don't think WPI is as good as people keep saying they are, but they're certainly still the class of this conference.

Although hats off to Babson for getting the W.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 07, 2007, 09:03:01 PM
MIT upsets Springfield.  Jimmy B. nearly records a triple double, again, with 25, 9, and 8. MIT is a surprising 5-5 in conference with two games to play.  They are in good position to host a first round newmac game.  Great job by coach anderson this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: smarshall on February 07, 2007, 10:17:21 PM
Hey first tiem in the Newmac room.

I agree it was a good win for MIT.  I normally don't attend NEWMAC games, being a NESCAC guy, but I wanted to see SC play.  The guard for MIT was good but the best player on the floor was the Bracht kid for MIT.  Both teams played extremely hard though.  After I left I had to remind myself it wasnt a home game for MIT because everytime a SC player looked at #25 on MIT wrong he seemed to go to the free throw.  The Bracht kid was good though.

About the previous comments, I agree about WPI schelude.  Just by looking at box scores they do seem to be above the rest of the league but not by much.  They play nobody.  Its seems like they coast into conference play, while teams like SC, Babson, and Wheaton seem tired.

SC and Babson play a lot tougher scheludes.  I was amazed to see some of the teams on both their scheldues.  (Teams like Amherst, Trinity, Rhode Island College, Keene State, Williams, Bridgewater State, Lasell, Brandies)

SC has played 6 of the top 10 teams in NE, and 7 of 12.  Including a win against Trinity (a supposed Sleeper in the tourney)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 07, 2007, 11:14:10 PM
Quote from: smarshall on February 07, 2007, 10:17:21 PM

I agree it was a good win for MIT.  I normally don't attend NEWMAC games, being a NESCAC guy, but I wanted to see SC play.  The guard for MIT was good but the best player on the floor was the Bracht kid for MIT.  Both teams played extremely hard though.  After I left I had to remind myself it wasnt a home game for MIT because everytime a SC player looked at #25 on MIT wrong he seemed to go to the free throw.  The Bracht kid was good though.

I disagree.  Bracht is a solid player but he isnt as good as Jimmy Bartolotta.  #25 is by far the best player on MIT and one of the best players in the conference (I would argue he is the best, but I know Ryan Cain is going to get player of the year even though he doesnt do as much for his team defensively- and by defensively I mean in terms of rebounds, steals, and blocks).  Bartolotta is ranked in the top 7 in eight of nine statistical categories the NEWMAC reports (as of Feb 4) and is in the top 4 in six of those eight categories (2nd in ppg, 4th in assists, 7th in steals, 3rd in rebounds, 3rd in 3pt fg%, 7th in 3pt fg per game, 1st in FT%, and 3rd in blocks: http://www.newmaconline.com/sports/basketball_m/stats.php?reports/basketball_m/9).  He is also a sophomore.  In addition, the team is missing 3 starters from earlier in the season and 5 major contributors from last years team (who they did not lose to graduation).  If you take Bartolotta off that team they win 3 games or less this year.  There is no player in this conference that means more to his team than #25 on MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 08, 2007, 02:05:13 AM
Some pretty serious allegiations there, 10d310. I assume you have some proof that you are about to share with us? Otherwise you are out of line with the Terms of Service.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: smarshall on February 08, 2007, 11:35:15 AM
Cain will win player of the year because he's the best player on the best team in the conference and he is better than Jimmy B.

Ive only seen him play once and he was their best player, but not conf poy.

Other people in the confernce could put up tons of numbers if they played 40 minutes on a very medicore team
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 08, 2007, 12:18:57 PM
Quote from: smarshall on February 08, 2007, 11:35:15 AM
Cain will win player of the year because he's the best player on the best team in the conference and he is better than Jimmy B.

Ive only seen him play once and he was their best player, but not conf poy.

Other people in the confernce could put up tons of numbers if they played 40 minutes on a very medicore team

We can disagree on this one.  In my opinion, it is easier to put up numbers when you have people around you that are a big threat because teams have to play you one on one and your teammates can also set you up (as is the case with Cain and WPI).  I know that you also have to share the ball more in this case, but there is a balance and I think Cain's circumstance helps him out alot.

Obviously WPI is the best team in the conference and Cain may be their best player, but I guess it depends on what your definition of player of the year is.  Last year Mike Dauria won the award and he was on the team that finished second in the conference (MIT) and he did alot of the things Jimmy B is doing this year, but he also had alot more support.

One other point that I have to make is that Cain actually averages more minutes per game than Bartolotta (36.6 vs. 36.1).  It isnt a big difference, but the playing time argument does not apply here.  And, like I said in an earlier post, Bartolotta puts up stats on both sides of the ball, not just on offense.  He also has to deal with alot more attention from the opposing team because he is the primary threat on his team.

These are just my thoughts and by no means is Cain a bad choice as POY or less deserving.  That said, when i think of a player of the year, I think of someone who is the most complete player and helps his team the most.  If you take Cain away from WPI, I am sure someone else would step in for him and do a decent job (he may not do as good a job, but the team would not fall apart).  I dont think you could say the same thing for Bartolotta and MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 08, 2007, 01:40:28 PM
Quote from: 10d310 on February 08, 2007, 10:20:09 AM
from what I have heard he ...

OK, well, I kinda warned you about the hearsay thing, right?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: boknows on February 09, 2007, 11:57:07 AM
10d310 isn't out of line.  he's right on the shady character part.  tip of the iceberg he's touching.  how do I give him karma?   

i'd like so see someone from the newmac beat amherst or williams...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: boknows on February 09, 2007, 11:59:27 AM
lol... oh man, nevermind.   


the newmac should get some more teams in their conference, they don't have enough in my opinion. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 09, 2007, 01:17:21 PM

This is not going to end well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 09, 2007, 05:22:25 PM
Quote from: boknows on February 09, 2007, 11:57:07 AM
10d310 isn't out of line.  he's right on the shady character part.  tip of the iceberg he's touching.  how do I give him karma?   

i'd like so see someone from the newmac beat amherst or williams...

To give karma you would have to make about 200 more posts to reach starter status.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on February 09, 2007, 06:35:49 PM
Seven is a nice number...every team gets to play each team twice and it rewards the regular season champion with a first round tournament bye...it allows team to avenge close losses and allows late blooming teams to bloom in front of their conference peers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 10, 2007, 05:48:31 PM
Looks like WPI should clinch home court for the NEWMAC tourney if they can win 1 more game.  WPI has been very tough to beat at home over the past 3 seasons and this will be the 3rd straight year hosting it if they can win 1 more. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 10d310 on February 11, 2007, 03:13:11 PM
look if you don't like what I have to say just go ahead and post your arguement to what I said....prove me wrong...the entire point for the message board....I can name a person who was at that exact pickup game and shared that story with me....i'm not throwing any people under the bus and getting them involved for a message board...i'm not saying this from nowhere....i'm an ex babson player....i'm from atlanta....it's not like i have anything against the guy...i'm just sharing....and by the way this years clarke team is just awful...i've watched lots of tape of the old clarke teams and this team looks nothing like it.....they don't seem to have one real solid go to player....it's too bad b/c those babson/clarke games from 3-5 years ago were some great games to watch...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 11, 2007, 03:41:27 PM
Actually, no -- the Terms of Service set the rules, not you.

And Clarke is the school in Iowa. The school in this conference is Clark.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 11, 2007, 07:13:59 PM
For those of you keeping score at home:

Pat - 2
10d310 - 0
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 12, 2007, 08:58:08 AM

Pat - 15,863
10d310 - 4

That's a little more like it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 12, 2007, 11:10:50 AM
I was just talking about the previous post, not the cumulative score.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 10d310 on February 12, 2007, 11:17:08 AM
how does my last post get me another (-) karma....obiviously I can prove what I said is a true statement....how do you want me to do it....and just so we can get off this stupid topic I have a question for the board....what happend to Clarks ( ;D) gaurd DJ Brinn?....he started for them as a freshmen if I'm not mistaken and they have gotten worse but he has lost all his mins....he was a pretty solid player for them when they had some talent
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 12, 2007, 01:33:00 PM
NEWMAC stats updated through games yesterday:

Player of the year candidates (feel free to add others):

Cain (WPI):
Points - 2nd (20.1)
Assists- 10th (2.6)
FG% - 7th (0.512)
Steals - NR (1.29)
Rebounds - NR (4.1)
3P FG% - 2nd (0.417)
3P FG PG- 4th (2.1)
FT% - 3rd (0.836)
Blocks - NR (0.19)

Bartolotta (MIT)
Scoring - 1st (20.3)
Assists - 3rd (4.3)
FG% - NR (0.470)
Steals - 7th (1.7)
Rebounds - 3rd (7.8 )
3P FG% - 3rd (0.400)
3P FG PG - 7th (1.7)
FT% - 1st (0.870)
Blocks - 3rd (1.0)

Bartolotta is ranked top 3 in 6 categories (and ranked in 8 categories overall) and Cain is ranked top 3 in 3 categories (and ranked in 6 categories overall).


Freshman of the year Candidates:

Bracht (MIT)
Scoring- 9th (12.8 )
Assists- NR
FG% - 1st (0.634)
Steals - NR
Rebounds - 2nd (9.1)
3PFG% & 3PFG PG - NR
FT% - NR
Blocks - 6th (0.8 )

I couldnt find any other freshman ranked (top 10) in more than 2 categories (feel free to add your own candidates).

Those ranked in 2:
Mark Alexander (Clark) - Points 8th (13.2); 3P FG% 7th (0.354)
Pat Crean (Springfield) - Rebounds 13th (5.0); Blocks 9th (0.6)


Coach of the Year-  I would give the edge to Babson's Coach.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 12, 2007, 01:56:24 PM
Quote from: 10d310 on February 12, 2007, 11:17:08 AM
how does my last post get me another (-) karma....obiviously I can prove what I said is a true statement....how do you want me to do it...

You can prove that your rules go on this board and not the Terms of Service? Impressive. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 12, 2007, 02:10:54 PM

Shouldn't you just delete the inflammatory posts, Pat?  Isn't that the measure of redress laid out in the TOS?


By the way, 10d310, you can't say it without published proof, according to the TOS.  Maybe you can get the student newspaper to do an expose or something.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 12, 2007, 02:36:30 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 12, 2007, 02:10:54 PM

Shouldn't you just delete the inflammatory posts, Pat?  Isn't that the measure of redress laid out in the TOS?


By the way, 10d310, you can't say it without published proof, according to the TOS.  Maybe you can get the student newspaper to do an expose or something.

They were already deleted.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 12, 2007, 02:44:14 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 12, 2007, 02:36:30 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 12, 2007, 02:10:54 PM

Shouldn't you just delete the inflammatory posts, Pat?  Isn't that the measure of redress laid out in the TOS?


By the way, 10d310, you can't say it without published proof, according to the TOS.  Maybe you can get the student newspaper to do an expose or something.

They were already deleted.

Right-o.  I didn't scroll far enough and mistook his first excuse for the actual offense.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on February 12, 2007, 05:23:35 PM
I'm a bit confused as to how I got negative karma points as I have never said anything unwarrented...

With that said DJ Brinn now has to share time with the other 9 or so guards on Clark's roster. It seems that Clark was riding the Tim Dutille train for one stop too many as it has been difficult for them to rebound without him and has more than enough guards and small forwards for a few teams in the conference to share.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 12, 2007, 05:38:58 PM

Don't try to understand karma; karma is beyond all of us.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: boknows on February 13, 2007, 03:33:18 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 11, 2007, 07:13:59 PM
For those of you keeping score at home:

Pat - 2
10d310 - 0

OH SNAP!   Cold blooded! 

can someone hook me up with some karma??  I played in a game last night where I dove on the floor.  that at least deserves some karma or a tommy point.  Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: boknows on February 13, 2007, 03:37:35 PM
I'd also like to mention that Pat Coleman is doing a great job with this site. 

(hook me up with some Karma! ) 



DO IT!   i'll admit though, clark sucks this year and phillips is still working the refs like textile workers in lowell to try to get charge calls out of the refs where his players clearly flop like manu ginobli.  some things never change. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: smarshall on February 14, 2007, 11:44:53 AM
Looks like WPI will be hosting the newmac tourney again.

Only people I see upseting them would be babson or springfield.  Both being long shots.

any thoughts on the all conference teams?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 14, 2007, 11:49:34 AM
Jimmy Bartolotta had a pretty good night for MIT last night as they beat Lasell-  27 points, 21 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 14, 2007, 12:05:22 PM
Quote from: smarshall on February 14, 2007, 11:44:53 AM
Looks like WPI will be hosting the newmac tourney again.

Only people I see upseting them would be babson or springfield.  Both being long shots.

any thoughts on the all conference teams?

Here are my guesses:

Coach of the Year: Brennan (Babson)

POY: Cain (WPI) or Bartolotta (MIT) - I think Cain will get it because his team has a better record, but looking at the body of work, I think Bartolotta deserves it more (he outproduces Cain in nearly every category and can put up numbers like 27 pts, 21 rebs, 6 ass, 3 bl, 2 stl).

FOY: Bracht (MIT)

1st team:
Guard: Cain (WPI)
Guard: Zukowski (Wheaton)
Guard/Forward: Etten (Babson)
Forward: Bartolotta (MIT)
Forward/Center: Prebeck (CGA)


2nd:
Guard: Pizzo (SC)
Guard: Sowers (CGA)
Forward: Coleman (WPI)

I think the last two spots are a tossup: Could be Narmindin (Clark), Bracht (MIT), DeGiovanna (Wheaton), Krull (MIT), or Borque (WPI).  I am sure I am missing some candidates but those are my thoughts.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 14, 2007, 12:29:31 PM
One note is that the NEWMAC waits until its tournament is done to vote on its teams. Last year, Ryan Flynn had a great 2-games in the semis and finals, and I remember thinking that he basically played his way onto first-team selection in those 2 games.

Hugenerd, I think your assessments are good. Taking nothing away from Bartolotta's great season in a tough situation (limited # of players), I'd go with Cain because of team success.

I think Zukowski/Coleman is a toss-up for the last spot on first team, and playoff performance could play a role. I've seen every team in the league at least once...Zukowski got shut down pretty much in the 2 games I saw, but he is a good player. Coleman is capable of monster games and is a difference-maker player, but he's also been shut down a few times.

I'm not sure who on Springfield will make 2nd team...you could give it to any one of 3-4 guys...prob would go with one of the other scorers over Pizzo, but you could make a case for him too. The list of other contenders for the last couple spots is a good one. I'm leaning DiGiovanna and Krull but could come up with a different pair tomorrow.

I'd be very surprised if we didn't see a WPI-Babson final, but I've been wrong before.

Good to see some chatter going here.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 14, 2007, 03:44:12 PM
I think your picks are pretty accurate except I might have a few changes.

POY- definitely close but I think the fact that Ryan Cain is doing it for the 13th ranked team in the country should help his case a lot.  He has some very good talent surrounding him which makes it more impressive that he is putting up the numbers he is.  His shooting percentage is extremely high for a shooting guard and he has shown the abilty to be unselfish and do whatever it takes for the team to win.  Barlotta has had an extremely good year but MIT's offense runs through him on almost every posession.  He gets far more touches and chances than Cain and is required to do more for his team to be competitive.  I also think Cain is the better defensive player as he has completely shut down some very high scoring players this season.  Tony Barros was 2-15 shooting against WPI and he is an explosive scorer and Bartlotta was shut down the first game and the second game he was held in check till very late in the game when the freshman were in for WPI. 


1ST Team
Cain-WPI
Bartlotta-MIT
Prebeck-Coast Guard
Etten-Babson
Coleman-WPI

The top 3 players are obvious picks based on their numbers.  As mentioned Cain and Bartlotta are having amazing years and Prebeck is putting up monster numbers even though its for the last place team in the conference.  Etten I think has to be on the 1st team because he is the best player on the 2nd best team in the conference and he is also having a very good season.  The last spot was tough but I think it has to go to Coleman.  He has potential to have monster games at any time and he is very versatile.  He can shoot the 3-pointer, drive, dunk, play defense on any positition, and is the most athletic player in the conference.  Zukowski is a better long-distance shooter but I think that Coleman is better at almost everything else.

2ND TEAM
Sowers - CGA
Zukowski - Wheaton
Pizzo - Springfield
Bracht - MIT
Bourque - WPI

Sowers and Zukowski are pretty obvious picks as Zukowski almost made the 1st team and Sowers is putting up very strong numbers.  I have only seen 2 Springfield games but from what I saw Pizzo is their best player and is a very good point guard.  He can score if he needs to but also knows how to distribute the ball.  His ball handling skills are very good and he knows how to break down the other teams guards and get to the rim and finish.  After that it gets tough but I was very impressed with the 2 games I saw Bracht play for MIT.  As only a freshman, he is goign to be a very good player.  It is amazing that MIT is doing as well as they are when I feel their only good players are Bartlotta, Bracht, and Krull.  I think Bracht is one of hte best forwards in the conference and deserves a spot on the 2nd team especially considering his field goal percentage.  The last spot was tough to decide but I think that Bourque for WPI is the only true center in the league.  When he comes into the games he completely changes the other teams shots and he also has the ability to score with post moves or mid-range jump shots.  He is putting up pretty good numbers in limited minutes but I think he has to be on the second team because he is the best actual center in the league and can be a force at times.  No one else in the league can match up with him when he is playing well. 

Krull (MIT) and Normandin (Clark) deserve consideration but I don't think they have enough to make it.  Obviously there is still a few games left to play so this could change but at this time these are my picks.

I would also be VERY surprised if it wasn't Babson and WPI in the finals but I think that WPI has too many weopons that can beat you on any given night especially on their home court.  I predict WPI will win out from here but I think that the Babson game will be very competitive. 

Sorry for the long post but I got really bored.  Let the chatter continue!!



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 14, 2007, 05:14:59 PM
First I would like to say that I agree with everyones picks.  There are a few things I disagree with however.

Quote from: cheeks14 on February 14, 2007, 03:44:12 PM

POY- definitely close but I think the fact that Ryan Cain is doing it for the 13th ranked team in the country should help his case a lot.  He has some very good talent surrounding him which makes it more impressive that he is putting up the numbers he is.  His shooting percentage is extremely high for a shooting guard and he has shown the abilty to be unselfish and do whatever it takes for the team to win.  Barlotta has had an extremely good year but MIT's offense runs through him on almost every posession.  He gets far more touches and chances than Cain and is required to do more for his team to be competitive. 

I think he will get it too.  But you have to consider the other side of the ball.  In the games I have seen, Bartolotta gets alot of defensive attention (double and triple teams sometimes) and Cain gets to do work mainly one on one because of the surrounding talent.

Quote from: cheeks14 on February 14, 2007, 03:44:12 PM
I also think Cain is the better defensive player as he has completely shut down some very high scoring players this season. 

I completely disagreee with this statement.  If you are going to go with the head to head matchup, Cain scored 6 points and had 2 rebounds in 38 minutes against MIT last time (and 10 points and 3 rebounds in the first matchup).   Either way, it is hard to compare because WPI is a much better all around team than MIT, but that doesnt mean that MIT does not have the best player.

If you are going to go with the whole season, let us compare the defensive stats (rebounds, steals, and blocks).  Cain averages 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.2 blocks. Bartolotta averages 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks.  They both play the same number of minutes (~36).  So that is over twice as many rebounds, 5 and a half times more blocks, and 30% more steals. 

WPI is definitely a better team and if your definition of player of the year is the best player on the best TEAM, then Cain it is.  It is difficult to compare the two players head to head (both Cain and Bartolotta did not have their best games against eachother). However, if your definition of player of the year is the guy who has meant the most to his team and put up the best numbers overall (offensively and defensively) as an INDIVIDUAL, I do not think that anyone can argue that the overall numbers that Bartolotta has put up are more impressive than Cain's.  He averages more points, more rebounds, more assists, more steals, more blocks, and has a higher FT percentage.  The only areas that Cain is better than Bartolotta are FG% and 3 PT% (and team winning percentage). 

If you consider Player of the Year an INDIVIDUAL award, I dont see how you can argue that Cain is more deserving than Bartolotta.  However, if you consider Player of the Year a TEAM award, then I guess Cain would be your choice.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 14, 2007, 06:54:23 PM
When MIT played WPI, Cain guarded Bartlotta for almost the entire game until the end when the freshman went in.  Barlotta scored about 8 points in the closing minutes of the game playing in the garbage time.  Cain had an off game and only scored 6 points but it wasn't because Bartlotta was shutting him down because he was guarding Coleman for almost the entire time.  Barlotta definitely has better defensive numbers, but Cain plays very good shut down defense even if he doesn't always get the steals.   He is very good denying the ball and from what I have seen this year is a premier shut down defender.  Bartlotta defintely has had an outstanding season and is a very good player so I am not trying to take anything away from him, but in my opinion Cain should be POY.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 14, 2007, 09:26:15 PM
The new NCAA Regional Rankings are out:

WPI is 3rd in the Northeast and Babson is 9th.  I think it will take a NEWMAC tournament win for anyone besides WPI to make it into the tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on February 14, 2007, 09:56:28 PM
My only problem with your selections as yet is that Coast Guard the LAST PLACE team in the conference would have TWO selections...Remember, Clark finished 4th in the conference last year and Tim Dutille a 1,000 point scorer and previous 2nd team and 1st team NEWMAC conference selection didi not get a nod his senior year.

Though clearly my allegiance is with Clark, I think it is important to not forget Mark Alexander as Rookie of the Year. Alexander is the one that has the ball for the final shot (and there have been at least three games this season that this has happened in). He can shoot the NBA three, drive and play strong defense.

Will he or any Clark player make the team, I'd say probably not. But I do think it would be ridiculous to have two players on the all conference team on the last place team in the conference. I didn't think I would ever say this but give WPI another or what about Eigenberg on Babson?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 14, 2007, 10:29:13 PM
Quote from: clarkie on February 14, 2007, 09:56:28 PM
My only problem with your selections as yet is that Coast Guard the LAST PLACE team in the conference would have TWO selections...Remember, Clark finished 4th in the conference last year and Tim Dutille a 1,000 point scorer and previous 2nd team and 1st team NEWMAC conference selection didi not get a nod his senior year.

Though clearly my allegiance is with Clark, I think it is important to not forget Mark Alexander as Rookie of the Year. Alexander is the one that has the ball for the final shot (and there have been at least three games this season that this has happened in). He can shoot the NBA three, drive and play strong defense.

Will he or any Clark player make the team, I'd say probably not. But I do think it would be ridiculous to have two players on the all conference team on the last place team in the conference. I didn't think I would ever say this but give WPI another or what about Eigenberg on Babson?

Last year Wheaton finished 4th and got 2 players on the all-conference team, Coast Guard finished third and got 3 players on the all-conference team (including Prebeck and Sowers), and MIT finished 2nd and only got 1 player on the all conference team.  There doesnt necessarily have to be a connection between team success and individual awards.  I also feel like coaches dont want to put freshman on the team because Jimmy Bartolotta had better numbers than Mark Alexander is having this year and he did not make it (although he got frosh of the year).  That is why I wouldnt be surprised if Eric Bracht didnt make it this year, even though he is 1st in the conference in FG%, 2nd in rebounding, 6th in blocked shots, and 9th in rebounding.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 14, 2007, 10:38:12 PM
Quote from: clarkie on February 14, 2007, 09:56:28 PM
Remember, Clark finished 4th in the conference last year and Tim Dutille a 1,000 point scorer and previous 2nd team and 1st team NEWMAC conference selection didi not get a nod his senior year.

Though clearly my allegiance is with Clark....

Your allegiance may be skewing the facts in your mind.  Clark did not finish 4th last year, the finished 6th with a record of 4-8.  To recap last season:

WPI 9-3
MIT 8-4
CGA 7-5
Wheaton 6-6
Springfield 5-7
Clark 4-8
Babson 3-9
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on February 15, 2007, 12:33:14 AM
I apologize...in my old age I was mixing up the past two seasons. Clark finished (and hosted a NEWMAC game; which is what I was remembering) in 2004-2005...that was with Phillips' recruits too. ;) Not that I'm biased or anything.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: smarshall on February 15, 2007, 10:23:12 AM
I agree with Clarkie that you could make a case for Eigenberg on Babson.  I think there is a better case for a 2nd player from Babson or Springfield than a 3rd from WPI or MIT.  Springfield's Gibbs and Farley have solid numbers for a team that beat Wheaton twice and at worse will split with Babson, and did with MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: boknows on February 15, 2007, 03:00:42 PM
Quote from: smarshall on February 15, 2007, 10:23:12 AM
I agree with Clarkie that you could make a case for Eigenberg on Babson.  I think there is a better case for a 2nd player from Babson or Springfield than a 3rd from WPI or MIT.  Springfield's Gibbs and Farley have solid numbers for a team that beat Wheaton twice and at worse will split with Babson, and did with MIT.

Babson should play brandon eigenburg 35 minutes a game, and cut the playing time of their other point guard because he turns it over too much.   You have keep your best senior on the court as much as possible.  But Brennan is doing a good coaching job this year with the talent he has. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 15, 2007, 09:31:20 PM
Ryan Cain - (28 pts,8-14 FG, 5-7 3FG) on senior night and held Zukowski to only 9 points.....WPI also clinches home court for the Newmac tourney where they are 45-6 over the past 4 years
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 15, 2007, 10:09:19 PM
A general question.  Anyone know why WPI only scheduled 23 games this year?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 16, 2007, 12:00:22 AM
How many are they supposed to schedule?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 16, 2007, 01:02:30 AM
25
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 16, 2007, 08:53:08 AM

Who did they scrimmage this year?  If they had a pre-season exhibition with a d1 school, that counts as one of their 25, even though it doesn't count in the standings.

That's the only possibility I can even think of.  Other than maybe they're trying to keep costs down.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 16, 2007, 10:16:05 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 16, 2007, 08:53:08 AM

Who did they scrimmage this year?  If they had a pre-season exhibition with a d1 school, that counts as one of their 25, even though it doesn't count in the standings.

That's the only possibility I can even think of.  Other than maybe they're trying to keep costs down.

I know of that rule, but I couldnt find any mention of a d1 exhibition game.

I also noticed that they only played 23 last year in the regular season, too.  I guess the coach is scheduling that way intentionally.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on February 16, 2007, 10:16:40 AM
Quotei'll admit though, clark sucks this year and phillips is still working the refs like textile workers in lowell to try to get charge calls out of the refs where his players clearly flop like manu ginobli.  some things never change. 


as much as you all might think they suck, they did beat springfield last night...never trailing in the game. normandin had a monster game too including clutch free throws at the end...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 16, 2007, 10:35:13 AM
The Midwest Conference only allows 23 regular season games as a way to ensure they remain a bastion of academic excellence, as if those extra two games make a big deal in the grand scheme of things.  Maybe WPI fancies themselves elite; although that's a bit funny when you're in a conference with MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 16, 2007, 10:42:02 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 16, 2007, 10:35:13 AM
The Midwest Conference only allows 23 regular season games as a way to ensure they remain a bastion of academic excellence, as if those extra two games make a big deal in the grand scheme of things.  Maybe WPI fancies themselves elite; although that's a bit funny when you're in a conference with MIT.

I am sorry if I missed something, what does the Midwest Conference have to do with anything? 

WPI played 24 regular season games 2 years ago (04-05) and MIT (and I think the rest of the NEWMAC) play 25 year in and year out.  In my opinion, they should take those two games and try to schedule some tougher teams so people dont always have to debate whether they are as good as their record.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 16, 2007, 11:01:45 AM

The MWC only allows 23 games because they think 25 takes too much time away from academics.  I was just offering it as a potential reason why WPI might not schedule the max.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 16, 2007, 12:17:18 PM
it is very difficult for WPI to find harder teams to play against because they have been playing so well the past few years.  Most teams do not want to schedule them because of the extra potential loss.  I do find it kind of weird that WPI only has 23 games though.  I think they scrimmaged Assumption in the preseason but they are Division 2.  Is there any rule that makes that count as a game or is it only Division 1 games?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 16, 2007, 01:05:37 PM

I think it's only d1 games, but then again I really don't know.

This is the last year for that rule anyway, next year d1 exhibitions will not count against the 25 so long as they are played within the pre-season period.  (They will count as one of two allowed exhibitions, though).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 17, 2007, 06:18:57 PM
I was at the MIT-Clark game today.  Clark's game plan was pretty evident from the start, get the ball out of Jimmy Bartolotta's hands, every time he caught the ball they would run an extra man at him, sometimes two.  MIT led for most of the second half but just doesnt have enough players, 195 of the 200 minutes in the game were played by 5 players (one player played 4 minutes and 1 played 1 minute).  Down the stretch, you could tell some of the MIT guys were tired and they started to turn the ball over (they were -10 on turnovers)

Bartolotta was more than impressive, I cant remember a basket MIT made in the second half that he did not score himself or set up.  He ended the game with 32 points (9-12 FG, 14-14 FT), 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals, and 1 block.

I know he is on a "bad" team, but no one can convince me that he is not the best player in the NEWMAC.  He is now averaging 21.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.84 steals, 1.08 blocks, and is shooting 48.0% from the field, 39.0% from 3 and 88.2% from the line (in 36.5 minutes).  Compare his stats to anyone else's in the league and there is no contest.  There is no player that has those kind of stats across the board.  Some players may compete with him in a category or two, but no one is as good as him on both sides of the ball.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on February 17, 2007, 08:25:01 PM
so Bartolotta is smart AND can play basketball...lets give him some credit for that to...for being a true SCHOLAR ATHLETE...

anything to screw ryan cain over too. bartolotta seems like a nice kid...that should could for something.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 18, 2007, 01:20:55 PM
anything to screw Ryan Cain over?? whats that supposed to mean?? you obviously don't know what you are talking about if you think Ryan Cain isn't a nice kid......also "should could" doesn't make sense......Ryan Cain has won scholar athlete awards before also so you need to get your information correct
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 19, 2007, 12:25:26 PM
NEWMAC's weekly report came out again today.  Jimmy Bartolotta is again ranked in 8 of 9 categories reported, while Ryan Cain is ranked in 5 of the 9.  Here is a summary of the individual rankings of the two player of the year candidates, with the NEWMAC rank in parenthesis:

                     Bartolotta                Cain
Scoring          21.0 (1st)            20.3 (2nd)
Assists           4.4 (3rd)                   NR
FG%                   NR                  0.511 (7th)
Steals             1.8 (6th)                  NR
Rebounds         8.4 (3rd)                  NR
3P FG%         0.390 (4th)          0.445 (2nd)
3P FG              1.6 (8th)               2.3 (3rd)
FT%               0.882 (1st)          0.850 (3rd)
Blocks              1.1 (4th)                 NR

As you can see above, Bartolotta has the edge in 6 of the 9 categories (and is ranked in 2 others where Cain is ranked higher).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 21, 2007, 08:47:22 PM
MIT beats Clark tonight in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament, at Clark.  Jimmy Bartolotta had 24 points (8-15 FG, 7-8 FT), 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on February 21, 2007, 09:14:34 PM
Just a bad night for the Cougars...

Maybe next year?

Also Bartolotta for MVP for sure.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 21, 2007, 09:17:27 PM
All the lower seeded teams won tonight, MIT, CGA, and Wheaton. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 21, 2007, 11:40:25 PM
Yeah, go figure on that...6 vs 7 for the right to go to the finals...who'd have thought?

and we get the nice subplot of watching the 2 best in the league go toe-to-toe in the other semi...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 22, 2007, 01:09:25 AM
Cain Vs. Barlotta round 3

I'm VERY surprised about all 3 road teams winning in the first round.  MIT doesn't match up well with WPI.  I can't see WPI losing at home in either of the next 2 games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 22, 2007, 09:17:40 AM
Quote from: cheeks14 on February 22, 2007, 01:09:25 AM
Cain Vs. Barlotta round 3

I'm VERY surprised about all 3 road teams winning in the first round.  MIT doesn't match up well with WPI.  I can't see WPI losing at home in either of the next 2 games.

MIT doesnt match up well with anybody, they only have 5 players who play more than 5 minutes.  It is tough to match up against anyone when all of your players play 40 minutes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on February 22, 2007, 09:22:31 AM
If MIT beat WPI, I think someone (even if it is just a student) should make a movie about the story...what a Cinderella that would be.

The small town kid from Colorado and his four teammates (2 of whom are pretty good themselves) beat the big bad nationally ranked team.

I would love it and then Bartolotta could finally get the exposure he needs to beat Cain for MVP.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: smarshall on February 22, 2007, 10:02:56 AM
I'm glad to see Huge Nerd's Man Crush on Jimmy B has spread.

If everyone feels this way, they should start sending letters to the Head Coaches, instead of writing about it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 22, 2007, 10:13:44 AM
clarkie you seem to forget that this is college basketball so stuff happens like this all the time and I don't think MIT beating WPI would be movie worthy.  You seem to forget George Mason last year.

With that said, I think MIT has no chance, they have 3 good players buts WPI throws 7 good players out there.

I also do agree Bartlotta has had a great year, but why are you out to get Ryan Cain so much??
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 22, 2007, 11:19:34 AM
Quote from: smarshall on February 22, 2007, 10:02:56 AM
I'm glad to see Huge Nerd's Man Crush on Jimmy B has spread.

If everyone feels this way, they should start sending letters to the Head Coaches, instead of writing about it.

Man Crush or not, Jimmy B is better than Cain.  I have numbers to prove it.  POY is an individual award not a team award.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on February 22, 2007, 11:27:11 AM
I know George Mason and I know college sports, but I do just love the idea of MIT (yes the number one engineering school in the country where kids don't play basketball to do an academic internship) winning. This is not to take any credit away from WPI, they are a great school academically as well as athletic wise.

My beef with Ryan Cain. Well he did decide between Clark and WPI so of course I am a bit jealous. But also, he acts like such an ungracious punk when he plays. Bartolotta complains too, but he just seems so much more gracious about it. Ryan Cain is a great basketball player, but as it has been said before the team would still be good (maybe not as good, but good). Jimmy Bartolotta is MIT.

As for not just jibberjabbering on D3Hoops, I may just feel compelled to call Coach Phillips and tell him to vote for Bartolotta. I'll talk the talk and walk the walk.

Here's hoping for Coast Guard to upset'em all!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 22, 2007, 01:29:48 PM
It does impress me that the MIT players are really smart AND can play basketball.  However, your comment about doing academics as an internship doesn't apply to the NEWMAC I feel. 

First off, it is Division 3 basketball so they can't get money for playing.  That means that they are all playing for the love of the game.  Also, I know that WPI, MIT, and Clark are very good schools academically and fairly difficult to get into so the players on all these teams are good student athletes.  I'm sorry but I don't know as much about the other schools' academic programs so I can't speak for them.  I think it is more impressive that the players for Coast Guard are doing something like that for their country and are also good at basketball.  It impresses me that MIT and CGA had students that chose alternative plans this year instead of playing basketball because it shows that basketball isn't the most important things in their lives. 

Also, speaking of Ryan Cain he just got nominated for the Jostens Trophy which shows that he is a very good student athlete.  Lets just wait and see for POY and lets see how the coaches view these two players.  I just think it will be weird if Bartlotta wins POY and Cain gets some sort of All-American recognition which I think is still a strong possibilty.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 22, 2007, 02:11:39 PM
Quote from: cheeks14 on February 22, 2007, 01:29:48 PM
It does impress me that the MIT players are really smart AND can play basketball.  However, your comment about doing academics as an internship doesn't apply to the NEWMAC I feel. 

I believe he was referring to the player on MIT who left the team this year, in January, to do an internship.  I am all for basketball not being your whole life, but if you make a commitment, you should follow it through.

Quote from: cheeks14 on February 22, 2007, 01:29:48 PM
Also, speaking of Ryan Cain he just got nominated for the Jostens Trophy which shows that he is a very good student athlete.  Lets just wait and see for POY and lets see how the coaches view these two players.  I just think it will be weird if Bartlotta wins POY and Cain gets some sort of All-American recognition which I think is still a strong possibilty.

The Jostens Award is a completely different type of award than a POY award, it is not a good gauge of a players accomplishments in a single season.  This award is usually given out to a senior and is the equivalent of a career achievement award.  So Cain being a candidate for the award should have no bearing on the POY race in the NEWMAC.  Also, I do not think that something seeming "weird" is a good gauge to go by either.  Last year, for example, Mike Dauria was named Northeast player of the year, yet Bedford from Amherst was 3rd team all-america and dauria was 4th team all-america.  It all depends on who is voting.

Some voters will say that the top player in the conference cant be from the fourth or fifth best team and that the POY has to be on the top team.  These voters will vote for Cain.  Others will look at the award as an individual award and only look at objective criteria, such as stats from the entire year, when making their decision. These people will vote for Bartolotta.  It all depends on how people vote and we wont know that until next week.  I think everyone knows by now that, in my opinion, when you compare Bartolotta's stats to Cain's, Jimmy B's stats are just so much better overall (when you consider all categories, offensive and defensive) that I dont know how you could justify not giving the award to him(whether he be on the first place team or the last place team). 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 22, 2007, 07:43:38 PM
Newmac semis and finals will be broadcast...it will be a busy 2 days, with the 4 semis (men's and women's) and the 2 finals

http://sportsjuice.com

Feel free to tune in.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: PlayOnPlaya on February 23, 2007, 08:44:03 AM
It isnt march yet but the madness is here...

"#7 Coast Guard records the first win ever by a NEWMAC seventh-seed to advance
to Saturday's semifinal round at WPI."

Anyways this is my first post but I am always reading just to see what you guys have as the latest development in the Cain -  Bartolotta saga. I mean talking about anyone else on either WPI or MIT just wouldnt be as fun. Cant wait to get into WPIs gym and see the games on Saturday, because of the past few years it almost seems like the tourny is always in Worcester. I am not complaining because it  is a good atmophere and sweet "arena".
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 24, 2007, 02:55:40 PM
The final matchup between MIT and WPI was a synopsis of the entire season:  WPI has a better team, but MIT has the better individual player.

Bartollotta had 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 steals (as well as 3 turnovers), while Cain had 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal (as well as 5 turnovers).

Head to head this season (3 games), Jimmy B has averaged 15.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2.7 steals, while Cain has averaged 7.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steals.

You can decide for yourself who the player of the year is, but it seems pretty obvious to me (since it is an individual award).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wildgoose on February 24, 2007, 05:10:43 PM
This could only happen at a D3 game - WPI vs. MIT - watching the game,  2 kids from WPI sit down next to me and one kid takes out a laptop computer and goes on the web while the game is going.  He is googleing heat retention for a steam turbine engine,  and looking at the diagram?? They left at half time.
Other than that,  watching the game was like watching teams in different speeds,  MIT came out and didn't do much, MIT coach look bewildered, on the first play which MIT threw away he buried his head in his hands, called 5 timeouts in the first half, and granted I know he has a short bench but left Bracht in with 3 fouls in the first half and of course Bracht gets his 4th after he runs over Cain trying to lead the fast break with 4 minutes to go in the first half.   A blow out. 

Having seen Bartolotta   and Cain play numerous times this year (not against each other 1st time today) its obvious Bartolotta and Cain are excellent players.  Cain has a much better team, but watching today's game you can see stats are for losers.  Bartolotta needed to step up, instead he misses 3 out 4 foul shots in the first half when MIT couldn't score and needed to stay in the game.  Cain is a leader and you cant stat that.   You probably to young to remember but Wilt had the stats and Russell has the rings.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 24, 2007, 05:21:58 PM
Cain also didn't need to step up when they were winning by 25 the entire game.  He played less minutes because they were winning by so much and he also got the W and thats all that matters.  Cain will step up when he needs to unlike Bartlotta who couldn't.  Cain wasn't needed to score a lot of points today and he will do whatever it takes to get the W.

Give Bartolotta the POY if thats what he wants because he sure doesn't care about winning.  Cain will take a NEWMAC regular season title all 4 years he's been here and going to the NCAA tournament over individual awards any day. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 24, 2007, 05:27:14 PM
The bottom line is that if you asked anyone that knows NEWMAC basketball who they would pick to be on their team out of Cain and Bartolotta then I'd bet the majority of responses would be to Ryan Cain.  Cain is the better basketball player
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 24, 2007, 07:01:27 PM
Quote from: cheeks14 on February 24, 2007, 05:27:14 PM
The bottom line is that if you asked anyone that knows NEWMAC basketball who they would pick to be on their team out of Cain and Bartolotta then I'd bet the majority of responses would be to Ryan Cain.  Cain is the better basketball player

Who are you asking? Other WPI fans? I am pretty sure they would agree with you also.  Cain is the best player on the best team, but that doesnt mean he is the best player in the league.  If you compare his stats to Bartolotta's there is absolutely no contest.  You cannot make a case for Cain as POY of the year without bringing up the team argument, and unfortunately this is an individual award.

Quote from: cheeks14 on February 24, 2007, 05:27:14 PM

Give Bartolotta the POY if thats what he wants because he sure doesn't care about winning. 

This is an absolutely ignorant statement.  Without Bartolotta MIT would have 10 less wins this year.  Cain has the luxury of taking nights off and his teammates picking him up, Bartolotta does not.


Quote from: cheeks14 on February 24, 2007, 05:21:58 PM
Cain also didn't need to step up when they were winning by 25 the entire game.  He played less minutes because they were winning by so much and he also got the W and thats all that matters.  Cain will step up when he needs to unlike Bartlotta who couldn't.  Cain wasn't needed to score a lot of points today and he will do whatever it takes to get the W.

Ok, so they didnt need him today, I understand, but just because they dont need him does not mean he should have absolutely no output.  He may have only played 25 minutes today and scored 6 points, but last time he played MIT he played 39 minutes and still only scored 6 points.  Also, when has WPI really needed Cain to step up this year?  Looking over their schedule it seems that over 80% of their games were blowouts and in the 4 or 5 games that werent blowouts, WPI lost half of them.  You cant say Cain WILL step up when he needs to because WPI really hasnt had many games where they have needed him at all, they could have won 20 games without him. Also, Cain seemed to be able to put up pretty good numbers in the other blowouts, why not against MIT? (his only three sub 11 point games have all been against MIT).

Quote from: wildgoose on February 24, 2007, 05:10:43 PM
granted I know he has a short bench but left Bracht in with 3 fouls in the first half and of course Bracht gets his 4th after he runs over Cain trying to lead the fast break with 4 minutes to go in the first half.   A blow out. 

MIT only has one big man.  Their other starting big man (Koryan) is 5'11" (with his shoes on).  If he had taken Bracht out he would have had to sub one of his guards in who play less than 5 minutes a game.  Tough to matchup with WPI, who has 9 guys 6'4" or taller.

Quote from: wildgoose on February 24, 2007, 05:10:43 PM
Bartolotta needed to step up, instead he misses 3 out 4 foul shots in the first half when MIT couldn't score and needed to stay in the game.  Cain is a leader and you cant stat that. 

First off, Bartolotta leads the league in FT%.  Just because he missed a few in one game doesnt make him any less of a player.  Secondly, I dont think 3 points would have made a huge difference in the outcome of the game. 

It is easy to be a leader when all your teammates are producing for you.  Todays game isnt a good example of what Bartolotta can do as a leader because MIT really had no chance.  If you could see what he does when they are actually in a game, you would agree that he is also a great leader.  He has had near triple doubles several times this season because he sets up nearly everything that MIT does.  Also, you may not be able to stat leadership, but there are alot of other stats that are kept, and in the vast majority, Bartolotta's are more impressive than Cain's.

Quote from: wildgoose on February 24, 2007, 05:10:43 PM
You probably to young to remember but Wilt had the stats and Russell has the rings.

I may not remember but I do know that Russell won 11 championships and Chamberlin still won 4 MVP awards.  Once again, you do not need to be on the best team to be the best player.


In conclusion, looking at all the numbers, you really cant make a case for Cain over Bartolotta as POY without bringing in the team success argument.  Bartolotta has better overall numbers and better head-to-head numbers, but just isnt on a great team this year.  Cain is on a great team, but he doesnt put up numbers that are comparable to Bartolottas.  It is an individual award.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: PlayOnPlaya on February 24, 2007, 08:07:58 PM
There def needs to be more people on this thing because going a whole season and only hearing about 2 players is pretty boring. How about some interesting conversation like how some of these games are kids last games... that is pretty important. Or about the last 3 minutes of today Wheaton vs. CGA game. That was pretty good too. Or even say something about how WPI is going to crush CGA tomorrow in the Finals.... if you think that is gonna happen. Anyway, hope all you Cain fans show up and are loud for him tomorrow, he will need the support.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on February 24, 2007, 09:56:26 PM
Let's go Coast Guard!

And I agree there are more than two players in this league, lets talk about the man tears that were shed at the end of players careers. As sad as it is to see, it shows how much these players love the game. Good luck to all those that are playing their last collegiate games. It doesn't get easier, but know you left your mark on your school as well as the sport and you are better prepared because of it.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wildgoose on February 24, 2007, 10:47:32 PM
there are way more than those 2 guys, guys playing there heart out for the love of the game,  Wheatons  DiGiovanna  playing on the bad knee, giving it all he had for a D3 game.  Prebeck is an outstanding player and they might not be able to beat WPI tomorrow but CG size can give WPI trouble, if any team can beat WPI Cg may be the team.  Plus where else can you watch 2 good games  a soda and piece of pizza for $8.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 24, 2007, 10:52:52 PM
How about recognizing the amazing season WPI has had this year.  No one really talks about them and they are ranked as the 13th best team in the country.

Also, instead of worrying about Ryan Cain for POY....how about talking about him as one of the best players in NEWMAC history.  He has had an amazing career for WPI and has completely turned around a WPI program that has struggled in the past.  Whenever his last game it will be a very sad day because he has truly been a great player and great person for the NEWMAC over the past 4 seasons.

WPI is a force in the NEWMAC for the past 4 years and is only losing Ryan Cain so they should be back next year and still be a very good team.

Also, I predicted that it would be WPI Vs. Coast Guard for the championship all year, but I didn't figure that Coast Guard would be the last place team that advanced to the finals.  Coast Guard is a very good team and I don't understand how they finished in last place because they have some very good players.  I think they underachieved all season but they are turning it on at the right time.  Al Sowers had a huge shot to put them ahead today in the last minute and they were able to hold off Wheaton.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 24, 2007, 11:59:29 PM
NEWMAC final will be webcast

#1 seed WPI vs #7 seed Coast Guard.

Tip at noon. Pre-game at 11:50-ish...

http://sportsjuice.com

feel free to e-mail me and let me know that you're tuned in:

cgbears2006@aol.com
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 25, 2007, 03:52:45 PM
Congrats to CGA.  Great Job.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wildgoose on February 25, 2007, 04:06:44 PM
Sowers was outstanding and Blum helped out with some excellent 2nd half offense - CG size was the difference
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: wildgoose on February 25, 2007, 04:09:35 PM
One thing I didnt like was Cains pointing to the crowd early in the game when he made a 3, I didnt see him pointing when he missed.  Coleman was hamming it up also.  They dont really need to act like jackasses, their very good players,maybe they got a little to cocky.  One other thing thats not mentioned about Cain, he is a excellent defensive player
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Paul Heering on February 25, 2007, 04:33:54 PM
coast guard was 2-10 in the regular season and won 3 games to win the tournament.    has that ever happened before where a conference tournament champion won more games in the tournament than in the regular season?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 25, 2007, 05:02:18 PM
Quote from: wildgoose on February 25, 2007, 04:09:35 PM
One other thing thats not mentioned about Cain, he is a excellent defensive player

Actually, that has been mentioned several times on this board already, but he doesnt put up very good defensive numbers (rebounds, blocks, and steals).  I wasnt at the game but was he guarding Sowers today?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 25, 2007, 05:45:04 PM
no he was guarding Grant Johnson most of the game.  He is a very smart defender and knows how to get around picks.  He plays good deny defense and even though he doesn't have a lot of defensive statistics but he is still one of the leagues better defenders.

Sowers played unbelievable today and Blum came off the bench and showed that he could score around the basket.  I didn't realize how many big bodies coast guard had (Blum, Burgess, Prebeck and one other kid saw a few mins) and that proved to be the difference.  WPI only has a 7 man rotation and they got hurt today when they got in foul trouble. 

It has baffled me how Coast Guard struggled so much in the conference play because I always thought they were the 2nd or 3rd best team is this conference.  Maybe they are just finally clicking at the right time.  Today was an exciting game to watch and shows exactly what is amazing about college basketball.  I'm bummed that my team wasn't able to win the game but it is impressive that the #7 seed in the tourney was able to battle through and win the tournament. 

On a positive note, this is the only way the NEWMAC was going to get 2 teams into the tournament.  I wish good luck both teams (unless CGA is playing WPI again) and I hope they represent hte NEWMAC well. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: PlayOnPlaya on February 25, 2007, 06:01:44 PM
Isnt it funny how everone "Knew" how good you were once you have the cup.  CG played a hell of a game today and have won the last 3 games playing as a team. Different people have stepped up every game to make it happen. Also all of the Cadets that came to see both games at WPI really got the team pumped up and playing with emotion. At one point a cop had to come over and tell the Cadets to sit down... which didnt last for very long. Oh ya.. and Burgess' dunk...  enought said.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 25, 2007, 06:10:25 PM
with that said....Coast Guard will be very good again next year with all the players they have coming back especially if Craig Johnson comes back.  WPI is also only losing Ryan Cain as the lone senior so the battles between these two teams should be very interesting next year again. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 25, 2007, 06:39:03 PM
MIT will be returning Hamidou Soumare from study abroad, as well as (hopefully) the 4 other players who were either injured or took off this year.  They should be tough as well. 

Babson also only loses a couple seniors and should be strong again.

It will fun to see if they newmac can have 3 or 4 teams competing for that top spot next year, rather than one team running away with the regular season.  This would not only be good for enjoyment of conference games, but also for the national scene.  If you look at the UAA from last year and this year, they only sent the league champion last year and will likely send 4 this year.  If your entire conference is performing at a high level, you get higher QOWIs and national respect for everyone in the conference.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on February 25, 2007, 06:46:13 PM
Quote from: cheeks14 on February 25, 2007, 06:10:25 PM
WPI is also only losing Ryan Cain as the lone senior so the battles between these two teams should be very interesting next year again. 

I just think its kind of funny how whenever we talk about player of the year, you say how crucial Cain is to WPI's success and he is the heart, soul, and leader of the team, but then when you talk about next year you say they are only losing Cain.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 25, 2007, 07:08:24 PM
Ryan Cain will be a huge loss to the WPI program and I fully realize that.  However, they are still very good at every other position and I'm sure that Coach Bartley will have someone ready to step in.  They won't be able to replace all that Ryan Cain does on the court but I think that the guys at the other positions are very good and they will find other ways to hurt you.  I think that they will be much more of an inside team next year and not rely on as much outside shooting. 

I also agree that it would be good for the league to be overall much better.  This year no one really gives WPI credit because they "haven't played anyone".  Next year it will be good for the entire conference if they are all good and I think that you are right about MIT and Babson.  Next year seems wide open and it should make for some very entertaining basketball games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 25, 2007, 10:31:33 PM
<<coast guard was 2-10 in the regular season and won 3 games to win the tournament.    has that ever happened before where a conference tournament champion won more games in the tournament than in the regular season?>>

we're gonna research this (with the help of SIDs around the globe), as well as last-place teams to win league titles.

A really amazing accomplishment by Coast Guard. As someone who has broadcast their games since 2002, I can tell you that it is a truly great story that the Bears won. I may try to share some of that later this week.

And I hope the folks who attended appreciated the job that WPI did hosting.

Hope anyone that tuned in enjoyed as well.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 27, 2007, 05:33:10 PM
Just wanted to revisit my picks from Valentines Day.

POY - Cain -  WPI
FOY - Bracht - MIT
COY - Brennan - Babson

1ST Team
Cain-WPI
Bartlotta-MIT
Prebeck-Coast Guard
Etten-Babson
Coleman-WPI

2ND TEAM
Sowers - CGA
Zukowski - Wheaton
Pizzo - Springfield
Bracht - MIT
Bourque - WPI

__________________________________________


Overall I think I did pretty good for myself.  Cain did end up winning POY very deservingly (despite what Clarkie and hugenerd might think).  The coaches did a very good job of realizing who the best players were in the conference and I was impressed that there was a representative from every team. 



Here are the actual selections
POY - Cain -  WPI
FOY - Bracht - MIT
COY - Brennan - Babson

1ST Team
Cain-WPI
Bartlotta-MIT
Prebeck-Coast Guard
Etten-Babson
Coleman-WPI

2ND TEAM
Sowers - CGA
Zukowski - Wheaton
Gibbs - Springfield
Bracht - MIT
Alexander - Clark


I feel happy with my predictions by getting all three of the major awards, the whole first team, and 3 out of 5 on the second team correct.  Congratulations to all these players and there are only 2 seniors on this list so I look forward to watching all of these players battle for the next few years!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: diehardfan on March 01, 2007, 07:11:39 PM
Hey guys, we're collecting previews for each team in the tourney on one of the multiregional boards. If I get them by Friday I may even be able to stick them in one document for people to peruse. A fun little tourney resource of sorts. Would someone here be willing to do one for WPI and Coast Guard? Thanks!

http://www.d3sports.com/post/index.php?topic=5147.0
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on March 01, 2007, 10:57:47 PM
We tried something similar last year, and I'm glad someone is doing this again. I added Coast Guard to that board. Hopefully someone from WPI will do the WPI one.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: diehardfan on March 01, 2007, 11:02:10 PM
Thanks! We're obviously not going to get some of the schools due to the fact that, well, some of the teams that haven't given previews lost tonight! But, we have a shot at getting quite a few with more than 1/3 of the schools already on the list!  :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on March 02, 2007, 11:47:54 AM
Today's NCAA game (8 ET) between Coast Guard and RIC can be seen/heard in the following places

Video link: http://ibn.ihigh.com/play/index.cfm?id=64556

Audio link: http://sportsjuice.com

If you wish to e-mail the audio broadcast during the game, cgbears2006@aol.com
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mattapn02126 on March 05, 2007, 10:17:29 AM
I believe Wheaton is getting a solid backcourt from the Greater Boston area in next years class. PG Ryan Sasso from Peabody who attends Bishop Fenwick, and 2 Man Anthony Coppola from Watertown. Theyre both solid, fundamentally sound players. If youre a Wheaton fan and live near Boston, these guys are playing each other Tuesday the 6th at Revere High School at 7:30.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on March 06, 2007, 11:53:28 AM
Congratulations to Ryan Cain for winning the Josten's Trophy this year.  He has worked very hard on the court and off the court and I am very happy for him to be recognized for all his hard work.  WPI will truly miss him in many ways and it has been a pleasure watching him play. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 06, 2007, 12:04:40 PM
Alright Pat, I might be stubborn, but I also like to think I have integrity.

I'm not sure Cain is a first teammer, but he's certainly better than I thought he was and deserves to be on one of the All-American teams this spring.  That was a much, much better call than I gave you credit for.




(Although I think I was right about the team, overall.)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on March 07, 2007, 01:42:00 PM
Gotta give credit where credit is due. Congratulations to Ryan Cain who clearly can play basketball but also is a Big Brother to a kid in need. You are representing Division III athletics well Ryan. Good luck in the future.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: RGardner22 on March 07, 2007, 04:26:22 PM
A well deserved congratulations to Steve Brennan for being named NEWMAC Coach of the Year, the fifth time in his 12 seasons that he has earned either the designation from either the NEWMAC or its predecessor, the CAC. As a Babson alum and former basketball captain, extremely pleasing to see such a quality individual contribute not just his expertise, competitiveness, and passion to a fine athletic program, but also to the broader Babson community as a whole.

I speak for many fellow alums with pride to see the value of our degrees enhanced by having such a class act at them helm of the hoops program. The best lessons anyone can learn from athletics at any level are how to compete for things in life and carry yourself with class, Brennan is a terrific example of both.


With exception of a few ridiculous posts, very much enjoy reading the dialogue on the board, pretty cool insights and opinions. Wish it was in place in mid 1990's!

RG
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: boknows on March 09, 2007, 04:18:50 PM
good post.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2007, 12:03:37 PM
Wish all of the good players in this league had been nominated for All-Region.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on March 14, 2007, 03:56:40 PM
Pat,

Who wasnt nominated? (and specifically, was MIT's Bartolotta nominated, because I was honestly surprised not to see him on the list at least on the third team)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 14, 2007, 04:37:15 PM

Players are nominated by the SID from the school, so it might be more specific to ask which schools failed to submit nominations.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on March 14, 2007, 04:38:43 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 14, 2007, 04:37:15 PM

Players are nominated by the SID from the school, so it might be more specific to ask which schools failed to submit nominations.

I understand that, but I think that Bartolotta was the only one with a real shot from MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 14, 2007, 04:40:29 PM

Right, but asking Pat which players weren't nominated is kind of like asking someone which Americans aren't running for President.  It's hard to know exactly how to answer that.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on March 14, 2007, 04:46:32 PM
That is why I specified a player.  A simple yes/no he was/wasnt nominated would probably suffice.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2007, 05:39:20 PM
No nominations from MIT.

That actually drew a four-letter word  from someone on our staff, someone who isn't known for such. But we can't hand-hold schools. No way to make sure every worthy player is nominated.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on March 14, 2007, 08:09:16 PM
Thanks,  Ill have a talk with a few people.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on May 12, 2007, 11:05:25 AM
ummm hello is the newmac alive? i'm starting to get nervous due to lack of posting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 14, 2007, 11:42:06 AM

Anyone know if the NEWMAC is actually going to vote on an eighth member this summer?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 14, 2007, 04:22:51 PM
I believe the NEWMAC has 10 members. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d3bballinboston on May 15, 2007, 07:39:22 AM
they do have 10 members. it is funny how everyone thinks that leagues are changed because of Men's Basketball.  I doubt if the NEWMAC expands that MBB is even one of the factors.  The NEWMAC is all about academics and larger endowments.  MBB is not even on the rador screen.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 15, 2007, 10:09:31 AM

It's not just men's basketball, it's all men's sports.  I get a little annoyed (sometimes at myself) when people think it all revolves around men's basketball, but when there are only seven teams playing men's sports in the league, it would make sense to add another school.  Although that would put the women at 11.  Do you think Wellsley, Smith or Holyoke will be admitting men anytime soon? (Clearly sarcastic).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on July 26, 2007, 02:32:33 PM
I hate seeing the NEWMAC on the bottom of the posting boards--it makes it look like nobody cares...

So who has any good NEWMAC news or gossip? Any word on my Clark Cougars?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jpf5911 on August 01, 2007, 10:53:24 AM
Is there a published schedule anywhere for NEWMAC Men's basketball for the 2007-2008 season?

How about previews and predictions?

Thanks,

JPF
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jpf5911 on August 06, 2007, 07:35:14 PM
I'll be a fan of Newmac basketball for the first time in the upcoming 07-08 season. 

Unfortunately, I'm on the west coast.  Is there any TV coverage available, perhaps on the internet or pay per view cable or something?

I'll be rooting for MIT and it looks like they have some strong players returning.  What do you guys think their prospects are?

Thanks,

JPF
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on August 06, 2007, 08:24:47 PM
Quote from: jpf5911 on August 06, 2007, 07:35:14 PMI'll be rooting for MIT and it looks like they have some strong players returning.  What do you guys think their prospects are?

Usually pretty good, but they haven't lived up to expectations in recent years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on August 15, 2007, 11:33:36 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on August 06, 2007, 08:24:47 PM
Quote from: jpf5911 on August 06, 2007, 07:35:14 PMI'll be rooting for MIT and it looks like they have some strong players returning.  What do you guys think their prospects are?

Usually pretty good, but they haven't lived up to expectations in recent years.

Expectations?  Two years ago MIT set a school record for wins (21) and was one game away from the NCAAs (they finished 2nd in the regular season and in the NEWMAC tourney to WPI ).  Last year they literally had 7 players for most of the season (they lost players every possible way, injury/quitting before season/ study abroad/ and one player even left the team for an internship).  They still had a winning record despite all of that.

This year MIT should be much improved.  I havent heard about their recruiting class, but their returning starters should be solid.  They will be anchored by Jimmy Bartollota at the small forward (or shooting guard) position (he is coming off a season where he was top 10 in the NEWMAC in nearly every offensive and defensive category).  They will be getting Dou Soumare back from study abroad (he was a big part of their success two years ago) who will most likely start at the 5.  At the 4 will most likely be Eric Bracht who was NEWMAC frosh of the year last year.  I expect the starting point guard will be Brad Gampel who missed most of last year with injury (he will be backed up by Patrick Sissman).  The last spot is between Will Mroz (out second half of last year with an intership) and Billy Johnson (out most of the year with an injury last year).  They could move Jimmy to the 2 and put Billy in at the 3 which would give them alot of size and some matchup problems for other teams, or they could go with Will at the 2 and play a more traditional line up.  I personally like the lineup with Billy, in that case you have 6'4", 6'8", 6'5", and 6'8" and all of those guys can run.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on August 15, 2007, 01:57:27 PM
hugenerd -- I don't think Hoops Fan likes anyone in the NEWMAC. It's not the CCC, after all.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on August 15, 2007, 05:08:50 PM
I understand that.

I was just trying to convery that two years ago they exceeded expectations and I dont know who had high expectations for them last year since they had less than 10 players.  That is why I didnt understand the comment about not living up to expectations. 

As for this year, I think they should be able to compete for the NEWMAC title like they did 2 years ago (barring a mass exodus of players like last year).  Im probably alone on that opinion but I guess we will see in a few months.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on August 15, 2007, 08:31:14 PM
I think his comment, truly, is borne out of a CCC inferiority complex rather than actual facts. I wouldn't worry about it. You've already debunked it. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on August 15, 2007, 09:12:54 PM

I guess my expectations were too high.  I didn't realize that the recent years have been among their best.  I'll chock it up to ignorance on my part, if you'll allow me.  I've just expected even more from them over the past two years, based on the talent.  In actuality, their results have been impressive, I'm sure they will be right in it again this season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jpf5911 on August 20, 2007, 05:14:49 PM
What about video coverage of Newmac games?

Is there anything available on the internet or pay per view?

Thanks,
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on August 20, 2007, 08:38:56 PM
I do audiocasts of coast guard basketball- about 15 games per year for each gender...also have done the newmac men's final the last 2 yrs, and did the newmac semis and finals for both genders last yr.

I know MIT was experimenting with HD videocasts last yr, with plans to implement in the future. Couple other schools were looking into audiocasts for next yr.

Hugenerd- does this mean we can officially squash the Bartolotta to Williams rumor that we'd heard previously?...would like to put a stamp on that as "NOT" if he's still at MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on August 21, 2007, 11:32:41 AM
Good Morning All,

   I have recently moved back to the Worcester area and enjoy college basketball.  I have been looking at the success that WPI has enjoyed the past few years.  It seems that Coach Bartley has done a tremendous job with this program.

   Since recruiting players is the key to sustaining this level of play, I was interested in any information people here could offer up on their incoming recruitment class and the players they are looking at pulling in next year.


 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on August 24, 2007, 01:48:37 PM
Quote from: atnwriter on August 20, 2007, 08:38:56 PM
I do audiocasts of coast guard basketball- about 15 games per year for each gender...also have done the newmac men's final the last 2 yrs, and did the newmac semis and finals for both genders last yr.

I know MIT was experimenting with HD videocasts last yr, with plans to implement in the future. Couple other schools were looking into audiocasts for next yr.

Hugenerd- does this mean we can officially squash the Bartolotta to Williams rumor that we'd heard previously?...would like to put a stamp on that as "NOT" if he's still at MIT.

You can watch the MIT games on TV ....if you live on campus.   

I hadnt heard any rumors about Bartolotta going anywhere.    I am 99.9% sure he will be at MIT this coming year, but I can look into it if you are serious about that rumor.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on August 28, 2007, 04:03:30 PM
Quote from: atnwriter on August 20, 2007, 08:38:56 PM
Hugenerd- does this mean we can officially squash the Bartolotta to Williams rumor that we'd heard previously?...would like to put a stamp on that as "NOT" if he's still at MIT.

He is definitely still at MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on September 26, 2007, 01:09:00 PM
Wow,

   Not much activity here in the past few weeks!

   I am still looking for any info on the incoming WPI freshmen and who they are actively recuiting now for next year.

  Who is expected to step into the spot vaccated by Ryan Cain's graduation?

  I hope to take in a few games this winter.  This coach has certainly turned them into a force to be reckoned with.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on September 28, 2007, 10:06:21 AM
Hope I am not working in a vacuum here.

I did see on the recruiting thread here that a NH player named Ben Etten
is one of the incoming freshmen at WPI.  Is he expected to contribute much this season?

Any insight into any other frosh at WPI?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: MeOak21 on September 28, 2007, 02:30:20 PM
I saw Etten play a few times last year during his senior HS season and he definitely stuck out as a college level ball player with some serious upsides to his game.
He's pretty big at the guard spot and was easily the strongest kid on the floor. He handled the ball well and was capable of either going around his defender or bullying him down the court if he decided to slow down the pace. He seemed to be a capable outside shooter but mostly looked to go to the rim and finish strong or dish off. I'd say he's a really good acquisition although its a little hard to tell considering the leagues talent wasn't anything special. He seemed to be a good team player that could rightfully have been way more selfish on his team. He played hard D and got after it.

I don't know much about what WPI has coming back but I would think he'd get a good look at some minutes this year if you were looking to fill in some spots in the backcourt.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on October 01, 2007, 09:36:34 AM
MeOak21,

   Thanks for the info.  Do you know any other incoming freshmen for WPI.
or have any insight into players they are looking at for 2008-2009?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: MeOak21 on October 01, 2007, 11:53:27 AM
Honestly, no I don't. I was an assistant coach for a team that played against Etten's team last year. I am pretty far removed from NEWMAC bball otherwise. I typically only see WPI once a year if they scrimmage Keene State.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on October 04, 2007, 09:58:55 AM
MeOak21,

   I have been on the road with buisness the past couple of days, but I did get some more insight on Etten.  I was in Portsmouth and talking with a collegue about basketball.  He is one of those "in the know" kind of guys that attends as many games as he can (HS, AAU...etc).  He says it keeps him out of his wfie's hair at home.  Mine just keeps posting lists of things for me to do on the fridge!

   Anyway, He said he saw Etten play a few times last year including the state tournament.  I guess he hit a 35 footer at the buzzer to put his team into the semi-finals.  My friend confirmed your input on his skills.  He thinks his outside game will improve in college where he should be able to concentrate more on it.  His HS team really didnt have much of an inside presence, so he worked alot down low as well as on the perimeter.  He said the kid was a very hard nosed player and should do well at WPI.

   He also told me of another NH player he heard was being recruited by WPI, a 6'6" center/forward from a school called Saint Thomas.  His name is Matt Carr.  From what he told me this kid can be a force inside on both ends of the court.  My friend said he saw him play a few times last year and at a tournament at UNH this summer where he dominated inside against bigger schools.  According to my buddy, someone wearing a WPI shirt was there watching him and talking to his coach.

  Have you seen this kid play or know anything of him?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: MeOak21 on October 04, 2007, 02:29:54 PM
I didn't get to see St. Thomas play last year but I heard they had a pretty good team. I don't know anything about the big kid but he does sound promising. Hope he pans out for you guys. I'm surprised I didn't recognize the name. If I hear anything new about WPI I'll be sure to inform you.

I wouldn't be surprised if WPI was coming up to Keene for a preseason scrimmage this year or vice versa so if that happens it will be in about a month or so. Practice/tryouts starts in a couple weeks!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on October 16, 2007, 09:34:01 AM
MEOak21,

   Let me know if your going to WPI scrimmage up there.  If work settles down a bit, I may be able to come watch and say hi in person.  If not I will have to rely on your trained eye to give me feedback.

I have not heard any other news on WPI at all, but I have been focusing on the Sox and Pats the past couple of weeks. 

Surely there are others out here who can start to feed us all some info on the teams in the NEWMAC as the start of the season is just around the corner.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on October 29, 2007, 11:41:03 AM
I have noticed WPI's schedule is up for this season, but nothing about scrimmages.  Does anyone here know of any WPI scrimmages?

I also noticed their roster has not been updated for this year.  Any insights as to the make up of the team ?

Come On Folks, Lets get some discussions going on
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: MeOak21 on October 29, 2007, 01:12:58 PM
I know that the Keene State vs. WPI scrimmage will be held at WPI on a Saturday morning. I'm not sure if it will be this coming weekend or the next but it will be soon.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on October 30, 2007, 08:06:59 AM
MeOak21,

   When you find out for sure, please post it. 

   If I rake up all the leaves, perhaps my wife will reward me and let me go watch.  I have been on the road a lot the past few weeks and her "Honey Get It Done" list is now two pages long.

   If I miss it, I'm countiung on you for a full report!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on October 30, 2007, 10:52:32 AM
Someone posted on the NESCAC board that Will Lyons from Conn College transferred to WPI.  He was Conn's second leading scorer as a Sophomore. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: MeOak21 on October 30, 2007, 01:11:35 PM
Interestedfan,
I just found out today that the Keene/WPI is actually going to be played this Friday afternoon and I'm not sure about the time. I imagine it will be around 6. Rake those leaves...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on October 31, 2007, 01:28:08 PM
nescac1,

Thanks for the info !  Great to see there are others out there.

MeOak21,

I hope i may be able to pop in and see a few minutes of the scrimmage.  Traffic conditions will probably dictate if i have the time.  I have to be home early as we are  going out to eat dinner with our neighbors.

Take good notes!
 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: MeOak21 on October 31, 2007, 01:43:46 PM
Update: scrimmage is at 7 on Friday night...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hoops on October 31, 2007, 03:23:56 PM
Should be a very interesting scrimmage. Tyler Kathan is legit and very good. I still dont know what happened to Nate Anderson but if he is gone then that is pretty big lose to the team. WPI will have to find someone to replace Cain too.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on November 05, 2007, 04:24:25 PM
MeOak21,

   How did the scrimmage go?  who shined & who struggled ?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: MeOak21 on November 06, 2007, 04:48:48 PM
I caught most of the four 10 minute quarters and saw a wide range of level of play. The first two quarters were competitive and close with both teams executing on the offensive end but the second half was lopsided throughout with WPI outplaying and outscoring Keene by double digits in both quarters. The WPI defense was disruptive out front as they challenged passing lanes and slowed down ball movement. Keene was allowing penetration for kick outs to open shooters who weren't missing many 3's. It was obvious that coaches were experimenting with lineups, which is to be expected, and the vast majority of those lineups saw WPI ouplaying Keene on both ends of the floor.
I really couldnt name off too many individual standouts so I'll hold back on that for the time being. I am not familiar enough with the WPI players names to give you much of an idea. It appeared that some key players for Keene struggled and vice versa for WPI.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 07, 2007, 12:07:29 AM
Coleman gets selected as honorable mention preseason all-american by d3 hoops. Its a nice honor. However, in my opinion, he isnt one of the top 25 players in the country, I dont think he is even the best big man in the conference (i think prebeck and craig johnson, who didnt play last year, are better all around).  I guess you get the benefit of the doubt sometimes playing on a successful team.  Anyone have any thoughts? I am sure there are some people out there that disagree with me.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on November 07, 2007, 08:19:50 AM
MeOak21,

   Thanks for the review, it looks like I should get to see some good ball when I finally get to see the team play.  Best of luck to you in your season !

Hugenerd,

   I'm not sure about Coleman's ranking, but I can say its very rare  that a player who missed a season (can you elaborate on the reason - injury, grades, etc) would be placed on a preseason All-America listing.

  Your right about it being an honor, but now Coleman and each player listed there must live up to the expectations of that honor.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on November 07, 2007, 08:39:54 AM
Seems to me that Coleman should rank below Jimmy Bartollota for certain, and also below Chris Rose and Jake Weitzen from NESCAC.  I can understand the NESCAC guys because the conference already has three reps, but Bartollota is clearly the top returning guy in the NEWMAC (his stats were unreal last year despite I'm sure being the focus of every defense).  If MIT had a stronger supporting cast (which they might this year if a few guys who took hiatus return, plus I believe they had conf. rookie of year last year) perhaps he would get more pub ... in any event, it's the end of the year that counts.  Should be an interesting year at NEWMAC, with a lot of balance at the top but no one likely in the same league as Brandeis and the top NESCAC / Little East squads. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 07, 2007, 11:46:58 PM
Quote from: interestedfan on November 07, 2007, 08:19:50 AM
MeOak21,
Hugenerd,

   I'm not sure about Coleman's ranking, but I can say its very rare  that a player who missed a season (can you elaborate on the reason - injury, grades, etc) would be placed on a preseason All-America listing.

  Your right about it being an honor, but now Coleman and each player listed there must live up to the expectations of that honor.

Johnson missed the year do to some sort of sabbatical (religous or otherwise).  He was actually named to the sporting news preseason all-america team (the only representative from the NEWMAC) this year despite last years absence.

Quote from: nescac1 on November 07, 2007, 08:39:54 AM
Seems to me that Coleman should rank below Jimmy Bartollota for certain, and also below Chris Rose and Jake Weitzen from NESCAC.  I can understand the NESCAC guys because the conference already has three reps, but Bartollota is clearly the top returning guy in the NEWMAC (his stats were unreal last year despite I'm sure being the focus of every defense).  If MIT had a stronger supporting cast (which they might this year if a few guys who took hiatus return, plus I believe they had conf. rookie of year last year) perhaps he would get more pub ... in any event, it's the end of the year that counts.  Should be an interesting year at NEWMAC, with a lot of balance at the top but no one likely in the same league as Brandeis and the top NESCAC / Little East squads. 

I agree with the evaluation of Bartollota, but since they dont play the exact same position, I dont think they would be in competition for a spot against eachother.  Bartollota's numbers last year were the best in the conference hands down and if he had a better team he definitely would have won more awards.  As for MIT as a team, they have some people back but again have lost a key piece.  From what I hear, and from the posted roster on the website, it seems like the returning FOY, Bracht, is taking the year off.  They do get Soumare back from study abroad, who is a much better athlete and defender than Bracht, but not as good an offensive basketball player.  Mroz is also back this year, after leaving the team half way through the year last year and Gampel, who started when he played last year, should be back healthy. They also have a couple promising freshman, although I do not know if they are in the class of the freshman that a team like WPI might get, we will have to wait and see.  I think where MIT is going to be hurt the most is in the post.  They have no big men with real experience.  Soumare didnt play last year and another one of their big men, Bagley, hasnt played in two years (when he was a freshman).  All the other post players either dont play much or are freshman.  That is why they will really miss the absence of Bracht. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 08, 2007, 03:19:25 PM
My understanding is Prebeck is a 4 and Coleman is a 3. Those two weren't really compared head to head.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on November 08, 2007, 05:08:43 PM
There has been a lot of talk about WPI and some about MIT, but I wanted to see if anyone knew anything about Clark. It looks like the Cougars' roster has been posted and though there is a not a lot of information posted about the new players (both freshman and transfers from what I have heard), they do have Mark Alexander who was Second Team All-NEWMAC as a freshman and Peter Normandin who is tough in the post.

Has anyone heard anything substantial? Would love to hear.

Looking forward to some good games this year for my Cougars.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 09, 2007, 01:19:49 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 08, 2007, 03:19:25 PM
My understanding is Prebeck is a 4 and Coleman is a 3. Those two weren't really compared head to head.

Well, in that case, there are a lot better 3s out there than Coleman, Bartollota being one of them. There are a lot of guys who put up 12 points and 6 boards per game (in an average conference).  I thought he was considered a 4 because he led the team in rebounding last year (obviously not a great criteria) and he seemed to match up with opponents post players on D.  My guess is that another 12 point, 6 rebound season wont get him on the season ending all-american team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 09, 2007, 01:27:51 AM
Sure. But a preseason team isn't about how they played last year as much as how we expect them to play this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 09, 2007, 01:50:41 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 09, 2007, 01:27:51 AM
Sure. But a preseason team isn't about how they played last year as much as how we expect them to play this year.

What metric do you use to judge the upcoming season other than the previous year.  It seems like the only applicable data.  In that case, what makes the voters (or whoever makes these decisions) think that a guy like Bartollota wont go for 21 ppg, 9 rpg, 2 spg, 1 bpg, etc. again this year?  According to the argument you gave for Coleman, these numbers should only go up.  Actually, since Coleman is a 3 and so is Bartollota (although he handles the ball alot), we can compare these two head to head.  Bartollota was at or above Coleman in EVERY statistical category (FG% 48-48, 3P% 38-32, FT% 87-62, RPG 8.7-6.4, APG 4.3-2.7, SPG 1.9-1.2, BPG 1.0-1.0, PPG 21.2-12.1).  Anyway, this isnt going to change anything, but I thought I would bring it up anyway.

I also dont understand the logic behind "expecting" a player to play that much better this year than last year.  What do you guys go by if not by last years stats? Do you have scouts at practices and scrimmages?  Do you go by word of mouth?  I ask this sincerely, because I would truly like to understand.  The only major advantage I see in favor of Coleman is the success of his team, but you would think individual achievement would play some role in the decision making for an individual award.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: heythere on November 09, 2007, 09:44:07 AM
someone from wpi most be voting for this, last year it was cain  and now coleman????
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 09, 2007, 10:10:17 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2007, 05:39:20 PM
No nominations from MIT.

That actually drew a four-letter word  from someone on our staff, someone who isn't known for such. But we can't hand-hold schools. No way to make sure every worthy player is nominated.

Hugenerd: Just a reminder as to why Bartolotta isn't in the pipeline for preseason honors. It's all one set of nominations, and though we try to make sure we get the missing pieces the following preseason, it isn't a replacement for getting the nominations in in March.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 09, 2007, 12:20:52 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 09, 2007, 10:10:17 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2007, 05:39:20 PM
No nominations from MIT.

That actually drew a four-letter word  from someone on our staff, someone who isn't known for such. But we can't hand-hold schools. No way to make sure every worthy player is nominated.

Hugenerd: Just a reminder as to why Bartolotta isn't in the pipeline for preseason honors. It's all one set of nominations, and though we try to make sure we get the missing pieces the following preseason, it isn't a replacement for getting the nominations in in March.

I remember that, I didnt realize it was based on the same nominations. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 09, 2007, 07:45:50 PM
Well, we try to fill in the pieces, but yeah.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on November 11, 2007, 10:03:27 AM

first time poster, but veteran reader....

Springfield has had 2 scrimmages now ( Western Conn and Union).  Hard to tell much other than a very solid, balanced starting 5 who can all score and are unselfish - can't just stop them by stopping one person. Better balance than last year.

Lost Pizzo (fiery career assists leader) and Farley (shooter, rebounder).

Starters seem to be
5- Strawson ( Jr, strong - tough to move, draws fouls very well, can score )
4 - Daly ( Sr, versatile inside/outside, tough matchup - shoots 3, posts up )
3 - Crean (Soph, quick, shooter, passer, rebounds)
2- Blackmon (Soph, shooter, slasher, 3ball )
1 - Gibbs ( Sr, very quick w dribble, drives hard, passer/unselfish, nice shot)

Bench has a lot of new faces - good backup at point (White) but rest are mostly young - some show talent and promise.

FYI, Western Conn is athletic but small and relies on 3ball to compete.  Union is very small and also relies on outside shot outside shot.
Title: Re: Friday Scores
Post by: JustAFan on November 16, 2007, 10:28:32 PM
Clark beats Suffolk in its opener, 85-71, at the Rogers Williams tournament.

Connecticut College surprises Babson, 52-50, down at Drew University and plays Bates tomorrow, which lost to St. Lawrence by 9 tonight.

WPI beats Nichols College 101-80 in the Worcester City tip-off tournament.  Next up is Worcester State, which beat Becker College.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on November 17, 2007, 09:09:19 PM
WPI rolled over Worcester State 93-64 in the finals of the City tip-off tournament. WPI was only up 47-40 at the half but dominated second half action and found good minutes for all of its bench for the second game in a row.

Clark U dropped its first game to host Roger Williams, 83-79 in the finals of RW's tournament.  Clark led 45-41 at the half, which saw both teams shoot 55%. Clark cooled off to a very respectable 46% in the 2d half but Roger Williams continued to shoot lights out at a 55% clip in the second half to improve its record to 2-0. Clark only went to the line 5 times in the entire game compare to RW's 15. The refs must have had a late dinner reservation in Newport....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: All-around on November 18, 2007, 07:16:27 PM
How good is Wheaton this year. Saw they started off pretty well with wins over Norwich and Plymouth?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 20, 2007, 02:23:43 PM
MIT had 1-1 weekend, with a tough loss Western Conn. on Saturday and a win at Emmanuel on Sunday.  A few nice individual performances were put in:  Dou Soumare had double-doubles in both games and averaged 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks; Billy Johnson had a 24 point effort on saturday; and, Jimmy B. put up 24 p, 9 r, 5 a, and 2 s on saturday, followed by 31 p, 6 r, and 3 a on Sunday (for the weekend he averaged 27.5 ppg, 7.5 rbg, and 4 apg). 

MIT plays on the road at Curry tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 20, 2007, 09:04:16 PM
MIT beat Curry College tonight 101-77.

Jimmy Bartolotta had a career high (I believe) of 38 points (16-21 from the field), in addition to 5 rebounds and 9 assists (with only 1 turnover). That leaves him 2 points shy of 1000 for his career, 3 games into his junior season.  (He is averaging 31 ppg so far this season, Antoine Coleman, a preseason all-american playing the same position, is averaging 13.5 ppg).  Also in double figures were Alex Bagley (13), Dou Soumare (11), and Billy Johnson (10).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: goldenpipes on November 21, 2007, 07:49:33 AM
Emerson 89, Babson 77 from the Lions Den in Boston.

Tom Messinger hit 8 three pointers on his way to a game-high 28 points to lead the Lions to their first win over the Beavers in school history. Emerson had four other score double figures: Bryan Rouse (15), Jeremy Shannon (15), Will Dawkins (13, 7 A) and Ben Chase (11).

The Lions opened up an eleven point lead at the half (41-28) and opened it up with a 13-2 run over a four minute span in the second half to seal the deal. Emerson led by as many as 25 late second half.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 21, 2007, 06:53:07 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on November 20, 2007, 09:04:16 PM
MIT beat Curry College tonight 101-77.

Jimmy Bartolotta had a career high (I believe) of 38 points (16-21 from the field), in addition to 5 rebounds and 9 assists (with only 1 turnover). That leaves him 2 points shy of 1000 for his career, 3 games into his junior season.  (He is averaging 31 ppg so far this season, Antoine Coleman, a preseason all-american playing the same position, is averaging 13.5 ppg).  Also in double figures were Alex Bagley (13), Dou Soumare (11), and Billy Johnson (10).

Isn't Coleman a power forward? Also, isn't he playing 24 minutes per game in WPI's new system compared to Bartolotta's 36 minutes?

That's a fairly limited (aka biased) analysis for someone with such a fancy calculator on his profile. :)

And no, Coleman is not related.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 21, 2007, 10:27:39 PM
Pat,

I agree that he is a power forward, but you are the one that told me that he was a small forward when we were discussing the preseason all-american decisions.

Quote from: hugenerd on November 09, 2007, 01:19:49 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 08, 2007, 03:19:25 PM
My understanding is Prebeck is a 4 and Coleman is a 3. Those two weren't really compared head to head.

Well, in that case, there are a lot better 3s out there than Coleman, Bartollota being one of them. There are a lot of guys who put up 12 points and 6 boards per game (in an average conference).  I thought he was considered a 4 because he led the team in rebounding last year (obviously not a great criteria) and he seemed to match up with opponents post players on D.  My guess is that another 12 point, 6 rebound season wont get him on the season ending all-american team.

I also noticed the minutes played.  My comments were meant to be a bit sarcastic, which I know is difficult to convey through these messages.  That said, Bartolotta is head and shoulders better than any player in the NEWMAC.  You put him on any of those teams and he would put up huge numbers in every statistical and intangible category, not just a few.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 21, 2007, 10:40:50 PM
Right -- I knew they were different positions but forgot who was which.

I think MIT is going to work to get your guy a little more pub this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 21, 2007, 11:15:03 PM
It will also help that he has a few more guys around him this year, so the team should be a bit more successful.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on November 22, 2007, 12:15:57 AM
Host Lasell upset WPI last night 95-86 in a shootout. Lasell was led by its two guards, with Jamie Crawford leading the way with a whopping 43 points on an unconscious 15-18 from the field (5-7 on treys) while Dwayne Powell had 15 points and Jose Guitian had 14 rebounds.  Lasell was up by 2 at the half after both teams shot very well (52% by WPI and 47% by Lasell) but in the second half Lasell shot a lights-out 68% from the field (67% from three-land) while WPI went stone cold  and only shot 28% but still managed to keep it a 9 point game. WPI had 4 players in double figures. The Engineers have been winning so far based on their high octane offense but they're going to need to learn to play some defense against the better teams, starting this Sunday afternoon when they host Salem State.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: heythere on November 22, 2007, 12:34:43 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on November 21, 2007, 11:15:03 PM
It will also help that he has a few more guys around him this year, so the team should be a bit more successful.

MIT team is the basically the same as last year, they lost bracht 6'5 post who was the roy and there sr shooter but got back soumare a 6'7 post
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 23, 2007, 06:35:58 PM
Quote from: heythere on November 22, 2007, 12:34:43 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on November 21, 2007, 11:15:03 PM
It will also help that he has a few more guys around him this year, so the team should be a bit more successful.

MIT team is the basically the same as last year, they lost bracht 6'5 post who was the roy and there sr shooter but got back soumare a 6'7 post

False,

The second half of last season they had only 7 players due to injury/leave of absence.  That means they couldnt even practice 5 on 5.  They didnt have Gampel, Johnson, or Mroz for most or all of the 2nd half.  In addition to Soumare, who is a much better defender and rebounder than bracht and looks to have vastly improved his offensive game, they have those 3 guys back, plus a couple of other bigger guys and freshman.  One reason Bracht put up big numbes last year is due to the fact that he was the only post guy they had and played nearly 40 minutes every game.  He was backed up by Koryan, who i think is only about 6'0" (regadless of what the roster says).  They will miss the presence of a couple of guys who decided not to play this year, but there is no doubt that they are much deaper and much better.

So next time, before you make a comment without knowing what you are talking about, maybe you should do some more research other than looking at the heights of players on the roster.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 23, 2007, 06:39:57 PM
Quote from: JustAFan on November 22, 2007, 12:15:57 AM
Host Lasell upset WPI last night 95-86 in a shootout. Lasell was led by its two guards, with Jamie Crawford leading the way with a whopping 43 points on an unconscious 15-18 from the field (5-7 on treys) while Dwayne Powell had 15 points and Jose Guitian had 14 rebounds.  Lasell was up by 2 at the half after both teams shot very well (52% by WPI and 47% by Lasell) but in the second half Lasell shot a lights-out 68% from the field (67% from three-land) while WPI went stone cold  and only shot 28% but still managed to keep it a 9 point game. WPI had 4 players in double figures. The Engineers have been winning so far based on their high octane offense but they're going to need to learn to play some defense against the better teams, starting this Sunday afternoon when they host Salem State.

Coleman stepped up big with 13 points on 10 shots and 4 rebounds.  I am ready to submit my POY vote right now.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 23, 2007, 06:55:28 PM
People were willing to judge based on one weekend of games last year too. Thankfully the season is more like 25 games than three.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 24, 2007, 07:18:06 PM
Congratulations to Jimmy Bartollota for scoring his 1000th career point today.  He ended up with 22 points (1020 in his career),  6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and a block in 26 minutes of action.  MIT cruised to an 83-51 win and moves to 3-1 on the season.  Billy Johnson also had a big game with 21 points and Dou Soumare chipped in 11 points and 7 rebounds.

MIT next faces Gordon on Tuesday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 24, 2007, 07:31:02 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 23, 2007, 06:55:28 PM
People were willing to judge based on one weekend of games last year too. Thankfully the season is more like 25 games than three.

No, last year they didnt have to judge based on one weekend.  Coleman averaged about that for the whole season (12 ppg and 6 rpg), yet he still was able to rake in all types of awards.  The game he had against Lasell would have been an average game for him last year.  My point is that if he can be a preseason all-american on 12 and 6 last year, then he is having just as "prolific" a year this season and there is no reason to think he shouldnt receive similar accolades this season.  I wasnt trying to offend you, Pat, just trying to make a point.  I'll drop the topic until the end of the season, because I feel there has been plenty said to this point.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 25, 2007, 02:24:12 AM
People were judging our selection of Ryan Cain last year, however, hugenerd. Try to follow.
Title: Re: WPI over Salem State
Post by: JustAFan on November 25, 2007, 08:04:36 PM
WPI beat Salem State by 3 this afternoon 100-97in a game of runs.  Salem State had the ball down by one with 35 seconds to go but 6-9 WPI center Ryan Bourque blocked a Salem State drive to the hoop, WPI converted a couple of foul shots to go up by 3 with 7 seconds to go and Salem State's final shot was way off the mark.

Both teams showed a lot of resiliency in today's game that bodes well for the rest of the season.  Salem State ran out to a 15 point lead, 30-15, with 12 minutes to go in the first half, thanks to some great fast break basketball and some dumb WPI fouls as Salem State was finishing on the break. WPI regrouped after a timeout and stormed back to take the lead by 4 with 4 minutes left on the strength of some lights-out 3 point shooting from 6-4 sophomore Ben Parker. Salem State came back to tie the score at 53 at the half, and then jumped out by 6 to start the second half, only to see WPI come back and build its own 15 point lead with 12 minutes to go in the game. This time it was Salem State's turn to come back, and they did thanks to some great shooting from junior guard Stevie Celestin.  The last 5 minutes of the game were back and forth, with WPI senior Antoine Coleman really stepping up and making clutch basket after clutch basket.

This was my first chance to see both teams play and I expect to see both playing in the post-season.  Salem State is very athletic and quick, and they've got a bunch of kids who can create their own shot.  They love to press and run, as does WPI, but Salem State has the much better press--WPI presses to dictate tempo, while Salem State not only does it to push tempo but it also creates a lot of steals from its pressure. Ramon Cruz, Marquis Victor, Celestin, Alex Finn  and Nick Tokarski give Salem a strong and deep backcourt, and Rawleigh Preaster, Jeremy Taft and Dylan Holmes are strong up front.  Five of these kids are seniors, and their experience shows.

WPI is a fairly young team and comes at you in waves.  Coach Chris Bartley plays 11-12 kids, and rotates a fresh five every minute and  a half, sometimes every minute.  It's press and run and play man to man D for 90 seconds, and then take a break. He's got the depth to do this but it's difficult for his outside shooters to get into a rhythm when they're being yanked in and out, and the results are some streaky shooting from outside as well as some bouts of very sloppy play. Parker is a very impressive shooter and he has some good hops and hits the boards well.  He'd benefit offensively if he had more time on the court to get into the flow of the game. Same for Jim Marois and NY Izuchi, WPI's other two outside threats.  WPI has 2 freshmen in the rotation, 5-9 point guard Kyle Nadeau, who shows promise but is still getting used to the speed and intensity of the college game, and 6-2 forward Ben Etten, who is strong, athletic, plays with a lot of poise for a freshman and bangs inside with confidence.  To Coach Bartley's credit, he stuck with both of them today and let both play thru the inevitable freshmen mistakes. Salem State didn't wilt from the WPI pressure, but the tempo did cause them to begin to create some cheap fouls in the second half that got their big men in trouble and opened the door for WPI to take the lead.

WPI improves to 3-1 and Salem State drops to 2-1.  WPI is averaging over 90 points a game thru its first 4 games.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on November 26, 2007, 07:15:06 AM
I haven't seen WPI play yet this year, but I'm surprised that they've given up over 80 points in 3 of 4 games.  Postings refer to playing 11 or 12 guys and letting freshman get their PT - is this just early season lineup juggling or is defense going to be their issue this year?

They're putting up points but without defense ( especially against 3ball ) they'll get hurt eventually.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 26, 2007, 10:17:05 AM
It's a product of the system they're playing, similar to what Grinnell and Emory and Henry run, though not a precise copy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 27, 2007, 08:54:18 PM
MIT beat previously unbeaten Gordon College tonight 66-44.  MIT held Gordon to 30% shooting and no one scored in double figures for GC. 

MIT was again led by Jimmy B., with 23 pts (8-12 FG, 4-5 3PFG), 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in 27 minutes.  Will Mroz had a nice game, with a season high 17 points, while Billy Johnson chipped in with 10 points and Dou Soumare added 15 rebounds and 5 blocks.  MIT improves to 4-1, while Gordon drops to 3-1.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on November 27, 2007, 11:16:16 PM
Does Will Mroz have a PhD yet? I played against him when I was at Clark...or does he have a brother?

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 28, 2007, 12:38:49 AM
He is a senior. I dont know when you played at Clark, but this is his 4th year at MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 28, 2007, 10:00:28 PM
WPI lost a close game at Elms tonight 85-80.  Elms led by 13 at the half, but WPI cut it to 1 point by the 10 minute mark. Unfortunately, Elms then went on a 10 run and led by double figures until a WPI run in the last two minutes made the final margin 5.

On a brighter note, Antoine Coleman finally got it going a bit, scoring over 14 points for the first time this season, with 23.  WPI's 4 other starters scored a combined 9 points.  Ben Etten and Jerome Kirkland added 19 and 15 points, respectively, off the bench.   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: heythere on November 28, 2007, 10:06:13 PM
wpi has lost to lasell and elms already this year, thats not a good sign.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: goldenpipes on November 28, 2007, 10:47:02 PM
Elms has made the NCAA's three years in a row - Ed Silva's team is vastly underrated because the play in the NAC - same goes for Lasell who made it to the NCAA's two years in a row before the three year run for Elms.

Lasell will be a top competitor in the GNAC....maybe it's time to stop underestimating these teams vs. the NEWMAC and others.

Emerson beat Babson last week - another win for GNAC vs. NEWMAC....some of the NEWMAC teams are down a bit but I think teams like Elms, Emerson, and Lasell have beaten or have played these teams close every season for 3-5 years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: heythere on November 28, 2007, 11:07:33 PM
Quote from: goldenpipes on November 28, 2007, 10:47:02 PM
Elms has made the NCAA's three years in a row - Ed Silva's team is vastly underrated because the play in the NAC - same goes for Lasell who made it to the NCAA's two years in a row before the three year run for Elms.

Lasell will be a top competitor in the GNAC....maybe it's time to stop underestimating these teams vs. the NEWMAC and others.

Emerson beat Babson last week - another win for GNAC vs. NEWMAC....some of the NEWMAC teams are down a bit but I think teams like Elms, Emerson, and Lasell have beaten or have played these teams close every season for 3-5 years.

i wasnt taking anything away from elms, they are a good team and have won 20 plus games for the last couple of years, but wpi was suppose to be a top 20 team. it looks like it will be a real battle for the newmac this title this year
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 29, 2007, 12:06:15 AM
I think Coast Guard is the clear favorite to win it this year.  They havent really played anyone yet, but with the return of Craig Johnson they have the best front-court in the newmac and have some pretty solid guards to back them up.  They have a pretty fearsome foursome in C. Johnson (21 ppg), Prebeck (16 ppg), Sowers (14 ppg), and G. Johnson (10 ppg).  There are obviously some teams that can compete with CGA, but in my opinion they have the best combination of experience and talent, at least within the starting 5.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on November 29, 2007, 12:19:18 AM
Elms shot a lights-out 57% in tonight's game vs WPI, and over 60% in the first half when they built a 13 point halftime lead.  However, I dont know much of that was attributable to poor WPI defense rather than great shooting. WPI freshman Ben Etten had 19 points and 5 assists in 23 minutes of PT but NT Izuchi, who shot very well Sunday against Salem State, went 0-8 tonight, all from 3-land.  I'd like to see WPI get Jim Marois and Ben Parker much more involved in the offense, and also get Parker more minutes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on November 29, 2007, 08:02:38 PM
MIT won a pretty comfortable game tonight against Endicott.  MIT led by as many as 32 in the first half and ended up winning by 21.

Dou Soumare impressed me the most tonight, with 22 points, 16 rebounds (9 offensive), and 5 steals.  He really showed that his offensive game has improved and capped it off with a pretty impresive two-handed jam late in the second half.  Jimmy B  added 26 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals and a block.  MIT plays next on Saturday at Tufts.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: goldenpipes on November 29, 2007, 09:53:33 PM
Emerson 84-63 over Wheaton. Lions finally top the Lyons....any game details?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 01, 2007, 05:28:35 PM
MIT lost to Tufts today.  Jimmy Bartolotta had an injury and only played 19 minutes, but still scored 18 points.  Tough game for the Engineers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: goldenpipes on December 01, 2007, 05:42:04 PM
what happened to Jimmy B? Serious?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Agent_Zero on December 01, 2007, 05:55:55 PM
jimmy b was caught up in a tangle of bodies underneath the basket early in the first half and appeared to catch an elbow in the head. he was on the floor for a few minutes before being helped off. he sat out for a few minutes but re-entered the game. he was also in serious foul trouble, picking up 3 in the first half and his fourth early in the second. all those, combined with great d from ryan okeefe contributed to his low out put. and the engineers had no answer for pierce in the second half where he poured in 14 of his game high 18. all the shots he missed in the first half fell for him in the second. great win by tufts, hopefully a sign they are turning the corner
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: goldenpipes on December 01, 2007, 07:45:59 PM
thanks for the update zero.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on December 03, 2007, 02:32:40 PM
Quote from: heythere on November 28, 2007, 11:07:33 PM
wpi was suppose to be a top 20 team.

... according to whom?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 04, 2007, 12:04:37 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 03, 2007, 02:32:40 PM
Quote from: heythere on November 28, 2007, 11:07:33 PM
wpi was suppose to be a top 20 team.

... according to whom?

Must be the same people that voted Antoine Coleman an All-American!

(sorry Pat, I couldnt help myself)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on December 04, 2007, 10:40:38 PM
springfield played great D holding Trinity to 30% from field.  Pride held the lead  since 4 mins into the game. Closest Trinity got was when they clawed back from 10 down to only 2 but then springfield pushed it back up to 6 and held on down the stretch.

If Pride can start hitting their shots then their defense will serve them very well. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 04, 2007, 10:53:20 PM
Quote from: pridefan on December 04, 2007, 10:40:38 PM
springfield played great D holding Trinity to 30% from field.  Pride held the lead  since 4 mins into the game. Closest Trinity got was when they clawed back from 10 down to only 2 but then springfield pushed it back up to 6 and held on down the stretch.

If Pride can start hitting their shots then their defense will serve them very well. 

Thats a great win for Springfield and also for the NEWMAC.  More wins like that (especially over NESCAC teams) would go along way in getting the NEWMAC more respect in the Northeast.  MIT has a similar showdown with Amherst on Thursday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on December 04, 2007, 11:05:07 PM
Pride play Williams this coming Saturday so another matchup against the nescac.  Williams is rated #8 but their early schedule seems weak.  Anybody seen them play and are they legit #8 given their weak schedule??

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 04, 2007, 11:07:56 PM
MIT went onto beat WNEC tonight 71-57 as the Engineers improved to 6-2 on the season.  Leading the way was Jimmy B. with 29 points (12-20 fg, 4-7 3fg), 8 rebounds, and 8 assists (as well as 2 blocks and 2 steals).  Dou Soumare again put up big numbers, with 12 points, 18 rebounds (8 offensive), 2 blocks and 2 steals. Chipping in were Billy Johnson and Daniel McCue with 10 points a piece.

WNEC is a common opponent of MIT and Amhest, who play eachother this Thursday.  Both teams won by similar margins (14 and 12, respectively).  The game is at Amherst.

Through 8 games this season, Jimmy B. is averaging 26.4 ppg, 6 rpg, 5.3 apg, 2.1 spg, and 0.9 bpg.  In that span he has shot 60% from the field, 59.5% from 3, and 80.5 from the free throw line (in 31 minutes per game). Through week 2 (takes into account 7 of first 8 games), he ranks as follows in the NEWMAC: ppg:1, rbg: 12, FG%: 5, apg: 3, FT%: 3, spg: 6, 3FG%: 1, 3FGM: 2, bpg: 9, A/T: 8, minutes: 8.  He is ranked in the top 12 in every category reported except for offensive rebounds.
Title: Re: Clark and WPI
Post by: JustAFan on December 04, 2007, 11:37:15 PM
Clark led Brandeis 38-36 at the half tonight but the Judges outscored Clark by 13 in the second half en route to a 82-71 win tonight in Worcester. Clark got a good effort from its big men, Pat Landers and Peter Normandin, but it needs to find some more consistent scoring and better shooting (7 for 27 from 3-land) from its backcourt. Terrell Hollins led a balanced Brandeis attack with 21 points on 10-13 shooting.

Across town WPI annililated host UMass-Boston 89-39 tonight, its second big win in a row after Sunday's surprisingly easy 105-67 win over a previously undefeated Fitchburg State team.  Of course, it helps when you shoot 75% from 3-land in the first half (9-12) and 69% overall in the first half (20-29) against Fitchburg.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on December 05, 2007, 10:30:01 AM
Though it wasn't a victory, I am happy to see Clark holding its own against such a highly regarded team. Hopefully Clark's young team can continue to push forward and win some big games down the stretch of the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on December 05, 2007, 08:48:50 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 04, 2007, 12:04:37 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 03, 2007, 02:32:40 PM
Quote from: heythere on November 28, 2007, 11:07:33 PM
wpi was suppose to be a top 20 team.

... according to whom?

Must be the same people that voted Antoine Coleman an All-American!

(sorry Pat, I couldnt help myself)

Yeah, since it's entirely inaccurate. WPI was not in our preseason Top 25.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 05, 2007, 11:39:20 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 05, 2007, 08:48:50 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 04, 2007, 12:04:37 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 03, 2007, 02:32:40 PM
Quote from: heythere on November 28, 2007, 11:07:33 PM
wpi was suppose to be a top 20 team.

... according to whom?

Must be the same people that voted Antoine Coleman an All-American!

(sorry Pat, I couldnt help myself)

Yeah, since it's entirely inaccurate. WPI was not in our preseason Top 25.

You are right, but they appear to have been a close #26 so I am sure at least a couple of voters had them around 20.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 06, 2007, 07:45:41 PM
MIT lead Amherst 34-26 at the half at Amherst.  Jimmy Bartolotta has 16 points and 3 boards in the half.  Andrew Olsen, Amherst's All-American, has 2 assists and 5 turnovers (according to the radio broadcast).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 06, 2007, 08:29:53 PM
MIT down 2 with 31 seconds to go.

I believe Jimmy B. has 27 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 06, 2007, 08:33:25 PM
Bartolotta get injured with 15 seconds left, MIT still down 2.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 06, 2007, 08:36:06 PM
Final Score: Amherst 66- MIT 60

Amherst hit 4 FTs in the last 15 seconds.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 06, 2007, 08:38:35 PM
With regards to Jimmy B's injury, the announcers made it seem pretty bad.  Luckily for Jimmy and MIT, they only have one game between now and January 3.  So he will likely only miss one game (if it is a sprained ankle, as the announcers said it was).

MIT ended up shooting 34.5% from the field in the second half and just 23% from 3.  They just didnt make enough shots to win, but they definitely had the opportunity.  I hope this game gives Jimmy B. some of the exposure and credit he deserves.  (According to the announcers) he faced double and triple teams all of the second half and still put up 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.  He had a below average night from the 3 point line, especially in the second half, shooting just 2-8 overall.  The 3 he missed with 17 seconds left (right before he got hurt) could have given MIT the lead. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on December 06, 2007, 10:33:07 PM
Fitchburg State (5-1) bounced back from this weekend's loss to WPI to defeat Clark tonight, 106-96.  Clark's 3 frontcourt players (Normandin, Landers and Alexander) scored 18, 14 and 23 points but the most any of them played tonight was 24 minutes, in part due to foul trouble for Alexander and Normandin. It's not Coach Phillips style, but I wonder how Clark would do this year with a shorter bench and less of a rotation, and a focus on getting its best players on the court as much as possible. These 3 guys could carry this team with more minutes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on December 07, 2007, 12:23:06 AM
I think part of Coach Phillips' reasoning tonight in playing all 13 players on his roster was to prove a point. He used to do this when I played. If his starters were making ridiculous mistakes or were not playing hard, he had no problem not only making a point by kidding the 12th and 13th guy off the bench in but to also acknowledge the hard work that they do day in and day out. It's a tough loss for the Cougars, but I think this all could get them in a necessary rhythm for their upcoming holiday tournament and conference play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 07, 2007, 10:16:10 PM
Everyone should check out the Insider article by Jimmy B on the front page if they havent done so already.  Its nice to have someone representing the NEWMAC and MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on December 11, 2007, 10:39:41 PM
MIT loses to undefeated (7-0) Emerson tonight 91-81 according to the Emerson website.  No box score posted yet.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 11, 2007, 11:07:24 PM
Jimmy B scored 30 points on 12-19 shooting.  Billy Johnson had a double-double before fouling out. MIT outrebounded Emerson 42-12. However, MIT couldnt overcome the refs.  Their starting center, Dou Soumare fouled out in 9 minutes as MIT was called for 13 more fouls and Emerson shot 38 FTs to MITs 16.  The game was played at Emerson.  Emerson had 6 players score in double figures, but only one of those players score more than 10 points on FGs.  Tough game for MIT to go into the break on, they dont play again until after new years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: goldenpipes on December 11, 2007, 11:50:54 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 11, 2007, 11:07:24 PM
Jimmy B scored 30 points on 12-19 shooting.  Billy Johnson had a double-double before fouling out. MIT outrebounded Emerson 42-12. However, MIT couldnt overcome the refs.  Their starting center, Dou Soumare fouled out in 9 minutes as MIT was called for 13 more fouls and Emerson shot 38 FTs to MITs 16.  The game was played at Emerson.  Emerson had 6 players score in double figures, but only one of those players score more than 10 points on FGs.  Tough game for MIT to go into the break on, they dont play again until after new years.

I think that's a misrepresentation of the game that was played tonight. I thought Emerson outplayed MIT and won the game. The Lions led by 11 in the 1st half and by as many as 16 in the 2nd. The Lions played their usual brand of tough D that MIT couldn't answer tonight. Soumare fouled out pretty fast, but the calls I saw were legit, especially the 5th foul when he collided with Joe Boylan. MIT started to foul intentionally with 2:02 left in the 2nd half to try to cut the deficit - 10 of those attempts were accrued at the end. Jimmy B, Gampel, and Mroz were very good as usual but Emerson won with contributions across the board - six in double figures led by Ben Chase with 23.

Where did the 42-12 figure come from on the glass? 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 12, 2007, 02:04:09 AM
Quote from: goldenpipes on December 11, 2007, 11:50:54 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 11, 2007, 11:07:24 PM
Jimmy B scored 30 points on 12-19 shooting.  Billy Johnson had a double-double before fouling out. MIT outrebounded Emerson 42-12. However, MIT couldnt overcome the refs.  Their starting center, Dou Soumare fouled out in 9 minutes as MIT was called for 13 more fouls and Emerson shot 38 FTs to MITs 16.  The game was played at Emerson.  Emerson had 6 players score in double figures, but only one of those players score more than 10 points on FGs.  Tough game for MIT to go into the break on, they dont play again until after new years.

I think that's a misrepresentation of the game that was played tonight. I thought Emerson outplayed MIT and won the game. The Lions led by 11 in the 1st half and by as many as 16 in the 2nd. The Lions played their usual brand of tough D that MIT couldn't answer tonight. Soumare fouled out pretty fast, but the calls I saw were legit, especially the 5th foul when he collided with Joe Boylan. MIT started to foul intentionally with 2:02 left in the 2nd half to try to cut the deficit - 10 of those attempts were accrued at the end. Jimmy B, Gampel, and Mroz were very good as usual but Emerson won with contributions across the board - six in double figures led by Ben Chase with 23.

Where did the 42-12 figure come from on the glass? 

From the boxscore:
http://www.emerson.edu/athletics/men/basketball/upload/Emerson-91-MIT-81.pdf

I am having trouble  understanding how a team is +30 in rebounds (nearly quadrupling the other teams total) and shoots 53% from the floor and doesnt win (other than the fact that Emerson was +21 points at the line).

If I was the home team I would think the refs are great also.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 12, 2007, 02:15:04 AM
I was looking over the boxscore and game summary and I guess MIT did have alot of turnovers; however, only 6 of the free throws were in the last 2.5 minutes (not 10) when MIT was intentionally fouling.  So that is still +10 in fouls and -26 in FTs.  Tough to overcome.  Maybe some of those turnovers were uncalled fouls? Maybe not, Im just throwing out a possible theory.

Jimmy B also set the MIT school record for 30 point games in a career tonight with his 9th.  Also, in the new NEWMAC stats that came out today, he is ranked first in both scoring and assists and top 10 in every other category. Dou Soumare is #1 in the conference in blocks and rebounding (you dont do that playing 9 minutes a game).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on December 12, 2007, 09:12:02 AM
I saw Dou Soumare play two years ago, and though I commend him for being a tremendous athlete, he does not play basketball like a basketball player. In the game I remember, at MIT, he slide tackled two Clark players and did eventually foul out. I recognize this was his freshman year, but it does not surprise me that he is continuing to foul out in a short period of time.

MIT's coach is always a class act, and was the first to take Soumare out and yell at him for his tactics that game.

Just my two cents...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: All-around on December 12, 2007, 02:48:19 PM
I find it displeasing to see so many people trying to justify the MIT loss. Now given the rebound discrepency was huge and so were the fouls. But a win is a win and a loss is a loss. Also MIT did recieve 30 pts from Jimmy B. Give some credit to an undersized emerson squad. I have seen them a couple times each year--have yet to this year but they always seem to force teams with bigger guys to play down to them. Some credit is due to EC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on December 12, 2007, 04:22:01 PM
I love the idea of both teams having success...Emerson (known for its outstanding communication and theater program) and MIT (known for being outstanding in general, but specifically math and engineering) are both the non-traditional schools to be doing so well in athletics. Yet, it says so much about division III athletics. And this is coming from a Clark alum (known for its liberalness). MIT fans have to remember that as disappointing as it was, it was early season, non-conference game. It should not burst their bubble should they not win the NEWMAC if they are in fact in contention for an at-large bid.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on December 12, 2007, 05:37:36 PM
With four out of conference losses already, MIT would almost certainly need to win the NEWMAC to get a bid -- New England out of conference bids figure to be ridiculously competitive this year.  Brandeis (if they don't win the UAA), 3-4 NESCAC teams, and 2-3 LEC teams are all likely to post very gaudy records (indeed, most of NESCAC at this point only has 0-2 losses) in tough conferences, not to mention teams like Emerson. Wheaton and Coast Guard that are putting up tons of early season wins and all have only 0-1 losses so far.  I would bet that other than Brandeis or a NESCAC school, no one from New England with more than four losses will have any kind of shot at an at large this year.  Even four may be pushing it in a year like this. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 13, 2007, 01:54:33 AM
Quote from: clarkie on December 12, 2007, 09:12:02 AM
I saw Dou Soumare play two years ago, and though I commend him for being a tremendous athlete, he does not play basketball like a basketball player. In the game I remember, at MIT, he slide tackled two Clark players and did eventually foul out. I recognize this was his freshman year, but it does not surprise me that he is continuing to foul out in a short period of time.

He was averaging 29 mpg before that game.

Quote from: clarkie on December 12, 2007, 09:12:02 AM
MIT's coach is always a class act, and was the first to take Soumare out and yell at him for his tactics that game.

Agreed, he is a great coach.  He had a winning record last year with effectively 7 players total (they couldnt practive 5 v 5).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: hugenerd on December 13, 2007, 01:56:26 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on December 12, 2007, 05:37:36 PM
With four out of conference losses already, MIT would almost certainly need to win the NEWMAC to get a bid -- New England out of conference bids figure to be ridiculously competitive this year.  Brandeis (if they don't win the UAA), 3-4 NESCAC teams, and 2-3 LEC teams are all likely to post very gaudy records (indeed, most of NESCAC at this point only has 0-2 losses) in tough conferences, not to mention teams like Emerson. Wheaton and Coast Guard that are putting up tons of early season wins and all have only 0-1 losses so far.  I would bet that other than Brandeis or a NESCAC school, no one from New England with more than four losses will have any kind of shot at an at large this year.  Even four may be pushing it in a year like this. 

They have a good shot.  WPI doesnt seem too dominant and I think MIT matches up well with CGA, who is probably the best team in the league this year.  I guess we will have to wait until January to see how some of the conference games unfold.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on December 15, 2007, 09:03:44 AM
Springfield's win last night over RIC showed what they're capable of when they just shoot an average FG %. They were ahead all night until RIC started burying 3's to catch up.

Nice to see them stay composed after fouling a 3 pt shot to let RIC tie with 24 secs and then nail 2 FT's with 13 secs to go.  A good sign to win a close game against a top 25 team.

Strong defense has been there all year.  Now if they just work on shot selection to improve shooting % it'll be fun to see them surprise the NEWMAC.
Title: Re: MIT Recruits
Post by: JustAFan on December 17, 2007, 11:33:34 PM
MIT will have some size over the next 4 years as it has "signed" 6-10 Northfield Mt Hermon center Ted Eby. For details, go to http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/260/Ted-Eby-Headed-to-M.I.T..php.  He sounds a bit raw, but anyone who is 6-10 always has some upside. The article also mentions that MIT has received a commitment from 6-3 Phillips Exeter guard Jamie Karraker.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: fpc85 on January 04, 2008, 11:15:52 AM

Anyone know how Conn lost control of the MIT game?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 04, 2008, 05:09:24 PM
I'd say CTc did not "blow" a lead, but MIT turned up their defensive effort and started to run their offense through Bartolotta and Dou, which was not happening in the first half.   

CTc is not a deep team, nor a tall team.  MIT exploited their height advantage in the 2nd half.  And Bartolotta is one of the best offensive talents in New England D3.

CTc does not have the guard quickness that Emerson College has, so their pressure defense disrupted MIT for a while, but MIT did not really have trouble with it after halftime.

The season statistics imply that CTc is a good defensive team, but in reality they are a deliberate low scoring team.  Once MIT found its offense, CTc had a hard time keeping up their own scoring to match.  Down the stretch, CTc's offense was often 1-and-1 foul shots from MIT's overly aggressive defense.  Without those MIT fouls, MIT may have won in regulation.

Also, MIT has been pretty good on their home court, other than this first half against CTc coming off the holiday break.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 05, 2008, 06:41:10 AM
Quote from: fpc85 on January 04, 2008, 11:15:52 AM

Anyone know how Conn lost control of the MIT game?

To add to what T990 said.  MIT started to play their game in the second half.  Bartolotta really asserted himself as he scored 24 of MIT's final 30 points, leading the team to the comeback.  In the OT, they began to help up off the post on Bartolotta when he drove, so he was able to dump the ball to Billy Johnson and Dou Soumare for easy buckets (he assisted the first 3 FGs of the overtime).  For the game, Bartolotta scored 29 points (26 in the second half) on 8-14 shooting with 5 assists and 5 steals and Dou Soumare scored 25 points on 9-15 shooting with 11 rebounds.  MIT plays Lesley today at 1.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on January 05, 2008, 10:30:06 PM
Don't look now but Wheaton has quietly put together a pre-league 9-1 record on the heels of today's 87-67 win over a pretty good (6-3) Fitchburg State team.  What makes it all the more impressive is that Wheaton is starting 3 freshmen along with a sophomore and junior, and the first guard off the bench is another freshman. And those freshmen are leading the team in scoring, paced by shooting guard Anthony Coppola, a Boston Globe super team member least year. Wheaton has also beaten Connecticut College (by one) and Bridgewater State. It's only loss is to Emerson by 20. Wheaton opens up league play this Wednesday at MIT, and then hosts Tufts on Saturday, so we'll get a better read on this team this week, but so far the freshman--all of whom are guards--have not only been fearless, but also pretty impressive.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 06, 2008, 01:06:52 AM
MIT won today in their final non-conference game.  MIT scored 19 unanswered points in the first 3:38 to open the game open and never really looked back.  Jimmy B had a double double with 22 and 10, along with 5 assists.  Dou Soumare had 7 points and 15 rebounds, while Will Mroz had an exceptional first half with 16 points, all in the first frame.

MIT plays a much improved Wheaton team at home on Wednesday in both teams conference openers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on January 06, 2008, 10:32:39 AM
Quote from: JustAFan on January 05, 2008, 10:30:06 PM
Don't look now but Wheaton has quietly put together a pre-league 9-1 record on the heels of today's 87-67 win over a pretty good (6-3) Fitchburg State team.  What makes it all the more impressive is that Wheaton is starting 3 freshmen along with a sophomore and junior, and the first guard off the bench is another freshman.

Congrats on a strong start.  Do you know what happened to Eric Johnston from last year?

It will be interesting to see how such a young lineup handles NEWMAC play, especially the 2nd time around with each team.  From their season's stats summary, it looks like if you stop each of their top two scorers, you stop the team....especially Coppola - since half of his made shots are 3's. Agree?

Wheaton vs Springfield has always been a tough, close game and it sounds like this year will be no different. Thanks for the update so we can get the NEWMAC postings active heading into league play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on January 06, 2008, 07:49:18 PM
Eric Johnston basically dropped out of Wheaton - seems it was not a good fit academically.

It will indeed be interesting to see how the freshmen guards handle the intensity and pressure of NEWMAC games.  There are no easy wins, no easy games, in the conference.  I would have to make Coast Guard the favorite to finish on top with the re-addition of the other Johnson, but everyone else looks good.  Even though they have poor records thus far, Babson and Springfield have played very tough non-conference schedules.

I will say this about Wheaton: Cappola is a heck of a scorer.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on January 08, 2008, 11:19:37 AM
It looks like the NEWMAC is having another strong year--I am glad to see that teams are staying competitive with their non-conference opponents.

What happened with Wheaton at the Phoenix tournament Clark was at? There was a note on the website saying it was travel related. Has anyone heard anything?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on January 08, 2008, 11:38:02 AM
I talked to their SID...will be including a note in this week's "around the nation."
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2008, 10:51:57 PM
Tough night in the NEWMAC for 0 and 1 loss teams.  First, WPI handed CGA their first defeat 71-62.  Jim Marois had a solid game for the engineers with 26 points and 7 boards and Antoine Coleman scored 17 despite 6-16 shooting.

I was at the MIT game where MIT handled Wheaton 81-62, leading by as many as 23 in the second half.  Jimmy B had another big game with 28 points (12-20 FG), 10 rebounds and 4 steals.  Dou Soumare added 16 and 7, along with a nice dunk in the second half.  Brad Gampel had 9 assists while Dan McCue and Billy Johnson chipped in with 11 each.  I think the key for MIT was the pressure they were able to put on Wheaton's guards, especially Coppola who was held to only 6 FGA and scored only 13 points by the defensive combination of Mroz and McCue.

In other NEWMAC action, Clark beat Babson 60-52.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NortheastHoopsGuru on January 09, 2008, 11:26:36 PM
I cannot for the life of me figure out what to make of Babson. I have seen great results against top teams in the country, and then mediocre results like tonight at Clark. I saw them pull out a gutsy win at Lasell and really liked the way they played. Are they just wildly inconsistant or is there something i am missing?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on January 10, 2008, 07:54:10 AM
My impression of Babson, from seeing them in the past and what I've heard this year, is that they tend to be undersized (no starter over 6'4) without a ton of firepower (only one guy over 11 points per), but very scrappy and physical on defense so they can hang tight with teams that on paper seem to be a lot better. 

Bizarre stat on Babson: senior Kyle McDonald has hit 21 3's shooting at a 52 percent clip and is at 82 percent from the line, averaging 15.8 points per game.

For his prior three years, he shot 5-37 from 3 (13 percent), 66 percent from the line,  and averaged only 5.7 points. 

I have heard of inside players making such a huge and unexpected leap forward as seniors, but never a guard.  Whoever this kid's shot doctor was should advertise -- we may have the Buzz Bramin of D-3 on our hands. 
Title: WPI v CGA
Post by: d3H00psFan on January 10, 2008, 12:39:06 PM
I was at the CGA v. WPI game last night and while WPI played very hard and aggressive, I would have to say that this was a case of CGA showing the signs of a team that was off for 1 month. 20 turnovers and giving up 22 off. rebounds and they were still tied with 5 minutes to go. Hats off to WPI for pulling out the win, but hopefully CGA can return to pre-Christmas break form and be the top team in the conference that we think they could be.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: old_hooper on January 10, 2008, 01:11:46 PM
Northeasthoops, I too am a little surprised at the outcome last night.  Would have thought that this was a game they should have won.  Not to take anything away from Clark because this team seems to be improving every game.  Perhaps the size is an issue and how they match up against certain teams comes into play.  How in the world can they hang with a Wash U and give Amherst everything they can handle and be 3-8, really leaves you scatching your head.  Guard play makes a difference in the teams that you play and maybe it was not as big a factor last night as it was against the others mentioned.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on January 12, 2008, 10:08:27 AM
Newmac season starts today for Springfield vs WPI.  Here are some observations heading into newmac:

1. Balance - 4 players average double figures.  Any of the starters can hurt you on any night.

2. Defense/Rebounding - Team strength but MUST defend 3 ball better.

3. Shot Selection / Shooting % - big leads lately when disciplined, then young players take bad shots, stop passing, and they give up the lead....coaching issue! Won't publicly call out the main offender, but Pride followers know..

4.  Confidence - right now, they expect to win.

Prediction for today - close win over WPI IF they stop Marois / 3 Ball.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on January 19, 2008, 06:37:34 PM
WPI over Clark by 20 this afternoon in round one of the best of DIII Worcester series.  WPI was quicker than Clark and outmuscled it inside and once the Engineers got their 3 point shooting untracked they coasted. Clark played hard, but they don't have the offensive weapons that WPI does, especially from the oustide.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on January 26, 2008, 10:04:17 AM
Springfield plays Babson today and it will be interesting to see whether the Pride's good team D can match what Babson did to WPI.

The Pride played good D Wed holding CGA to 55 pts and Prebeck and Johnson to 10 and 9 pts.  Looks like Babson relies on K. MacDonald so its not hard to figure out how to stop them.

With wins over Trinity, RIC, and CGA, the Pride have shown they can compete. Now they must put together a streak...starting with stopping a seemingly one man Babson team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: greybush on January 26, 2008, 03:20:27 PM

Kyle McDonald should be considered the frontrunner for NEWMAC player of the year. McDonald has been dominating games from the point position, not only scoring but doing his best to get others involved as well. His improved 3 point range and great ball handling skills have allowed him to fulfill his potential and take his place among the elite NEWMAC players. WPI, the conference's highest scoring team, only outscored McDonald by 7 points Wednesday night. I would not want to face Babson late in the season once they have figured it out... they have already shown they can play with anyone (tight games against Amherst and Wash U.) but have lacked consistency. Greg Bush is as talented as anyone in the league and Etten should find his groove soon. It looks like anyone can beat anyone this year and should be an interesting tournament.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on January 26, 2008, 04:01:41 PM
McDonald's having a great year, but I'd say it would take a major catastrophe to keep Bartlotta from claiming the player of the year in NEWMAC ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on January 27, 2008, 08:01:57 AM
K. McDonald ran into a tough defender in Jamal Gibbs yesterday at Springfield.  As a team, Babson found that Springfield plays overall tough D.

While McDonald is much improved, Gibbs figured out that he pretty much only drives right. Can't put him into player of the year category based on yesterday but he's obviously very good and wasn't able to shake Gibbs.

Daly led the Pride with 21 ( also tough D ) followed by Crean with 15 - watch out for the Pride when they all get going on the same night. Anybody can hurt you depending on matchups.

Don"t judge them by the MIT game - Daly was out with flu and D makes a big difference inside which is where MIT hurt us.  Other than MIT, they've been in every game.  Looking forward to seeing Wheaton and Coppolla.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoCorsairs on January 27, 2008, 03:57:32 PM
McDonald can't drive left? You base that off of one game vs Springfield? Against WPI he was driving left and hitting pull up J's all day. So which one of us is the better critic.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on January 27, 2008, 07:13:06 PM
'll admit that I've only seen K. McDonald once this year - yesterday vs Springfield.  All I can tell you is what I saw - were you there and what was your take?  If he does it other games like WPI, then you're right.

By the way, my other posts give him credit for having improved a lot since last year - just not player of the year, in my opinion.

As a team, Babson's issue yesterday seemed to mostly be a lack of size underneath.  They're zone is very active and quick but mismatches down low are an issue.  Ex: Springfield's 3,4,and 5 had 45 of their 61 pts. Since you follow them, what's your read on why they've struggled despite McDonald playing so well?

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: chubbyboybaby on January 27, 2008, 07:33:43 PM
Babson, with McDonald playing well, is capable of beating any team in the newmac.  I do not believe that their record reflects how good their team really is.  They play one of the toughest out of league schedules in the country with games against Trinity, Brandeis, Wash U, Chicago, and Amherst.  With the exception of Brandeis, all of these were very close games.  If these guys realize their potential and if Kyle McDonald keeps playing the way he has, they definitely have a shot at the newmac title.  I think Kyle McDonald could be the newmac p.o.y. if the beavers can come out on top.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on January 28, 2008, 10:59:28 AM
Though I cannot comment really on Babson, I was at the Clark vs. MIT game on Saturday and Jimmy B was fantastic, and this is from a Clark fan. It seemed like he didn't miss, he played well, passed well, and seemed like a genuinely nice kid. I do have to say (and I believe I have said this before), that Dou Soumare plays extremely dirty basketball and I am surprised he has not gotten more technical fouls. It really was awful to watch him deter from Bartollotta's great performance. A good game, nonetheless.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: MeOak21 on January 28, 2008, 11:51:42 AM
Clarkie,
Just out of curiousity, what, in your opinion, constitutes "dirty basketball"?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ILive4This on January 28, 2008, 06:49:05 PM
If you are interested in participating in the NE poster's poll, please email me or pm me your top 10 by tonight at 8. We have 10 voters in so far, and I was hoping to get to 15 this week, so please take a moment and throw in your two cents.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on January 28, 2008, 07:02:21 PM
Any Lyons fans out there have an update on Wheaton's performance so far?  Springfield plays Wheaton this Wed and I'm curious about your opinion  and observations.

DiGiovanna seems to be playing fewer minutes this year vs last - why is that?  Coppola's emergence has reallocated minutes among the guards which can sometime cause chemistry issues.  How is it going?

What would you recommend for a fan to look for to tell if they are playing their intended game?

Just by watching their stats, it seems that Springfield faces another test to stop Coppola like they faced with K. McDonald at Babson.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 28, 2008, 10:01:33 PM
Quote from: clarkie on January 28, 2008, 10:59:28 AM
Though I cannot comment really on Babson, I was at the Clark vs. MIT game on Saturday and Jimmy B was fantastic, and this is from a Clark fan. It seemed like he didn't miss, he played well, passed well, and seemed like a genuinely nice kid. I do have to say (and I believe I have said this before), that Dou Soumare plays extremely dirty basketball and I am surprised he has not gotten more technical fouls. It really was awful to watch him deter from Bartollotta's great performance. A good game, nonetheless.

I think you perceive him as a "dirty" player for the wrong reasons.  To be honest, he is just a really good athlete that happens to be tall.  Because of his height and athleticism he is good at basketball and he has worked really hard to improve his game at the FT line and in the post.  However, I dont think he has played competitive, organized basketball long enough to know the intricacies of the game to be intentionally trying to play dirty.  I think he just goes out there and plays his hardest and does his best to listen to his coach.  Coach Anderson is a very defensive minded coach who expects alot out of his players defensively.  Thus, each player interprets this differently and tries to implement "playing hard" defensively in their own way.  I dont think you can fault a kid for trying his hardest on D.  I have been to alot of the MIT games over the past 3 years and I cant remember a single time when Dou injured another player, intentionally or inadvertantly.  He has actually gotten hurt more times himself playing his style than hurt others.  I remember a game 2 years ago at CGA where he pinned a shot so violently to the backboard that he dislocated his thumb and the metacarpel (bone below the joint) actually pierced through his skin (this caused him to miss all the games until the conference tourney that year).  Needless to say, he plays hard and I dont think you can fault him for that.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on January 28, 2008, 11:15:59 PM
Quote from: pridefan on January 28, 2008, 07:02:21 PM
Any Lyons fans out there have an update on Wheaton's performance so far?  Springfield plays Wheaton this Wed and I'm curious about your opinion  and observations.

DiGiovanna seems to be playing fewer minutes this year vs last - why is that?  Coppola's emergence has reallocated minutes among the guards which can sometime cause chemistry issues.  How is it going?

What would you recommend for a fan to look for to tell if they are playing their intended game?

Just by watching their stats, it seems that Springfield faces another test to stop Coppola like they faced with K. McDonald at Babson.

This will be a big game for a Wheaton team that has dropped three straight.  From what I have seen, CGA and WPI are the top teams, but everyone else has a chance on any given night.  There are no easy games in this conference.  To answer your questions, DiGiovana suffered a leg injury in December, and has been building back since - he has started the last two games.  Coppola is one of four (three starting) freshman guards who have seen major minutes.  They are a talented group who will only get better, but they are freshmen.  Coppola is one heck of a scorer.  I am not sure they have determined a true identity as a team.  They win when they play solid defense, and minimize their turnovers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d3H00psFan on January 29, 2008, 08:35:40 AM

[/quote]

From what I have seen, CGA and WPI are the top teams, but everyone else has a chance on any given night. 
[/quote]

I think this is very true. I mean look at the games they have lost...both teams have shot very poorly. CGA shot (from box score) 36% against Springfield but only had 10 turnovers. I don't think the defense was overwhelming...just a poor shooting night, and they still only lost by 2. And WPI's lost to Babson was the same deal. They shot 2-25 from the three point line...something they are not going to do every night. All in all, anybody can win any game in the NEWMAC, frontrunner or not! Look forward to seeing the games the second time around and into the tournament.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 29, 2008, 02:08:55 PM
Big game tomorrow night between MIT and WPI.  Winner goes into first into the conference (either outright or via tiebreakers).  MIT is undefeated at home, it will be interesting to see what happens.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 29, 2008, 05:01:13 PM
That IS a big game.  I predict the Engineers will win.  ;) 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on January 29, 2008, 06:59:01 PM
Thanks for the feedback on Wheaton.  DiGionna coming back should help ( and I'm glad he's recovered so he can finish out his sr year  - he, and everyone, deserves a good finish ).

Starting 3 frosh is tough for a while - that probably explains a lot about their struggles despite Coppola's great stats.  3 frosh starters and keeping turnovers usually don't go together....if Springfield had more depth, I'd say throw a press at those frosh guards!

You're right about anybody in the NEWMAC winning on any given night. Springfield's been in every game and looking more confident each night. Coach Brock seems more upbeat this year too!

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: golflax99 on January 30, 2008, 09:06:53 PM
Looks like Babson stepped up tonight. They are starting to prove they are a lot more than just Kyle McDonald. Brian MacDonald stepped up with 20 and Etten had 15 as Babson shot 46% from the arc. Kyle McDonald also added a season high 8 assists and no TOs, as Babson beat CGA 78-70 at home. Babson also had a season high 16 assists and only 4 TOs as a team, something they've been looking for all season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 30, 2008, 10:57:25 PM
I was at the MIT vs. WPI game tonight and it was a good one.  MIT had a chance to win in regulation with the ball and the final shot, but Bradley Gampel missed a driving layup and Dou Soumare was tackled on the put back (no call) as time expired so the game went to OT.  MIT just didnt seem to play as well in OT: WPI got a few rolls, Jimmy B forced a few 3s and then ultimately fouled out with about 30 seconds left (down 4) and had to exit the game, taking with him all of MITs chances ofwinning.

A few other notes: 
1. Jimmy B got fouled with ~3 minutes to play on a 3 pointer and only made 2 of 3, there were no points scored the rest of regulation, so if he had made all 3, the game could have played out completely differently.
2.  On a breakaway in the first half, Dou Soumare was wrapped up from behind (aka tackled) while going up for a dunk by Antoine Coleman and driven into the base of the hoop.  Luckily, Dou was able to return, but Coleman was not called for a flagrant and, actually, Jimmy B was called for a technical for running over to get between his fallen teammate and Coleman.  This was Jimmy's 3rd foul of the game.  When he got his 4th foul in the 2nd half with about 17 minutes to play, he had to sit for 11 minutes, which was also a big turning point because after Will Mroz got his 4th foul, Ian Sugel had to come in and play (who doesnt play often) and was 0-4 from the field with 2 turnovers in 9 minutes.
Finally:  I was surprised at Colemans inability to drive with his left hand.  He was fine dribbling with his left around the perimeter, but 3 times in the first half he tried going to the hoop with his left and turned it over each time.  The 3 times he scored in the paint, he made nice moves to his right hand and was able to drop in short runners/layups.  If you dont guard him well, I can definitely see how he could beat you to the right and he is a solid finisher within 10 feet (as well as a good athlete), but I expected him to be a bit more versatile playing as a small forward.  MIT did a good job of taking away his right and he only scored 6 points in regulation.

WPI takes control of the NEWMAC, with a 1 game lead over Clark and a 2 game lead over MIT and Babson. MIT and WPI meet in Worcester on Feb. 16.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 31, 2008, 12:00:12 PM
Congratulations to WPI for being the only team to visit Rockwell and leave with a win this year.  They appear to be the best team in the NEWMAC: they are athletic, deep, and very sound fundamentally.  They remind me of Amherst, but not as good as shooters.  MIT played right with WPI every step of the way and did a commendable job playing w/o Bartolotta down the stretch (as well as dealing with an ill head coach for 3 weeks plus).

The intentional foul on Dou non-call and subsequent Technical on Bartolotta also was a big factor in that it ultimately took Bartolotta out of the game.  Dou was clearly on his way to an easy breakaway dunk and was violently collared.  If a simple 2-shot foul was called on a play like that in the Boston City League (HS), for instance, there would be bedlam!  The refs need to do a much better job to keep things in control during the game and protect a vulnerable player from serious injury.  I can't imagine any level of basketball where that would not be an intentional foul call.  Remember Kurt Rambis?

This game has huge implications for the NEWMAC tournament seedings.  If MIT had won, there would be a 3-way tie for first among WPI, Clark, and MIT.  With WPI's victory, they are now in command.  I don't see Clark as good enough to beat WPI in the coming rematch and pull themselves into a tie.  Babson is Jekyll and Hyde good, but so far only at home, and they must still travel to WPI for their rematch, as well as to MIT, to CG, and to Wheaton.  All the games among the "lower 6" are almost toss ups in this league.  The top seed in the NEWMAC tournament not only gets a bye but also the home court.  We have seen the home court is often all that separates teams in this league.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on January 31, 2008, 03:30:30 PM
>>This game has huge implications for the NEWMAC tournament seedings.  If MIT had won, there would be a 3-way tie for first among WPI, Clark, and MIT.  With WPI's victory, they are now in command.  I don't see Clark as good enough to beat WPI in the coming rematch and pull themselves into a tie.  Babson is Jekyll and Hyde good, but so far only at home, and they must still travel to WPI for their rematch, as well as to MIT, to CG, and to Wheaton.  All the games among the "lower 6" are almost toss ups in this league.  The top seed in the NEWMAC tournament not only gets a bye but also the home court.  We have seen the home court is often all that separates teams in this league.<<

Absolutely agree that WPI seems to be emerging as top dog yet again this year - they were really committed on defense in the game I saw, and they have been very consistent in league play.  I do not understand how Coast Guard has gone only 2-4 on the first go-around.  They were so good at the end of last year, and added the better Johnson.

I'm wondering how PrideFan enjoyed the Coppola show last night.  Kid can score, eh?  Strawson is a very large presence insifde, and Springfield's starters run a very pretty flex offense, but its tough to win without any bench contribution.  It looked to me like they wore down at the end.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 01, 2008, 12:06:54 AM
What a wild Wheaton vs Springfield game yesterday. Lyons race out to 11 - 0 lead and the Pride go on 22 -6 run to lead by 5.  With 12:40 to go Pride are up by 11 only to have Lyons tie it on 1 of 2 FT's with 6 secs left
( absolutely horrible, bail out call I might add - with 6 secs left it shouldn't be a call where everybody's asking "what did he do" ). OK - got that off my chest - I'd be interested in your take on that call.

Lyons raced to quick 4 pt OT lead and nailed 8 0f 8 FT's when needed to gut out a tought win = tough loss for the Pride.

That said, to answer your question - yep, wow that Coppola kid can sure shoot a LONG range 3!  I was impressed - he shot 6 of 8 from 3 and some were WAY out there.  You simply can't let him have an open look even if he's 5 ft behind the arc....live and learn.

As a team, Wheaton made 25 of 28 FT's = Ballgame! Compare that to Springfield only getting 19 FT's, and having 4 of 5 starters with 4 or more fouls - that hurts.

Answer to your last question about starters looking tired - 3 guys played 41 mins, another 39, and the last 35. YUP, they worked their butts off so I give them credit.

Fun game to watch and can't wait for the rematch.



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACwatcher on February 01, 2008, 07:58:33 AM
The best game of the weekend in the NEWMAC is SC-Wheaton - any thoughts on this one from the board?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d3H00psFan on February 01, 2008, 06:52:44 PM
I would have to go with #1 WPI at CGA. Match-up of last years conference championship game and a stuggling CGA team needs to get back on track. Although CGA's games have all been close, they need to show thy can win some of these game in conference. I think this is the best game of the weekend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ILive4This on February 04, 2008, 11:53:20 AM
Want to show your love for WPI, MIT or anyone else. Send in your top 10 for the regional poster's poll to me by 8pm tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 05, 2008, 01:57:16 PM
So we are a little more than half way through the conference schedule, so I thought it would be interesting to compare the top candidates for player of the year.  I have chosen these to be Jimmy Bartolotta (JB), Antoine Coleman (ACol), Craig Johnson (CJ), and Anthony Coppola (ACop), but there may be other worthy candidates.  Below I list the averages for each player in statistical categories in which they are ranked by the NEWMAC website (Stats through last Sunday), conference rank is in parenthesis:

          JB          ACol         CJ           ACop
PPG: 24.8 (1)   14.7 (6)   16.4 (4)     19.0 (2)
RPG:  5.9 (9)     6.3 (7)     8.4 (2)       NR
FG%: 55.6 (5)  49.3 (9)   59.8 (2)     51.8 (6)
APG:  4.4 (2)      NR           NR            NR
FT%: 78.7 (5)     NR        75.9 (7)    73.3 (10)
SPG:  2.35 (2)  1.85 (5)   1.35 (12)   1.17 (14)
3P%: 44.3 (4)     NR           NR         49.2 (1)
3PM:  2.55 (3)     NR           NR         3.44 (1)
BPG:  0.90 (6)  0.60 (12)     NR            NR
A/T:  1.26 (7)     NR           NR            NR
OReb:1.55 (14) 2.10 (10)  2.35 (8.)      NR
DReb:4.30 (6)   4.10 (9)    6.06 (1)       NR

Bartolotta is ranked in every category (He is top 10 in 11 categories, top 7 in 10 categories top 5 in 7 categories, and top 3 in 4 categories); Coleman is ranked in 7 categories (top 10 in 6 categories, top 7 in 3 categories, top 5 in 1 category and top 3 in no categories); Craig Johnson is ranked in 7 categories (top 10 in 6 categories, top 7 in 5 categories, top 5 in 4 categories, and top 3 in 3 categories); Coppola is ranked in 6 categories (top 10 in 5 categories, top 7 in 4 categories, top 5 in 3 categories, and top 3 in 3 categories). 

Out of these 4 players Bartolotta is the only player to be ranked in every category (5 more than any other player) and is ranked in the top 7 in 10 categories (twice as many as any other player).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 05, 2008, 03:45:56 PM
If you look at the NEWMAC website,

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2007-08/stats/confldrs.htm#conf.wki

it's mind boggling how many times Bartolotta's name comes up, and how high it is in every category.  He might be the best D3 player in New England.  Beyond scoring, look at assists, blocks, steals, rebounding, FT%, FG%, 3P-FG%... he does it all!  He's a complete player and is the focus of opponents' defensive plans.

The other player someone nominated for POY is Kyle McDonald of Babson.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d3H00psFan on February 05, 2008, 10:45:38 PM
Jimmy B is a heck of a player...but if he were on a more well rounded team his numbers would not be that good. MIT has played some good basketball at times this year but once you get past Jimmy B and Soumare they are not very talented. Its going to be hit or miss weather he is going to get any help. I know you might say that this means teams can focus on him more...but that also means he HAS to be the man. Again, i am not saying that he is not a greak player becuase i have seen him play, i just think if he were on a more well rounded team he would not have as great of all around numbers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 06, 2008, 12:32:21 AM
Quote from: d3H00psFan on February 05, 2008, 10:45:38 PM
Jimmy B is a heck of a player...but if he were on a more well rounded team his numbers would not be that good. MIT has played some good basketball at times this year but once you get past Jimmy B and Soumare they are not very talented. Its going to be hit or miss ?weather? he is going to get any help. I know you might say that this means teams can focus on him more...but that also means he HAS to be the man. Again, i am not saying that he is not a ?greak? (Bartolotta sounds Italian to me) player becuase i have seen him play, i just think if he were on a more well rounded team he would not have as great of all around numbers.

I disagree completely, he may have to be the "man," but he gets double and triple teams and still shoots a very high percentage from the field.  It is true that he may not average as many points on another team, but I dont see how his defensive numbers would be effected (steals, blocks, and rebounds-since the leading rebounder on the league is on his team).  Also, if his team werent that great, why are the two top assists players in the league from MIT.  Someone has to finish to get assists.  So really the only category your comment applies to is points, but even if he averaged 5-8 points less per game, that would still be an impressive output with his other stats.  The fact that he is shooting so well from the field regardless of the double teams (and his high assist and assist-to-turnover numbers), makes his stats even more impressive with all the defensive attention he gets.

Also, MIT has a solid starting 5, Johnson and Mroz are two of the top shooters in the league (ranked in the 20s in scoring for the league), Dou is one of the best big men (leads league in rebounds and blocks, and top 10 in scoring), and I think Gampel is arguably the best true point guard in the league (leads the league in assists and steals).  Their main problem is depth (they are realistically only 6 deep), but they can be very dangerous when they dont get in foul trouble.  They have played many teams well (5 of their 8 losses are by 6 points or less and the games they have lost by more have been close down the stretch until late runs).  They were within a posession of beating the current #1 ranked team in the country on the road, they beat 16-4 Conn college, and beat 14-5 Gordon by 22 (their worst loss of the season).

It really bothers me that Bartolotta keeps getting written off because he doesnt have the strongest team in New England around him, although he has arguable  the most well-rounded stats in the country.  He  puts up those kinds of numbers because he is that good of a player, for no other reason.  The fact that they arent as deep as Amherst or Brandeis isnt his fault.  Every player on that team was accepted to MIT and MIT does not give any picks to coaches.  I played for a UAA school and I know for a fact that even highly-ranked, competitive schools like those in the UAA have some pull in admissions, but I know for a fact this is not the case at MIT.  He was the best player in the NEWMAC last year and he is again this year.  I just hope he gets the recognition he deserves this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d3H00psFan on February 06, 2008, 10:23:28 PM
Jimmy b not in the box score? Is he injured/sick?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 06, 2008, 11:33:56 PM
I read from the Springfield recap that he is injured, although it did not specify why.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 07, 2008, 08:36:28 PM
Jimmy B was in street clothes last night but nobody knows why he didn't play.

Springfield again played good D holding them to 60 pts.  Admittingly, they're a different team without JB but Soumare had to get his pts from FT's and Johnson had to hit 3's. Mroz shot well from 3 but Crean's driving fouled him out.

Springfield's balanced attack caused problems - especially when Daly got hot in the 2nd half.  Daly and Strawson were tough down low. Gibbs and Crean were tough outside.  They deserved to win but Gibbs had to make a tough driving and 1 layup with 2 secs left to win it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: d3H00psFan on February 07, 2008, 10:22:55 PM
Hugenered, any update on Jimmy B? Not good for MIT if he is hurt.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 07, 2008, 10:36:08 PM
I just heard he was injured, I dont know the extent and cant say exactly what it is.

He sprained his ankle in the Amherst game and was able to come back really quickly (he scored 30 a couple days later against emerson), so I hope he returns quickly from this as well (the amherst game was an example, im not sure what is injured currently).  It will probably be more clear how bad it is on Saturday when they play CGA.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 09, 2008, 05:20:00 PM
WOW - 2OT, 3 buzzer beater win for Springfield over Clark today!

Great comeback win by Dan White buzzer beater to tie in regulation, 2 pt buzzer beater by Gibbs to send into 2nd OT, and half court buzzer beater by Gibbs to win!

Daly was awesome throughout - 31 pts, 18 rebounds - to lead the Pride.

Crean and Gibbs both played well.  Gibbs has 2 game winners in a row - Mr. Clutch!

Nice bench contributions which bodes well for the stretch run. Pride are now 4-4 in NEWMAC and playing well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 09, 2008, 09:19:55 PM
Jimmy B was out again as MIT lost a close one to CGA.  Dou Soumare had 14 and 17 in the loss.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on February 09, 2008, 11:22:42 PM
Hugenerd knows everything about  Jimmy B but he does not know why Jimmy B did not play the last two games.  What gives Hugenerd?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 09, 2008, 11:37:53 PM
First off, I am not affiliated with the program. Secondly, since MIT has not released any information in the recaps, it really isnt my place to speculate on any information. All the information I write about on this board is either taken from boxscores/season statistics, or from opinions I have made from watching games first hand. I am not going to write about gossip.

I also forgot to point out in my previous posts that not only is jb out, but MITs starting point guard, Brad Gampel has also missed the last two games.  Gampel is ranked first in the NEWMAC in steals and assists (JB is ranked #2 in both those categories).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on February 09, 2008, 11:44:50 PM
Gotcha on the Jimmy B speculation.   But the Gampel thing? Come on!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: golflax99 on February 10, 2008, 02:12:56 AM
babson got out to a 23-1 start over wheaton today and held on to a 4 pt win (77-73) thanks to Zach Etten shooting 12-12 from the stripe with 26 points... babson is now 4-4 in the conference looking to get that home court advantage in the first round of the newmac tourney. babson is very streaky, but when they playing thier best, they look pretty unstoppable..
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NortheastHoopsGuru on February 10, 2008, 11:28:55 AM
i've seen alot of basketball around New England over the years, and i can safely say that Jimmy B. is one of the best all-around players ive seen. MIT needs him back desperately, and if they get him back they should be alright in the NEWMAC. I hope they make the tournament so that Jimmy can be seen on a larger stage and get some well-deserved recognition.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 10, 2008, 12:00:52 PM
Wheaton down by 22 and coming back to lead?.....they're never out of a game with Coppola's 3 pt weapon.  Box score says he hit 7 0f 13 try's and by now everybody knows what he's capable of .

That must have been a fun game to watch but disappointing to lose after battling back from 22 down.

On a different note, is it just me or are some schools showing incredibly BAD taste with their songs being played during warmups and post game? For example, Wheaton playing "Hit the road jack and don't you come back no more..." when they win is classless, Clark's rap lyrics during yesterdays halftime warmup was downright fowl.  NEWMAC schools have a pre-game announcement about sportmanship by the fans - the schools should look in the mirror and rethink their "music" choices....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Allworld41 on February 10, 2008, 01:44:25 PM
Pride Fan, are you 60 years old?

It's college basketball, it's fun, it's fun to twist the knife a little when you can, the easy answer if you think it's classless is simply "win more"

no one says boo when they lose
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 10, 2008, 02:54:24 PM
Quote from: Allworld41 on February 10, 2008, 01:44:25 PM
Pride Fan, are you 60 years old?

It's college basketball, it's fun, it's fun to twist the knife a little when you can, the easy answer if you think it's classless is simply "win more"

no one says boo when they lose

I'd say the same thing if we were 20-0 and my team played it......

Plenty of college fans have fun and still show some class....and some don't.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on February 10, 2008, 03:01:12 PM
<<babson got out to a 23-1 start over wheaton today and held on to a 4 pt win (77-73) thanks to Zach Etten shooting 12-12 from the stripe with 26 points... babson is now 4-4 in the conference looking to get that home court advantage in the first round of the newmac tourney. babson is very streaky, but when they playing thier best, they look pretty unstoppable..>>

This was a very exciting game (in response to PrideFan), but I would hardly call Babson unstoppable.  Hats off to Zach Etten, who played like the all-NEWMAC player many thought he would be when he first entered the league, and Kyle MCDonald is a really nice player - but Babson got a lot of breaks from the officials which, in my opinion, really helped to determine the final outcome.  One official called the last play an and-one, but was over-ruled and it was called a charge.  Wish I had the film to share.  Congrats to Springfield on winning on a last second heave - they used up Wheaton's karma with Clarke, who won on an Alexander 40-footer at the buzzer earlier this season. 

I still say that on any given night, any NEWMAC team is capable of beating any other - although WPI has certainly earned their first place position.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 10, 2008, 03:17:43 PM
Quote from: LyonFan on February 10, 2008, 03:01:12 PM
<<Babson got a lot of breaks from the officials which, in my opinion, really helped to determine the final outcome.  One official called the last play an and-one, but was over-ruled and it was called a charge.  Wish I had the film to share.  Congrats to Springfield on winning on a last second heave - they used up Wheaton's karma with Clarke, who won on an Alexander 40-footer at the buzzer earlier this season. 

I still say that on any given night, any NEWMAC team is capable of beating any other - although WPI has certainly earned their first place position.


I agree that its a very even league and your point about the officials is especially important since many games will go right down to the wire.  Hope the zebras are on top of their game this year!...games will be determined by calls in the last 2 mins. 

Anybody know how refs are assigned during the tourney?  Hopefully, the best ones are assigned - however they decide "best".
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 10, 2008, 04:27:38 PM
Quote from: pridefan on February 10, 2008, 12:00:52 PM

On a different note, is it just me or are some schools showing incredibly BAD taste with their songs being played during warmups and post game? For example, Wheaton playing "Hit the road jack and don't you come back no more..." when they win is classless, Clark's rap lyrics during yesterdays halftime warmup was downright fowl.  NEWMAC schools have a pre-game announcement about sportmanship by the fans - the schools should look in the mirror and rethink their "music" choices....

Pridefan...I don't have a problem with "Hit the road, Jack" as I think that's done in fun (it's done frequently in the big leagues). I prefer victory celebration songs, but I don't consider this terribly egregious.

I do agree with you regarding some of the language...I was telling the Hoopsville host last night that I thought it was time to write something about this subject for "Around the Nation." I've run into a bunch of grandparent-age folks at games I've been to the last few yrs who are appalled by some of the language...Also see a lot of parents with little kids.

Think the thing to remember is that these games are family events. The point of what I was gonna suggest we write was that heading into conference tourneys, some teams should probably review their pre-game music, play the "edited" versions of certain songs.

Don't mean to spoil anyone's good time...just trying to watch out for some folks in the audience at these games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 10, 2008, 04:51:54 PM

Taunting is part of the college atmosphere, but it's pretty classless to include profanity.  If your college experience has not afforded you with a vocabulary wide enough to get across your opinion in a manner suitable for all ages, then you shouldn't be drawing attention to yourself.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 10, 2008, 05:15:41 PM
Quote from: atnwriter on February 10, 2008, 04:27:38 PM
[

Pridefan...I don't have a problem with "Hit the road, Jack" as I think that's done in fun (it's done frequently in the big leagues). I prefer victory celebration songs, but I don't consider this terribly egregious.

I do agree with you regarding some of the language...I was telling the Hoopsville host last night that I thought it was time to write something about this subject for "Around the Nation."

I agree that Hit The Road Jack isn't that terribly aggregious and I didn't bother to post after that one...maybe I was overly sensitive on that one after a close tough loss.

Clark's haltime Rap lyrics left me shaking my head as I looked around at the kids in the stands.  Hopefully, they didn't pay attention.

You have one vote for a reminder article.  Hopefully Clark's AD will read it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 10, 2008, 08:01:16 PM
Ask, and ye shall receive

http://d3hoops.com/dailydose/2008/02/10/rant-pre-game-music
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 13, 2008, 03:31:53 PM
Quote from: atnwriter on February 10, 2008, 08:01:16 PM
Ask, and ye shall receive

http://d3hoops.com/dailydose/2008/02/10/rant-pre-game-music

Thanks - nicely done.

Springfield vs WPI today should be another tough NEWMAC battle. As LyonsFan says often and correctly, anybody can beat anybody in the NEWMAC. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on February 16, 2008, 06:34:28 PM
Missed the game in Springfield today, but sounds like it got ugly.  PrideFan, can you shed any light on the proceedings?  And congrats - Pride obviously played well down the stretch and your guy had a nice game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 16, 2008, 08:53:18 PM
The Pride gutted out a tough win down the stretch today vs Wheaton after an ugly 2nd half scuffle got Crean and Blackmon tossed for Springfield and Coppola for Wheaton. Credit the Pride bench for stepping up because Strawson and Gibbs were also handicapped by 4 fouls each. Some rookies got thrown right into the fire and did well.

The scuffle started when Crean cut threw the lane and was greeted by Coppola with a raised elbow.  He responded by tossing down Coppola and then everybody swarmed around them.  Apparently Blackmon threw an air punch and got tossed too. It took FOREVER for the refs to make their decisions - makes you wonder if they really saw everything.

Both teams had to finish the last 14 mins without key players.  Once Wheaton got behind, they didn't have the Coppola 3 pt weapon and it showed.  Prior to the ejections, it was a close, tough game.

What is the rule for an ejection - can you play the next game? 

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on February 17, 2008, 09:00:07 PM
What are the pairings for the tourney looking like? 
Also, having borrowed a court at WPI due to water damage on the original floor, I heard a rumor they have to give the court back before the start of the tourney.  How will that affect their hosting?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ILive4This on February 17, 2008, 09:37:36 PM
This just in, sending in a top 10 for the regional posters poll is patriotic. If you support the teams, you must support the poll...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 18, 2008, 10:42:09 PM
I heard WPI bought that floor from the DCU Center.  And that it is terrible to play on.  I expect they will host the tournament there - unless the sprinklers are set off again.  ;)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: uconn05 on February 19, 2008, 07:46:23 AM
There is no doubt that WPI is the team to beat in the conference tourney this year, but who do you think is the second best team?  Everybody seems so equal but Coast Guard seems to be the best of the rest.  They can play fast or slow and they can score in the paint and on the perimeter.  When Grant Johnson is hot they are awfully tough to beat.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: lefrakenstein on February 19, 2008, 05:59:18 PM
Quote from: pridefan on February 07, 2008, 08:36:28 PM
Jimmy B was in street clothes last night but nobody knows why he didn't play.

I hope it is not related to the injury he suffered against Amherst earlier in the season. Watching amherst over the years, I've seen a lot of really good d3 players including guys on the all-decade team like Michael Crotty of Williams Dane Borchers at Witt and Brandon Adair of Va Wes, but JB is one of my all-time favorites, and it was terrible that he got injured in the last 2 seconds of that game when the result was already determined. For springfield fans, Derek Yvon is also up there in my favorite opposing players list.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 19, 2008, 11:05:44 PM
Quote from: lefrakenstein on February 19, 2008, 05:59:18 PM
Quote from: pridefan on February 07, 2008, 08:36:28 PM
Jimmy B was in street clothes last night but nobody knows why he didn't play.

I hope it is not related to the injury he suffered against Amherst earlier in the season. Watching amherst over the years, I've seen a lot of really good d3 players including guys on the all-decade team like Michael Crotty of Williams Dane Borchers at Witt and Brandon Adair of Va Wes, but JB is one of my all-time favorites, and it was terrible that he got injured in the last 2 seconds of that game when the result was already determined. For springfield fans, Derek Yvon is also up there in my favorite opposing players list.

Jimmy B has played the last 2 games after sitting out the 2 before that, but MIT does not seem to be the same since he left.  Hopefully the can put together a run in the NEWMAC tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: AboveDaRim2399 on February 20, 2008, 02:01:38 PM
Quote from: T990 on February 18, 2008, 10:42:09 PM
I heard WPI bought that floor from the DCU Center.  And that it is terrible to play on.  I expect they will host the tournament there - unless the sprinklers are set off again.  ;)

Very interesting. What will WPI do if the cour is still bad when they host?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 20, 2008, 02:58:16 PM
I assume the DCU floor they laid over the top of the original floor is what they will use for the tournament, since they are using it right now for regular season games.  Hopefully someone from WPI can post on the situation.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jamiejohn on February 20, 2008, 05:28:18 PM
I think the 7 seed mit can win it for a second straight year, like coast guard last year. mit still has the best player in the league and they are a very smart team. if they can put it together they should be fine and they will be out of wpi bracket so they wont play them until the championship game
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2008, 09:33:18 PM
Tough loss again for MIT tonight. The game was close throughout, with no team leading by more than 6 the entire game.  MIT was missing their starting forward, Billy Johnson.

Jimmy B is now 33 points from 1500 for his career.  He probably would have gotten it by now if he hadnt gotten hurt, but he has another chance next Wednesday. Of course if he doesnt get it in the NEWMAC tourney, he still has one more year left.

It will be interesting to see if MIT can get everyone back healthy in the next week and make a run in the NEWMAC tourney.  They have shown that they can play with anyone if they are playing well (they were down 2 points, with the ball, with under 30 seconds left at Amherst earlier in the year, they took WPI to OT, and beat Conn College, Gordon, etc.).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: cheeks14 on February 21, 2008, 02:18:27 AM
I heard that WPI had to return the DCU floor but that they have rented a much better court from a company based out of Ohio.  The court was supposeduly installed Monday so it will be good to go for this weekend and the NEWMAC tourney. 

WPI also seems to be hitting stride at the right time as they are playing extremely well on both ends of the floor.  MIT looked terrible last week and held Jimmy B in check for much of the game until WPI put their subs in.  I think that WPI is definitely the favorite in the NEWMAC tourney if they continue to play well but as we saw last year its all about who gets hot at the right time. Should be another awesome tourney this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: uconn05 on February 21, 2008, 07:55:34 AM
Holy cow, what a win for WPI!!!!

Have they been starting Etten all year or is that a new thing?

WPI's defense is so good that it's hard to imagine a team beating them in the playoffs.  I said before that I think coast guard has the best chance to knock them off, but the only other team that has a chance is Clark.  They play fast and don't setup specific plays so WPI's pressure will effect them a little less than a team that wants to play slow.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on February 21, 2008, 06:37:42 PM
I could not tell if WPI was that good or my Lyons were that dysfunctional, but that was the worst drubbing I have ever seen, at any level.  It seemed like the few shots WPI missed they managed to get the offensive board, while Wheaton was experimenting with the Duke spread offense, which ended up in a lot of (futile) one-on-one attempts.  It will be interesting to see if these guys can re-group and play well this weekend at Clark.

Meanwhile, WPI has earned their top seed, and any NEWMAC team hoping to upset them will have to play their absolute best game.  It does look like CGA is rounding into shape, and I would give them the best chance.  But everyone else is capable of winning, on any given night.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: AboveDaRim2399 on February 21, 2008, 11:08:36 PM
WPI v Babson should be a very interesting game. WPI by far has things rolling right now with two impressive back to back wins over MIT and Wheaton. It will be interesting to see if Babson's defense can get to WPI like it did the first time around. Babson plays very tough d, and maybe they can slow down WPI's scoring attack that has been red hot as of late.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: AboveDaRim2399 on February 23, 2008, 06:24:10 PM
It appears there are two critical ties in the NEWMAC right now...Clark and CGA for 2nd and 3rd...and MIT and Wheaton for last...

Anyone know how the tie-breakers are determined? And who will be playin who??
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 23, 2008, 07:08:12 PM
I believe we have...

2 Clark vs 7 Wheaton
3 Coast GUard vs 6 MIT

4 Babson vs 5 Springfield

1 WPI gets bye
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 24, 2008, 02:58:06 PM
Quote from: LyonFan on February 21, 2008, 06:37:42 PM
I could not tell if WPI was that good or my Lyons were that dysfunctional, but that was the worst drubbing I have ever seen, at any level.  It seemed like the few shots WPI missed they managed to get the offensive board, while Wheaton was experimenting with the Duke spread offense, which ended up in a lot of (futile) one-on-one attempts

LyonFan - your post made me check the score and boxscore for Wheaton vs WPI.  Wow - just throw that one away and hopefully they can forget about it and play well in the tourney (like they did yesterday in another tough close loss ).

The Pride lost to CGA yesterday because they basically left the guards WIDE open for 3's. Give CGA's credit - they nailed 'em. Sowers and Johnson shot 9 of 16 from beyond the arc and scored 20 and 22 respectively. CGA's front line didn't do a lot but they did just enough.

Now its Pride vs Babson at Babson. Last time, we were without Blackmon for the entire game and Crean for half of it because of their ejection in the Wheaton game.  With both of them back, hopefully we'll play like we're capable and Brock will adjust to their constant zone D.

Lastly, kudos to the Pride seniors for their recognition at their last home game.  Nice of Brock to start Moreau and both Daly and Gibbs played well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: AboveDaRim2399 on February 25, 2008, 11:49:19 PM
MIT the sleeper team this year? I would think they would have the best shot to come from a lower seed and do some damage in the NEWMAC playoffs. Although they have lost 7 in a row. I think with everyone back healthy and not sick they should have a good chance...What are you thoughts on the playoffs?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 26, 2008, 04:15:28 PM
Congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta for being named a Jostens Finalist.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on February 26, 2008, 09:45:43 PM
>>MIT the sleeper team this year? I would think they would have the best shot to come from a lower seed and do some damage in the NEWMAC playoffs. Although they have lost 7 in a row. I think with everyone back healthy and not sick they should have a good chance...What are you thoughts on the playoffs?<<

Unfortunately for MIT, they have CGA in the first round, which I think is the toughest team not named WPI in the conference.  With everyone healthy, I give them the edge over the other two first round home teams - but I am picking CGA to make the championship round again this year.  I am hoping my Lyons can get past Clark, who has edged them twice already.  Babson-Springfield is a real toss up, but if forced I go with Springfield - a lot depends on how the game is officiated, whether Strawson is allowed to use his arm-bar to creat space in the post.  SO, I say WPI, CGA, Springfield and Wheaton advance.  Others?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on February 27, 2008, 06:40:14 AM
Quote from: LyonFan on February 26, 2008, 09:45:43 PM
>>Babson-Springfield is a real toss up, but if forced I go with Springfield - a lot depends on how the game is officiated, whether Strawson is allowed to use his arm-bar to creat space in the post.  SO, I say WPI, CGA, Springfield and Wheaton advance.  Others?

I completely agree that the refs will have a huge effect on close matchups....like Babson vs Springfield, Clark vs Wheaton.  Last time, it was comical how inconsistent they were and several players both ways got foul trouble.

I agree with your predictions.  CGA depends heavily on the 3 ball and I don't see them as consistent as Coppola for example so don't be surprised if they stumble if somebody extends their D and has widebodies to bother Johnson/Prebeck.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 27, 2008, 09:11:40 AM
Tonight's NEWMAC playoff games
with links

7 Wheaton at 2 Clark, 7 pm
Livestats
http://www.clarku.edu/athletics/varsity/basketball_livestats/xlive.htm


6 MIT at 3 Coast Guard, 7:30 pm
Audio
http://sportsjuice.com

Video
http://www.uscga.edu/display1.aspx?id=8955

5 Springfield at 4 Babson, 7pm
Livestats
http://www3.babson.edu/livestats//mens_basketball/main.html

Video
http://all-access.cstv.com/cstv/player/player.html?code=babs&sport=m-baskbl&category=live&media=62020
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2008, 10:46:31 PM
I heard Jimmy B was injured at the end of the CGA-MIT game, anyone know what happened?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: AboveDaRim2399 on February 27, 2008, 10:50:39 PM
First and foremost, I hope Jimmy B is alright. He got fouled from behind with 2 minutes left in a 20 point deficit. I don't know if I would call the foul dirty, but just stupid. Game was over (almost) and he was on a breakaway. He landed awkwardly and hit the wall. CGA Trainer said he thinks he will be ok, but they just were being cautious. I wish him the best.

With that said, the 38 minutes before that CGA shut him down. He finished 4-14 with 8 TO's and only 12 points. Not only that but he was frustrated. Pushing and shoving, flopping on D and even got a technical foul for shoving G. Johnson down after a made basket. I haven't seen a better job on him yet. I believe it is his lowest point total of the season. Tremendous D from CGA tonight.

It will be interesting to see how they can get after Capola on Saturday as I see he had a great game tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on February 28, 2008, 12:21:56 AM


It will be interesting to see how they can get after Capola on Saturday as I see he had a great game tonight.

[/quote]

Interestingly enough, Coppola had a 'quiet' 27 points - not his usual long range bombing but more up-fake and drive layups.  Wheaton will be the underdogs vs. CGA, but they certainly could win, especially on a neutral court.  I think Babson (congrats to them on getting past a tough Springfield team) is a relatively tough match-up for WPI.  Should be a good doubleheader on Saturday.

BTW, Wheaton and Clark have played similar games all 3 times this season: close, taut, multiple lead changes, down to the final possession.  This time Wheaton hit all their free throws, and Clark did not make some plays down the stretch.  Ironically the Lyons got the break on a questionable charge call on Alexander with 11 seconds left (he'd been getting the calls when initiating contact all game).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on February 28, 2008, 09:41:11 PM
Any update on MIT's Jimmy B?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2008, 10:31:48 PM
Quote from: AboveDaRim2399 on February 27, 2008, 10:50:39 PM
First and foremost, I hope Jimmy B is alright. He got fouled from behind with 2 minutes left in a 20 point deficit. I don't know if I would call the foul dirty, but just stupid. Game was over (almost) and he was on a breakaway. He landed awkwardly and hit the wall. CGA Trainer said he thinks he will be ok, but they just were being cautious. I wish him the best.

With that said, the 38 minutes before that CGA shut him down. He finished 4-14 with 8 TO's and only 12 points. Not only that but he was frustrated. Pushing and shoving, flopping on D and even got a technical foul for shoving G. Johnson down after a made basket. I haven't seen a better job on him yet. I believe it is his lowest point total of the season. Tremendous D from CGA tonight.

It will be interesting to see how they can get after Capola on Saturday as I see he had a great game tonight.


Sounds pretty dirty to me: getting taken out from behind when your team has already put the game away.  You cant really make the excuse of frustration since they were winning by double figures.  Just simply sounds like a really dirty, intent-to-injur type of play.  I was watching the game online, but I happened to miss that play because I got up to go to the kitchen, but I heard what the announcers were saying about it. I hope he is alright. I havent heard anything about his condition yet.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 29, 2008, 09:52:22 AM
I talked to someone that was with Jimmy in the hospital.  He said that Jimmy suffered a severe concussion and that they had to stay in the hospital until the middle of the night to get tests run to make sure that he was alright.  He is apparently doing ok now, but severe concussions are extremely serious. 

What a dirty, dirty play (for reasons I have outline previously).  I would expect better from a cga student.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: AboveDaRim2399 on February 29, 2008, 02:29:44 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 29, 2008, 09:52:22 AM

What a dirty, dirty play (for reasons I have outline previously).  I would expect better from a cga student.

It was not a diry play. I was there and saw it with my own eyes. Jimmy B just fell awkwardly after the CGA player made a play on the ball on a two on 1. If you didn't see it i don't think you should go around making comments like that.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 29, 2008, 03:27:25 PM
The play was unnecessary.  The game was decided.  It was unnecessary and the refs must have thought it was beyond appropriate defense as they called it an Intentional Foul immediately and before it was apparent Bartolotta was injured.

It doesn't make sense that someone from CGA would do that.  It seemed like that foul was delivered as hard as he could.  He did go for the ball but he seemed like he intended to hurt him too.

Hope Jimmy is OK.

BTW, Bartolotta was named First Team Academic All-American this week.  MIT leads the NCAA Division III in Academic All-Americans all time.

http://mitathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022908aaa.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 29, 2008, 03:31:22 PM
Quote from: AboveDaRim2399 on February 29, 2008, 02:29:44 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 29, 2008, 09:52:22 AM

What a dirty, dirty play (for reasons I have outline previously).  I would expect better from a cga student.

It was not a diry play. I was there and saw it with my own eyes. Jimmy B just fell awkwardly after the CGA player made a play on the ball on a two on 1. If you didn't see it i don't think you should go around making comments like that.

I have talked to enough people who were there to feel comfortable in my opinion.  You dont fall on your own and get a severe concussion (unless your are jumping off of something).  Someone has to hit you to cause that much damage.  I dont buy your "fell akwardly" argument (although that may be true, the CGA player clearly fouled him extremely excessively, especially for that point in the game).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 29, 2008, 03:35:23 PM
Quote from: T990 on February 29, 2008, 03:27:25 PM

BTW, Bartolotta was named First Team Academic All-American this week.  MIT leads the NCAA Division III in Academic All-Americans all time.

http://mitathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022908aaa.html

Thanks for the info, I am glad he is getting the respect he deserves, despite the team losing 8 straight since his injury (After losing to WPI in OT, JB got hurt and the team has not been the same since, losing all of their contests).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on February 29, 2008, 03:45:02 PM
I did not see the play, but Hugenerd, you should be careful with such damning comments on a particular play you did not witness.  Sounds to me like 50% would say fair play and 50% would say dirty.  If it was a dirty play, the official would have tossed the player in question. Was there an ejection?
I have seen CGA play in the past, they play physical but clean.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 29, 2008, 03:53:21 PM
Quote from: baseballguy on February 29, 2008, 03:45:02 PM...they play physical but clean.

Agreed.  That is why it makes no sense that he committed that foul like that.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 29, 2008, 10:23:05 PM
Quote from: baseballguy on February 29, 2008, 03:45:02 PM
I did not see the play, but Hugenerd, you should be careful with such damning comments on a particular play you did not witness.  Sounds to me like 50% would say fair play and 50% would say dirty.  If it was a dirty play, the official would have tossed the player in question. Was there an ejection?
I have seen CGA play in the past, they play physical but clean.

The 50% you are talking about that say it would be a fair play is based on a single person's judgement.  I myself said that I expected better from a cga student, meaning that this is type of behavior is out of the ordinary.  However, I have talked to people who saw the play (even players in the game), I heard the commentators talking online about the play (again, I was watching the game online and happened to step out of the room right when the play happened and just saw him laying on the ground), and from everything I have heard, no matter how out of the norm for a cga team, that play was a dirty play (if you dont like the term dirty, come up with your own term, but the game was over, they were down 20 with 2 minutes to go, and it was on a fastbreak and the CGA player took out the MIT player so hard that he got a severe concussion). 

How do you give a player a severe concussion without fouling extremely excessively (an intentional foul was called on the play by the way, he probably wasnt ejected because he "went for the ball", also CGA's coach took c. johnson out immediately after the play).  How often do you hear about even a slight concussion in college or NBA ball?  Those guys jump twice as high and run twice as hard and yet you hardly ever hear of this type of injury.  A sprained ankle, a dislocated or broken finger, a strained muscle, or a charlie-horse I can understand.  But I have honestly never heard of anyone at any level getting a severe concussion in a basketball game (I have played a lot of basketball, I played in the UAA in undergrad, I was a grad assitant in the NEWMAC for a year, I am a big college and NBA fan), I just cannot fathom how somebody would land "akwardly" and get a severe concussion.  If I get a chance, I will try to get a copy of the video and take a look for myself and update you on my opinion, so I dont just have to go on severeal first-hand accounts, but from all the data I have now, I stick with my opinion. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 29, 2008, 10:35:34 PM
Quote from: T990 on February 29, 2008, 03:53:21 PM
Quote from: baseballguy on February 29, 2008, 03:45:02 PM...they play physical but clean.

Agreed.  That is why it makes no sense that he committed that foul like that.

Just to follow up on this briefly, the main question still is why would you give such a hard foul at the end of the game like that when the game is out of reach.  Lets say for arguments sake the play wasnt dirty, what exactly was the player trying to gain from fouling the MIT player so hard that he would be able to sustain an injury of that extent.  It just doesnt make any sense.  There was some motivation to make an intentional foul of that extent at that time, because every basketball player at the college level knows that garbage time is garbage time and you dont try to hurt anyone when the game is no longer in doubt, and I wish I knew what that motivation was.  Was it supposed to be retaliation for JB's actions that got him a technical earlier in the game?  There is no way to know. You may say that it was a good hard foul, but was a "good hard foul" really necessary at that time, especially one that was as hard as he gave to cause a concussion.  Craig Johnson was a preseason all-american according to some polls, I really doubt that he didnt know the situation.  Its not like this was some bench player that was trying to show his coach that he was trying to play hard at the end of the game, this was an all-conference player, he had to know that there was no need to give a hard foul in that situation. He may have felt bad about it after the end result, but that doesnt change what he did.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on February 29, 2008, 11:49:22 PM
Ido know one thing about this hard foul situation, Hugenerd sees everything through Jimmy B shaded glasses.  Hugenerd was not there, let it go.  You say JB rec'd a technical early, for what?  Maybe turnabout is fair play!  Let it go HG and focus on the conference titles up for grabs this weekend.  We have a great weekend of basketball ahead of us.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2008, 08:45:11 AM
I have no affiliation with Jimmy B.  I only represent my own opinion.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on March 01, 2008, 10:40:09 AM
You don't know anything about Craig Johnson as a person , you weren't there, you didn't even see it - I enjoy your posts but am disappointed you would play judge and jury.

I'm a Springfield fan so defending CGA / C. Johnson is not personal for me.  Let's be honest....C. Johnson's foot speed is not quite up to JB's and an awkward collision wouldn't surprise me.  Isn't C. Johnson the guy who didn"t play last year because he took a year off to go somewhere on a faith based trip?...doesn't sound to me like a dirty player. Again, not my guy...

As for the below quote - You've never seen somebody get hit or undercut, fall awkwardly, and have their head bounce off the floor?...we've all seen it happen. We just don't know the medical outcome.

Quote from: baseballguy on Yesterday at 03:45:02 pm
I But I have honestly never heard of anyone at any level getting a severe concussion in a basketball game (I have played a lot of basketball, I played in the UAA in undergrad, I was a grad assitant in the NEWMAC for a year, I am a big college and NBA fan), I just cannot fathom how somebody would land "akwardly" and get a severe concussion.   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 01, 2008, 11:48:49 AM
I was there.  I was surprised CGA was even challenging that shot as it happened.  My focus went to the ref holding his arms crossed above his head (indicating Intentional Foul).  The call was immediate and it seemed before they even came back down and hit the floor.  It made no sense whatsoever.  I suspect it would have been made on any MIT player in that position, not that Jimmy B was a target, but there's no way of knowing.

One team in the NEWMAC this year appeared to me to be physical and attempting to turn it into a wrestling match rather than a BB game, but it was not CGA.

Good luck to the teams on the tournament today.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on March 01, 2008, 12:16:54 PM
Aw come on T990, don't leave me hanging....which NEWMAC team did you feel was attempting to make it a wrestling match/....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2008, 05:05:42 PM
I have said over and over again that that play is out of character and by no means is an indicator of what is the norm for cga.  I know he isnt a dirty player.  I just have a certain opinion about that play.  It was unecessary and uncalled for and excessive.  Take it how you will, I am dropping the subject.  Good luck to CGA and the rest of the NEWMAC teams as the conference tourney progresses.

As for the concussion comment.  I have obviously seen plays where people get undercut and get hit in the head, etc.  I just meant I have never seen a head injury so serious that a player was sent to the hospital and held for observation for an extended period of time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on March 01, 2008, 09:15:38 PM
Hey Pridefan- Where did you seeing me say that stuff?  I think you got me confused with Hugenerd.  Please don't, I don't see thing through jimmy b glasses. 
I am an Antoine Coleman POY guy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2008, 09:24:08 PM
Quote from: baseballguy on March 01, 2008, 09:15:38 PM
Hey Pridefan- Where did you seeing me say that stuff?  I think you got me confused with Hugenerd.  Please don't, I don't see thing through jimmy b glasses. 
I am an Antoine Coleman POY guy.

Well you do apparently see through pretend glasses.  What differentiates Antoine Coleman from any other starter in the NEWMAC, he averages 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds a game.  If you want to give the award to a player on the top team in the conference, I think Craig Johnson has a much better resume: 15 ppg, 8.8 rpg, and 57% from the floor.  Everyone obviously, by now, knows my opinion of the actual best player in the conference, so I wont list his stats here (hint, he was just named a Jostens finalist and a first team all-american).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on March 01, 2008, 09:35:27 PM
AC is TOUGH.  He is the toughest player in the NEWMAC by far. No one else brings it to the table like AC every night.  He is the reason WPI has been so successful for the past few seasons.  Don't give me all of Jimmy B's stats.  How many big game has Jimmy B played in?  AC brings it every night.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 01, 2008, 09:44:58 PM
for pridefan: not your team.  ;)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2008, 10:39:00 PM
Quote from: baseballguy on March 01, 2008, 09:35:27 PM
AC is TOUGH.  He is the toughest player in the NEWMAC by far. No one else brings it to the table like AC every night.  He is the reason WPI has been so successful for the past few seasons.  Don't give me all of Jimmy B's stats.  How many big game has Jimmy B played in?  AC brings it every night.

AC has alot of help.  He may be a tough player, but he isnt the best player in the league. Last time I checked, player of the year is an individual award.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on March 02, 2008, 06:58:46 AM
AC vs JB - one on one to see who wins POY.  I know who my money would be on.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jamiejohn on March 02, 2008, 12:00:23 PM
I dont think it is even close, JB is a way better player. he does it all. look at the numbers
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2008, 03:09:45 PM
Quote from: baseballguy on March 02, 2008, 06:58:46 AM
AC vs JB - one on one to see who wins POY.  I know who my money would be on.

There are at least 5 players I would take over Coleman for POY (and even more I would take over him 1 on 1). 

To be completely honest, Coleman has alot of trouble setting up his own shot.  He has a very average left hand and when he tries to drive that way, he tends to turn it over (thats why he doesnt do it that much).  He has a very strong game inside the paint, when he is able to take short runners and mini-hooks to finish with his right.  He is also a decent from 3 when he has a wide open shot and a strong defender, but he is not a great 1 on 1 player.  If you do not believe me, go watch him play and look for what I said.  I have seen him play over the last 3 years, his left hand is a glaring weakness.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: AboveDaRim2399 on March 02, 2008, 06:15:03 PM
Well you all can keep argueing about who is the player of the year but i guess we know who the team of the year is. Coast Guard heading to the tournament for the second year in a row!
I'm sure both of those guys will have a great time WATCHING Coast Guard in the NCAA tournament (Coleman will get to play in the ECAC for sure...and maybe WPI can sneak into the NCAA). WPI is a really tough team and if they are clicking they could do some damage in the tournament. Hopefully they will get a bid for the big dance. I think they deserve it.

Great players are defined on how they play in big games...In the playoffs when the intensity is high, Jimmy B struggled.

AC has 17 and 11 with 2 blks vs babson and 22 and 7 today.
Jimmy B had 12 points no rebounds and 8 tournovers vs CGA first round...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on March 02, 2008, 07:24:24 PM

There are at least 5 players I would take over Coleman for POY (and even more I would take over him 1 on 1). 


Abovedarim - Are you being serious, or merely provocative?  Bartolatta is far and away the most complete player in the NEWMAC.  Teams do not shadow Coleman with their best defender, along with doubling him when he has the ball.  Don't get me wrong - AC is a terrific player, great competitor, should be a NEWMAC all star (second team), but he's not even the MVP of his own team; I'd give that to Kirkland.

Who are the league all stars?  My cut:

First team: Bartolatta, MIT, Kirkland, WPI, Alexander, CLK, Prebeck, CGA, G.Johnson, CGA
Second team: Etten, BAB, Sowers, CGA, Coppola, WHE, Coleman, WPI, Normandin, CLK

toughest vote: Normandin over Strawson and/or Soumare.
toughest ommission: G.Johnson

Honorable mention: K. MacDonald, BAB, Leo, WHE, Daly (heck all the starters), SPR

Comments?  When are the selections made?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: AboveDaRim2399 on March 02, 2008, 07:58:25 PM
Quote from: LyonFan on March 02, 2008, 07:24:24 PM

AC is a terrific player, great competitor, should be a NEWMAC all star (second team), but he's not even the MVP of his own team; I'd give that to Kirkland.

You may of had me until you said Kirkland...I think if you are going to say WPI has a better player then AC it would have to be Marois. But i mean everyone is allowed to have their own opinions. I would say there are 3 or 4 other guards in the NEWMAC better than Kirkland
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2008, 08:57:04 PM
Quote from: AboveDaRim2399 on March 02, 2008, 07:58:25 PM
Quote from: LyonFan on March 02, 2008, 07:24:24 PM

AC is a terrific player, great competitor, should be a NEWMAC all star (second team), but he's not even the MVP of his own team; I'd give that to Kirkland.

You may of had me until you said Kirkland...I think if you are going to say WPI has a better player then AC it would have to be Marois. But i mean everyone is allowed to have their own opinions. I would say there are 3 or 4 other guards in the NEWMAC better than Kirkland

I agree with you about Morois, he always seems to be making the big shots for WPI.  Kirkland is a very solid guard also.  You have to have alot of good players to win as many games as they did.

As for the comments about Bartolotta, he does face alot of double teams and when he drives into the paint he gets even more attention.  You also cant really judge him by a single playoff game either.  Neither he, nor MIT, was the same team after he went out with an injury after the OT loss to WPI.  Hopefully the team will come together next year and he will be able to show what he can do in the NEWMAC and hopefully in the NCAAs.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on March 02, 2008, 09:15:45 PM
lyonfan-you don't know what you are talking about.  I saw the NEWMAC semi's & final, you are way off base.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: AboveDaRim2399 on March 03, 2008, 09:01:21 PM
Congrats to WPI on making it as an at large. Hopefully they can do some damage. Tough first round with VA W. CGA also got a rough pull...getting a low seed and drawing Trinity first round with Mass-D awaiting the winner
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 12:01:11 PM
I thought I would update the stats for the player of the year candidates I mentioned midway through the season:
JB= Jimmy Bartolotta (MIT), ACol = Antoine Coleman (WPI), CJ = Craig Johnson (CGA) , ACop = Anthony Coppola (WHE), and KM = Kyle McDonald (Babson)

          JB          ACol         CJ              ACop              KM
PPG: 23.9 (1)   14.2 (6)   14.6 (5)     20.0 (2)      15.1 (4)
RPG:  5.8 (9)     6.1 (7)     8.7 (2)       NR               NR
FG%: 53.3 (5) 48.1 (10)  56.6 (3)     50.6 (7)      50.2 (8.)
APG:  4.0 (2)      NR         1.78 (15)    NR               3.0 (5)
FT%: 80.5 (5)     NR            NR        74.7 (10)       74.3 (12)
SPG:  2.33 (2)  1.48 (8.)   1.26 (13)  1.08 (12)         NR
3P%: 41.5 (5)     NR           NR         47.2 (2)          47.3 (1)
3PM:  2.46 (3)     NR           NR         3.40 (1)         1.72 (8.)
BPG:  0.96 (6)  0.52 (12)     NR            NR                 NR
A/T:  1.01 (4)       NR           NR           NR               0.69 (5)
OReb:1.71 (13) 2.30 (6)  2.30 (6)        NR                  NR
DReb:4.04 (8.)   4.10 (9)   6.44 (1)      NR              3.44 (15)

Again, JB is ranked in all 12 categories. ACol in 7, CJ in 7, ACop in 6 and KM in 8.  JB is ranked top 5 in 8 categories, ACol in 0 categories, CJ in 4 categories, ACop in 3 categories and KM in 4 categories.  Note, Marke Alexander of Clark is also ranked in 6 categories, but only 2 in the top 5: he is 3rd in ppg (16.2) and 5th in steals (1.71).
Title: Newmac Awards
Post by: bdugan26 on March 04, 2008, 01:42:50 PM
I've followed NEWMAC basketball very closely this year and seen every team play at least once, most I've seen play twice or more.  Based on what I've seen this is my break down of the end of season awards. Im not sure of the exact format the lague does, but heres my breakdown :

POY- Jimmy Bartalotta (MIT)
NEWMAC 1st team
Kyle McDonald (Babson)
Anthony Coppolla (Wheaton)
Jeff Prebeck (Coast Guard)
Antoine Coleman (WPI)

Second Team
Craig Johnson- Coast Guard
Mark Alexander- Clark
Jamaal Gibbs- Springfield
Al Sowers- Coast Guard
Hamidou Soumare- MIT

Honorable Mention : Zach Etten (Babson) Jerome Kirkland (WPI) Peter Normandin(Clark) Greg Daly (Springfield)

Rookie of the Year: Coppolla

I'm not solely basing this on stats, but what each player did for their team and with their surrounding cast...


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEballer on March 04, 2008, 02:11:57 PM
I don't really see how JB couldn't be the POY. I've seen every team play at least once and a few twice and he is the best player I have seen.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 03:11:30 PM
The only reason he may not get it is MITs bad finish to the year.  The same thing happened last year when WPI was #1 in the conference and Ryan Cain got the award, while JB had the best numbers again.  The numbers were closer last year though, this year he has the best numbers by far.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 03:14:51 PM
They just announced the awards:

NEWMAC Athlete of the Year:

Antoine Coleman, WPI

NEWMAC Rookie of the Year:

Anthony Coppola, Wheaton College

NEWMAC Coach of the Year:

Chris Bartley, WPI

NEWMAC Sportsmanship Award:

Clark University

FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

Kyle McDonald, Babson

Craig Johnson, Coast Guard

Jimmy Bartolotta, MIT

Al Sowers, Coast Guard

Antoine Coleman, WPI

SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

Mark Alexander, Clark

Jeff Prebeck, Coast Guard

Jamaal Gibbs, Springfield

Anthony Coppola, Wheaton

Jim Marois, WPI
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 06:15:25 PM
I guess that i cant say that I am surprised by the choices, although I disagree with a few.  When your team loses 8 straight, ends the year with a losing record, and is tied for last in the league, you cant be surprised with any decision.  If they had finished top 3, the POY may have been different and Dou Soumare would probably have made first team all league with the same numbers (he was 8th in scoring, 2nd in FG%, 1st in rebounding, 1st in offensive rebounds, 2nd in defensive rebounds, 1st in blocked shots, and 10th in steals).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 08:13:55 PM
According to the mit website, Bartolotta lost the POY in a tiebreaker, here is an excerpt:

"Junior Jimmy Bartolotta was MIT's lone representative on the all-conference teams, earning his second consecutive first team selection. The two-time and reigning NEWMAC scoring champion lost his bid for Player of the Year for the second time under eerily similar circumstances. After Bartolotta and Coleman finished the voting tied for the conference's most prestigious individual honor, the remaining five coaches conducted a second vote to determine the Player of the Year. Bartolotta was on the wrong end of another 3-2 decision that enabled WPI to hang on to the league's top individual award. After guiding WPI to the regular-season NEWMAC Championship, Ryan Cain was named Player of the Year in 2007."
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on March 04, 2008, 08:22:00 PM
I figured Coleman would win.  It is not always about stats when choosing the POY.  Coaches like all the other stuff as well, the intangibles(toughness, winner, etc...) and I think the coaches vote for the awards not stat geeks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 08:55:31 PM
Well according to you, half the coaches are stat geeks, because the vote was tied after the first vote.  We will see how he stacks up in the regional and all-american voting with his 14 and 6.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 04, 2008, 09:43:04 PM
Unless they allow a split vote (half Coleman/half Bartolotta) then neither one actually got half. I'm not a huge nerd, just an average nerd, but I know that half of an odd number is not a whole number.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: bdugan26 on March 04, 2008, 10:14:38 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 08:55:31 PM
Well according to you, half the coaches are stat geeks, because the vote was tied after the first vote.  We will see how he stacks up in the regional and all-american voting with his 14 and 6.

We'll also see how his 14 and 6 stack up in the NCAA tournament ;)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 10:18:49 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 04, 2008, 09:43:04 PM
Unless they allow a split vote (half Coleman/half Bartolotta) then neither one actually got half. I'm not a huge nerd, just an average nerd, but I know that half of an odd number is not a whole number.

You know what I mean.  I know there are 7 teams.  I believe the tiebreaker, effectively, was asking the 5 coaches, other than MIT and WPI, to vote on JB or AC, and he lost 3-2. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 10:20:35 PM
Quote from: bdugan26 on March 04, 2008, 10:14:38 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 08:55:31 PM
Well according to you, half the coaches are stat geeks, because the vote was tied after the first vote.  We will see how he stacks up in the regional and all-american voting with his 14 and 6.

We'll also see how his 14 and 6 stack up in the NCAA tournament ;)

We will see.  My guess is that they dont get out of the first round, but Ive been wrong before.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pridefan on March 05, 2008, 07:10:55 AM
Congrats to Coast Guard as NEWMAC champs and to members of the NEWMAC POY, 1st, and 2nd teams. wow - POY voting sure kept the controversy going between JB and AC!

I must rally to the defense of Springfield (hey I am Pridefan) and question why they weren't better represented beyond Gibbs.  Nothing against Prebeck, but just check his NEWMAC only stats (their non-conference schedule is a cupcake compared to Springfield ( Williams, Trinity, RIC twice..) and he trails Daly for example in almost every category(who led the Pride in scoring,rebounding,blocked shots,FT's) and who outplayed Prebeck handily in their matchups.

Oh well, glad NEWMAC has 2 teams in the dance and wish them well!









Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on March 05, 2008, 02:23:06 PM
It always seems somewhat strange to me that a team that was not completely dominant in the conference could have three representatives. With that being said, congrats to all those that won.

I would have given my vote to Jimmy Bartolotta, but maybe if he wins the Jostens than this whole debate can be mollified.

It certainly was a good year for the NEWMAC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 05, 2008, 08:43:54 PM
My guess Troy Ruths wins the Jostens this year, but I think JB has a good shot next year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on March 06, 2008, 03:03:47 PM
If you want to listen

NCAA 1st round matchup- Coast Guard vs Trinity, 7pm

we'll be on 6:50 for pre-game.

http://sportsjuice.com
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on March 06, 2008, 09:51:17 PM
Way to go CGA!  They win on the floor of NESCAC champs Trinity.  Go NEWMAC.  Wonder if Coast Guard will get some love in the national rankings now...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 06, 2008, 09:59:43 PM

Coast Guard was high on my list coming into the year, but they just took a really long time to get it together.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 07, 2008, 08:36:43 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 10:20:35 PM
Quote from: bdugan26 on March 04, 2008, 10:14:38 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 04, 2008, 08:55:31 PM
Well according to you, half the coaches are stat geeks, because the vote was tied after the first vote.  We will see how he stacks up in the regional and all-american voting with his 14 and 6.

We'll also see how his 14 and 6 stack up in the NCAA tournament ;)

We will see.  My guess is that they dont get out of the first round, but Ive been wrong before.

Not wrong this time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on March 08, 2008, 11:11:59 PM
Great job by Coast Guard - when and how do the pairings work for the next round (of 16)?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 08, 2008, 11:24:29 PM
The bracket doesnt change as far as I know.  They will play Rochester.  The site will be announced tomorrow.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 08, 2008, 11:25:27 PM
Yeeeeoooww

CGA wins 12th game in a row!  What a roll they are on!

at Mass-Dartmouth (25-4)       W, 50-47

http://www.d3hoops.com/releases.php?release=7cau1rzjejne09x1

"Pairings and sites for the sectional round will be announced by the NCAA Sunday."
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on March 09, 2008, 09:23:04 PM
AC's 14 and 6 were good enough to get WPI in the NCAA's.  They played a very good VaWesleyan team tough all night. 
Hugenerd, how did JB and his 25ppg do in the post season?  You need to stop drooling over JB!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: baseballguy on March 09, 2008, 09:37:22 PM
Great for the NEWMAC with Coast Guard beating two New England powers on their home court.  Trinity and Umass Dartmouth should not get rated above them when the next poll comes out.  NEWMAC should also be very proud  of the fight WPI gave VA Wesleyan.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2008, 09:59:52 PM
Quote from: baseballguy on March 09, 2008, 09:23:04 PM
AC's 14 and 6 were good enough to get WPI in the NCAA's.  They played a very good VaWesleyan team tough all night. 
Hugenerd, how did JB and his 25ppg do in the post season?  You need to stop drooling over JB!

No one said anything about MIT, I just didnt think WPI was good enough to make an impact in the tourney.  You need to stop drooling over an average d3 player in Coleman.

I just dont think Coleman is a complete player or one of the top players in d3.  He, in general, is incapable of getting his own shot and is not an offensive threat if you keep him out of the lane (unless someone sets him up for a wide open 3).  He is a solid defender, a good athlete, and can finish with his right hand in the lane, but I wouldnt say he is a skill player. 

He played as well as he could in the first round game, but WPI couldnt get the win.  They couldnt overcome their poor FT shooting and VWU's good FT shooting down the stretch (it appears, at first glance, that there is a FT shooting discrepency in favor of VWU; however, 12 of their 31 FTs were in the last minute, when WPI was fouling intentionally, but before then the FT's were only 19-18 in favor of VWU, VWU shooting 17-19 and WPI 8-18).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: r.w. mcnickels on March 10, 2008, 08:26:30 PM
Here's some information on the Ursinus sectional.  Includes accommodation, dining, directions, and team info:

http://www.ursinus.edu/content.asp?page=wintersports/BasketballM/0708/NCAAs/Sectional/NCAAsec.htm

Congrats to Coast Guard on two big NCAA wins -- safe travels to Collegeville this weekend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 12, 2008, 01:49:30 PM
You may have already done this, but in case you haven't, I encourage you all to register to win the Salem prize package.

http://www.d3hoops.com/salemgiveaway/


• Hotel accommodations for Thursday, Friday and Saturday in one of the Roanoke Valley's fine hotels, convenient to Roanoke Regional Airport and Valley View Mall, the largest shopping destination in Southwest Virginia.

• Two tickets to the Friday and Saturday sessions at the Salem Civic Center.

• Two tickets to the Thursday evening team banquet, including talks by all four coaches, a player from each team, the introduction of the starting lineup and the ever-popular highlight video.

• Two VIP hospitality passes, giving you sideline access before the game and access to the hospitality room.

• $400 toward your travel cost to get you to and around the Roanoke Valley.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on March 14, 2008, 12:45:11 PM
Broadcast of NCAA Division III Sweet 16- Coast Guard vs Rochester

Coast Guard's audio

http://www.sportsjuice.com

D3Hoops.com's audio

http://www.d3hoops.com/audio
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on March 14, 2008, 07:36:46 PM
Wow!  CGA handles Rochester (with a tiny hiccup down the stretch) to earn an elite eight berth.  Sowers erupted for 9 straight points and the Bears never looked back.  Very good for the NEWMAC.  Hope they keep it going.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: eclinchy on March 14, 2008, 09:17:22 PM
Incredible Cinderella story... loving it.  Congrats to CGA... keep it up.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 16, 2008, 12:33:17 AM
Well, no one has posted, so I will. Congrats to CGA on a heck of a season and a run through the NCAA Tournament. You had me as much as a fan as I could be calling the game (need to be unbias, if possible) and was very impressed with the "don't-say-die" attitude this team had from Al Sowers to Jeff Prebeck to Craig Johnson to Grant Johnson on down. The team certainly losses a lot of talent and leadership, but you can't take away the great season and four year run this group had. Very impressed... I salute you all!

(By the way, the response to "NA-VY RE-JECTS" - which isn't original - with "We Won't Save You!" was priceless. Great fans - including Commandant Thad Allen!)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: r.w. mcnickels on March 16, 2008, 11:17:32 AM
I second D-Mac's salute.  Congrats to Coast Guard on a truly memorable run through the tournament!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Gray Fox on March 16, 2008, 12:44:24 PM
Just a quick update/reminder that "Quantum Hoops" will
be playing for one week (March 28-April 3) in Boston
and Seattle.

The Boston location is the Landmark Kendall Square
Cinema - across the strett from MIT.

The Seattle location is the Landmark Metro Cinemas.

We will also be playing for one night only in San
Antonio (April 10) and Austin (April 24).

If you are in these areas or know anyone who is,
please pass this email on to anybody you think might
be interested.

Feel free to email me directly with any questions or
suggestions.


THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Rick
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 16, 2008, 02:25:49 PM


The Landmark in Cambridge is the best Indy theatre I've ever been to.  It's a great place to see great movies that won't find an audience anywhere else.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 16, 2008, 03:35:01 PM
Quote from: Gray Fox on March 16, 2008, 12:44:24 PM
Just a quick update/reminder that "Quantum Hoops" will
be playing for one week (March 28-April 3) in Boston
and Seattle.

The Boston location is the Landmark Kendall Square
Cinema - across the strett from MIT.

The Seattle location is the Landmark Metro Cinemas.

We will also be playing for one night only in San
Antonio (April 10) and Austin (April 24).

MIT -- perfect audience for this!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 17, 2008, 09:36:01 PM
MIT picks up two big time new england recruits, headlined by 6'10" Ted Eby:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/260/Ted-Eby-Headed-to-MIT.php

(Note: they have Coach Anderson's name linked to the wrong Larry Anderson).

For the full list of d3 recruits, see the links below.  The only other NEWMAC school I saw was WPI, with 2:

d3 list:
http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/273/DIII-Commitment-CatchUp.php

Full list:
http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/prospects/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 19, 2008, 11:55:23 AM
Looks like Jimmy B gets some of his due.  He gets chosen to first team all-region, Coleman gets 3rd team.  Congrats to both Bartolotta and Coleman.

Craig johnson gets 2nd team, Al Sowers gets 3rd team, and Anthony Coppola gets 3rd team.  Congrats to them as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: backboard on March 19, 2008, 01:09:29 PM
Prezzie-Blue is a much better guard than Al Sowers, what a shame
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 19, 2008, 01:26:32 PM
Also Congrats to Pete Barry  (Coast Guard) for winning northeast region coach of the year, and Anthony Coppola (Wheaton) for rookie of the year in the northeast.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 19, 2008, 01:31:27 PM
Quote from: backboard on March 19, 2008, 01:09:29 PM
Prezzie-Blue is a much better guard than Al Sowers, what a shame

It's unfortunate the GNAC and TCCC didn't go to the polls as well as the NEWMAC did. Not sure who mobilized the three leagues but the NEWMAC did it well.

We had the large, red link on the front page for the entire voting period, sent an e-mail out to all SIDs at the beginning of the vote and with one day left, we contacted the conference SIDs (and some commissioners) with a list of everyone who had not voted so they could push for more representation from their league.

Some conferences saw this as a priority.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 23, 2008, 01:06:48 PM
Jimmy B gets honorable mention all-america.  Congrats!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on April 02, 2008, 02:33:11 PM
hugenerd, any chance of Bracht coming back to the team?  If he does, you add him to Bartolotta, 6'8 Soumare, 6'8 Johnson, incoming recruits (6'10 Eby and I heard they may be getting a 6'8 shooter from Ohio who was also looking at Williams and Amherst, unconfirmed on that though) and that will be a national contender.  Even without Bracht, that has got to be the most intimidating front court in New England, if not all of D-III.  MIT should be right there with RIC, Middlebury, Amherst and Brandeis as the early favorites for top New England contenders next year ... the rest of the top NEWMAC teams seem to lose a lot other than Wheaton, who could be a dark horse. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: basketball on April 02, 2008, 10:00:27 PM
what happened to Bracht anyway?... He had such a good freshman year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: eclinchy on April 03, 2008, 01:47:11 AM
Quote from: basketball on April 02, 2008, 10:00:27 PMwhat happened to Bracht anyway?... He had such a good freshman year.

MIT players take years off all the time... I'm guessing it's because their schoolwork is kinda hard?

Quote from: nescac1 on April 02, 2008, 02:33:11 PMhugenerd, any chance of Bracht coming back to the team?  If he does, you add him to Bartolotta, 6'8 Soumare, 6'8 Johnson, incoming recruits (6'10 Eby and I heard they may be getting a 6'8 shooter from Ohio who was also looking at Williams and Amherst, unconfirmed on that though) and that will be a national contender.  Even without Bracht, that has got to be the most intimidating front court in New England, if not all of D-III.  MIT should be right there with RIC, Middlebury, Amherst and Brandeis as the early favorites for top New England contenders next year ... the rest of the top NEWMAC teams seem to lose a lot other than Wheaton, who could be a dark horse.

I like that top 5 a lot.  Not a big fan of Johnson from what little I've seen of him -- he doesn't seem like a very physical 6'8" guy, and he needs to shoot well to be effective.  But Soumare is a total beast, and Jimmy B is obviously a great player.  MIT should be solid regardless of their recruits -- although I thought they'd win the NEWMAC this year too, and I was way off. They're a tough team to predict.

Brandeis seemed like a weird pick to me at first, given all the talent they're losing, but on second thought they still have Olson, Hollins and Roberson.  Downright scary how deep that team was... they can lose a great five-deep senior class and still contend.  What's the latest on DeLuca?

RIC should be absolutely dominant. Amazing what they accomplished this year without a single solitary senior.  Looking forward to seeing how far that team can go next year.

I think Middlebury's the early favorite to win the NESCAC.  Smith and Rudin are two of the league's top five seniors (along with Pierce, Baskauskas, and either Bowdoin's Kyle Jackson or Colby's Artie Cutrone) -- can't beat senior leadership like that.  Amherst has a lot of hype surrounding their young big guys (Kurt Bennett, Billy Butler et al), but I'll wait til I see it to believe it.  The Panthers are the team to beat.

Another team I'd throw out there is Trinity -- they lose a lot but return arguably their two best defenders in NESCAC DPOY Aaron Westbrooks and Paul Rowe, both rising seniors.  Tufts will also be strong, but I'm obviously biased there.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 03, 2008, 02:35:23 AM
Quote from: eclinchy on April 03, 2008, 01:47:11 AM
Quote from: basketball on April 02, 2008, 10:00:27 PMwhat happened to Bracht anyway?... He had such a good freshman year.

MIT players take years off all the time... I'm guessing it's because their schoolwork is kinda hard?

Quote from: nescac1 on April 02, 2008, 02:33:11 PMhugenerd, any chance of Bracht coming back to the team?  If he does, you add him to Bartolotta, 6'8 Soumare, 6'8 Johnson, incoming recruits (6'10 Eby and I heard they may be getting a 6'8 shooter from Ohio who was also looking at Williams and Amherst, unconfirmed on that though) and that will be a national contender.  Even without Bracht, that has got to be the most intimidating front court in New England, if not all of D-III.  MIT should be right there with RIC, Middlebury, Amherst and Brandeis as the early favorites for top New England contenders next year ... the rest of the top NEWMAC teams seem to lose a lot other than Wheaton, who could be a dark horse.

I like that top 5 a lot.  Not a big fan of Johnson from what little I've seen of him -- he doesn't seem like a very physical 6'8" guy, and he needs to shoot well to be effective.  But Soumare is a total beast, and Jimmy B is obviously a great player.  MIT should be solid regardless of their recruits -- although I thought they'd win the NEWMAC this year too, and I was way off. They're a tough team to predict.

Brandeis seemed like a weird pick to me at first, given all the talent they're losing, but on second thought they still have Olson, Hollins and Roberson.  Downright scary how deep that team was... they can lose a great five-deep senior class and still contend.  What's the latest on DeLuca?

RIC should be absolutely dominant. Amazing what they accomplished this year without a single solitary senior.  Looking forward to seeing how far that team can go next year.

I think Middlebury's the early favorite to win the NESCAC.  Smith and Rudin are two of the league's top five seniors (along with Pierce, Baskauskas, and either Bowdoin's Kyle Jackson or Colby's Artie Cutrone) -- can't beat senior leadership like that.  Amherst has a lot of hype surrounding their young big guys (Kurt Bennett, Billy Butler et al), but I'll wait til I see it to believe it.  The Panthers are the team to beat.

Another team I'd throw out there is Trinity -- they lose a lot but return arguably their two best defenders in NESCAC DPOY Aaron Westbrooks and Paul Rowe, both rising seniors.  Tufts will also be strong, but I'm obviously biased there.

From what I hear, there isnt much hope of Bracht coming back.  I dont think its the schoolwork, he just doesnt seem to want to play.  Soumare didnt play last year because he studied abroad.  Bracht, on the other hand, was on campus and decided not to play.  MIT also lost another big man to lack of motivation to play basketball. Adam Juneau was a solid 6'9" - 6'10" big man who played decent minutes when MIT won 21 games a few years back.  He would be a senior next year,  but hasnt played since his freshman year.   On top of that, MIT also had this past years top recruit, who was also a forward, quit after the first week of practice.  It is also worth noting that this years backup center, Alex Bagley, played basketball only his freshman and senior years (he didnt play his sophomore or junior seasons).  For whatever reason, MIT has had problems retaining their big men.  In my opinion, this has more to do with the players themselves and not much else.  The program has just been unlucky to get players that arent mentally tough enough to play basketball and go to school at MIT.

Johnson may be 6'8", but if he, Soumare, and Eby (for example) were on the court, Soumare would play the 4 on offense and guard the other teams 3 on defense.  Johnson isnt really a post presence on offense, although he has size, he is a very good shooter and creates alot of matchup problems.  He is most effective when he is shooting well, getting setup for shots by his teammates, and, most importantly, when he is healthy. 

MIT has lacked depth the last couple of years.  This year they had a solid top 6 or 7, but they were always one or two injuries from having an average to bad year.  Unfortunately for them, they had a bunch of injuries the last half of the season, causing several key players to miss games or play hurt.  When they were healthy, I think they were one of the top 3 teams in the conference. With the new recruits, they will have much needed depth in the post and some additional scorers.  I am sure Bartolotta will still play at least 35 minutes per game, but next season they should be able to have a better rotation of their big men and not be so dependent on Soumare.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on April 03, 2008, 07:07:12 AM
Deluca is coming back for Brandeis.  He, Hollins, Magee, and Yemga should form the best front court in New England if he is fully recovered from injuries, and Roberson / Olson are a solid back-court: I think Brandeis may be the team to beat.   

I agree that Midd should be very solid, Amherst is not as experienced but still has the most talent in the conference, they are bringing in at least two D-I caliber big guys either or both of whom could potentially start as frosh, it really depends how fast those two along with Bennett can adjust to being the go-to players on the interior.   Of course Olson is irreplaceable but Meehan will still be one of the better points in the region.   RIC always seems to lose some guys you wouldn't expect, but I agree if everyone returns and they get a consistent rotation they will be scary good.  Seems as if outside of MIT and Wheaton, lots of Newmac teams should be down.  Same thing goes for NESCAC outside of Middlebury.  Trinity loses really its only three consistent scoring options for the last two years, there is still talent there but a lot of guys have to step up in a big way, and there is no experienced interior player on the roster.  Williams may surprise with a bounce back year amidst lower expectations.  Schultz and Geoghegan are a great starting point (I think both will explode as juniors), the question is how much will they get out of their hoard of talented young big guys (Whittington and Dodson in particular) and how fast will the incoming point guard adjust to college ball.  Colby brings almost everyone back and could be a dark horse out of NESCAC as well, and Bowdoin loses a ton but still has some talent left.  A long way of saying, New England should be pretty wide open next year ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: eclinchy on April 04, 2008, 04:45:46 PM
Quote from: Gray Fox on March 16, 2008, 12:44:24 PMJust a quick update/reminder that "Quantum Hoops" will
be playing for one week (March 28-April 3) in Boston
and Seattle.

The Boston location is the Landmark Kendall Square
Cinema - across the strett from MIT.

The Seattle location is the Landmark Metro Cinemas.

We will also be playing for one night only in San
Antonio (April 10) and Austin (April 24).

If you are in these areas or know anyone who is,
please pass this email on to anybody you think might
be interested.

Feel free to email me directly with any questions or
suggestions.


THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Rick

Rick,

Enjoy the good press... you earned it.  Tufts Daily review (http://www.tuftsdaily.com/media/storage/paper856/news/2008/04/04/Arts/Movie.Review.A.Team.Of.Geniuses.Finds.A.Test.It.Cant.Ace.In.quantum.Hoops-3304371.shtml?reffeature=popuarstoriestab)

Great job with the film -- I really enjoyed it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on June 21, 2008, 11:30:21 AM
Any summer NEWMAC news or updates?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on June 24, 2008, 11:34:27 PM
Quote from: clarkie on June 21, 2008, 11:30:21 AM
Any summer NEWMAC news or updates?

On nextplay.com there is this about Babson recruiting:

"In commitment news, Suffield Academy guard, Lambros Papalambros, is heading to Babson next year, and is already preparing for the game at the college level.  He has lofty goals, as he intends "to make Babson the best program in New England, period."  The 6'4" point guard sees the floor very well, and uses his size well as a scorer.  Papalambros is working on his stroke from three point land, as the college line will now be 12 inches deeper than the high school line to which he's accustomed.  Quick and athletic for his size, expect Lambros to make an immediate impact at the college level.  As a post-graduate player at Suffield Academy, Papalambros led the team to a 12-6 record and won the team MVP award.  He chose Babson over Bates College and Division II Stonehill College,as he felt his relationship with Head Coach Steve Brennan was better than with any other coach.  Overall, Babson brings in a talented freshman class, as Boothbay Regional High School banger Kris Noonan (Boothbay Harbor, ME) and Noble & Greenough (Dedham, MA) shooter Jake Gruber join the Babson class of 2012.  "

http://www.nextplay.com/news.aspx?id=19
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on June 25, 2008, 03:07:51 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on April 03, 2008, 07:07:12 AM
Deluca is coming back for Brandeis.  He, Hollins, Magee, and Yemga should form the best front court in New England if he is fully recovered from injuries, and Roberson / Olson are a solid back-court: I think Brandeis may be the team to beat.   

I agree that Midd should be very solid, Amherst is not as experienced but still has the most talent in the conference, they are bringing in at least two D-I caliber big guys either or both of whom could potentially start as frosh, it really depends how fast those two along with Bennett can adjust to being the go-to players on the interior.   Of course Olson is irreplaceable but Meehan will still be one of the better points in the region.   RIC always seems to lose some guys you wouldn't expect, but I agree if everyone returns and they get a consistent rotation they will be scary good.  Seems as if outside of MIT and Wheaton, lots of Newmac teams should be down.  Same thing goes for NESCAC outside of Middlebury.  Trinity loses really its only three consistent scoring options for the last two years, there is still talent there but a lot of guys have to step up in a big way, and there is no experienced interior player on the roster.  Williams may surprise with a bounce back year amidst lower expectations.  Schultz and Geoghegan are a great starting point (I think both will explode as juniors), the question is how much will they get out of their hoard of talented young big guys (Whittington and Dodson in particular) and how fast will the incoming point guard adjust to college ball.  Colby brings almost everyone back and could be a dark horse out of NESCAC as well, and Bowdoin loses a ton but still has some talent left.  A long way of saying, New England should be pretty wide open next year ...

Why is all the talk about MIT and Wheaton in the NEWMAC.  They finished tied for last in the league for the past two years.  It is the same talk every year about these teams, yet they have never gone to the dance.  I would be talking about WPI.  And Clark finished second in the league last year with all coming back plus probably the best recruiting class in the league coming in.  I would agree with the top teams in NE next year as stated above, but just thrown off with people putting MIT and Wheaton in the mix.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on June 25, 2008, 05:29:18 PM
I posted similarly elsewhere, but if you want to talk about Clark, you might want to make more than 17 posts in three years. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on June 26, 2008, 12:26:43 PM
Pat, I wasnt asking people to talk about clark.  I was asking for the reasoning to people putting the 2 last place newmac teams in their conversation of top new england teams
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on June 26, 2008, 12:51:49 PM
And what I'm saying is that you might want to represent Clark a little more than once every six weeks if you want to change that. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on June 26, 2008, 02:00:36 PM
So you are saying the more I post the better the Cougars get? If I post everyday, people will start to put Clark in the top 10 in New England?  This is great!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on June 26, 2008, 02:07:50 PM
Quote from: Clark Basketball on June 25, 2008, 03:07:51 PM
...Clark ... with all coming back plus probably the best recruiting class in the league coming in. 

Clark Basketball, can you tell us about Clark's recruits coming in?  Thanks.

Also, I believe Clark has a JV program.  Will any of those players be moving to the varsity this year?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Clark Basketball on June 26, 2008, 02:36:18 PM
I know they have 2 kids coming from Proctor. One who is supposed to be an immediate impact player. Renshaw from wachusett, Vayda from Tantasqua and a wide body from East Catholic in Hartford.  And I heard a low d1 transfer is on his way too.  Dont know much about the JV guys.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on June 27, 2008, 09:17:24 PM
Quote from: Clark Basketball on June 25, 2008, 03:07:51 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on April 03, 2008, 07:07:12 AM
Deluca is coming back for Brandeis.  He, Hollins, Magee, and Yemga should form the best front court in New England if he is fully recovered from injuries, and Roberson / Olson are a solid back-court: I think Brandeis may be the team to beat.   

I agree that Midd should be very solid, Amherst is not as experienced but still has the most talent in the conference, they are bringing in at least two D-I caliber big guys either or both of whom could potentially start as frosh, it really depends how fast those two along with Bennett can adjust to being the go-to players on the interior.   Of course Olson is irreplaceable but Meehan will still be one of the better points in the region.   RIC always seems to lose some guys you wouldn't expect, but I agree if everyone returns and they get a consistent rotation they will be scary good.  Seems as if outside of MIT and Wheaton, lots of Newmac teams should be down.  Same thing goes for NESCAC outside of Middlebury.  Trinity loses really its only three consistent scoring options for the last two years, there is still talent there but a lot of guys have to step up in a big way, and there is no experienced interior player on the roster.  Williams may surprise with a bounce back year amidst lower expectations.  Schultz and Geoghegan are a great starting point (I think both will explode as juniors), the question is how much will they get out of their hoard of talented young big guys (Whittington and Dodson in particular) and how fast will the incoming point guard adjust to college ball.  Colby brings almost everyone back and could be a dark horse out of NESCAC as well, and Bowdoin loses a ton but still has some talent left.  A long way of saying, New England should be pretty wide open next year ...

Why is all the talk about MIT and Wheaton in the NEWMAC.  They finished tied for last in the league for the past two years.  It is the same talk every year about these teams, yet they have never gone to the dance.  I would be talking about WPI.  And Clark finished second in the league last year with all coming back plus probably the best recruiting class in the league coming in.  I would agree with the top teams in NE next year as stated above, but just thrown off with people putting MIT and Wheaton in the mix.

I am not familiar with all of the NEWMAC teams, like I was 2-3 years ago, but I think I can somewhat explain the reasoning for MIT getting mentioned.  MIT played very solid their first 18 games last year (12-6), and nearly beat Amherst on the road (one posession game with the ball under 30 seconds).  Unfortunately, they lacked depth and after incurring a few injuries, including to their best player, they were never the same and lost their last 8 games.   The excitement comes from the fact that they get nearly every one of their significant contributors back.  Their all-american, jimmy bartolotta, will be a senior and has shown the last two years that he can consistently play at a high level.  They get back their senior starting point guard, Bradley Gampel, "shooting forward", Billy Johnson (aka Fenway Flip), and significant freshman contributor daniel mccue.  The most surprising return is hamidou soumare, who with a year of eligibility, will do a one-year masters and return to the team.  On top of that, MIT is bringing in 6'10" Ted Eby (ranked top 140 recruit in new england and top 40 in massachusetts), Jamie Karraker (6'3" shooting guard, top 300 in new england), and a third player whos name is eluding me at the moment.  Anyway, if they can stay healthy, they will now have some depth at every position, a freakish athlete in soumare, an experienced senior point guard, a 6'8" small forward who can shoot from anywhere on the court, and arguably the best individual player in new england. Add to that a true center and a couple solid wingmen, and you have the makings of a good team. 

Also, I think the main reason MIT is getting mention on the nescac boards is because how well they played amherst last year and how well bartollota has performed against them.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: senatorfrost on June 27, 2008, 09:53:24 PM
 Bartolotta was best player I saw last year. Against Amherst he played VERY well. He did everything, name it, he did it. I think however, he kind of wore down the last minute or so. He could have used more help.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on August 11, 2008, 11:16:01 AM
The MIT schedule is posted.

http://mitathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/mit-m-baskbl-sched.html

Apparently MIT is not playing Amherst this year, or these teams from last year's schedule: Conn College, Endicott, and WNEC.

But they are playing in the Engineers Classic in Milwaukee (RPI, Rose Hulman, MSOE), playing at Salem State (an excellent team), and playing at Yale (Division 1).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: interestedfan on August 18, 2008, 12:09:18 PM
Good Day To All,

   I tried to get back to watching college ball last year, but the move back to the area and the job did not leave me much time to do more than follow the teams in the papers.

   Can anyone help me out here by telling me the outlook for Clark & WPI, they will the two teams i should be able to see the most.  I know WPI graduated Coleman, Marois and Borque.  What are they bringing in for freshmen and will any of them have any impact?  What guys on the roster last year will step up?

Clark graduated 3 as well, same qustions for them, new guys and last years reservses - who wil step up this season ?

From reading the posts here, It would seem like MIT would be an early favorite to supplant WPI on top of the conference.  Im guessing CGA, will have a hard time replacing 6 seniors and repeating their late season success.

Hey, I know its a long way off, and its football season, but I just had to put something out here.  With all this wonderful weather, i managed to get my wife's "master list of things husband must do" completed.  Oh honey, may I go out and play a round of golf?  (Any recommendations for a good public course in the Worcester area?)


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on August 18, 2008, 07:40:49 PM
If anyone is interested, here is a recent article from Slam Magazine where they interview MIT Associate Head Coach Oliver Eslinger:

http://slamonline.com/online/2008/08/athletic-intelligence/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on August 26, 2008, 11:03:03 PM
Another article that some may find interesting.  New England Recruting Report ranked top recruiting steals of this years class, MIT made the list (as did Brandeis):

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/444/The-Biggest-Steals-of-2008-Part-I.php
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on September 20, 2008, 11:18:11 PM
Dr. Oliver Eslinger, a Clark grad and MIT assistant, has taken the Head Coaching position at Cal Tech.

Here's a copy/paste of the article on www.d3hoops.com :

MIT assistant gets shot at Caltech

After a search with more than 120 applicants, Caltech got its man in MIT's associate head coach, Oliver Eslinger who has spent that past six years as the top assistant men's basketball coach at MIT. He takes over at a school that has more Nobel Prize winners than men's basketball victories: the Beavers were 1-24 last season, 1-24 the year before and 0-25 the previous year.

Caltech has not won a SCIAC game in men's basketball since 1985, a span of 273 games. MIT, which has similar academic constraints, has gone 87-73 (.544) since Eslinger joined the staff in 2002. He replaces Roy Dow, who went 4-144 in six years at Caltech.

"Oliver is an ideal fit for Caltech as his MIT background really allows him to hit the ground running here at Caltech," said athletic director Wendell Jack.

Nearly every season under Eslinger, MIT has ranked nationally in the top 10 in field goal percentage defense, scoring defense, rebounding margin or free throw percentage. He coached the 2006 team when it traveled to Taiwan and won the Kainan Invitational International Tournament Championship.

Prior to MIT, Eslinger previously served as head coach at Boston University Academy and as an assistant coach at Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar, N.Y.

Eslinger played at Clark, where he was a starting guard and majored in psychology. Eslinger holds a doctorate in counseling psychology-sport psychology and masters degree in counseling from Boston University.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: old_hooper on September 21, 2008, 11:13:50 PM
If he wins two games in a season he will be a hero.  Wish him well because it is a tough job at Cal Tech.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on September 23, 2008, 12:55:08 AM
I think Coach Eslinger will have a great shot at succeeding at CalTech.  He definitely has the proper experience for the job, being at MIT for the past 6 years.  Given that MIT has better talent, I still think the same game plan employed by Coach Anderson and Coach Eslinger at MIT could work at CalTech.  That is emphasizing defense.  Not everyone can be a skilled offensive player, but defense, rebounding, and hustle is something you can build your team on even if you have only a couple of scoring options.  As it says on the front page "Nearly every season under Eslinger, MIT has ranked nationally in the top 10 in field goal percentage defense, scoring defense, [and] rebounding margin." Controlling the tempo of the game (slow), running set pieces every time you dont get something in transition, rebounding, and defense: thats how MIT was successful even when they had less talented teams and thats what I think Caltech's best chance is also.  If you cant get your team to buy into defense, you will at least give yourself a chance in most games.

Good luck in Pasadena, at least you wont have to worry about the snow this winter.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on September 23, 2008, 08:54:50 PM
Eslinger also gets a mention on ESPN TrueHoop for some work he did on his blog:

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop?tag=phoenix%20suns
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 09, 2008, 09:24:49 PM
Jimmy Bartolotta (MIT) and Craig Johnson (CGA) were named honorable mention All-Americans by The Sporting News.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 09, 2008, 09:37:27 PM
Former MIT assistant and now CalTech head coach, Oliver Eslinger, in a new interview:
http://interviewbasketball.com/2008/10/09/oliver-eslinger/

In related news, MIT has hired former Carnegie Mellon assistant, and Irish SuperLeague standout, Kevin Byrne to replace Eslinger.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on October 22, 2008, 08:38:03 PM
MIT's initial roster is up....but no Ted Eby!  Any ideas why?  Hugenerd...any insight on this?

http://mitathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/mit-m-baskbl-mtt.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 23, 2008, 12:45:58 AM
Quote from: massd3fan on October 22, 2008, 08:38:03 PM
MIT's initial roster is up....but no Ted Eby!  Any ideas why?  Hugenerd...any insight on this?

http://mitathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/mit-m-baskbl-mtt.html


Yeah, I didnt want to bring it up but I believe that he isnt playing.  He was on the roster, along with the other recruits, until October 15 (first day of practice) at which time he did not show up.  I dont know Ted Eby and I havent talked to the coaches about him, other than hearing that he isnt playing, so I dont know the reason for his absence.  I think I heard he is doing crew.

Since he was listed as a top 150 player in the northeast coming out of high school and he went to MIT (he was listed as a top 10 "steal" by the northeast recruiting report), it makes you think that he may not have intended on playing basketball at all and was a bit dishonest with the coaching staff recruiting him.  I feel bad for the Coach Anderson, his staff, and players who were counting on him to be there this season, but I know they wont dwell on it. 

I still think MIT will be solid this season and compete for the NEWMAC title. The still have, arguably, the best player in the region and 4 of there 5 starters are seniors. Alot will depend on who will step into that last starting spot at the 2 or 3 and what kind of play they get out of their freshman.  Of their returning non-injured players (see below), other than the 4 seniors, only 1 has played significant minutes and that is backup PG Patrick Sissman. Their weakness will again be depth, as they are also without injured sophomore Dan McCue who played an increasing role as a freshman last year.  They are going to need someone to step up as a backup big also.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on October 23, 2008, 07:53:04 AM
Hugenerd,

   Thank you for the info.  What insight do you have on other teams in this conference.  Can WPI reload after graduating their front line?  Can Coast Guard replace all the seniors  that they lost?  Can Babson step up and challenge?

I had heard Clark had grabbed a couple of good recruits in the 6'5"-6'6" range, WPI has a big group of frosh coming in and Babson had at least 3 quality recruits ready to go.  Im not sure what CGA has coming in this year.  Does Wheaton have anyone big to besides Leo to compliment Coppola?

   Right now, on paper it would look as though MIT would be a favorite, but Not having Eby changes the dynamic there, no doubt.   I think people were looking at 6'10, 6'8" & 6,8" along with Bartolotta and figuring the confernce was theirs for the taking.  It maybe just a bit more difficult now without an Eby to handle the middle.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 23, 2008, 02:42:38 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on October 23, 2008, 07:53:04 AM
Hugenerd,

   Thank you for the info.  What insight do you have on other teams in this conference.  Can WPI reload after graduating their front line?  Can Coast Guard replace all the seniors  that they lost?  Can Babson step up and challenge?

I had heard Clark had grabbed a couple of good recruits in the 6'5"-6'6" range, WPI has a big group of frosh coming in and Babson had at least 3 quality recruits ready to go.  Im not sure what CGA has coming in this year.  Does Wheaton have anyone big to besides Leo to compliment Coppola?

   Right now, on paper it would look as though MIT would be a favorite, but Not having Eby changes the dynamic there, no doubt.   I think people were looking at 6'10, 6'8" & 6,8" along with Bartolotta and figuring the confernce was theirs for the taking.  It maybe just a bit more difficult now without an Eby to handle the middle.

I am not as familiar with the other teams in the NEWMAC as I used to be.  I know WPI lost a few of their top players but they always seem to have depth. Coast Guard also lost some of their top players but has Johnson back.  Wheaton has some top returning players.  Looks pretty up for grabs at this point.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on October 23, 2008, 02:59:01 PM
Hugenerd,

Thanks for your input!  I have to say, you win the best login id name contest!

Anyone out there who shed some more light on the state of the teams in the NEWMAC?   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on October 30, 2008, 01:03:01 PM
A couple more rosters are up :

Springfield:

http://www.spfldcol.edu/homepage/athletics.nsf/Mens-Basketball-Roster

looks like 7 freshmen on the roster for Coach Brock.


Babson:

http://babsonathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2008-09/roster

8 Freshmen !


Wheaton:

http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/athletics/basketballm/roster.html
(Looks Like returning players only at this point)

any other news or "rumors" out there ?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NE3Hoops on November 02, 2008, 05:52:58 PM
Rumor's from the NEWMAC.

Springfield's recruiting class is all quanity not quality, they didn't bring in anyone to replace the talent they lost in the back court. Loosing assistant coach Jon Furbush will hurt them as well.

Wheaton luckily landed a great recruit with Worcester Acadmey's Weeks, as his scholarship offers feel through at end of the recruiting cycle. They should be soild in the backcourt playing Weeks with Coppola and Sasso.

MIT's class was awesome. But I thier top recruit is not playing this year. Very strange. Again depth is going to kill this team.

Babson's class is dynamite. Lambros Papalambros and Kris Noonan are a couple of top recruits from New England but Marcus Edwards ( 2008-09 NEWMAC rookie of the year) and Matt Florio are recruits from out of the region that no one knew about and they add a tremendous amount of depth to the class.  A couple of other local role kids round out thier class (Jake Gruber, Tom Lavin). Credit last years assistant Mike Smiley for bringing in Babson's best class since 2000. Losing him will hurt this program too.

Will find out more about WPI and Clark.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on November 02, 2008, 09:12:22 PM
NE#Hoops,

   Thanks for the update. I did hear that WPI was supposed to scrimmage Assumption on Friday, but I have not heard anything about how it went.

   I am not sure if Clark or Coast Guard has scrimmaged yet.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 07, 2008, 10:11:23 AM
Congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta for being named 2nd team all-american by d3hoops and Craig Johnson for being named 4th team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on November 13, 2008, 04:15:39 PM
Clark's roster is finally posted, but it seems a few names might be missing from last year...anyone know anything?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: backboard on November 14, 2008, 12:50:25 PM
Usually Babson scrimmages Wentworth, does anyone know how that went?  I'll see what I can find out too
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: golflax99 on November 15, 2008, 02:19:15 AM
Quote from: backboard on November 14, 2008, 12:50:25 PM
Usually Babson scrimmages Wentworth, does anyone know how that went?  I'll see what I can find out too

They scrimmaged Tuesday night @ Wentworth. Babson freshmen looked good for the most part. A little inconsistency on offense, but they are still getting used to eachother on the court. It seems as if atleast 4 of the freshmen will get significant PT. As soon as Babson gets comfortable with a consistent PG, they will be a big threat in the NEWMAC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2008, 08:07:23 PM
MIT handled Emmaneul today 82-60.  Dou Soumare led the team with 28 points (9-10 fg) and 15 boards.  Jimmy B had a solid game (although he honestly didnt play that well offensively).  He had 20 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, 7 steals and 2 blocks.  Brad Gampel led the team well with 9 points, 8 assists, 7 steals, and 6 boards.  Jamie Karraker had a nice debut with 15 points.  MIT played without their starting power forward, Bill Johnson, due to injury.  He will now be referred to as Mr. Glass by me in all subsequent posts.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jamiejohn on November 17, 2008, 09:06:22 AM
Looks like mit might be better with out johnson, Soumare looks much improved. Big win for them beating emmaneul by 22
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 17, 2008, 01:01:44 PM
Quote from: jamiejohn on November 17, 2008, 09:06:22 AM
Looks like mit might be better with out johnson, Soumare looks much improved. Big win for them beating emmaneul by 22

They played well but I think Johnson will be a big help.  He is one of their only 3 big men and Soumare had to play 39 minutes in his absence.  I think they will be much better with him in the lineup in the long term.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: scout on November 19, 2008, 08:24:58 AM
Any predictions for tonight's MIT-Gordon game?

Obviously, MIT returns its top three scorers and is a solid squad this year. Gordon lost three starters from last year, but retain a POY candidate in the CCC in Aaron Trigg.

Just interested in some dialogue.

Also, I think Gordon streams the video of their home games on their athletics website. They did it last year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 19, 2008, 10:38:14 AM
MIT should win if they stay out of foul trouble, in my opinion.  Gordan has more size, but I doubt they have any big man as athletic as Soumare.  He completely dominated the interior against some pretty good Emmaneul post men on Saturday (28 pts, 9-10 FG, 15 rebounds). Jimmy B. is also a constant, he will score 20 even if he has a bad game but I doubt he will have two bad games in a row.  I am not sure if Johnson (their third leading scorer from last year) will play, he was out in the opener, but he put a lot of time in during the offseason and he should be a major contributor if he can go.  If not, Karraker will have to step up again like he did on Saturday.

I dont know that much about Gordon, except they have a younger team this year (1 senior) and its tough to draw any conclusions from their game against Eastern Nazarene (a team that has averaged 21 losses a year the last 4 years).

I think it will be a close game, but, as I said earlier, MIT wins if they stay out of foul trouble.  MIT is playing on the road, however, so you never know, the calls could go Gordon's way.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 19, 2008, 08:42:41 PM
My comment on the refs now seems prophetic.  Bartollota and Soumare dont play for significant time in the second half with 4 fouls. Then, Bartollota fouls out on a week side ball screen with less than a minute left and MIT up by 2 with the ball (it was a very weak call).  On the next posession, Gordon ties the game.

Game looks like its going to OT.  MIT with the ball at half court with 1 second left.  MIT will obviously be without Bartollota. Soumare with 4 fouls.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 19, 2008, 09:26:39 PM
MIT loses in OT 77-69. MIT didnt get a single call in OT while Gordon shot what seemed like 8 or 10 FTs (I dont have the actual stats).

Bartolotta fouls out for just the fourth time in 84 career games (he had one each of the past 3 years, this is the first time he has fouled out since his freshman year in a game that did not at least go to a single OT) and for the first time in his career on the road.  This is the quickest he has ever fouled out, 26 minutes (previous low was 32 his fresman year). That last foul call on Bartolotta was especially ridiculous. It was a petty call that could probably be made on either team on every posession of the game that happened to be called on the best player on the court for the visiting team with less than a minute to go in a very close game. I hate when refs make calls that directly effect the outcome of the game when a there is no reason to make a call.  If he had hacked someone going to the basket or fouled someone causing a turnover or did anything that made any difference I wouldnt mind, but that was just an awful call.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 20, 2008, 08:50:47 PM
Big win tonight for WPI.  I was able to catch some of the game online and WPI played well in the first half and were able to hold on in the second.  They were really able to get penetration and make layups or kickouts.  They also did a good job converting against the press. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: deiscanton on November 20, 2008, 09:13:43 PM
Hello Hugenerd

I watched the entire game between WPI and Rhode Island College on-line.  RIC coach Bob Walsh and RIC player Tyrell Hill basically admitted in the post-game that RIC was simply not ready from the opening tip to play WPI at the level of intensity in the first half that WPI played.   Coach Walsh described it in the post-game in mental terms that RIC as a team showed up to play a "walk-in-the-park" game, and WPI showed up for a dog-fight.  WPI simply outhustled RIC in the first half. 

Near the end of the game with 40 seconds left, you probably could make the case that WPI turned the ball over out of bounds and that there was not a foul before the turnover, but I thought that a correct call was made that a foul by RIC caused the WPI player to step out of bounds-- therefore, no turnover and WPI goes to the line.  Obvously, RIC disagreed, but the result of that call, even if overturned, would not have affected the outcome of the game-- WPI won this game in the first half.

Brandeis at WPI on Saturday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 20, 2008, 09:17:36 PM
Lets see if Brandeis can come back from the loss at Laselle to play like their ranking.  Should be a statement game for both teams early in the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 20, 2008, 10:12:41 PM
Congrats to Jimmy B for going over 1500 points for his career in the loss to Gordon.  He is on pace to be the first 2000 point scorer in MIT history (school record is 1699). He is now 10 points away from being alone as 3rd on the all time list.

Tonights MIT Fun Fact: Brad Gampel has 12 steals on the season, putting him one-sixth the way to the school record in just 2 games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on November 22, 2008, 07:56:18 PM
MIT defeated Rose Hulman in the MSOE tournament tonight, 69-43. 

Live stats are (were?) here:

http://livestats.prestosports.com/rosehulman/

At the moment, WPI leads Brandeis 64-50, 5:06 left.  67-53, 3:32.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 22, 2008, 08:44:39 PM
Two big wins for WPI this week.  They were very impressive.

MIT ends up winning going away.  Billy Johnson plays for the first time this season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: golflax99 on November 23, 2008, 01:19:29 PM
How about this start to the season for the NEWMAC?

All 7 teams have a winning record and are a combined 20-5.

Babson, Clark & MIT all play in Championship games today of Tip-off Tourneys, wonder if they can go 3-0.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 23, 2008, 04:28:53 PM
MIT trails by 6 at the half in Milwaukee.  They really seem to be playing subpar.  Soumare has gotten in a bit of foul trouble and MSOE's post guy had gone off.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on November 23, 2008, 06:00:18 PM
Milwaukee Engineering beat MIT 69-64.  MIT took a 4-point lead in the second half but couldn't close it out as 3 players fouled out (Johnson, Tucker, and in the last minute Somare).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: golflax99 on November 23, 2008, 06:14:12 PM
Babson wins its annual Invitational Tournament for the first time since 2004 beating Union 68-58. Underclassmen for Babson gave them 55 of thier 68 points. They have three freshman starting for them and one playing 15+ minutes off the bench. This young team led by Senior Zach Etten is looking like they have some real potential. As a team they are averaging 5 more assists per game than last season and they seem to have a lot team chemistry already.

Babson (3-0) hosts a very talented Emerson (2-0) team Tuesday night, this should be a great game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on November 24, 2008, 09:26:08 AM
Good Day,

  I finally got out to see a game.  I attended the WPI/Brandeis game on Sat.  I was really excited at seeing the WPI team that had already knocked off one top 20 team play another.  I figured Brandeis would really be up after losing their opener.  Just a few thoughts from an older school guy.

   The game was a great win for WPI, but I do have to admit I was very disappointed with Brandeis.  As I just posted in the UAA forum, I guess their ranking was way off, at least to start the season.  They seem like a team that does not yet understand who they are.  I was amazed at the fact Deluca was not the focal point of their offense, especially in those critical possesions when they could have made the game close.  He missed a shot to open the 2nd half, and then Hollins got a nice low post basket, and the game was a 4 point game.  Deluca then took just one other shot for almost 7 minutes.  Granted, WPI was playing good defense, but we are talking about a first team All-american who is capable of getting off his shot.

For WPI, this is a great start, beating 2 ranked teams inside of 3 days!  I would assume they should be in that top 25 when its updated.  Their seniors are doing a great job and Adam Lirette may be the toughest kid I have seen on court in a long time.  It seems like every minute or two, he is only the floor after taking a charge, diving for a ball, or contorting himself to get off a shot.  Also Ben Etten is fierce defender and not afraid to mix it up underneath.

WPI did a great job of shooting in the 2nd half (70%).  Their help defense was fantastic, but I would think a team who really commits to the low post game will give them trouble.  Also, while they have won all their games, I noticed looking at the box scores that they have been out rebounded in every game.  They only have 2 players over 6'4" and only one appears to be in the normal playing rotation.  This will be an issue for them on nights when they are not shooting the lights out.

I will say this, I was hearing this was a rebuilding year at WPI, If that is true, looks like they have done a good job!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 24, 2008, 11:01:04 AM
Quote from: massd3fan on November 24, 2008, 09:26:08 AM
Good Day,

  I finally got out to see a game.  I attended the WPI/Brandeis game on Sat.  I was really excited at seeing the WPI team that had already knocked off one top 20 team play another.  I figured Brandeis would really be up after losing their opener.  Just a few thoughts from an older school guy.

   The game was a great win for WPI, but I do have to admit I was very disappointed with Brandeis.  As I just posted in the UAA forum, I guess their ranking was way off, at least to start the season.  They seem like a team that does not yet understand who they are.  I was amazed at the fact Deluca was not the focal point of their offense, especially in those critical possesions when they could have made the game close.  He missed a shot to open the 2nd half, and then Hollins got a nice low post basket, and the game was a 4 point game.  Deluca then took just one other shot for almost 7 minutes.  Granted, WPI was playing good defense, but we are talking about a first team All-american who is capable of getting off his shot.

For WPI, this is a great start, beating 2 ranked teams inside of 3 days!  I would assume they should be in that top 25 when its updated.  Their seniors are doing a great job and Adam Lirette may be the toughest kid I have seen on court in a long time.  It seems like every minute or two, he is only the floor after taking a charge, diving for a ball, or contorting himself to get off a shot.  Also Ben Etten is fierce defender and not afraid to mix it up underneath.

WPI did a great job of shooting in the 2nd half (70%).  Their help defense was fantastic, but I would think a team who really commits to the low post game will give them trouble.  Also, while they have won all their games, I noticed looking at the box scores that they have been out rebounded in every game.  They only have 2 players over 6'4" and only one appears to be in the normal playing rotation.  This will be an issue for them on nights when they are not shooting the lights out.

I will say this, I was hearing this was a rebuilding year at WPI, If that is true, looks like they have done a good job!

WPI's size may be an issue on the national scene but it wont be that important in the NEWMAC.  The entire league is small and guard-oriented.  If they are really as good as they have played the first couple of games, they shouldnt have much of a problem performing well in conference.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on November 25, 2008, 02:24:42 PM
From what I am seeing looking at Lasell, that WPI height issue will be put to the test tonight.  Jose Guitian will test that WPI small "D".  Anyone going to this game tonight?  It would be interesting to see how WPI defends him.  Should be a good game!

Some other games tonight involving NEWMAC teams:

Babson (3-0) Vs Emerson (2-0)

Wheaton (3-1) Vs Salem St. (3-0)

Clark (2-2) Vs Anna Maria (2-2)

MIT (2-2)  Vs Curry (0-3)







Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 25, 2008, 02:32:57 PM
I dont think WPI will have a problem with Lasell.  My prediction is a 75-62 WPI victory.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 25, 2008, 07:40:36 PM
I was a bit off on the spread, but WPI edges Lasell tonight 78-77.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on November 25, 2008, 08:24:02 PM
WPI got lucky tonight, but at the same time they did a great job giving themselves an opportunity to grab a win by fighting back from an 11 point deficit midway through the 2d half after squandering a 3 point halftime lead.

Lasell was up one and had the ball with 28 seconds left, and 25 on the shot clock.  They got it in to Guitian above the top of the key and rather than working the clock he immediately took a jumper and missed.   WPI got the rebound and had a chance to call a timeout and set up a play.  The WPI play broke down, however, and Etten alertly penetrated into the key and squeezed up a jumper in traffic in the lane with the clock winding..a very clutch shot.  Lasell inbounded the ball with 6 seconds left and threw the ball away but the refs said WPI's coach had called a timeout before the ball was inbounded and awarded the ball to Lasell for a second chance.  Lasell got the ball quickly up court in the hands of guard Charles Horton, who had been money all night.  Horton had some space to take a 3 or go to the hoop but he passed to Guitian for some reason and time ran out before he could get a shot off from deep in the corner.  I don' t know why Horton didn't take the shot himself since he had some space and he was deadly from 3 point land all night long.

Another scrappy win for WPI in a game when their outside shooting wasn't on and they were consistently missing layups when they penetrated to the hoop (attributable to a lot of body checking defense by Lasell that was let go by the refs). 

I thought WPI's 2 freshmen forwards--Fernando Perez and Jerome Stewart--played very well. Both are physically mature for their years, and neither backed down to the Lasell big men.  Stewart is the better one defensively and on the boards, while Perez, a lefty, has a very good offensive game.  In fact, he got open down on the blocks a bunch of times but the WPI guards either missed him or found him too late--the Engineers need to work on that because this kid works too hard to get position not to get rewarded.  Etten, Kirkland and Lirette played their typical complete game for WPI and showed a lot of leadership.  Finally, sophomore guard Jeff Robinson continues to improve and gain confidence.  He'll be a good replacement for Lirette next year along with classmate Kyle Nadeau. 


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 25, 2008, 09:02:16 PM
MIT beat Curry 90-63 tonight.  Jimmy Bartolotta went for 43 points (8-12 from 3), 5 reb, 5 assists.

The 43 points by Bartolotta is an MIT single-game record that had stood for 46 years.  The previous record of 41 was held by the one and only David Koch.  For those of you who dont know who David Koch is, you have probably heard of people he is richer than (such as Donald Trump).  Koch is currently the richest resident of New York ($10 B) and he and his brother own the largest privately owned company in the world, Koch Industries.  He also has at least 3 buildings or programs (1 under construction, the Koch Cancer Institute) named after him at MIT and is still a prominent figure at MIT (there is a portrait of him in the lobby of the chemical engineering building, the bio building is the Koch Building, there is also the Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice).  I heard a rumor that there would be a reward for anyone who broke the record, but that is just speculation.


He also tied a record for most 3s in a game with 8.
Congrats
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 25, 2008, 09:13:03 PM
Nice win tonight for Babson, 94-89.  Shannon went for 42 for Emerson, but Babson had a solid attack led by Zach Etten with 22.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: golflax99 on November 25, 2008, 09:28:24 PM
The NEWMAC is looking veryy strong.

Babson tonight may not have been able to contain Shannon (42 points!?), but they dominated Emerson on the boards. Also Babson shot 11-16 (69%) from three, including a 5 for 5 performance by Shelton Ladson. Both teams looked very strong offensively and if the refs weren't calling a lot of small hand check fouls, I think both teams would have scored over 100 points. There were a combined 52 free throws taken in the game, including an 11-11 line from Zach Etten. Hmm.

NEWMAC is now a combined 25 - 7 to start the season.

NESCAC is a combined 21 - 15.

I'll let those numbers speak for themselves.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on November 26, 2008, 10:28:36 PM
Golflax

That is an interesting stat, though I think it will have more value once we get a little deeper into the season, and see how good the teams are that the NEWMAC and NESCAC teams beat. I will see if I can take a closer look at that, as I want to use that note when Hoopsville debuts Sunday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on December 02, 2008, 11:40:51 AM
Congratulations to WPI for jumping up to #17 in the poll!

Nice work by all the NEWMAC teams, 28-9 heading into tonight's games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on December 02, 2008, 01:10:28 PM
In case anyone didn't know, the composite schedule is here:

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2008-09/schedule

and the league standings are here:

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2008-09/standings


The highly useful d3boards team pages (also containing links to the school's web site) are:

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/BAB/mens/2009

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/CLRK/mens/2009

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/CGA/mens/2009

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/MIT/m/2009

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/SPF/mens/2009

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/WTMA/mens/2009

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/WPI/mens/2009

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 02, 2008, 10:15:37 PM
MIT loses tonight to salem state after leading at the half.  Bartolotta put up big numbers as usual but for the second game in a row, MIT was without their only big man, Dou Soumare.  I dont know why he is out but his absence is really killing them.  They have no other post player (Billy Johnson may be 6'8" but his game is outside).  Unfortunately for MIT, their 2nd, 3rd and 4th best post players are all playing intramurals (Eric Bracht, Ted Eby, Adam Juneau).  Hopefully Soumare's injury (or absence) isnt season threatening and MIT can begin to play well going into NEWMAC action.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ac08 on December 02, 2008, 10:17:54 PM
Flax,
The NESCAC has been uncharacteristically weak to start the season and the NEWMAC has been very good but I agree with atn's advice of waiting until a bit later in the season before letting the numbers speak. Maybe change is coming, but until things get sorted out the NESCAC remains the jewel of the Northeast.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jamiejohn on December 03, 2008, 09:01:56 AM
Bracht still goes to school at MIT, he was a very good player has a freshman.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 03, 2008, 11:57:14 AM
Quote from: jamiejohn on December 03, 2008, 09:01:56 AM
Bracht still goes to school at MIT, he was a very good player has a freshman.

Yeah, that was my point.  All 3 of those players (who are big men) all still go to MIT and are not playing on the varsity team. If you added 3 solid big men to MITs squad, they would be much more well rounded and consistent.  Unfortunately, you have to play with what you are dealt, which in Coach Anderson's case, is a bunch of big men who dont love playing basketball.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 04, 2008, 10:59:58 PM
MIT beats Lesley tonight 76-43.  The game was very close, but was blow open after a 10-0 run in the second half after Lesley had cut it to 10.  It was almost comical on some plays when Bartolotta would drive (meaning 1 or 2 dribbles) and 3 defenders would collapse on him and MIT pretty much just had wide open 3s all night.  In my opinion, Lesley paid too much attention to him, it probably would have been a bit closer if they had not have helped so much. I dont have the stats, but my guess would be that Bartolotta took less than 10 shots (or thereabout) the whole game and still ended with 20 points.

WPI lost tonight to Salem State in a close game, the northeast appears to be very even (see the top 25 board for my comments on that).

Looks like the NEWMAC is up this year with every team .500 or better at this point.

Should be a good season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on December 04, 2008, 11:58:33 PM
Bartolotta took 10 FG attempts and 10 foul shots.

http://athletics.lesley.edu/sports/mbkb/2008-09/stats/boxscores/lum08.htm

http://www.d3hoops.com/releases.php?release=mhewtz38x1atnh3e

I'm surprised Salem State beat WPI.  Chris Harvey is a very good coach (at Salem State).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 05, 2008, 12:34:09 AM
Thanks. The boxscore further solidifies my point: 28 of MIT's 55 shots were 3s, and all of them were wide open because of the ridiculous amount of attention they were giving Bartolotta (MIT didnt shoot that well making only 9).  Literally, if they swung the ball to Bartolotta and then swung the ball back to the other side, MIT either had a wide open 3 or a 4 on 2 with 2 lesley players scrambling to get back in the play.

I also learned that Dou Soumare is out (and has been the last 3 games) indefinitely, but not due to injury or academic reasons.  It is not exactly clear what is going on but I hope he returns as soon as his situation allows.  MIT really has no other big men.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on December 05, 2008, 08:36:46 AM
Hugenerd,

   After a late appointment, I managed to get to the 2nd half of the Salem St./WPI game last night.  Dylan Holmes of Salem St. lived up to the billing.  A 6'8" player that WPI really had no answers for. He & Nick Linear led Salem back into the lead and then cemented the game down the stretch.  My earlier comments about WPI's size were realized last night.  As I said, I only saw the 2nd half, but Salem dominated the boards.  Looking at the box score this morning, it was a 23-14 advantage for Salem St.  The difficult part for WPI was if you combined their inside guy's rebounds, the only account for 2 boards in the entire 2nd half.

   Another area the Engineers must improve on is free throws.  They lose this game by 4 points and went 18 for 30 at the line, including 10 misses in the 2nd half.

   Salem St looks to me like a very solid all around team.  They have good group coming off the bench and  appear to have a couple of "goto" guys.  That was something WPI seemed to be missing in the game's final minutes.

Scanning the box scores, I see Wheaton posted another win as did Coast Guard.  Anthony Coppola off to a great start averaging over 24 ppg.  They are also getting For Coast Guard, two players scoring 20+ and neither one was named Craig Johnson!  Johnson is averaging a double-double (22.7ppg/11.3rpg) and Jevon James is close to the same feat (9.1ppg/9.3rpg).

Clark got upended by Worcester St.  You have have already touched on MIT's win. 

I read your post about the MIT big men all playing intramurals, what seems to be the issue there, is there a general lack of comitting to the inside game?  I think that is something in general that has beem a trend in the past years.  Good Low post play seems to be a lost art. Even when a team seems to have a player who can perform well there, they seem to lack the real commitment to working the inside game.  It was actually refreshing to me to see Salem make the effort with Holmes last night. (Pardon the ramblin on, I grew up seeing Jabbar, Chamberlain, Walton, etc  even in college with Sampson, Ewing, Olajuwon  etc....anyone else old enough to remember seeing Wes Unseld set screens? )


I think there are goint to be some great conference games in the NEWMAC when we get to January! 

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 05, 2008, 10:57:38 AM
In the case of MIT, unfortunately for them, I think they have just had a streak of players who dont want to put in the time and make the commitment.  The just dont love playing basketball which is pretty essential at the d3 level.  I actually missed one player in my previous post.  If they had had no one quit, the would have 6'9" senior Adam Juneau, 6'7" Junior Eric Bracht (former NEWMAC ROY), their top recruit last year who was 6'8" and quit before the season started (I forget his name), and this year's top recruit, 6'10" Ted Eby.  Add to that that their only remaning true post player, Dou Soumare, is on personal leave from the team and MIT is pretty much out of luck in the post player department.

As for WPI, they will be fine in the NEWMAC, the best post players in the league arent that big (Craig Johnson is listed at 6'6" but I think he may be an inch shorter than that in reality).

Salem State is really coming on strong, both MIT and WPI had chances to beat them over the last couple of days but they couldnt pull it out.  If Salem State beats undefeated Gordon on Saturday, look for them to get some serious votes in the top 25 poll.  The game is at Gordon, though, and they have some seriously homer refs up there, so anything could happen.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 05, 2008, 10:17:15 PM
Anyone who's interested in watching two of the best players in NE face off against eachother should come to MIT tomorrow at 3 to see Tufts vs. MIT.  Jon Pierce and Jimmy Bartolotta have both been playing really well in the early season, so it should be a good matchup.  As an added bonus, Bartolotta is only 9 points away from breaking the career scoring record for MIT (1700), so you can (potentially) come watch as he further rewrites the MIT record books.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 06, 2008, 05:41:03 PM
MIT pulled out the victory 79-66 this afternoon.  The game was really close in the first half and Tufts went into halftime up 4.  There was a play at the end of the half that seemed to be a game changer.  Bartolotta attempted to take a charge close to half court on Pierce, when Pierce was dribbling full speed down the court, and there was a huge collision between the all-americans.  The play was called a block on Bartolotta (which was questionable), but Pierce seemed to take exception with the play and kind of came after Bartolotta after the play.  There were no T's handed out at that point, but in the second half the refs seemed to call the game closer after that altercation.  There were a lot of fouls called, MIT had two players foul out (and had another injured in the first half), so they were down to only 6 players in uniform by the end of the game.  Things escalated a bit more late in the second half, when MIT was up 7 or 8, when Eric Zuk was on a breakaway and Pierce came in hard straight into Zuk's back.  He got a lot of the ball but also alot of body and sent Zuk flying into the hoop's supports.  They immediately calling a flagrant on Pierce, which he really disagreed with and starting complaining to the refs even more than he had been previously.  MIT continued to make free throws at the end of the game (there was a +13 FT advantage for MIT in the game, but at least 12 of those were intentional ones at the end of the game when Tufts was trying to come back), then with a minute left Pierce jumped into his defender on a 3, trying to get a call, and when he didnt, I guess he said the magic words and picked up a T (which was also his 5th foul). 

In terms of the game in general, I thought Tufts didnt pound it into Pierce in the post nearly enough, especially with MITs lack of size.  He is very skilled in the post and a great finisher, but they didnt seem to look for him that much there.  Bartolotta played well, but didnt force anything.  He only took 12 shots and MIT did a really good job of getting him the ball when Tufts was fouling at the end of the game, and letting their best player put the game away at the free throw line.

Also, Congratulations to Bartolotta for scoring his 1700th point and becoming MITs all time leading scorer (he now has 1722).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ILive4This on December 08, 2008, 12:34:13 PM
So the North East Region Posters' Poll is back, if you are interested in participating, which clearly you are, please submit your polls to either my email or my message box here by 9pm mondays (so for this week tonight, sorry for the short notice).

Thanks
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 08, 2008, 02:34:30 PM
Bartolotta is named NEWMAC player of the week:

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2008-2009/mbkbweekly12082008
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on December 09, 2008, 02:54:24 PM
WPI hanging on in the top 20 at #19.

Coast Guard still the only other NEWMAC team garnering any votes.

NEWMAC still looking pretty good -  overall record 40-16
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 09, 2008, 09:03:20 PM
MIT wins 65-57.  Bartolotta has 27, Shannon had 17.  I will go more in depth about the game later.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 09, 2008, 11:11:44 PM
MIT 65- 57

Sorry for the long post but I thought I would go a bit more in depth since I got to see the much hyped Jeremy Shannon play against MIT's All-American, Jimmy Bartolotta, tonight.

The first half was completely dominated by MIT.  Bartolotta played like he usually does and scored 17 points in the first frame, almost outscoring the entire Emerson team (18 first half points).  MIT did a good job of helping when Shannon drove, and held him to 6 points in the opening frame.  Halftime score: MIT 37- Emerson 18.

The second half started the same way, as MIT built a 26 point lead three minutes into the half.  However, Emerson never quit, and when MIT got a bit tired, Emerson picked up the pressure and put a pretty good run together cutting into the lead and getting it to single digits with 5 minutes left in the game.  Part of the problem for MIT was that Emerson paid a lot more attention to Bartolotta in the second half, and he tried to pass to his open teammates but the shots just werent falling.  After a while of that, Bartolotta went out of his game a little and forced some shots up that he usually doesnt, which also were not falling.  So in a sense, it was a perfect storm for Emerson in that they started playing much better and MIT went ice cold, however, the 26 point deficit was too much to overcome.  In the last five minutes it was back and force.  Shannon really started forcing the ball into the paint and the MIT guards were too slow or tired to stay with him and the MIT help defenders werent as fresh as in the first half and were therefore late getting over and fouled a lot of the time.  I think Shannon scored 7 of his 11 second half points at the line and ended up with 17.  Bartolotta finished with 27.  Both players shot about 40% from the field. 

In terms of Shannon, he really is a good point guard.  I have never seen a single player handle the ball so much for his team.  Shannon must have the ball in his hands at least 75% (safe estimate) of the time during Emerson's posessions. Unfortunately for Emerson, on that team he cant play a true point.  He is forced to be a scorer but he really seems to excel at breaking people down and setting up his teammates, which doesnt always work.   He defintely has a lot of talent and he could be a very good leader on better team (he seems like somebody who could average double digit assists on a good team).  He is extremely quick, has a good handle and court vision, but I do not think he is a true scorer, and it seemed like, at least to me, that he didnt want to force his shot until he had to.  With that said, he does have some weaknesses: he was careless at times with the ball comitting 7 turnovers for the second game in a row, a couple of which were taken from him by MITs point guard Gampel when he was trying to do some fancy moves, and he is not a great shooter (I can see how he would get a lot of layups with his quickness, thus inflating his FG%, and most of his shots tonight were from within 10 feet but, overall, his shot did not appear that great, many of his shots were off balance and even his set shot wasnt that good looking). 

Just to sum things up, Emerson may win alot of games this year, but they are not going to be a great team regardless of what they do in their conference.  They have no size (MIT was bigger than them and they again played without Dou Soumare, their center. This is the first game that I have seen that MIT has had a size advantage on their opponent.  Shannon, by default, got 9 rebounds, 8 defensive, because there is no one to rebound the ball on the team so he would have to go in there and help out and he is not a very big guy), they dont have very much depth, and they dont take care of the ball.  This is not a team that would be able to play with a top level d3 team with depth.  The way MIT was defending Shannon worked, the problem is that they just didnt have depth to continue it for the entire game.  If you always have good help defense so that Shannon cannot penetrate deep into the lane and you dont foul him he is going to be held down in most games because (at least tonight) did not look at all for any type of pull up shot.  Shannon is a very good player though, but it may be hard to gauge how good he really could be if he were playing his true position and not having to do a lot of scoring also.  With that said, he is definitely someone who could put up huge numbers if he is allowed to dribble wherever he wants and get easy, open shots.

I also think that it is not easy, or fair to compare Shannon to Bartolotta.  They are very different players: Shannon is really a true point and Bartolotta plays anywhere from shooting guard to power forward, but mainly the forward positions due to the situation of the current MIT squad (specifically, their lack of size). 

As for Bartolotta, I dont think he had one of his better games overall offensively.  In the first half he certainly showed how great a player he is on both ends of the court, but in the second half he didnt play that well.  His stat line is still very impressive, 27 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals and only 1 turnover.   Even on his bad nights he still has what would be a great night for many other good players.  He also is a very versatile, he scores, rebounds, assists and defends well (he ranks as one of the blocked shot  and steal leaders in the NEWMAC).  He pretty much does whatever his team needs of him to win games or be competitive.  In the first half he was just lighting it up from everywhere, but when the game got close in the second half, and MIT was having problems taking care of the ball, he even brought the ball up the court and seemed to calm the team down a bit.  I dont mean to overstate this (I know I do) or take anything away from his teammates, because other players on the team have been playing well, like Gampel, Johnson and Zuk, but he may mean more to this team than any player does to their team out there.  Even the other MIT players that are performing well are getting really great looks thanks to the double and triple teams Bartolotta draws every night.  Yet he still has yet to score less than 20 in a game this season (his low is 20, his high is 43 and he is averaging 27 points through 10 games).  He also averages  5.1 boards, 3.1 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.5 blocks a game, while shooting 51% from the field, 48% from 3 and 84% from the line.

I know I may be a bit biased but he is one of the top few players that I have seen in d3 over nearly the past decade and definitely the best I have seen in New England over the past 4 years. He just does everything.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on December 10, 2008, 11:28:22 AM
hugenerd, nice write up. 

Emerson plays a style you'd hate to have to go against, but I do enjoy watching that team.  Incredible in-your-shorts man defense, very quick guards, and they work for their shots diligently.  Playing them in their band box underground gym is like walking into a hornets nest.

Yes, even on open looks MIT was cold in the second half last night, otherwise the score never would have closed to under double digits.  Congrats to MIT for gutting out the win without Dou.

Congratulations to Springfield on defeating a very good Salem St. team, on a last second 3-pointer. Salem St. had wins over Bowdoin, MIT, WPI, and Gordon.

http://www.spfldcol.edu/homepage/athletics.nsf/Headline/86CCCA554C5792A08525751B000AF6B2
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 10, 2008, 12:21:42 PM
The Springfield victory was great for the NEWMAC.  Too bad CGA lost to a team they probably shoudnt have (Clark beat Becker earlier in the year).  3-2 night overall for the NEWMAC. WPI also picked up an easy win along with MIT and Springfield,  Clark lost to Brandeis by 9, which is a pretty good effort.  NEWMAC is now 43-18 overall out of conference.

NEWMAC record vs, other conferences (through 12/9/08):

13-2 CCC
6-1 GNAC
5-1 LEC
4-6 MASCAC
3-2 NECC
3-3 NESCAC
2-0 NAC
1-2 UAA (Brandeis)
6-1 Out of Region/non-D3
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: golflax99 on December 12, 2008, 02:57:40 PM
Great stats hugenerd. NEWMAC is looking great.

I meant to do this awhile back, but I wanted to congratulate Babson Senior Captain Zach Etten for scoring his 1,000th Point against Trinity on 11/30/08. Zach is now 19th on Babson's all time scoring list.

Also, another good win for Babson last night, they came back from a tough first half against a decent Lasell team who beat Brandeis early on and lost to WPI by one. Babson 71, Lasell 66.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 12, 2008, 03:21:21 PM
Quote from: T990 on December 10, 2008, 11:28:22 AM
hugenerd, nice write up. 

Emerson plays a style you'd hate to have to go against, but I do enjoy watching that team.  Incredible in-your-shorts man defense, very quick guards, and they work for their shots diligently.  Playing them in their band box underground gym is like walking into a hornets nest.

Yes, even on open looks MIT was cold in the second half last night, otherwise the score never would have closed to under double digits.  Congrats to MIT for gutting out the win without Dou.

Congratulations to Springfield on defeating a very good Salem St. team, on a last second 3-pointer. Salem St. had wins over Bowdoin, MIT, WPI, and Gordon.

http://www.spfldcol.edu/homepage/athletics.nsf/Headline/86CCCA554C5792A08525751B000AF6B2



Wow, I didnt realize Springfield was up by 21 in that game at the 15 minute mark of the second half only to go down by 1 with 6 minutes left (28-6 run over 9 minutes) and down by 6 with 3 left (34-7 run over 12 minutes).  Congrats to Springfield for not folding though, a lot of teams would have mailed it in after blowing a 21 point lead in a 9 minute span in the second half.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 03, 2009, 03:15:54 PM

MIT is hanging with Yale right now.  It might get out of hand as it comes down the stretch, but MIT is performing strongly against a D1 school.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 03, 2009, 04:33:26 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on January 03, 2009, 03:15:54 PM

MIT is hanging with Yale right now.  It might get out of hand as it comes down the stretch, but MIT is performing strongly against a D1 school.

MIT played really well today, although they ended up losing by 23 to d1 Yale.  It was still a 10 point game with 14 minutes to go in the game, but from there Yale's size and depth seemed to take over.  Jimmy Bartolotta put up 32 points in 35 minutes, along with 3 blocks, 3 steals, and 2 assists.  Pretty impressive showing by MIT considering they really only played 7 players and still don't have their best big man, Dou Soumare (at this point I dont know if he will be back).  Bartolotta's showing was also really impressive as he put up his usual numbers (actually slightly better) against d1 players.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 05, 2009, 10:20:37 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 03, 2009, 04:33:26 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on January 03, 2009, 03:15:54 PM

MIT is hanging with Yale right now.  It might get out of hand as it comes down the stretch, but MIT is performing strongly against a D1 school.

MIT played really well today, although they ended up losing by 23 to d1 Yale.  It was still a 10 point game with 14 minutes to go in the game, but from there Yale's size and depth seemed to take over.  Jimmy Bartolotta put up 32 points in 35 minutes, along with 3 blocks, 3 steals, and 2 assists.  Pretty impressive showing by MIT considering they really only played 7 players and still don't have their best big man, Dou Soumare (at this point I dont know if he will be back).  Bartolotta's showing was also really impressive as he put up his usual numbers (actually slightly better) against d1 players.

Just to follow up briefly on the Yale game.  I understand that Bartolotta's performance was in a 20 point loss, but the 32 points he scored against Yale was the only 30+ point game Yale has given up this year and only the 5th 20+ point game (the previous high Yale had given up to an individual was 22).  Below is a summary of the 5 20+ point games Yale has given up this year, their opponent, and the result of the game:

Alabama (3 point loss) - Gee had 20 points
Oregon State (1 point win) - Tarver had 21 points
Hampton (2 point loss) - Tolson had 21 points
Stanford (8 point loss) - Hill had 22 points
MIT (23 point win) - Bartolotta had 32 points

And for those of you who may argue that he scored most of his points in the second half, when the game was out of hand and he was playing against a 2nd or 3rd team player, that is not true: Bartolotta scored 16 points in the first half and had 24 points 6 minutes into the second half (when MIT only trailed by 10).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on January 05, 2009, 12:30:24 PM
HugeNerd:

Anyone who has seen Bartolatta play has to be impressed.  He is a complete player that makes his teammates better; he is really a D1 player.

I can't make the season opener at Wheaton (they are playing miserably at present), but wonder if you will be there (and thus will give us a full report)?  And where is Hamidou?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on January 05, 2009, 12:37:38 PM
The big question will be, what will Jimmy do after graduation? He is clearly an unbelievable basketball player, and he has got to have a brain in his head going to MIT as they don't have any preferential admissions to athletes. He will definitely win NEWMAC POY yet again and probably (and deservedly so) will be a D-3 All-American. As a NEWMAC alum, I wonder where he will end up after graduation.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 05, 2009, 03:05:14 PM
Quote from: LyonFan on January 05, 2009, 12:30:24 PM
HugeNerd:

Anyone who has seen Bartolatta play has to be impressed.  He is a complete player that makes his teammates better; he is really a D1 player.

I can't make the season opener at Wheaton (they are playing miserably at present), but wonder if you will be there (and thus will give us a full report)?  And where is Hamidou?

Dou is MIA, I dont know the exact reason, but he is away from the team currently for some personal reason that does not involve an injury.  His motivation has always been an issue even when he was playing so I wouldnt say this is a shock, but it is unfortunate, especially since his presence makes the team much more competitive (especially with so many seniors on the team).

As for the Wheaton game, I dont make road trips very often (and weekday games are usually difficult in general) because I have an infant daughter and a wife who is in medical school.  Therefore, I will probably pass along what every I hear if I talk to anyone who was there but will not be able to attend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 05, 2009, 03:08:54 PM
Quote from: clarkie on January 05, 2009, 12:37:38 PM
The big question will be, what will Jimmy do after graduation? He is clearly an unbelievable basketball player, and he has got to have a brain in his head going to MIT as they don't have any preferential admissions to athletes. He will definitely win NEWMAC POY yet again and probably (and deservedly so) will be a D-3 All-American. As a NEWMAC alum, I wonder where he will end up after graduation.

Just to clarify, he was not NEWMAC POY last year. Coleman won that last year on a tiebreaker vote as the coaches were split between him and Bartolotta.  Bartolotta was obviously the best player in the conference but some people believe that you need to be the best player on the best team to win that award.

I dont know what Jimmy will do next year but he will undoubtedly have some options.  I, personally, hope that he wins the Jostens this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 07, 2009, 09:18:22 PM
MIT wins tonight behind a very balanced attack.  They were led by Jimmy Bartolotta who scored 27 points on 8-14 shooting, also adding 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block.  Billy Johnson and Jamie Karraker each added 18 points, making 7 3s between them. Johnson also had 9 rebounds while Brad Gampel added 8 assists and 5 boards.  Wheaton was led by Coppola with 17 while Weeks and Sasso chipped in 15 and 14, respectively. MIT had 0 bench points and each of the starters played at least 36 minutes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 09, 2009, 12:04:25 PM
Wow, thanks to hugenerd's post on the Top 25 forum, there is a link to the NCAA statistics. 

http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/ranksummary

If you click on the most recent date under Basketball, you can find stats for the NEWMAC teams, or any D3 team.

Some Team stats of today (top 50 in USA):

Scoring Margin
MIT #35 11.5

FG %
MIT #37 48.8
Coast Guard #43 48.3

3-PT FGs made
MIT #49 8.2

Scoring Margin
MIT #35 11.5

FG %
MIT #37 48.8
Coast Guard #43 48.3

3-PT FGs %
MIT #30 40.2

3-PT FGs defense
Clark #41 0.284

FT %
Wheaton #17 77.1

Assists per game
MIT #9 18.1
Clark #33 16.4

Blocked shots per game
Springfield #26 4.5

Steals per game
MIT #21 11.5
Springfield #51 10.1

Turnover margin
Babson #21 5.5
WPI #42 4.2

Fouls per game
Coast Guard #33 15.8
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 09, 2009, 12:14:07 PM
Top 50 Individual stats of as today:

Points Per Game
#4 Jimmy Bartolotta, MIT  27.5
#23 Craig Johnson, Coast Guard  22.1
#38 Anthony Coppola, Wheaton (Mass.)  20.8

Field-Goal Percentage
#34 Craig Johnson, Coast Guard  58.6

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game
#39 Jimmy Bartolotta, MIT 3.2

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage
#27 Jimmy Bartolotta, MIT 46.7

Rebounds Per Game
#18 Craig Johnson, Coast Guard   10.7

Assists Per Game
#18 Bradley Gampel, MIT   6.4

Blocked Shots Per Game
#40 Ryan Coburn, Springfield 1.9

Steals Per Game
#13 Dan White, Springfield  3.2
#17 Bradley Gampel, MIT   3.1
#40 Jimmy Bartolotta, MIT  2.6





Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on January 09, 2009, 02:31:44 PM
Such links are also on the front page of D3hoops.com, labeled NCAA Stats, and have been for about a decade. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 09, 2009, 05:20:59 PM
Thanks for the link, Pat.  The data is organized differently on those 2 views.

I see that Grinnell is averaging an astounding 124 ppg! including an outrageous 163-145 win over Fontbonne!!!  Yet they have a 6-3 record.  Even in losing, they scored 106, 107, and 109 points!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 10, 2009, 04:57:39 PM
MIT used strong second half play from Billy Johnson and Jimmy Bartolotta to beat Babson this afternoon, 69-56.  In fact, Johnson and Bartolotta (59 points) outscored Babson between the two of them and the tandem scored 38 of MIT's 39 points in the second half (Johnson had 24 and Bartolotta had 14 in the 2nd half).  The game was really close the entire first half and Babson even grabbed a lead in the first few minutes of the 2nd half before MIT started playing shut down defense. Johnson played stellar in the second half, especially, ending up with 26 points (24 in the 2nd) on 7-11 shooting (2-2 from 3), 7 boards and 3 steals.  He had 2 dunks, the second one coming off a Bartolotta steal and save, that really ignited the crowd. Bartolotta was also efficient shooting the ball, ending up 12-17 from the field (5-8 from 3).  He also added 4 boards, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.  Brad Gampel did a good job running the team and ended up with 6 assists and only 2 turnovers.  Everyone on the team played tough defense, only allowing one Babson player to score in double figures (11 by Landson) and held one of the top players in the conference, Zach Etten, to 9 points on 2-6 shooting. Babson, as a team, shot 39% for the game and only 33% in the second half.

MIT is now 2-0 in league play (along with WPI, who beat Springfield today, and Clark, who beat CGA).  Bartolotta is averaging 30 ppg (shooting 20-31, 65%, from the field and 7-11, 64%, from 3), 6.5 rpg, 3 apg, 2.5 spg, and 1.5 bpg in the young conference season.

MIT plays Newbury next, on Monday, before starting a 4 game conference road trip. Babson plays Amherst on Monday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 12, 2009, 02:05:17 PM
Congrats to Bill Johnson (MIT) on being named NEWMAC Player of the Week.  He averaged 22 points and 8 rebounds for the week while helping MIT pick up 2 conference wins over Wheaton and Babson:

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2008-2009/mbkbweekly01122009
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 12, 2009, 08:40:38 PM
MIT beats Newbury tonight by 31.  The score was 48-18 at half time after MIT went on a 47-10 run to end the half.  Jimmy Bartolotta had 21 at the half.  The starters didnt play the last 16 or so minutes of the game.  MIT has CGA next on Wednesday in CT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 14, 2009, 07:21:16 PM
MIT improves to 3-0 in conference play with a 75-72 win over CGA.  CGA drops to 0-3 (7-7 overall).

Billy Johnson led the way for MIT with 25 points on 8-12 shooting (4-6 from 3) along 6 boards.  Jimmy Bartolotta had another outstanding overall performance with 24 points on 5-10 shooting (3-5 from 3), 12 rebounds, 2 assists and a block. Jamie Karraker added 14 points including 4 - 3 pointers and Erik Zuk added 7 including 2 3-pointers.  MIT shot 13-22 from 3 and 22 - 40 from the floor overall.  C. Johnson added 23 points for CGA.

MIT plays at Springfield on Saturday while CGA hosts Wheaton (MA).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 15, 2009, 11:12:09 AM
Bill Johnson (MIT) is off to a strong start to contend for another Player of the Week Award.  He was a monster vs CGA.  Now playing the 5 full time, his versatile offensive repertoire and rebounding presence has presented match up problems for NEWMAC teams. 

The NEWMAC season is early, but so far MIT (3-0) has pulled together and is playing as a cohesive team after moving Johnson to the 5 and adding 2 first year starters in the line up.  They are playing better offense and better defense than last year.  For example, last year vs CGA in 3 losses, MIT scored 58, 52, and 44 points.  Last night on the road, they put up 75.

Through last Sunday, MIT was 8th in the nation is Assists per Game (18.2), 19th in Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage (41.0), and 25th in Field-Goal Percentage (49.2).  On defense, they were 45th in Scoring Defense (62.8 ), 64th in Field-Goal Percentage Defense (41.0), and 25th in Steals per Game (11.0).  I believe this is out of 392 teams in D3.

Some great matchups ahead as Clark (3-0) and WPI (2-0) are also undefeated at the moment.  Clark visits WPI on Saturday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 16, 2009, 05:16:52 PM
The MIT at Springfield game has been changed to 8:30PM Saturday.

http://www.spfldcol.edu/homepage/athletics.nsf/Mens-Basketball-Schedule-2008

The Springfield site gives a Live Stats link of:

http://winus.spfldcol.edu/sports/xlive.htm
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 16, 2009, 08:02:29 PM
Any known reason for this change?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on January 17, 2009, 01:27:38 AM
Hugenerd:
Reason for game time change for the MIT v. Springfield game is because there is some kind of tournament taking place all day at Springfield.  Result  was need to move the college game  to the 8:30 start.  That is based on "usually unreliable" information I received.  ( i.e. info from one of my kids).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BornBalla on January 17, 2009, 09:52:51 PM
The game time was changed because of Hoop Hall Classic which has elite high schools out in Springfield ,Ma to play. They have held the tourney there last few years. A few games will be on tv. I know I saw a few last year. You think Springfield College would have worked it out in advance. maybe put them on road this weekend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 17, 2009, 10:29:29 PM
Well, regardless of the game time, MIT came to play tonight.  MIT fought foul trouble to shellac Springfield tonight 89-64, handing Springfield its worst home loss of the season (second worse loss overall, they lost to Amherst by 27).  MIT lead at the half 55-35.  Jimmy Bartolotta picked up his 4th foul 3 minutes into the 2nd half (he had 30 points on 10 - 14 FGs, 5-7 3s, at that point in 23 minutes) and MIT was able to manage the lead without him in the game.  Bartolotta ended with 33 points in 27 minutes.  Billy Johnson had an exceptional game with 22 points, Jamie Karraker had 13 points, and Brad Gampel did a great job leading the team with 12 assists.

FYI, the Springfield game summary says Jimmy B was the NEWMAC POY last year, which is false.  Although he has been the best player in the league for 3 years now, Antoine Coleman won the POY last year because he was the second best player (Marois was better) on the best team in the conference. (Springfield should change the first line of its article from "Jimmy Bartolotta, the reigning NEWMAC Player of the Year" to "Jimmy Bartolotta, the reigning best player in the NEWMAC").

This is the 3rd game in a row MIT has made 13 3s in a game (39/75 from 3 as a team in that span). MIT improves to 4-0 in the NEWMAC (12-4 overall).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on January 19, 2009, 09:42:16 AM
Hugenerd,

   I greatly respect your opinion and your insights into MIT basketball, but I would have to disagree with the idea that JB has been the been the best player in the conference for the prev. 3 years.  Last year, yes, he should have been the POY.  No question he got robbed on that one.

   But the year before, when the Josten winner comes from your conference, very hard to say that someone else in the conference was the best player.

   And as a Freshmen, he was not even the best player on his own team.

  I would agree that in 07-08 and most likely in 08-09, he is the best player in the conference, but not 05-06 & 06-07.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on January 19, 2009, 09:57:25 AM
Did anyone see the WPI-Clark game this past Saturday?  I'm looking for another take on the game.  I didn't get to it, but a friend (Clark Supporter) said it was a very poorly officated game.  He said Coach Phillips was going crazy, and ended up getting 2 T's and tossed from the game.

He did also confirm to me what I had thought all along from what little I had seen of WPI, they are vunerable to good low post play.  He told me Clark did have success inside, but had a few key turnovers that killed a couple of their big rallies.  That and going 4-19 from beyond the arc hurt them badly.

I was curious if anyone else saw this game and what people thoughts are on the upcoming WPI-MIT matchup next week.  Of course both teams have to be careful not to look to far ahead, WPI has Babson & Wheaton to play first and MIT must deal with Clark on the road.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 19, 2009, 10:47:54 AM
Quote from: massd3fan on January 19, 2009, 09:42:16 AM
Hugenerd,

   I greatly respect your opinion and your insights into MIT basketball, but I would have to disagree with the idea that JB has been the been the best player in the conference for the prev. 3 years.  Last year, yes, he should have been the POY.  No question he got robbed on that one.

   But the year before, when the Josten winner comes from your conference, very hard to say that someone else in the conference was the best player.

   And as a Freshmen, he was not even the best player on his own team.

  I would agree that in 07-08 and most likely in 08-09, he is the best player in the conference, but not 05-06 & 06-07.

When I said last 3 years, I meant his sophomore, junior and senior seasons (so not including his freshman year when Dauria was a senior and was the New-England Player of the Year). 

The Jostens is an award given to the best student-athlete, it is not purely a basketball award and is almost always given to a senior (I think Bartolotta has to be on the short list of favorites for that award this year, considering he was a finalist last year).  That year (his sophomore season), Bartolotta averaged 21.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.9 spg, 1.0 bpg. Compare that to Ryan Cain's 19.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg, and .2 bpg, and I think my argument that Bartolotta was the best basketball player in the NEWMAC that year is justified. With that said, WPI was clearly the better team that year, so obviously that factors into any award, team or individual, but if you are just comparing the two players, I think Bartolotta was better. For example, in their 3 head-to-head meetings that year, when they likely would have been matched up against eachother, Cain averaged 7.3 ppg (38% FG), 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, and 1.0 spg in 32 minutes per game, while Bartolotta averaged 15.3 ppg (46% FG), 10.7 rpg, 3 apg, and 2.7 spg in 35 minutes per game. WPI won all of those games, but the two played comparable minutes, so make of it what you will, but I think saying Bartolotta was the best player in the conference that year is not unjustified.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on January 19, 2009, 11:35:26 AM
Hugenerd,

   I guess a better question is would those numbers have been reversed somewhat if they players switched teams?  My guess would be possibly yes but most likely not in the rebounding numbers.

   Do you know what the actual vote from the coaches was for the POY for 06-07 in the NEWMAC ?
   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on January 19, 2009, 12:00:04 PM
just getting my lunch, but i was looking at info about the josten's, and it seems t me it is the D3 basketball equivalent of the the Hiesman trophy, the Hobey Baker award, etc.....And is given to the best player as voted by the selection committe.  Granted, these other things (Academic, Comunity Service) are factors, as they are in the Hobey Baker, but it is the generally accepted award for the best player.

Like the Heisman , im sure there are always debates over who is nominated and who is left off.  I mean, lets face it, the heisman always goes to a QB/RB/WR never a dominat lineman or linebacker or defensive back.  Who is the "best player" will always be a debate., but someone wins these awards, and in most of the sports, they get right most of the time.  The numbers do tell a big part of the story, but not always all the story.

I do feel that JB has a VERY good shot at making 2 winners of the award for the NEWMAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 19, 2009, 01:13:50 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on January 19, 2009, 11:35:26 AM
Hugenerd,

   I guess a better question is would those numbers have been reversed somewhat if they players switched teams?  My guess would be possibly yes but most likely not in the rebounding numbers.

   Do you know what the actual vote from the coaches was for the POY for 06-07 in the NEWMAC ?
   

From what I have heard (this is by no means official because I am not affiliated with any NEWMAC basketball program and was not during those seasons), that in both of the past two years the vote was tied 3-3 between Bartolotta and Cain/Coleman with the single dissenting vote going to Craig Johnson last year (not sure who in 06-07).  As the tiebreaker, the dissenting voter was asked to choose between the two top vote getters and in each case that voter went against Bartolotta.  Thats what I heard, but again I wasnt in the room or involved in any way with any NEWMAC program at those times.

I also disagree with you about Cain being able to put up similar numbers if he switched positions with Bartolotta.  Bartolotta has shown the ability to be both an inside and outside dominating presence and on most nights commands double or even triple teams (it is almost comical the amount of attention he sometimes gets when he drives into the lane which gets his teammates a lot of very good looks).  Cain (or Coleman) never really had to deal with that type of attention in their careers, because they were on more balanced teams; therefore, it would be very hard to say how another player would have performed in those circumstances. He maybe could have put up a few more points a game, but as I pointed out, Cain didnt do very much when he was being guarded by Bartolotta (a good defender), so you never know how he would have responded if he had played against double teams the entire season.  Like you said, the rebounds probably would not come up either, as well as steals, blocks (defensive stats would likely not be affected very much) and assists  (Cain was in a better situation to get assists at WPI because he played on a team that shot better).  This argument is pointless, however, because obviously the votes have already been tallied.  I hope that this year the outcome is different.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on January 19, 2009, 02:04:19 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on January 19, 2009, 12:00:04 PM
just getting my lunch, but i was looking at info about the josten's, and it seems t me it is the D3 basketball equivalent of the the Hiesman trophy, the Hobey Baker award, etc.....And is given to the best player as voted by the selection committe.  Granted, these other things (Academic, Comunity Service) are factors, as they are in the Hobey Baker, but it is the generally accepted award for the best player.

Not really. Those of us who vote on it don't have the same take as you do.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ephoops on January 19, 2009, 03:10:18 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on January 19, 2009, 02:04:19 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on January 19, 2009, 12:00:04 PM
just getting my lunch, but i was looking at info about the josten's, and it seems t me it is the D3 basketball equivalent of the the Hiesman trophy, the Hobey Baker award, etc.....And is given to the best player as voted by the selection committe.  Granted, these other things (Academic, Comunity Service) are factors, as they are in the Hobey Baker, but it is the generally accepted award for the best player.

Not really. Those of us who vote on it don't have the same take as you do.

Agreed.  Just look at the list of past winners...not necessarily the "best" player in D3.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 19, 2009, 03:29:01 PM
Quote from: ephoops on January 19, 2009, 03:10:18 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on January 19, 2009, 02:04:19 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on January 19, 2009, 12:00:04 PM
just getting my lunch, but i was looking at info about the josten's, and it seems t me it is the D3 basketball equivalent of the the Hiesman trophy, the Hobey Baker award, etc.....And is given to the best player as voted by the selection committe.  Granted, these other things (Academic, Comunity Service) are factors, as they are in the Hobey Baker, but it is the generally accepted award for the best player.

Not really. Those of us who vote on it don't have the same take as you do.

Agreed.  Just look at the list of past winners...not necessarily the "best" player in D3.


The best case-in-point is Ryan Cain.  There is no way he was the best player in d3 2 years ago.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 19, 2009, 03:29:28 PM
Congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week.  Release can be found here:

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2008-2009/mbkbweekly01192009
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ephoops on January 19, 2009, 04:28:30 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 19, 2009, 03:29:28 PM
Congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week.  Release can be found here:

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2008-2009/mbkbweekly01192009

Too bad he didn't transfer to Williams after his soph year to play with his high school teammate (Snyder).

With JB, the Ephs could have challenged for a national championship....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 22, 2009, 04:33:18 PM
Last night, Wheaton won at Clark, 75-67, moving solidly into 3rd place at 3-1 in the NEWMAC. 

On Saturday, WPI (4-0) visits Wheaton.  Any comments about how that game might go?  I have not seen WPI play this year.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2008-09/standings
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 22, 2009, 07:45:21 PM
Quote from: T990 on January 22, 2009, 04:33:18 PM
Last night, Wheaton won at Clark, 75-67, moving solidly into 3rd place at 3-1 in the NEWMAC. 

On Saturday, WPI (4-0) visits Wheaton.  Any comments about how that game might go?  I have not seen WPI play this year.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2008-09/standings

I havent seen either team either.  MIT beat Wheaton on the road (I dont go to away games) in the first NEWMAC game of the season, since then Wheaton has not lost.  WPI barely got by Babson at home last night, so this  could be a pretty good game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 22, 2009, 09:15:55 PM
So, with that win, WPI falls to #77 in the Massey Ratings.

http://www.masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cb&sub=III&mid=1

MIT is #59, Wheaton is #154, but these will change daily.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 22, 2009, 10:00:29 PM
Quote from: T990 on January 22, 2009, 09:15:55 PM
So, with that win, WPI falls to #77 in the Massey Ratings.

http://www.masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cb&sub=III&mid=1

MIT is #59, Wheaton is #154, but these will change daily.

I think NE appears to be down in general.  If you look at the rankings without MOV (the link above is with MOV, or margin of victory), the highest ranked NE team is Middlebury at 42.  With MOV, Middlebury is the highest at 25.  Amherst isnt even top 40 in either rankings and they are the highest ranked NE team in the d3hoops rankings.  The top NE conferences (NESCAC and NEWMAC) arent even ranked top 15 conferences in the country in either Massey Ratings.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on January 23, 2009, 07:49:34 AM
This is definitely the weakest NESCAC has been since I've been following the conference.  A combination of factors -- lots of coaching changes and new systems in place (Williams, Wesleyan, Bates, Trinity, 40 percent of the conference), the graduation of one of the best senior classes in conference history (Amherst, Bowdoin, Trinity, Conn College, and Tufts other than Pierce were basically senior-dominated teams last year, and all unsurprisingly are down or substantially down).  Midd and Colby are the only two outliers from one of these conditions -- Trinity, the team with both, has suffered the most -- and unsurprisingly,  are the only two teams who seem to be improved from last season. 

The good news is, the conference will bounce back next year.  Most of the best seniors in New England are, and this is unusual, from non-NESCAC squads (Bartolotta, Kathan, DeLucca, Johnson, etc.), the teams with the new coaches should be better after a full year to adapt to the new systems, and on paper, only Middlebury looks to be less talented overall next season.  Plus, there are a lot of strong frosh in the conference who are just now starting to make an impact.  Still, if there is ever going to be a year for a non-NESCAC new england team to snag a final four bid, this is that year.  (The last team to do so was Salem State back in 2000, another down year for the usual NESCAC contenders ...).  That being said, no one else in New England looks like a powerhouse either, so Amherst, Midd, or maybe even Williams or Colby could break through if they sneak into the NCAA's. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 23, 2009, 09:38:01 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on January 23, 2009, 07:49:34 AM
This is definitely the weakest NESCAC has been since I've been following the conference.  A combination of factors -- lots of coaching changes and new systems in place (Williams, Wesleyan, Bates, Trinity, 40 percent of the conference), the graduation of one of the best senior classes in conference history (Amherst, Bowdoin, Trinity, Conn College, and Tufts other than Pierce were basically senior-dominated teams last year, and all unsurprisingly are down or substantially down).  Midd and Colby are the only two outliers from one of these conditions -- Trinity, the team with both, has suffered the most -- and unsurprisingly,  are the only two teams who seem to be improved from last season. 

The good news is, the conference will bounce back next year.  Most of the best seniors in New England are, and this is unusual, from non-NESCAC squads (Bartolotta, Kathan, DeLucca, Johnson, etc.), the teams with the new coaches should be better after a full year to adapt to the new systems, and on paper, only Middlebury looks to be less talented overall next season.  Plus, there are a lot of strong frosh in the conference who are just now starting to make an impact.  Still, if there is ever going to be a year for a non-NESCAC new england team to snag a final four bid, this is that year.  (The last team to do so was Salem State back in 2000, another down year for the usual NESCAC contenders ...).  That being said, no one else in New England looks like a powerhouse either, so Amherst, Midd, or maybe even Williams or Colby could break through if they sneak into the NCAA's. 

Yeah, my comment was meant to be about NE in general, it just turns out that the highest ranked NE teams are from the NESCAC (Midd and Amherst) with Salem State, UMD, Brandeis, MIT, WPI, Elms, etc. following close behind.  Even the usually weak East has a top 20 team in the country (Ithaca, Rochester is also rated 26, St. John Fisher is 31) and the NE doesnt even have a team in the top 40 ( in the non-MOV ratings).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on January 23, 2009, 10:02:08 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 22, 2009, 10:00:29 PM
Quote from: T990 on January 22, 2009, 09:15:55 PM
So, with that win, WPI falls to #77 in the Massey Ratings.

http://www.masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cb&sub=III&mid=1

MIT is #59, Wheaton is #154, but these will change daily.

I think NE appears to be down in general.  If you look at the rankings with MOV (the link above is with MOV, or margin of victory), the highest ranked NE team is Middlebury at 42.  With MOV, Middlebury is the highest at 25.  Amherst isnt even top 40 in either rankings and they are the highest ranked NE team in the d3hoops rankings. 

They probably won't be for long. As was mentioned, Massey changes every day. We just change once a week, so next Monday night we'll see what's what.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 23, 2009, 10:07:43 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on January 23, 2009, 10:02:08 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 22, 2009, 10:00:29 PM
Quote from: T990 on January 22, 2009, 09:15:55 PM
So, with that win, WPI falls to #77 in the Massey Ratings.

http://www.masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cb&sub=III&mid=1

MIT is #59, Wheaton is #154, but these will change daily.

I think NE appears to be down in general.  If you look at the rankings with MOV (the link above is with MOV, or margin of victory), the highest ranked NE team is Middlebury at 42.  With MOV, Middlebury is the highest at 25.  Amherst isnt even top 40 in either rankings and they are the highest ranked NE team in the d3hoops rankings. 

They probably won't be for long. As was mentioned, Massey changes every day. We just change once a week, so next Monday night we'll see what's what.

I am not sure about everyday for D3, they still have Wheaton as 15-0 as of this morning and that loss occurred Wednesday night.  But I know what you are saying.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 23, 2009, 11:25:53 AM
Right, they don't actually change every day.  I see written at the top of the page today "Using games from Friday, November 7, 2008 to Tuesday, January 20, 2009".
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 23, 2009, 11:37:06 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on January 23, 2009, 07:49:34 AM
...Still, if there is ever going to be a year for a non-NESCAC new england team to snag a final four bid, this is that year. 

Just a reminder that last year's NEWMAC champion, Coast Guard (24-7), defeated the NESCAC champion in the NCAAs and was within an overtime loss on Ursinus' homecourt (Centennial Conference) of reaching the Final Four.  Meaning the strength of the NESCAC did not keep a New England team out of the F4.

If the NESCAC is down this year, it could mean additional Pool C bid(s) up for grabs to non-NESCAC teams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 23, 2009, 11:57:08 AM
Quote from: T990 on January 23, 2009, 11:37:06 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on January 23, 2009, 07:49:34 AM
...Still, if there is ever going to be a year for a non-NESCAC new england team to snag a final four bid, this is that year. 

Just a reminder that last year's NEWMAC champion, Coast Guard (24-7), defeated the NESCAC champion in the NCAAs and was within an overtime loss on Ursinus' homecourt (Centennial Conference) of reaching the Final Four.  Meaning the strength of the NESCAC did not keep a New England team out of the F4.

If the NESCAC is down this year, it could mean additional Pool C bid(s) up for grabs to non-NESCAC teams.

Or additional Pool C's for non-NE teams.  There is no fixed number from each region that is selected.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ephoops on January 23, 2009, 01:22:32 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 23, 2009, 11:57:08 AM
Quote from: T990 on January 23, 2009, 11:37:06 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on January 23, 2009, 07:49:34 AM
...Still, if there is ever going to be a year for a non-NESCAC new england team to snag a final four bid, this is that year. 

Just a reminder that last year's NEWMAC champion, Coast Guard (24-7), defeated the NESCAC champion in the NCAAs and was within an overtime loss on Ursinus' homecourt (Centennial Conference) of reaching the Final Four.  Meaning the strength of the NESCAC did not keep a New England team out of the F4.

If the NESCAC is down this year, it could mean additional Pool C bid(s) up for grabs to non-NESCAC teams.

Or additional Pool C's for non-NE teams.  There is no fixed number from each region that is selected.

I agree...it's likely that NE will see fewer Pool C bids than in the recent past
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 24, 2009, 05:13:10 PM
MIT beats Clark today on the road to further their best ever NEWMAC start to 5-0 (with 4 of those wins on the road).  MIT was again led by Jimmy Bartolotta with 32 points on 12-21 shooting (3-6 from 3) and 6 boards.  Also playing well was Billy Johnson with 23 points (6-11 shooting) and 7 boards.  Bradley Gampel had 10 assists and 8 rebounds.  MIT was again lights out from the field, shooting 26-47 (55%) and 9-18 from 3 (50%)

MIT blew open what was a 3 point game at the half, with great play in the second half.  They lead by as many as 22 before coasting to an 11 point victory (Clark had an 16-5 run over the last 2:30 with the starters out to account for the final score).

WPI also won, beating Wheaton, to go to 5-0 in the NEWMAC.  WPI hosts MIT on Wednesday to see who will be the conference leader half way through the conference schedule.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on January 26, 2009, 07:48:51 AM
hugenerd,

   I will say MIT wins this one at WPI.  With the way Johnson has adjusted to playing the 5, MIT has two definitive "go-to" players that both provide matchup difficulties for WPI.  Johnson presents a huge huge problem for WPI.  If WPI goes with their small lineup, he can take over inside, if they play their only big guy (big body, but slow) on him, he can go back outside or work him off the dribble.

  As this is JB,s last go round, and I can see him having a huge game.  I you have presented the case for him being the best player in the conference for the past few years, I can see him wanting to cement that with a major statement game.  This is MIT's opportunity to take control of the conference and give their nemesis a slap in the process.

I hope to get there to see this one, it should be a great atmosphere.

We have a couple of day's to talk this one up, besides its ore fun talking about this than the Super Bowl !
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 26, 2009, 08:17:17 AM
Quote from: massd3fan on January 26, 2009, 07:48:51 AM
hugenerd,

   I will say MIT wins this one at WPI.  With the way Johnson has adjusted to playing the 5, MIT has two definitive "go-to" players that both provide matchup difficulties for WPI.  Johnson presents a huge huge problem for WPI.  If WPI goes with their small lineup, he can take over inside, if they play their only big guy (big body, but slow) on him, he can go back outside or work him off the dribble.

  As this is JB,s last go round, and I can see him having a huge game.  I you have presented the case for him being the best player in the conference for the past few years, I can see him wanting to cement that with a major statement game.  This is MIT's opportunity to take control of the conference and give their nemesis a slap in the process.

I hope to get there to see this one, it should be a great atmosphere.

We have a couple of day's to talk this one up, besides its ore fun talking about this than the Super Bowl !


I wont be able to make it but I sure am looking forward to it. 

The team's are very different, considering WPI seems to have a very balanced attack with 9-10 players contributing every game, while MIT depends heavily on their starting 5 (Bartolotta and Johnson score 67.5% of MITs points in their NEWMAC games so far, with those two + Jamie Karrakar scoring 84% of the team's offense).  I think that MIT definitely has a good chance to win, they have been playing really well on the road lately (they led both the Springfield and Clark games by 20+ points in the second half in their last two road games).  However, it is always interesting on the road.  WPI is a strong home team and it will also depend on Jimmy B and Billy J staying out of foul trouble.  Bradley Gampel will also play a key role.  If he can handle WPI's defense and not commit too many turnovers, it will give MIT a much better chance to win.

In terms of Billy J, he has definitely caused a lot of mathcup problems at the 5.  He has been knocking down two to four 3's the last several games (which is hard for a true post to defend) and at 6'8" he can take smaller guys inside.  Considering that Jimmy B has been a constant this season, scoring near his average in every game (he hasnt scored less than 20 in any game this season), I think Billy J has played a very large role in MIT's emergence as a top team in the NEWMAC.  He his currently the second leading scorer in NEWMAC conference play (23 ppg, behind Bartolotta's 30 ppg) and has also been averageing 6.8 rpg (second on the team behind Bartolotta's 7.3 rpg).  (Note all stats are through last Wednesday's games, because NEWMAC hasnt updated their stats through Saturday's games yet).

Should be a fun one to follow online (for me) and even more fun for you to watch in person.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 26, 2009, 11:06:13 AM
Epic battle of unbeaten (5-0) NEWMAC giants this week!

WPI is a little hard to figure.  They had some trouble w/ Babson (0-5) at home, but had no trouble beating down Wheaton (3-2) in Norton.

Last year MIT had a great chance to beat WPI in Cambridge, missing the final shot in regulation, then losing in overtime.  But WPI won the game in Worcester going away.

Seems like the home team should be favored in both WPI-MIT matchups this year.  Right now, the W/L profiles of both teams are very similar this season.

Jimmy B is currently third in the nation in scoring, as well as up there in a bevy of other stats.  He will gain further well-deserved recognition if his team can accomplish something significant this season before he graduates, and at the moment, they are poised to do so. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 26, 2009, 03:05:09 PM
Quote from: T990 on January 26, 2009, 11:06:13 AM
Epic battle of unbeaten (5-0) NEWMAC giants this week!

WPI is a little hard to figure.  They had some trouble w/ Babson (0-5) at home, but had no trouble beating down Wheaton (3-2) in Norton.

Last year MIT had a great chance to beat WPI in Cambridge, missing the final shot in regulation, then losing in overtime.  But WPI won the game in Worcester going away.

Seems like the home team should be favored in both WPI-MIT matchups this year.  Right now, the W/L profiles of both teams are very similar this season.

Jimmy B is currently third in the nation in scoring, as well as up there in a bevy of other stats.  He will gain further well-deserved recognition if his team can accomplish something significant this season before he graduates, and at the moment, they are poised to do so. 

This MIT team looks a little different than years past.  They are still strong at home (unbeaten this season), but they have also won 4 of their 5 NEWMAC games on the road (only WPI and Babson remain on the road).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on January 26, 2009, 04:39:46 PM
Agreed, this is THE game for the MIT seniors.  Winning this one opens the door to running the table for conference title.  This team appears to be very focused on that goal (wining the conference, not specifically going unbeaten).  Hugenerd, I also agree with you, getting the ball up court and into their offensive sets is critical for MIT.  WPI had been playing rather "lazy" going into that Wheaton game.  By "lazy" I mean doing just what they needed to get by in beating Coast Guard, Trinity, Clark & Babson.

From what I have heard from a couple of Wheaton Alumni, that game on saturday was nasty.  The officals lost control of the game early and struggled to get it back all day.  They allowed a lot of chippy play and players on both sides got hot.  WPI had a 20 point lead late in the 1st half and allowed Wheaton to get back to 10 a couple of times in the second half.

These guys were disappointed because Wheaton got up early and looked to have WPI very frustrated.  From what they said, the Robinson kid came in from the bench and changed the complexion of the game with some hustle plays and big shots.  This was a chance for Wheaton to step up to the top of the conference, but they seems to wilt under the pressure of the moment.  According to them, once Wheaton got behind, Coppola pressed and tried to do too much, many times going 1 on 3 and forcing a bad shot or pass.  Also, Degnan played completely out of control and was creating a lot of the "extra" friction by diliberately bumping into WPI players after the whistle and going overboard with the trash talking.

I dont see this happening to MIT.  Bartolotta will not be as easy to fluster as Coppola, and Wheaton has no one like Johnson.  I think the 2 major keys are are Gampel's ball handling and the Johnson Vs whoever matchup.  you never know what might happen, but I don't see WPI having any good answer for Johnson.
From their roster & stats page (& what little I saw of them this year so far) , it would appear they are going to have 3 guys playing him.  The big kid Lessard can get the better of Johnson in low post, but I dont think he can play him on the perimeter.  If they go small (Stewart & Perez), I can see Johnson getting the better of it down low, and also just shooting over them from the outside.  According to the roster, WPI only has one other kid on the roster who can present a good size matchup, but he doesnt play much at all.

As far as handling the ball, WPI might be able to wear down the MIT ball handlers.  How much does JB bring the ball up?  Will MIT use him more in that role if the pressure starts creating turnovers?  WPI definitely has the advantage in depth and fresh bodies.  Certainly if Johnson or JB get into foul trouble, that tips the scales toward WPI in a big way.  Lots of interesting "issues" for both teams in this game.  My hope is that the officals let them  play, but not the extent that my Wheaton friends witnessed.  I want to see a good game between the best the NEWMAC has to offer this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on January 26, 2009, 04:46:00 PM
Kinda scary to think how good MIT could be if their 6'5 former conference frosh of the year, 6'8 senior center, and 6'10 top frosh recruit all hadn't quit the program ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 26, 2009, 05:55:18 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on January 26, 2009, 04:46:00 PM
Kinda scary to think how good MIT could be if their 6'5 former conference frosh of the year, 6'8 senior center, and 6'10 top frosh recruit all hadn't quit the program ...

Yeah, its not just those 3 either, there were 2 other big men and 2 other forwards who all quit (for academic or other reasons).  Also, Dan McCue, who was a top 3 scorer for the team last year is out for the season with an injury.  MIT is doing pretty well regardless, though.  The guys they have fit in perfectly to the style they are playing currently, although I am sure they would love to have some more players (so they could at least practice 5 v. 5 without the coaches playing).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 26, 2009, 07:34:50 PM
The new top 25 poll is out and there are 2 NEWMAC teams receiving votes:  WPI is 29th and MIT is 34th.  I believe this is the first time that MIT has ever received votes in the d3hoops.com poll.  In 05-06 when they won 21 games, I dont believe they received a single vote.

Congrats MIT and hopefully you can bring home a W on Wednesday!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on January 26, 2009, 10:09:31 PM
Possible hitch in the game on Wednesday - SNOW!!!

Possible 6 to 12" for the Worcester area on Wednesday!

Stay Tuned!

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 27, 2009, 08:08:04 PM
Forecast for Worcester:

6AM Light Snow

9AM Snow

3PM Wintry Mix

6PM Freezing Rain  :-[

midnight Cloudy


Hour by Hour Forecast Update click here (http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/USMA0502?par=usatoday&site=www.usatoday.com&promo=0&cm_ven=USAToday&cm_cat=www.usatoday.com&cm_pla=WxPage&cm_ite=CityPage)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 28, 2009, 10:07:27 AM
Not looking too good for the NEWMAC games today.  The snow is coming down wicked fast here in Cambridge.  I dont see how MIT could make it to WPI (where it is supposed to snow more).  You never know though.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 28, 2009, 01:39:01 PM
Today's WPI game is ON.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 28, 2009, 01:55:38 PM
Quote from: T990 on January 28, 2009, 01:39:01 PM
Today's WPI game is ON.

Yeah, I talked to some people in the MIT athletics department after I made my previous post and they are going to try to make it up there (the roads are horrible though).  MIT has games on Saturday and Monday so they would really like to get this game in on time to allow for normal rest so that they dont have 3 games in 5 days and 4 games io 7 days.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 28, 2009, 02:21:48 PM
Let's hope everyone is safe.

Live Stats here:

http://livestats.prestosports.com/wpi/

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 28, 2009, 08:39:45 PM
MIT loses a tough one tonight at WPI, 68-55.  After going up 12-2, seven minutes into the game (WPI scored its first FG at 12:48), MIT gave up an 9-0 run over the next 1.5 minutes.  WPI followed up their 9-0 run with another 8-0 run after a couple traded baskets to take the lead.  MIT then followed with an 8-0 run to take the lead 27-26 with 3:55 to go in the first half.  WPI finished the half strong to go into the break up 37-30. 

Much of the second half was back and forth.  The lead was usually about 5-7 points for WPI, but crept into double digits at the end of the game.  MIT had a few chances down the stretch down by 7 or less, but could never convert and WPI took care of the ball to preserve the lead.

Jimmy Bartolotta fought foul trouble and had his worst scoring (and shooting) effort of the season, going for 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.  Billy Johnson added 20 points and 7 boards for MIT and Jamie Karraker chipped in 11.

WPI was led by Jeff Robinson with 17 points, while Jerome Kirkland and Bennett Lessard each added 12 points.  Lessard also had 9 boards.

The difference was FG%, MIT was held to 37% and WPI shot 48%.

With all that said, if you asked Coach Anderson at the beginning of the season if he would take a 5-1 start in the NEWMAC, going 4-1 on the road in that span, I am sure he would have taken it.  MIT finishes their season with 5 of 6 conference games at home, while WPI plays 4 of their final 6 on the road (including at MIT).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 29, 2009, 10:38:48 AM
With that win, WPI moves up to become the top rated rated team in New England in today's Wilson Computer Poll (http://talismanred.com/ratings/hoops/divisioniii.shtml), tied with Amherst at 541.  Middlebury is at 540.  MIT drops about 4 points to 515, currently 9th in New England.  This poll does change frequently (if not daily).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on January 29, 2009, 12:32:16 PM
Gentlemen,

   I had hoped to be able to give you a first-hand report, but other priorities prevented that.  My next door neighbor fell and cracked her hip last evening as she was trying to clean her steps off.  My wife  & I spent most of the evening at the hospital with her.

   Anyway, I was very surprised when i got home and scanned through box score.  Give the Lessard kid credit, from what I read in the recap and the box score, he stepped up big in a big game!  Robinson gave WPI a huge offensive lift off the bench.

  Does anyone know what happened to JB that caused him to draw the "T" ?  They obviously did a great job making life difficult for him.  I was really expecting a much better performance from him.  Does anyone know who drew the defensive assignment to guard him?

Johnson seemed to be effective playing all 40 minutes and shooting well.  JB  was 6 for 16 and only 1 for 5 from 3pt range.  Gampel did appear to struggle some with 6 turnovers, but then Lirette from WPI had 5 as well.  Big difference there was Lirette had 9 assists while Gampel only had 3.

This gives WPI the inside track to the #1 seed, but they do have to hold up on the road as 4 of the remaining 6 are away. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 29, 2009, 02:14:28 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on January 29, 2009, 12:32:16 PM
Gentlemen,

   I had hoped to be able to give you a first-hand report, but other priorities prevented that.  My next door neighbor fell and cracked her hip last evening as she was trying to clean her steps off.  My wife  & I spent most of the evening at the hospital with her.

   Anyway, I was very surprised when i got home and scanned through box score.  Give the Lessard kid credit, from what I read in the recap and the box score, he stepped up big in a big game!  Robinson gave WPI a huge offensive lift off the bench.

  Does anyone know what happened to JB that caused him to draw the "T" ?  They obviously did a great job making life difficult for him.  I was really expecting a much better performance from him.  Does anyone know who drew the defensive assignment to guard him?

Johnson seemed to be effective playing all 40 minutes and shooting well.  JB  was 6 for 16 and only 1 for 5 from 3pt range.  Gampel did appear to struggle some with 6 turnovers, but then Lirette from WPI had 5 as well.  Big difference there was Lirette had 9 assists while Gampel only had 3.

This gives WPI the inside track to the #1 seed, but they do have to hold up on the road as 4 of the remaining 6 are away. 

I dont know why he got the technical, but I was pretty shocked to see it on the livestats.  That is the first time I can remember that Jimmy B has ever gotten a technical at MIT (and I have been at MIT since he was a freshman).  I may not be remembering one he had in a past year, but he is usually the most calm and collected person on the court, and this is definitely the first one on the year for him.  But these are the types of things that happen on the road I guess, so MIT just needs to take care of business at home.

It will be important for MIT to continue to win their league games (they have 5 of 6 at home, with the lone road game being at Babson) so that they have a shot at beating WPI at Rockwell Cage in MIT's second to last game of the season.  I am not sure what the tiebreakers are, but if both teams are 11-1, splitting against eachother, it would be interesting to see who hosts.  Anyone know if it would be a coin toss or something else (just out of curiousity)?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 29, 2009, 05:07:57 PM
A major turning point in the game was when Jimmy Bartolotta (JB) got whistled for a PF and a Tech Foul at 7:39 in the first half.  Similar to the Gordon game, JB gets called for a curious foul away from the ball(?).  I didn't see what happened or what could have justified a T.  The Technical put him at 3 fouls and then at 3:28 he was called for his 4th in the first half.  The game was tied at 27 at that point and JB went to the bench.  It seemed to affect MIT psychologically for the rest of the game.  WPI plays a lot of handchhecking and shirt grabbing that didn't get called as fouls, but that seemed to draw MIT into retaliation/frustration fouls.

MIT played a zone for about 15 minutes of the second half, apparently to protect JB from fouling out.  The game was a 7 point spread at half and basically the second half was a stalemate w/ MIT's zone and inability to get ever back into their offensive rhythm.  Give Coach Chris Bartley credit, they took MIT out of their game and kept them out of it.  WPI's defense was effective, holding MIT to 55 points as they average 75 ppg.

Obviously, MIT needs to develop better confidence and swagger when JB or Bill Johnson is out of the game to win over the long haul.  They could use some offensive diversity for the second go-around in the NEWMAC.

Loose balls and loose rebounds were typically being won by WPI.  MIT may never be able to match WPI's energy, so they'll need to make up for it with more careful ball handling and less risky long passes that were being turned over by WPI.

WPI has a roster unlike the rest of the NEWMAC.  It's deep with quick, aggressive, athletic guys who play good man defense and while not great shooters or scorers, will make their share of shots if left open.  Their aggressive ball hawking eventually creates enough havoc and turnovers that some open opportunities result.  No one else in the NEWMAC plays like this.  Someone posted elsewhere that WPI is weak inside, but they do have 6-8 Bennett Lessard who is a space eater and can bang with anyone in the NEWMAC.  Otherwise they are undersized and it would seem they could potentially be exploited in close by a 4 or 3 posting up or possibly driving to the hole on a clear out (have to draw Lessard away from the basket).  Interesting that Bartley has 2 guys (seniors Kirkland and Izuchi) from O'Bryant HS and now 2 guys from Lowell HS (freshman Perez and Brown).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 31, 2009, 04:29:13 PM
MIT rebounds by blowing out current NEWMAC #3 85-60.  Bartolotta returns to his true form, going for 39 on 14-19 shooting (6-9 from 3), along with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Billy Johnson added 19 and 7.  MIT improves to 6-1 in conference and remains undefeated at home.  They host UMass-Boston on Monday before returning to conference action hosting Springfield on Wednesday.

Also a very big congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta for scoring his 2000th point today in the game against Wheaton.  I unfortunately was unable to make it but I am sure it was nice to get the mark in front of the home crowd.  He now stands at 2009 points for his career.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2009, 08:39:22 PM
The front page looks NICE!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2009, 10:15:42 PM
Quote from: T990 on January 29, 2009, 05:07:57 PM
A major turning point in the game was when Jimmy Bartolotta (JB) got whistled for a PF and a Tech Foul at 7:39 in the first half.  Similar to the Gordon game, JB gets called for a curious foul away from the ball(?).  I didn't see what happened or what could have justified a T.  The Technical put him at 3 fouls and then at 3:28 he was called for his 4th in the first half.  The game was tied at 27 at that point and JB went to the bench.  It seemed to affect MIT psychologically for the rest of the game.  WPI plays a lot of handchhecking and shirt grabbing that didn't get called as fouls, but that seemed to draw MIT into retaliation/frustration fouls.

I talked to a very reliable source about the game and from what I hear the tech was a the combination of a dive by a WPI player and a homer call.  After Bartolotta was called for the initial foul, the two players were tangled up and when Bartolotta went to stand up, the WPI player acted like Bartolotta had pushed him and went flying. Like I said earlier, Bartolotta has never gotten a T and it sounds like it should have stayed that way.  With that said, WPI still has to play at MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 02, 2009, 07:46:19 AM
"Bartolotta has never gotten a T and it sounds like it should have stayed that way.  With that said, WPI still has to play at MIT."

Actually, he got a T in last year's game with WPI at MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 02, 2009, 09:38:58 AM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 02, 2009, 07:46:19 AM
"Bartolotta has never gotten a T and it sounds like it should have stayed that way.  With that said, WPI still has to play at MIT."

Actually, he got a T in last year's game with WPI at MIT.

OK, he has never gotten a T against anyone besides WPI.  Regardless, the one last week was bogus.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 02, 2009, 04:27:18 PM
Hugenerd,

   Sorry about the abuptness of the post, I was on my way to a meeting.  A colleague had attended that game last year and mentioned it to me.  I took a few minutes this morning to check the old box score on it.

   Not surprising really, most guys who play with the intensity that JB does will get a few over a career.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 02, 2009, 04:28:14 PM
Did anyone find any info on the tie breaker procedure that the NEWMAC uses ?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 02, 2009, 04:31:50 PM
Congratulations to Jerome Kirkland on being named NEWMAC Player of the Week

"Kirkland was WPI's top scorer in a week that saw the Engineers win a pair of NEWMAC contests, including a 68-55 victory over fellow conference unbeaten MIT. He averaged 14.5 points per game while connecting on 12-of-20 (60.0%) shots from the floor and draining 50.0% (5-of-10) of his 3-point attempts on the week. Kirkland registered 12 points, three rebounds and a pair of steals against MIT before posting a team-high 17 points in a win against Coast Guard. The senior also anchored a defensive effort that limited opponents to an average of 56 points last week."

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 02, 2009, 04:38:36 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 02, 2009, 04:28:14 PM
Did anyone find any info on the tie breaker procedure that the NEWMAC uses ?

I dont know what it is.  If MIT wins their next 3 conference games, I will find out.  If anyone already knows, feel free to share.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 02, 2009, 07:21:07 PM
9 minutes into the MIT-UMass Boston game, Bartolotta has 20 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 02, 2009, 08:38:22 PM
MIT wins tonight 87-53, they improve to 15-5 overall.  Bartolotta ended up with 34 after a very hot start (he sat out the last 9 or 10 minutes of the game).  Jamie Karraker added 20 points.  MIT made 17 3s (8 of the by Bartolotta, 5 by Karraker).

This game was never really close.  UMB started off the game in a zone, which MIT just ate up and drilled a bunch of 3s in the first 10 minutes.  MIT continued to play solid and grew the lead to close to 40 points and they were able to rest their big 3 almost the last quarter of the game (Johnson fouled out, but he was still resting).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 03, 2009, 08:16:35 AM
I found this by using the search feature on the NEWMAC website.  From the NEWMAC Handbook Ver. 11.4


C.   TIE-BREAKING/SEEDING

1.  Seeding in the team sports of the following:
Baseball
Basketball
Field Hockey
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Volleyball
Will be based on results of conference competition during the season.

2.   The team with the best NEWMAC record is seeded #1.  The second best record, # 2, etc. through to the 10th position

3.   Tie-breaking principles, in order of presentation, for the following sports:

      Baseball
      Basketball
      Field Hockey
      Lacrosse
      Softball

      a. Head-to-head competition results. *
      b. Records among teams that are tied. 
      c. Use a comparison against a ranked order, beginning with the top seed until the tie is broken. 
              -   For example: If  2 teams are tied for fourth place, then those 2 teams' results will be compared
                with results against the # 1 seed first, then the # 2 seed, and so on until the tie is broken.
              -   If 3 teams are tied and the tie is broken with 2 teams remaining tied, then the tie is broken by
                head-to-head results.
      d. If necessary, head-to-head competition against common, non-conference opponents of the teams
          that are tied will be used.
              -When using non-conference opponents' results, contests held at home for both (or more)
                institutions or on the road for both (or more) institutions will be used before looking at collective
                records against common opponents.

See individual sports for additional steps that have been added before the final step.

      e. A draw will occur as the final step for all tied teams. 

      * For women's basketball, with regard to seeding tie-breakers between three schools (two in East
        and one in West) disregard head-to-head because there are insufficient playing opportunities to
        support a decision. (Adopted: 06/04/02 effective 10/15/03)

For example:  4 way tie between Wellesley, Wheaton, Babson, and WPI
      - Head-to-head shows that no one team defeated the other three.
      - Win/loss record among tied teams show that Wheaton and Babson are 2-1.  Head-to-head between
        the 2 teams finds that Babson defeated Wheaton; therefore Babson is seeded above Wheaton.
      - Win/loss record between Wellesley and WPI show that they are 1-2.  Head-to-head between the 2
        teams finds that WPI defeated Wellesley; therefore WPI is seeded above Wellesley.
      - The seeds would be Babson, then Wheaton, then WPI, and then Wellesley.

.
.
.
.


6.   Tie Breaking Procedure

   Step 1: Apply the highest priority principle on each tie, starting on the highest seeded tie and traversing
               to the lowest seeded tie, before moving to the next principle.  If more than two teams are
               included within the tie, try to break the entire tie with the given principle.
   Step 2: If the highest priority principle does not break a tie, move to the next principle.
   Step 3: Once a tie is broken using a non-draw method, start the tie-breaking procedure over at Step 1.
   Step 4: Once the draw principle is used on one tie, apply the draw principle to all ties.

Note: This procedure allows for a tie-break between a lower seeded tie to affect the tie-break between a higher seeded tie.  Assume the highest seeded tie could not be broken via head-to-head, but the lower seeded tie could.  The lower seeded tie would be broken before the ranked order comparison is applied to the higher seeded tie, thus affecting which institution you compare results with first.

If someone knows of something more up to date, please post it!


Assuming this is correct.....

IF Both WPI AND MIT finish 11-1 (Assuming each teams single loss occurs on the other's home court.)

a. - No Tie Break - Split the two games
b. - No Tie break - Both teams won every other conference game
c. - No Tie Break -  Both teams won every other conference game
d. -                      - Common Non-Conf. Opponents
                                        Curry (WPI Won on the road 67-51, MIT Won at home 90-63)
                                        Salem St. (WPI Lost on the road 73-69, MIT Lost on the road 75-65)
                                        UMass-Boston (WPI Won at home 84-52, MIT Won at home 87-53)

How the wording is applied here is critical.  Does "When using non-conference opponents' results,
contests held at home for both (or more) institutions or on the road for both (or more) institutions will be used before looking at collective records against common opponents" mean the toal home record against common non-conf. opponents, or does it mean common home games against those teams?

If it is the former, MIT wins the tie break with a 2-0 home record vs WPI's 1-0.

Otherwise its MIT 1-0 at home and WPI 1-0 at home against thier only common non-conf opponent at home (UMass-Boston) and both would remain tied due a common loss at Salem St.  Their combined record Vs Non-conf would still leave them tied at 2-1.  In this case it would fall to that worst of all scenarios....the dreaded draw!!

This is a quick run-through, feel free to point out anything I missed here!

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 03, 2009, 08:32:30 AM
Congratulations to Coach Bartley & WPI for jumping back into the D3hoops.com Top 25!  The Engineers are 16-3 and captured 79 votes to take the #22 positon in this weeks poll.

Massey Rankings Thru 2/1/09

WPI -  #43
MIT  -  #83
Wheaton - #160
Babson - #190
Springfield - #227
Coast Guard - #234
Clark - #263

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 03, 2009, 12:52:40 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 03, 2009, 08:16:35 AM

      b. Records among teams that are tied. 
     

I guess this is for when there are more than 2 teams tied, using the records against the other tied teams after the head to head taken into account.  Right?

(ie, not using overall records including non-conference games)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 03, 2009, 12:58:22 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 03, 2009, 08:16:35 AM
How the wording is applied here is critical.  Does "When using non-conference opponents' results,
contests held at home for both (or more) institutions or on the road for both (or more) institutions will be used before looking at collective records against common opponents" mean the toal home record against common non-conf. opponents, or does it mean common home games against those teams?

I read it as, to first break the tie, use nonconference games against common opponents that were played on the similar court, ie, if both teams played the same NC Opponent at home, use it; if both teams played the same NCO away, use it.  If the tie is still not broken, then use games against common NCO even if one team played them away and the other played them at home.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 03, 2009, 03:52:38 PM
So essentially if both teams go 11-1, they will be tied in every tiebreaker scenario. Is that what everyone else gets?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 03, 2009, 08:57:59 PM
WPI loses at CLARK tonight!

68-56.

Clark lead by 5 at 4:00 left.

Clark lead by 6 at 1:42 left.

Clark lead by 8 at :39 left.

Clark lead by 10 at :25 left.


My info from:

http://www.clarku.edu/athletics/varsity/basketball_livestats/xlive.htm

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on February 03, 2009, 09:16:35 PM
Clark's Jack Minister, who was averaging 8 pts a game coming into tonight's game vs. WPI, exploded for 27 tonight--everything he threw up at the basket went in.  6-5 freshman teammate Brian Vadya had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Cougars. 

Clark played a 2-3 zone that really shut down WPI.  The Engineers should expect to see a lot more zone defense over the rest of the season.  WPI really struggled from the outside tonight, and even though they played 3 guards for a lot of the second half they didn't look for their outside shot and they also didn't seem to be confident the few times they took it.  They don't seem to have a consistent outside scorer this year to bail them out when they can't penetrate and dish. WPI played most of the second half without Etten, who was in foul trouble, and their 6-8 kid didn't play much either, and without those 2 kids WPI is very young up front. 

This loss may teach the WPI players more about themselves, and their deficiencies that need improvement, than they have learned in all of their recent wins.  Congrats to Clark coach Phillips for a good gameplan and for getting his kids to execute it.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 03, 2009, 09:40:34 PM
JustAFan, good post.  I must say 2 of the freshman I noticed in the NEWMAC so far are Brian Vayda (Sturbridge, MA) and Jamie Karraker (MIT).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 03, 2009, 09:42:37 PM
I guess all that tiebreaker stuff goes out the window.  Great win for Clark. 

T990, I agree with you about the those two being the top two freshman.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 03, 2009, 10:10:41 PM
Hugenerd,

  Just got home and was looking at the box score,  looks like Clark figured out how to get their bigs going against WPI Normandin, Vayda & Minster matched the entire WPI offensive output with 56 points.  Fpr WPI, Lessard only played 16 minutes and they only other real size they have a 6'7" freshmen doesnt play much at all.  That means they are going more than half the game with no one on the court over 6-3" or 6'4".  Clarks big 3 worked well inside and out tonight.

JustAfan is right, WPI has not had a consistent go-to scorer this season.  Kirkland had been scoring well recently, but was held to 7 pts on 1 of 6 shooting and Robinson was the other playeer who has had some big offensive games only put up 4 pts making 2 of 13 shots.

The only bright spot tonight for WPI tonight was Perez with a near double-double ( 9 Reb, 13 pts)

Perez's effort though was clearly overshadowed by Vayda's 15 boards and 21 pts on 8 of 11 shots.

Huge loss for WPI after returning to the Top 25 today.  Now they MUST win at MIT on Valentine's Day in order to win the regular season title and play host for the conference tournament.

That of course assumes the win the rest of their conference games, which after tonight is not a given.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 03, 2009, 10:36:32 PM
Massd3fan, thats why all the games between WPI or MIT vs. Clark or CGA will be/were close (although MIT was able to build a 20+ point lead at Clark by shooting lights out from 3).  WPI and MIT both have much stronger perimeter play while Clark and CGA have some guys who can get stuff done inside.  When WPI and MIT play eachother, they really are a good matchup for one another.  MIT is much stronger in their top few players, while WPI has a lot of depth.  I think if Bartolotta and Johnson stay out of foul trouble, MIT has a really good shot when they host WPI.  With that said, MIT needs to take care of business the next 3 games before that matchup.  MIT does have 4 of their final 5 at home, which will help, while WPI is on the road 3 of their final 4.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 04, 2009, 03:07:57 PM
NCAA Regional Rankings are up:  WPI 1st, MIT 6th in the Northeast.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 04, 2009, 10:21:14 PM
MIT comes back to beat Springfield tonight at home.  MIT played an awful first half, which had some to do with Springfield's good defense and also MIT's poor shooting.  The team was really carried by Jamie Karraker, who scored more than half of MITs points in the first frame (12), including the first 9 points for MIT, while Billy Johnson was held scoreless and Jimmy Bartolotta scored only 2 points.  Halftime score was 29-23 Springfield.

The second half was more of a battle.  In the first few mintues, Springfield opened up a 9 point lead, and they were able to hold onto the lead for the first 7.5 minutes, but you could tell that MIT was starting to find their rhythm as they started making shots (it took them less than 10 minutes to equal their entire first half output). From the 12.5 minute mark until about 1.5 minutes left in the game, it was a seesaw battle with no team leading by more than 4 points. However, from the 3.5 minute mark until the end of the game, MIT took control with their defense (Springfiled only scored 4 points in the final 3.5), 3 point shooting (MIT was 3-3 during that span), and FT shooting (MIT was 6-6 to close out the game).  Jimmy B started it off with a 3 to give MIT the lead for good at 56-53.  That was followed up by 3s from Jamie Karraker and Billy Johnson.  MIT made its FTs down the stretch which accounted for the the final score, 68-57. 

Karraker and Bartolotta (18 in the second half) each finished with 20 points. Bartolotta also got it done defensively with 4 blocks and 3 steals.  The Billy's (Johnson and Bender) controlled the glass for MIT with 14 rebounds and 12 rebounds, respectively.  Brad Gampel did a great job leading the team, with 7 assists, 4 steals, and only 3 turnovers. Eric Zuk was very efficient, going 5-7 from the floor with 11 points.  It was a great team win for MIT tonight.  With the win, MIT still controls its own destiny.  If they win out, the get to host the NEWMAC tourney, which would be a huge advantagefor them as they are perfect at home this season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on February 05, 2009, 08:36:22 PM
For Hugenerd and others, if you have not seen it already, check out the piece in the NY TImes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/sports/ncaabasketball/06mit.html?_r=1&ref=sports

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 05, 2009, 11:51:01 PM
Thanks LyonFan
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 07, 2009, 01:20:13 PM
MIT up 16-2, 6 minutes into the game.  CGA's coach has already been hit with two T's and was ejected.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 07, 2009, 01:44:04 PM
MIT up 33-29 ath the half.  Bartolotta has 20.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 07, 2009, 11:25:10 PM
Missed the second half today due to family commitments.  Looks like I missed a good game, but a bad result for MIT. They lose in OT, in a game it looks like they should have won in regulatiton, up 3 with 2 seconds left.  Bartolotta had 38 points in the loss.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on February 08, 2009, 09:30:49 AM
Wow, what did the CGA coach do? 

Up 3 with 2 second left?  Did MIT do the smart thing and foul or the dumb, conventional thing (e.g., Memphis v. Kansas last year) and allow a three point attempt?  I can't stand when teams don't foul up 3 with less than five seconds left -- odds are much, much better of stopping a free throw make, intentional miss, offensive rebound, conversation than a regular 3 point play, yet no one ever seems to do this ... drives me nuts. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 08, 2009, 06:55:18 PM
Looks like they didnt foul.  Although the player who made the 3 had only taken 7 three=pointers all season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 08, 2009, 09:41:42 PM
There was only 1.8 sec left.  No, MIT did not try to foul. 

As far as Coach Barry's ejection:  after his first Technical, Barry was yelling at the Ref (who called the T) that he was not even talking to him (maybe he was talking to his own player?).  What was weird in my mind, why doesn't the Ref who T'd him walk away.  He didn't, he walked up to Barry to let him continue his tirade than T's him again.  Barry was on the court and did not seem to be ready to stop anytime soon.

As for the game result, it largely came down to: (1) MIT shot 25% from 3-PT range; they are averaging 42.6% for the season.  (2) Bill Johnson shot 1-7 for 7 pts, 4 rebs; in the previous meeting he shot 8-12 for 25 pts, 6 rebs.  MIT was also in foul trouble among all their front court players (at game's end: 5, 5, 5, 4 fouls).   

Lastly, I cannot believe that Craig Johnson collared Jimmy Bartolotta *again* on a breakaway layup in this game, violently sending him the floor.  He was called for an Intentional Foul, but not ejected.  In last year's NEWMAC tournament, Johnson did the same thing, and Bartolotta had to be taken out on a stretcher wearing a neck brace and spent the night in the hospital.  It is difficult to respect Craig Johnson as a player or the CGA basketball program for this nonsense. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 09, 2009, 08:34:24 AM
Ah, that word ... assumption...  It is indeed a killer.

I "assumed" MIT would handle them on their home court.  I saw the score and boxscore on yesterday and was truly amazed. (Did not follow the game, due to a date with a hammer & chisel and about 6" of ice on the roof and some patches around the driveway & walkways).  It was a Saturday for the lower part of the conference, as Springfield beat Clark & Babson upset Wheaton.

It does sound like it was an exciting game though.  Seriously bad loss for MIT in their quest to win the regular season & host the tournament, but like WPI's loss a lack of good outside shooting and the disappearance of an inside game leads to disaster.

As we wind down the final two seeks, the lower half of the conference will have a lot to say about who is going to host the post-season.  Both of the top two teams got a serious slap across the face to not take anyone for granted.  Let's see if the message got through!

MIT - (7-2) 3 Games Left

   at Babson, WPI, Clark


WPI - (7-1) 4 Games Left

   at Springfield, at MIT, Wheaton, at Babson
   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on February 10, 2009, 11:56:44 AM
Wonder if MIT would have fouled it its coach hadn't been tossed -- that is the intelligent play and MIT is nothing if not intelligent ... 1.8 seconds left, you HAVE to foul -- even a less than stellar shooter at the college level probably has at least a 1/4 chance of hitting a 3, I figure the odds of making a free throw, corraling a rebound on the second, then hitting a shot to tie are maybe, what, 1/15, 1/20? 

In case MIT fans missed it, nice article on the Heritage trio:

http://williams.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2008-09/news/0210_Kevin_Snyder_profiled_with_two_HS_teammates
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 10, 2009, 10:13:11 PM
Babson home games are video webcast.  MIT at Babson WED 8PM.

http://secure.stretchinternet.com/demo/games.php?user=babson&o=cal_stamp&sd=today


Live Stats:

http://www3.babson.edu/livestats//mens_basketball/main.html


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: golflax99 on February 12, 2009, 01:47:38 AM
Huge win for Babson tonight. They grabbed an 11 point lead going into halftime and watched it slowly slip away. Then came the most exciting last minute of Basketball I've seen all year.

Norm De Silva hit two big free throws on a 1 and 1 with about 45 seconds left to put Babson up 66-64. MIT came down the court and couldn't find an open look until Bartolotta pulled up from the top of key, ATLEAST 25 feet out. With MIT up 67-66, Babson called a timeout... everyone seemed to know it would go to Zach Etten like it has all year. Babson set a double screen from him at the foul line and he popped out and hit one of the biggest three's all year for them. There were still 9 seconds left, but Etten played great D and popped it out of Bartolotta's hands. They got it back to him, but it wasn't a decent look as time expired.

Great game as Babson has won 4 out of 5 and improves to 4-5 in the NEWMAC. MIT falls to 7-3 in NEWMAC with the tough loss.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 12, 2009, 09:47:52 AM
golflax99,

   Yes, a crushing defeat for MIT in regards to their hopes for the regular season title.  It would seem like they are opening the door and holding it open for WPI to take the crown & host the tournament.

   On the other hand, when i looked at the results of the WPI/Springfield game, it seems like WPI is not sure if they want to walk through that door!  They won a tight back & forth game, but this is the second game in a row against a sub .500 team that they hace really struggled to take control of the game.

   Springfield had their chances, many chances, to win the game.  Six turnovers in the final 4 plus minutes, with four of them on potential game tying possesions, killed them!

   WPI can now seal the #1 seed with a win at MIT on Saturday, but even a loss still leaves them with a game lead.  I'm guessing that MIT's only route now to the NCAA's is to win the tournament.  Their chances at an at large bid would seem very slim now.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 12, 2009, 11:18:23 AM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 12, 2009, 09:47:52 AM
I'm guessing that MIT's only route now to the NCAA's is to win the tournament.  Their chances at an at large bid would seem very slim now.

I would agree.  MIT needs to win the tourney now (because if they dont they will have at least one more loss in the tourney which will leave them with 8 overall and 6 in-region, which is very borderline) and they have a much better chance of winning the tourney if they host.  They first need to take care of business and beat WPI and then hope that WPI loses one of their two games next week (Wheaton at home or at Babson). 

If MIT wins on Saturday (and against Clark next week), it opens up some interesting tiebreaking scenarios. Obviously if WPI wins out or only loses to MIT, they get to host.

Case 1: If WPI loses to Wheaton and MIT (and MIT wins out)
MIT would host because the first pertinent tiebreaker is who did best against the best teams.  MIT beat Wheaton twice and WPI will have split with them if they lose next week.  Since Wheaton is currently the 3rd ranked team in the NEWMAC (behind WPI and MIT), the tiebreaker would go to MIT with their 2-0 series advantage against them. 

Case 2: WPI loses to Babson and MIT (and MIT wins out)
This would again depend on the final in conference rankings, but since WPI and MIT would then have idential records against Wheaton and Babson (teams 3 and 4 in conference).  If Clark is 5th (as they are currently), MIT would win the tiebreaker, because they would again be 2-0 and WPI would be 1-1 against Clark.  If CGA is ranked higher than Clark, WPI would win the tiebreaker because WPI is 2-0 against CGA and MIT is 1-1.

Case 3: WPI loses all 3 games (MIT loses to Clark)
In this case, if Wheaton wins all of their remaining games, they could also tie for first.  If Wheaton, MIT and WPI were all tied at 8-4, MIT would win the tiebreaker because WPI would have split with Wheaton but MIT is 2-0 against Wheaton.  If only WPI and MIT are tied, MIT would again win the tiebreaker, because MIT is 2-0 against Wheaton and WPI would be 1-1.

So in summary, MIT seems to be in better shape in terms of tiebreakers, but it is going to take a major slip-up by WPI to get to a tie.  MIT is going to have to win on Saturday and then hope that Wheaton or Babson can come up with an upset next week.  MIT wants Clark and Wheaton to do well and CGA and Babson to lose (with the exception of the Babson-WPI game, MIT wants Babson to win that one), to increase their chance in terms of tiebreakers.  WPI, on the other hand, just needs to win their games (they would be pulling for CGA and Babson, in terms of tiebreakers).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 12, 2009, 11:54:05 AM
Hugenerd,

   Lots & Lots of possibilities, no doubt.

   For the teams below WPI & MIT though, hope is growing into confidence.  Neither WPI or MIT is moving towards the post-seasom playing their best ball.  Given what we have seen in the past couple of weeks, would it really surprise anyone if someone other than WPI/MIT wins the tournament?

   Home court advantage did not help WPI in the past two years.  Mt bet is it's going to be and exciting set of games no matter who wins it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 14, 2009, 03:35:47 PM
I wonder why Jimmy Bartolotta didnt play today against WPI?  MIT loses at home 72-55 without their All-American.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: deiscanton on February 14, 2009, 09:33:25 PM
I attended the WPI/MIT game today, and I was disappointed that Jimmy Bartolotta was not able to play today-- I was looking forward to seeing him.

I asked a few MIT fans at the game what happened, and from what I heard and as I understand it, Jimmy Bartolotta injured his foot/ankle in a late week practice.  Bartolotta was not in uniform as a precautionary result today-- but I hear that it is a minor injury and should not affect his ability to compete in the NEWMAC tournament.

I tried to look for you, Hugenerd, but I couldn't find you-- even though I asked around.  If you were at the game, I was wearing a red striped shirt with a pink ribbon pinned as part of the WBCA Pink Zone promotion and was carrying a blue Shaw's shopping bag with me.  I sat in the middle-- there were a lot of WPI fans who made the trip to MIT to make sure that the WPI Engineers could clinch the top seed in the NEWMAC tournament today.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 14, 2009, 11:19:06 PM
Hugenerd,

   I got to see the WPI/MIT game today.  My wife & I went to see a nephew of ours swim at the MIAA sectionals that took place at MT today and managed to talk her onto attending the basketball game as well.

   I was very disappointed not to see Barolotta play.  It was a tpugh go for MIT with olny 8 players in uniform.  They played hard, but fatigue got to them  in the second half.  Also it was obvious that without JB on the court, this team seriously struggles to make plays.  Billy Johnson had a huge advantage inside most of the game, but my observations were that MIT has not worked much at all on the thier low post entry passes (orthey are just not that good at making it).  There were a large number of turnovers/forced shots that occured as a result of not being able to get Johnson the ball in aposition he could be effective with it.

  WPI had control of the game but didnt really put it away until about 11 or 12 minutes to go the 2nd half.  Adam Lirette had a very good game for WPI along with Kirkland.  They got up early, but still seem to struggle with consistency on offense.  Just when it seemed like WPI would take the lead for 10 and bump it up, they would have a couple of bad possesions and MIT would cut the lead back to single diigits.

  Kudos to Billy Johnson & Jamie Karraker for hard-nosed effort today.  Karraker played the whole 40 minutes and put up 15 points.   Johnson held his poise very very well.  He worked hard at getting good position to take advantage of the mismatches (WPI's Lessard was in foul trouble and only played 4 minutes), and never seemed to get upset that his teammates could not get him the ball at the right time & spot.  Even with that, he had game hishs with 20 pts & 9 rbs.

   One thing is very clear, MIT is in serious trouble next year if some of the players who at the school do not come to the program, or they do not have an outstanding recruiting class.

   Well, WPI wil host the tournament and now the question is can they win it after letting it get away to CGA the past two years.  I still think MIT with a healthy JB can give a great game, and I like said in an earlier post, the lower seeds in the conference are playing better and gaining confidence.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 15, 2009, 10:26:42 AM
Quote from: deiscanton on February 14, 2009, 09:33:25 PM
I attended the WPI/MIT game today, and I was disappointed that Jimmy Bartolotta was not able to play today-- I was looking forward to seeing him.

I asked a few MIT fans at the game what happened, and from what I heard and as I understand it, Jimmy Bartolotta injured his foot/ankle in a late week practice.  Bartolotta was not in uniform as a precautionary result today-- but I hear that it is a minor injury and should not affect his ability to compete in the NEWMAC tournament.

I tried to look for you, Hugenerd, but I couldn't find you-- even though I asked around.  If you were at the game, I was wearing a red striped shirt with a pink ribbon pinned as part of the WBCA Pink Zone promotion and was carrying a blue Shaw's shopping bag with me.  I sat in the middle-- there were a lot of WPI fans who made the trip to MIT to make sure that the WPI Engineers could clinch the top seed in the NEWMAC tournament today.

Deis,

I wasnt at the game and I havent been at the last 3 games including the last 2 at home (which happen to be 3 losses for MIT, I was at 7 of the first 9 home games - all wins). I like to think of myself as a good luck charm ;)  I actually havent seen MIT lose this season in person and I have been to, I think, 9 or 10 games in all.

If I were there, I would be pretty easy to find, I am usually one of the most vocal supporters (and I sometimes wear some CMU basketball gear).  My wife is in a really difficult rotation in med school right now so I am basically taking care of our daughter by myself, so I had to prioritize and watching basketball games in person didnt make the cut.

It is good to hear that Jimmy isnt badly hurt, I have been out of the loop pretty much this whole month because I havent had any real free time other than to get onto this site for a few minutes here and there.  Even before the WPI game on Saturday, MIT had a pretty long shot at hosting so it is better that he is well rested for the tourney. I think MIT has clinched the #2 seed because the only other team that can get 7 wins is Wheaton and they are 2-0 against them.

By the way, it is too bad we didnt get to formally meet, but I know who you are (I played at Brandeis 4 times in my career and have seen you at games since I moved to Boston and I think you even made the trip to Pittsburgh a time or two when I was playing).  You may even recognize me if you saw me, but, alas, it wasnt meant to be.  Maybe we will see eachother next time. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 15, 2009, 10:39:19 AM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 14, 2009, 11:19:06 PM
Hugenerd,

   I got to see the WPI/MIT game today.  My wife & I went to see a nephew of ours swim at the MIAA sectionals that took place at MT today and managed to talk her onto attending the basketball game as well.

   I was very disappointed not to see Barolotta play.  It was a tpugh go for MIT with olny 8 players in uniform.  They played hard, but fatigue got to them  in the second half.  Also it was obvious that without JB on the court, this team seriously struggles to make plays.  Billy Johnson had a huge advantage inside most of the game, but my observations were that MIT has not worked much at all on the thier low post entry passes (orthey are just not that good at making it).  There were a large number of turnovers/forced shots that occured as a result of not being able to get Johnson the ball in aposition he could be effective with it.

  WPI had control of the game but didnt really put it away until about 11 or 12 minutes to go the 2nd half.  Adam Lirette had a very good game for WPI along with Kirkland.  They got up early, but still seem to struggle with consistency on offense.  Just when it seemed like WPI would take the lead for 10 and bump it up, they would have a couple of bad possesions and MIT would cut the lead back to single diigits.

  Kudos to Billy Johnson & Jamie Karraker for hard-nosed effort today.  Karraker played the whole 40 minutes and put up 15 points.   Johnson held his poise very very well.  He worked hard at getting good position to take advantage of the mismatches (WPI's Lessard was in foul trouble and only played 4 minutes), and never seemed to get upset that his teammates could not get him the ball at the right time & spot.  Even with that, he had game hishs with 20 pts & 9 rbs.

   One thing is very clear, MIT is in serious trouble next year if some of the players who at the school do not come to the program, or they do not have an outstanding recruiting class.

   Well, WPI wil host the tournament and now the question is can they win it after letting it get away to CGA the past two years.  I still think MIT with a healthy JB can give a great game, and I like said in an earlier post, the lower seeds in the conference are playing better and gaining confidence.

I am glad you could make it out for the game, I couldnt make it to the game for reasons outlined in my previous post. 

MIT is a different team without Bartolotta.  Even though Gampel is the point guard, and handles the ball most of the time, Bartolotta has the ball in his hands a lot and is a calming influence on the team.  He is really the only player on the team that rarely gets rattled.

In terms of post entry, I think it is a combination of two things.  First, since MIT has no real big men (anymore), I am sure there is some lack of practice with post entry.  Players may see something they think is open during the course of the game, but because they dont do that very often, things can go wrong.  Also, the players currently playing in the post have a different skill set than their starting 5 at the beginning of the season.  A pass that Dou could have jumped and caught is different than what the current players can handle, but they should be adjsuted to that by now.  Secondly, since none of their post players are true post players, in my opinion, they are not as comfortable coming to passing and catching the ball with their backs to the basket, which can also lead to turnovers.

In terms of the team next year,  Billy Johnson will be back for a 5th year due to medical redshirt.  They will also get back Daniel McCue, who was one of their top players last year, who has been out this year due to injury and surgery.  I also hear they have some talented kids coming in, but we will have to wait and see which of them end up still playing.  The biggest need for MIT will be another point guard (and they always need big men). With Gampel graduating, they only have Patrick Sissman and no one else that can really bring the ball up (with Bartolotta gone as well).  McCue will fill in for Bartolotta at the 3, Karraker will start at the 2 and Johnson will start at the 4 or 5.  The spots up for grabs will be the other 4/5 spot (likely starter from this years team is Erik Zuk) and the point guard position (with the likely starter there being Sissman). 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 15, 2009, 05:38:56 PM
Jimmy Bartolotta will be a guest on Hoopsville tonight. Expect to hear him in the 6 p.m. ET hour:

http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/tunein.php
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 15, 2009, 05:43:18 PM
Thanks Pat.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 15, 2009, 05:55:40 PM
Actually... Jimmy will be on in the 7pm hour! :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 15, 2009, 06:02:53 PM
Guess I misread Dave when he said, "yes - he will be on in the second half hour." :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2009, 11:55:53 AM
Senior night tonight at MIT, as they host Clark starting @ 6:00.  Seniors include Jimmy Bartolotta, Brad Gampel, and Will Johnson.  If anyone is making it out there tonight, please do share your thoughts.  I cant make it, although I would really like to be there (I'm alone with my daughter).  Hope the guys can turn the mini-skid around.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 18, 2009, 03:46:39 PM
Regional rankings are out:

http://d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2009/02/18/ncaa-regional-rankings-week-2-3/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2009, 04:28:29 PM
Wow, WPI back at #1.

Thanks Pat.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2009, 06:55:38 PM
MIT up 51-40 at the half.  Billy Johnson has like 24 points (not sure of the exact number).  Bartolotta has 9 points (4-6 FG), 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2009, 07:20:36 PM
MIT up by 20 with under 8 minutes to go.  Billy Johnson has 39 points.  Looks like Jimmy Bartolotta's single game scoring record of 43 is in jeopardy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2009, 07:48:42 PM
MIT wins 97-89.  Johnson ended up with 40, only the 4th player in MIT history to score 40 or more in a game.  Bartolotta had 22 points and 15 boards.  Brad Gampel had his season high in scoring with 18 points and 11 assists.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2009, 08:19:16 PM
Also congrats to Brad Gampel on breaking the season assist mark.  His 11 assists tonight gives him 170 on the season, breaking Danny Kanamori's old mark of 169.

Gampel is also 5 steals from tying the single season mark for steals.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2009, 09:28:16 PM
After tonight's action, there are only 2 teams left with winning records and 4 teams at 4-7:

WPI 10-1
MIT 8-4

Wheaton 5-6

Babson 4-7
CGA 4-7
Clark 4-7
Springfield 4-7


This is going to be a mess figuring out tiebreakers.  Clark split with all the other 4-7 teams. Babson was swept by Springfield and split with the other two. CGA split with Babson and Clark and won the first meeting with Springfield (they play at CGA on saturday). Spriingfield split with Clark, swept Babson, but lost the first meeting to CGA. 

So currently, according to the tiebreaker criteria, the record among tied teams are: Babson 2-4, CGA 3-2, Clark 3-3, Springfield 3-2.  So the current order would be CGA (leads head to head 1-0 over Springfield), Springfield, Clark, and Babson.  Wheaton controls their own destiny in terms of hosting a game. Clark is also in pretty good shape with a win.  If they beat Wheaton, and CGA wins, there will be a 3 way tie for 3rd at 5-7 (or 4 way if Babson beats WPI).  It looks like Clark would get the 3 seed because of the third tiebreaker, with the win over WPI.  I am not going to go through every scenario because there are quite a few, there may be a scenario where almost any of the bottom 5 teams can be seeded 3-7 depending on saturdays results.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BornBalla on February 19, 2009, 01:40:56 PM
Need some help figuring out how regional poll is determined. How is Middlebury #2 this week & UMD #6 when Middlebury lost to last weeks #8 and UMD Lost to last weeks #5 regionally ranked team? How does WPI vault from #4 to #1 and how does Elms stay at #3? I'm sure there is some "logical" explanation. Just trying to figure it out cuz it doesn't make much sense. Also, how is Brandeis even in TOP10 with that many losses?

HELP!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 19, 2009, 02:19:33 PM
Quote from: BornBalla on February 19, 2009, 01:40:56 PM
Need some help figuring out how regional poll is determined. How is Middlebury #2 this week & UMD #6 when Middlebury lost to last weeks #8 and UMD Lost to last weeks #5 regionally ranked team? How does WPI vault from #4 to #1 and how does Elms stay at #3? I'm sure there is some "logical" explanation. Just trying to figure it out cuz it doesn't make much sense. Also, how is Brandeis even in TOP10 with that many losses?

HELP!

WPI is a question mark for me, considering they lost at home to Elms by 16.  Middlebury dropping a spot is not unreasonable.  I dont have much of an issue with the poll, other than maybe switiching Elms and WPI.   UMD makes some sense, they lost to RIC, so RIC moved ahead of them and they dropped. Amherst did not move up because they lost to Williams and have a horrible strength of schedule. 

As for Brandeis, it seems like they have a lot of losses, but you have to consider who they are against:  They have 2 "in-region" losses to WashU who is one of the top 2 teams in the country, they have a loss to #1 NE WPI, a loss to #6 NE UMD, and #4 in the East Rochester.  They also have been pretty good in their last 19 games (14-5) after losing the first 3.  Couple that with the fact they have a 14 point win over RIC (#4 in NE), a 15 point win at Amherst (#8 in NE), two wins over CMU (#3 in the great lakes), and a win over Rochester (#4 in the East) and they have a decent resume.  They have 3 "bad" losses that will hurt them: Lasell (I know they are 17-7 but still they arent ranked in NE), Framingham State, and at Chicago.  I think they move ahead of UNE this week (they should take care of Emory and Case Western at home) and I would also put them ahead of Amherst since they beat them pretty badly at their place (especially if Amherst slips up in the NESCAC tourney).  They could potentially be ranked as high as #7 on selection Sunday if Salem State loses their tourney.  If WPI, Middlebury, RIC or UMD, and Bridgewater wins their tourney (and Elms gets the Pool B), they could be second team under consideration out of the NE on selection sunday (behind UMD or RIC).  They will also likely finish 2nd in the UAA (if they win out, CMU still has to play WashU and Rochester, Brandeis has the 3 worst teams in the conference remaining), which could help them because it is a pretty strong national conference. Dont forget that Brandeis also has extremely high OWP and OOWP numbers (.623 and .538).  In fact, Brandeis has the highest OWP in the country at 0.623 by almost a full 0.02 (which is a pretty significant amount), meaning they have played the toughest schedule in d3. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BornBalla on February 19, 2009, 04:43:32 PM
Hugenerd

Thanks. makes some more sense. Still can't get past some high % of losses for Brandeis or WPI jump though
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 19, 2009, 08:19:01 PM
Brandeis does have alot of losses, but they have played a lot of really good teams.  Their OWP shows this (which is a primary NCAA selection committee), as it is the highest in the country.  The way I look at it is, if Brandeis would have played Amhert's schedule, what kind of record would they have?  I think Brandeis would probably only have 4 or 5 losses, and they showed this by beating Amherst by 15 on the road.  In my opinion, Amherst is over ranked.  Wheaton (IL) made it last year with 7 losses, Brandeis has a slight chance to be the first to make it with 8.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 20, 2009, 11:17:31 PM

Brandeis still has an outside shot to make the NCAA tourney with that record.  They have no conference tournament, so they'll move up the rankings a little with losses from teams above them.  Plus, if the teams above them all get automatic bids, they'll be on the table for Pool C selection early, where their OWP and OOWP numbers will look really good.

They've got a strong team and they've been playing better of late.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BornBalla on February 21, 2009, 07:53:49 AM
If Brandeis goes 17-8 and the conference leaders all win conferences, there would still be 4 teams ahead in the reg poll if I am correct. Now I believe BSC lost to SSC so they may fall some and after what happened to UMD falling so far & WPI leaping so far I guess Brandeis could end up anywhere. I'll say this after seeing Brandeis vs Emory, if they get in tourney they could be a real problem for teams especially with good matchups. I assume if they get in they will play a higher seed based on record and they could upset top teams(not sure it would really be an upset). They have some brute forwards in terms of bulk/strength.Their 3pt shooting is ridiculous(not last night but based on season stats) so they can space court to get to forwards inside. Some teams in NE and E regions are hoping they lose one of last two.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 21, 2009, 09:12:41 AM
Quote from: BornBalla on February 21, 2009, 07:53:49 AM
If Brandeis goes 17-8 and the conference leaders all win conferences, there would still be 4 teams ahead in the reg poll if I am correct. Now I believe BSC lost to SSC so they may fall some and after what happened to UMD falling so far & WPI leaping so far I guess Brandeis could end up anywhere. I'll say this after seeing Brandeis vs Emory, if they get in tourney they could be a real problem for teams especially with good matchups. I assume if they get in they will play a higher seed based on record and they could upset top teams(not sure it would really be an upset). They have some brute forwards in terms of bulk/strength.Their 3pt shooting is ridiculous(not last night but based on season stats) so they can space court to get to forwards inside. Some teams in NE and E regions are hoping they lose one of last two.

There would be 4 ahead of them if the poll doesnt change, but since UNE already lost and I think they will evntually end up ranked higher than Amherst (Brandeis has the head-to-head and much higher OWP), Brandeis could feasibly be ranked 2nd or 3rd in region at the end of the season(depending on what Salem State does) if the teams ahead of them hold their conference tourneys (WPI, Middlebury, UMD or RIC, and Bridgewater).  Elms already has a lock on a Pool B bid.  If nothing else, Brandeis might end up dragging CMU out of the tourney with them, because Brandeis swept the season series 2-0 versus CMU (CMU now has 5 region losses in the great lakes, 2 to WashU, 2 to Brandeis, and 1 to Case Western, plus their loss to Richard Stockton).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 21, 2009, 05:06:24 PM
With today's results, I believe the final rankings for the tourney will be

1. WPI 11-1
2. MIT 8-4
3. Wheaton 6-6
4. Springfield 5-7

Note:  All 3 of the bottom teams tied at 4-8 and all 3 teams split against eachother.  Therefore, I believe (but may be wrong) that the third tiebreaker comes in, which is who beat the best team in the league during the regular season

5. Clark (beat WPI, CGA and Babson swept by WPI
6. Babson (split with MIT, split with Wheaton)
7. CGA (split with MIT, swept by Wheaton)

So the first round matchups (assuming I am correct, but thats not a given) will be MIT hosting CGA, Wheaton hosting Babson, and Springfield hosting Clark.  Winner of Springfield/Clark will play WPI in the semis and the winner of MIT/CGA will play the winner of Wheaton/Babson in the other Semi.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 22, 2009, 12:20:05 AM
hugenerd, the official NEWMAC web site concurs.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/championships/index
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 22, 2009, 09:20:57 AM
Should be a fun tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BornBalla on February 22, 2009, 01:13:09 PM
What are the odds of WPI losing the tourney this year? Slim to none, 50/50 . or very possible? Seems like they are playing some good def and getting good off production. Also, anyone know that site that had projections of teams in the tourney and first round matchups.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2009, 04:05:35 PM
Im not sure of the site, you might want to check some of the multiregional boards a few weeks back. 

I would say WPI is the favorite, but by how much, I think it matters on a bunch of things.  Obviously they are hosting and that will help them.  I think there are other teams with a good shot, but no other team is as deep as them (so other teams are much more susceptible to things like foul trouble).  They will be in the tourney regardless.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 23, 2009, 05:11:59 PM
Hugenerd,

   I agree with your assessment of WPI's depth  My wife is a graduate of Babson and a breast cancer survivor.  We went to the Babson-WPI game on Saturday.  It was senior day at Babson at as well as their Pink Zone event to raise money for cancer research.  We were glad to attend and donate some money to a very, very worthy casue!

   This was also a chance to watch the brothers' Etten battle each other. Zach Etten (according to the annoucer, he is the #13 all-time scorer at Babson) scored 10 in his final regular season game at Babson, but struggled shooting only 3 for 12.  WPI's defense was extremely impressive with rentless pressure from tip off til the final seconds.  This was much, much more intense than the other times I saw them play.  They do have depth that I had not seen in the other outings I had been to.

Their #1 big man, Lessard, did not play.  I am not sure why not, but my guess would be illness.  The other big man (6'7") they carry, Carr, played quite well.  He has not played much and wears a knee brace.  My understanding from asking a WPI supporter is that he had a knee injury last year.  It certainly didn't seem to bother him at all.  He neutralized any attempt Babson tried at a low post game when he was in the game and he was, as the case was for ALL the WPI players, defending all over the court.

The offensive star of this game was another WPI freshman, Fernando Perez.  I had to check the box score when I got home to be sure, but he did put up a double-double with 19 points & 11 bounds.  He has a real nose for the ball.  He is undersized, but makes the most of what he has.  They also got a fine offensive outting from Jeff Robinson who hit 5 of 7 shots for 13 points.

I dont see anyone beating them in the conference tournament if they play this kind of defense.  Babson had very, very few uncontested shots.  Ben Etten played a tremendous defensive game as did others who at times guarded his brother.  Even the 3's were being strongly challenged as Babson made one of only 8 attempts!  They average 13 attempts per game.  Coach Bartley just kept  tosssing fresh bodies at them the entire game.

I did notice in the write up on the game, that this WPI senior class has set the standard for a 4-yr career in the NEWMAC.  A 42-6 record over their four years.   That is a great feat in any conference. My bet is WPI really wants to see Clark in the semi-finals to avenge their only conference loss.

Good luck to all the teams in the upcoming tournament.  (if Babson wins at Wheaton, perhaps I can convince my wife to go to the semis on saturday.)

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2009, 06:38:54 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 23, 2009, 05:11:59 PM
Hugenerd,

   I agree with your assessment of WPI's depth  My wife is a graduate of Babson and a breast cancer survivor.  We went to the Babson-WPI game on Saturday.  It was senior day at Babson at as well as their Pink Zone event to raise money for cancer research.  We were glad to attend and donate some money to a very, very worthy casue!

Definitely a worthy cause.  My mom is a survivor also.

I look forward to the tourney.  I think MIT has a chance if they can get by CGA.  They have the two best scorers in the league this year (in NEWMAC play) and they have a few other guys who are very capable of making shots.  If they shoot like they have in the past and their big 2 stay out of foul trouble, MIT has a good chance against anyone.  In their first loss to WPI, Bartolotta had 4 fouls in the first half and he didnt play in the second game. If he stays out of foul trouble like he usually does, Johnson's shot is falling like against Clark, and Gampel is taking care of the ball, I like their chances.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2009, 07:02:08 PM
WPI re-enters the rankings at 23 this week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 23, 2009, 08:50:59 PM
The team you have to mention is Coast Guard.  They've won the last 2 NEWMAC tournaments (both at WPI).  Two years ago, they won it coming from the last seed, having gone 2-10 in the NEWMAC that year.  CGA still has one of the academy's all time players in Craig Johnson.  I don't see how that roster finished last in the league this year myself.

I believe WPI has been the first seed for 6 straight years, and their only losses in the last 4 tournaments were the 2 recent games to CGA.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2009, 09:29:46 PM
Quote from: T990 on February 23, 2009, 08:50:59 PM
The team you have to mention is Coast Guard.  They've won the last 2 NEWMAC tournaments (both at WPI).  Two years ago, they won it coming from the last seed, having gone 2-10 in the NEWMAC that year.  CGA still has one of the academy's all time players in Craig Johnson.  I don't see how that roster finished last in the league this year myself.

I believe WPI has been the first seed for 6 straight years, and their only losses in the last 4 tournaments were the 2 recent games to CGA.

Quote from: hugenerd on February 23, 2009, 06:38:54 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 23, 2009, 05:11:59 PM
Hugenerd,

   I agree with your assessment of WPI's depth  My wife is a graduate of Babson and a breast cancer survivor.  We went to the Babson-WPI game on Saturday.  It was senior day at Babson at as well as their Pink Zone event to raise money for cancer research.  We were glad to attend and donate some money to a very, very worthy casue!

Definitely a worthy cause.  My mom is a survivor also.

I look forward to the tourney.  I think MIT has a chance if they can get by CGA.  They have the two best scorers in the league this year (in NEWMAC play) and they have a few other guys who are very capable of making shots.  If they shoot like they have in the past and their big 2 stay out of foul trouble, MIT has a good chance against anyone.  In their first loss to WPI, Bartolotta had 4 fouls in the first half and he didnt play in the second game. If he stays out of foul trouble like he usually does, Johnson's shot is falling like against Clark, and Gampel is taking care of the ball, I like their chances.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 24, 2009, 08:03:17 AM
T990,

   Those two Coast Guard teams have a significant difference from this one.  This team does not have Al Sowers, Grant Johnson, Jeff Prebeck & Steve Blum!  Those four players were the key comonents to the two NEWMAC tournament wins over WPI.

   I fully agree with Hugenerd.  MIT offers the most significant challenge.  I think a WPI/MIT title game would be interesting on virtually level.  Best player in the league trying to get to the NCAA's, WPI's speed & depth Vs the top two scorers in the conference & perhaps the most critical is MIT's ability to handle WPI's pressure defense.  As he said, there are some big "ifs" that all have to break the right way for MIT to win.

   That said, the MIT/CGA game tomorrow should be a great game as well.  I hope to be near a computer to follow the game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 24, 2009, 10:15:10 AM
and on that note, both schools are broadcasting the game

Coast Guard's feed
http://sportsjuice.com

MIT's feed
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mit-basketball


Springfield-Clark is a livestats deal
http://winus.spfldcol.edu/sports/xlive.htm

Wheaton-Babson has audio and livestats

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wheaton-athletics
http://frontier.wheatoncollege.edu/athletics/live/main.htm
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 24, 2009, 12:09:13 PM
massd3fan, agreed.  Last year's CGA team was an overtime loss on Ursinus' home court from going to the NCAA Final 4.  This year, MIT does have a senior dominated roster. 

atnwriter: Thanks for those links!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on February 24, 2009, 01:01:22 PM
No surprise, Bartolotta a Josten's finalist.  If offered odds on him vs. the field to win, I'd go with him ... not every day one of the top 2-3 players in the country is a strong student at MIT ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 24, 2009, 01:06:48 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on February 24, 2009, 01:01:22 PM
No surprise, Bartolotta a Josten's finalist.  If offered odds on him vs. the field to win, I'd go with him ... not every day one of the top 2-3 players in the country is a strong student at MIT ...

I would have to agree.  Kent Raymond was also a finalist last year, so my guess would be definitely one of those two, but most likely JB.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 24, 2009, 01:17:11 PM
Quote from: T990 on February 24, 2009, 12:09:13 PM
massd3fan, agreed.  Last year's CGA team was an overtime loss on Ursinus' home court from going to the NCAA Final 4.  This year, MIT does have a senior dominated roster. 

atnwriter: Thanks for those links!

I am hoping for a clean game this year.  Two of the last three meetings between CGA and MIT have resulted in CGA committing a flagrant foul on Jimmy Bartolotta (both being takedowns on breakaways), and in last year's conference tourney that foul resulted in Bartolotta being hospitalized overnight.  There is more to the game then just winning and you would hope that the players would share some mutual respect at this point in their careers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 24, 2009, 06:33:47 PM
Billy Johnson is named NEWMAC player of the week for the last week of the regular season for his 40 point effort vs. Clark.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2008-2009/mbkbweekly02232009
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 25, 2009, 03:12:51 PM
Looks like the final NCAA Regional Rankings are out!

Northeast Region Overall Record In-Region Record
1. Worcester Polytechnic       20-4   20-3
2. Middlebury                         22-3   20-2
3. Elms                                   24-1   23-1
4. Rhode Island College         21-4   21-4
5. Massachusetts-Dartmouth 22-3   20-3
6. Salem State                        20-5   19-5
7. Bridgewater State              18-6   17-4
8. Brandeis                             16-8   16-8
9. Amherst                              20-5   18-5
10. Bowdoin                           17-8   17-8

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 03:24:03 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 25, 2009, 03:12:51 PM
Looks like the final NCAA Regional Rankings are out!

Northeast Region Overall Record In-Region Record
1. Worcester Polytechnic       20-4   20-3
2. Middlebury                         22-3   20-2
3. Elms                                   24-1   23-1
4. Rhode Island College         21-4   21-4
5. Massachusetts-Dartmouth 22-3   20-3
6. Salem State                        20-5   19-5
7. Bridgewater State              18-6   17-4
8. Brandeis                             16-8   16-8
9. Amherst                              20-5   18-5
10. Bowdoin                           17-8   17-8



Yep, still confused about Elms not being #1 (considering they beat WPI by 16).  However, I am glad to see the committee rewarded Brandeis' tough schedule by moving them up to #8.  Amherst may have 3 less losses but they have a very weak out of conference schedule this year and they lost at home to Brandeis.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 25, 2009, 03:44:11 PM
Guessing on my part, but I would say the OWP/OOWP probaly carried a lot of weight.

Feb 20 numbers:

OWP
Rank     School             W-L  PCT  OWP OOWP
16   Worcester Polytech    19-3 .864 .582 .542
133  Middlebury               19-2 .905 .517 .518
355  Elms                       22-1 .957 .446 .485
46   Rhode Island College  20-4 .833 .553 .526
128  Mass-Dartmouth       19-3 .864 .519 .530
32   Salem State             18-5 .783 .562 .525
64   Bridgewater State     16-4 .800 .541 .533
5    Brandeis                  15-8 .652 .602 .540
94   Amherst                 17-5 .773 .531 .545
19   Bowdoin                 16-8 .667 .579 .523

I hope this looks better when it posts, than it does right now - LOL
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 03:46:10 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 25, 2009, 03:44:11 PM
Guessing on my part, but I would say the OWP/OOWP probaly carried a lot of weight.

Feb 20 numbers:

OWP
Rank     School             W-L  PCT  OWP OOWP
16   Worcester Polytech    19-3 .864 .582 .542
133  Middlebury               19-2 .905 .517 .518
355  Elms                        22-1 .957 .446 .485
46   Rhode Island College  20-4 .833 .553 .526
128  Mass-Dartmouth       19-3 .864 .519 .530
32   Salem State           18-5 .783 .562 .525
64   Bridgewater State     16-4 .800 .541 .533
5    Brandeis              15-8 .652 .602 .540
94   Amherst               17-5 .773 .531 .545
19   Bowdoin               16-8 .667 .579 .523

I hope this looks better when it posts, than it does right now - LOL

I'd guess so, and the head-to-head is also a primary criteria.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BornBalla on February 25, 2009, 03:54:17 PM
I can see why those teams are ranked above Elms based on owp/oowp. But it's strange how WPI was ranked below them one week(following a loss) then jumps them the next. The week before WPI went to #4 Elms was #4 so Elms was bumped up after WPI lost then jumped over the following week. The chain of events is still so confusing. How do regional voters work to make their decisions? Still see UMD dropping so far last week as strange too.

By the way owp/oowp numbers run, why is Elms ranked so high then? Shearly off the overall winning %?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 04:02:50 PM
Quote from: BornBalla on February 25, 2009, 03:54:17 PM
I can see why those teams are ranked above Elms based on owp/oowp. But it's strange how WPI was ranked below them one week(following a loss) then jumps them the next. The week before WPI went to #4 Elms was #4 so Elms was bumped up after WPI lost then jumped over the following week. The chain of events is still so confusing. How do regional voters work to make their decisions? Still see UMD dropping so far last week as strange too.

By the way owp/oowp numbers run, why is Elms ranked so high then? Shearly off the overall winning %?

Obviously their record is helping them, but in addition to that they have the big win at WPI, plus a few other decent out-of-conference wins (Trinity, Westfield, Springfield).  To be honest, it doesnt really matter because regardless of their ranking they are going to get a Pool B bid to the tourney so it wont hurt anyone's Pool C hopes if they are upset in the NECC tourney (if there is one, I am not sure if there is).  NECC doesnt get an AQ.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 25, 2009, 04:04:23 PM
BornBalla,

I wish I had more insight into this, but alas all I can do is speculate!

Hugenerd, Pat, etc....anyone have a better handle on how these rankings are decided?

Also, what criteria get applied when the NCAA decides on who the host schools are for the tournament?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 04:06:42 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 25, 2009, 04:04:23 PM
BornBalla,

I wish I had more insight into this, but alas all I can do is speculate!

Hugenerd, Pat, etc....anyone have a better handle on how these rankings are decided?

Also, what criteria get applied when the NCAA decides on who the host schools are for the tournament?

Also, according to Elms' coach, when he appeared on Hoopsville, they are not going to be hosting, but I guess you never know until the sites are announced.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 25, 2009, 04:11:18 PM
From what a couple of WPI supporters told me over the weekend, WPI's gym is used for the Mass. HS tournaments so I don't think they can host at the school.  I am not sure if using the DCU center in Worcester is a possibilty or not.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 04:15:43 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 25, 2009, 04:11:18 PM
From what a couple of WPI supporters told me over the weekend, WPI's gym is used for the Mass. HS tournaments so I don't think they can host at the school.  I am not sure if using the DCU center in Worcester is a possibilty or not.

I guess they could give the hosting gig to WPI and then say Elms is the #1 seed.  I think I heard of similar instances in the past (where a team had to wear road uniforms in their own gym), although I forget which board I read that on.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 25, 2009, 04:26:10 PM
Well, I am offline until later tonight.  Will you be attending the Game at MIT tonight, Hugenerd?  If so, Enjoy!!!  If not, i thought i did see a video link for it on the D3Hoops homepage.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 06:09:26 PM
Likely I wont be able to because of family commitments.  I dont mean to burst your bubble, but I think the video link might just be the MIT audio link, but I could be wrong (MIT has never had video in the past).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 07:41:47 PM
MIT up 34-27 at the half.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 08:40:45 PM
Billy Bender of all people hits the game tying shot with under 5 seconds left.  Going to OT in Cambridge.

MIT trailed by as many as 7 late in the second half but big 3s by Karraker, Billy Johnson, and then 3 FTs by Bartolotta after being fouled on a 3 tied the game.  Jevon James hit 2 FTs to give CGA the lead with under a minute left but Bender tied it with his last second 12 footer.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 08:55:29 PM
Looks like MIT might actually pull this one out.  MIT was up by 3 with under 10 seconds left and elected to foul this time (perhaps learning from past mistakes).  Hudson missed both FTs, but CGA was able to rebound, Hudson missed the resulting 3, but Bartolotta rebounded, was fouled, and made the first of two, sealing it for MIT.

Final: MIT 66, CGA 62 in OT
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 09:00:46 PM
Bartolotta 21 points (but a dismal shooting night, worst on the year, shooting 5-19 from the field), 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists, 3 steals, and only 1 turnover.  Bartolotta really made up for it on the defensive end though, grabbing 10 defensive boards and blocking, what I believe is a career high, 5 shots (including one at the end of OT on Craig Johnson).

Brad Gampel played oustanding at the point, adding 9 assists to his Institute record single-season assist total, while committing not a single turnover.  Jamie Karraker really stepped up with some big play down the stretch and finished with 15 points.  Billy Johnson added 16 points and 8 boards, while Billy Bender had 8 and 4.

Craig Johnson had 19 points and 14 rebounds. Jevon James had 11 and 10, while Trip Fernandez chipped in 11 points off the bench.

Uncharacterestically, MIT shot 9-33 from 3 for the game (2-15 in the second half). No one really shot well for MIT, except Billy Bender who was 3-5 and made that huge shot to tie it at the end of regulation.  MIT was fortunate they took care of the ball so well today, or else they easily could have dropped this one.  The difference was FT shooting, MIT was 15-19 while CGA shot 10-20.  Both teams didnt shoot that great and CGA had the advantage on the boards, but MIT made their FTs down the stretch (along with a few timely 3s) and were able to squeze out a victory. 

If the game had gone to another OT, MIT was in real trouble because all 3 of their seniors had 4 fouls (Gampel, Johnson and Bartolotta).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 09:48:01 PM
Babson and Springfield also won in other action.

Limeup for Saturday (both games at WPI):

Babson vs. MIT

Springfield vs. WPI
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 11:31:44 PM
Here is the press release from ESPN/CoSida:

http://www.cosida.com/documents/2009/2/25/2008-09MBBAAATeams.pdf

Bartolotta was named the Academic All-America of the Year today.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 26, 2009, 06:27:58 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 25, 2009, 04:15:43 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on February 25, 2009, 04:11:18 PM
From what a couple of WPI supporters told me over the weekend, WPI's gym is used for the Mass. HS tournaments so I don't think they can host at the school.  I am not sure if using the DCU center in Worcester is a possibilty or not.

I guess they could give the hosting gig to WPI and then say Elms is the #1 seed.  I think I heard of similar instances in the past (where a team had to wear road uniforms in their own gym), although I forget which board I read that on.
You heard that from me, hugenerd. It was in the women's tournament about 15 years ago that I was working.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on February 26, 2009, 07:20:27 AM
This is really odd -- I see Babson no longer has a guy on their roster, Papalambros, who was a key contributor early in the season.  What is stranger is that his stats are not included in the team stats ...

http://babsonathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2008-09/stats/teamcume.htm

I imagine he is no longer on the team, but is it customary to simply erase stats from a player because of that?  I have NEVER heard of that before ... for example MIT still has Soumare's stats listed ...

P.S. glad to see MIT learned to play the odds and foul up 3 ... I mean if MIT won't do the statistically correct thing, who will?  Now all we need is some smart, fearless D-III football coach to totally forego punting other than when he is inside his own 25 yard line or has longer than a 4th and 8 or so ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 26, 2009, 11:18:28 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on February 26, 2009, 07:20:27 AM
I imagine he is no longer on the team, but is it customary to simply erase stats from a player because of that?  I have NEVER heard of that before ... for example MIT still has Soumare's stats listed ...

I wouldn't say it's customary but I've certainly seen it happen before.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 26, 2009, 11:22:30 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on February 26, 2009, 07:20:27 AM
This is really odd -- I see Babson no longer has a guy on their roster, Papalambros, who was a key contributor early in the season.  What is stranger is that his stats are not included in the team stats ...

http://babsonathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2008-09/stats/teamcume.htm

I imagine he is no longer on the team, but is it customary to simply erase stats from a player because of that?  I have NEVER heard of that before ... for example MIT still has Soumare's stats listed ...

P.S. glad to see MIT learned to play the odds and foul up 3 ... I mean if MIT won't do the statistically correct thing, who will?  Now all we need is some smart, fearless D-III football coach to totally forego punting other than when he is inside his own 25 yard line or has longer than a 4th and 8 or so ...

Yeah, it seems pretty odd to complete expunge somebody from the system, especially since he is still listed on the NEWMAC site (he must have really upset somebody in the program):

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2008-09/stats/confldrs.htm

Also, the foul at the end of the game may not have been coach mandated, but rather a head's up play from the player.  From what I hear, the MIT defender was aware that he was guarding a bad free throw shooter, but only fouled when he was beaten off the dribble.  So rather than give up an easy 2 he forced him to take 2 FTs, which kind of worked for MIT (he missed both FTs, but CGA got the rebound, but they luckily missed the resulting 3 attempt).  Coach Anderson is a pretty traditional coach so I am sure he would have told his players to play solid D, and 8 seconds left is still a pretty long time to foul intentionally (the usual rule of thumb is under 5 seconds).  Hopefully MIT can continue their season with another win on Saturday versus Babson.  The last game was close and came down to a last second shot for Babson to win at home.  Babson wont have the home court this time and im hoping MIT will shoot a little better than 27% from 3, as they were against CGA (MIT was actually 20% from 3, 6-29, through the first 37.5 minutes of the game, but were 3-4 in the final 7.5 minutes to help them pull out the win).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on February 26, 2009, 12:12:44 PM
Hugenerd,
   
   Congrads to MIT, they certainly gave everyone their money's worth!

Also a quick salute to Craig Johnson.  The end of an outstanding career at CGA.

It seems like last night was a night for a couple of freshmen to bail out their senior leaders!  Bender with his clutch bucket to send the MIT game into OT.  Kris Noonan put up 20 against Wheaton on a bad shooting night for Zach Etten.

I didnt have the correct video program to get the MIT/CGA game, so I just had live stats up on the Babson/Wheaton & Springfield/Clark games.  I sort of followed the games as I was also organizing all our tax forms and other relevant documents for the accountant.  As depressing as that was, I was glad to see a couple of exciting games going on.

I am looking forward to a WPI/MIT matchup on Sunday, but both teams had better seriously focus on Saturday.  If they look past the semis, they might be watching the finals instead of playing in them!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 26, 2009, 03:21:22 PM
Audio webcast of both NEWMAC semis and the title game will be available at

http://sportsjuice.com

We'll have a few interviews as well, including a nice one with Jimmy Bartolotta that we'll play in between the 2 games, and probably at half of the MIT game too.

Feel free to email the broadcaster during the game: cgbears2008(at)aol.com
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2009, 08:48:08 PM
NICEEEEE!

What a great day of hoops, that I missed completely!  (It was my daughter's second birthday yesterday so this weekend is hectic).

First off, Springfield beats WPI to start off the NEWMAC Semis (by 15 nonetheless), and then MIT beats Babson after trailing by 5 with under 8 minutes to go and their best player being held to a season low 13 points.

Another Pool C bid gone for somebody, but I am sure MIT and Springfield don't care. 

One concern for MIT will likely be that they have had their two worst 3-point shooting (and possibly overall shooting) games of the season the last two games.  Additionally, their best two offensive players have not played that well in that span either.  However, a bright spot, again, was Brad Gampel with 9 points, 4 assists, and 8 steals.  Jamie Karraker also played great, shooting 4 for 6 from 3.


Congrats to Brad Gampel for breaking the single-season steals record at MIT, to go along with the assists record he broke earlier in the season.


Good Luck tomorrow MIT!!!!    I wont be able to watch or listen (daughter's birthday party) but I am pulling for you guys to get it done.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BornBalla on March 01, 2009, 08:44:42 AM
Does Springfield have a chance to beat MIT? What happened in WPI/Springfield game? Looks like WPI could not shoot at all. By the looks, I would be lead to believe that Springfield played a zone(WPI tons of 3's).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 01, 2009, 10:23:01 AM
Springfield has been playing better and better as the season goes along.  They played a 2-3 zone the whole game vs WPI.  Surprisingly in their own gym, WPI couldn't make shots.  They shot just 23% FG% and 21% 3PFG% for the game.  SC played poised throughout the game and did not get rattled by WPI's aggressive defensive style.  Cavalieri was their best offensive force and Crean and Coburn were also factors, all with height advantange over WPI.
The book on WPI in the NCAA obviously will be to play a zone on them.

In the second game, scoring was like pulling teeth for both teams.  Babson only scored 39 points in the whole game!  MIT's outside shooting has been uncharacteristically off for a couple games now, but they had enough options to gut this out.  BTW both schools brought a fan bus of students to this game.  The lower section for both schools STOOD for the whole game.  It was quite an atmosphere.  The MIT fans celebrated a tough victory with the players on the court after the game.

It will be interesting to see if SC is better off keeping with that zone or not vs MIT today.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2009, 03:24:58 PM
MIT up 35-26 at the half.  Bartolotta has 21 points on 6-12 shooting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2009, 03:46:10 PM
Quote from: T990 on March 01, 2009, 10:23:01 AM
Springfield has been playing better and better as the season goes along.  They played a 2-3 zone the whole game vs WPI.  Surprisingly in their own gym, WPI couldn't make shots.  They shot just 23% FG% and 21% 3PFG% for the game.  SC played poised throughout the game and did not get rattled by WPI's aggressive defensive style.  Cavalieri was their best offensive force and Crean and Coburn were also factors, all with height advantange over WPI.
The book on WPI in the NCAA obviously will be to play a zone on them.

In the second game, scoring was like pulling teeth for both teams.  Babson only scored 39 points in the whole game!  MIT's outside shooting has been uncharacteristically off for a couple games now, but they had enough options to gut this out.  BTW both schools brought a fan bus of students to this game.  The lower section for both schools STOOD for the whole game.  It was quite an atmosphere.  The MIT fans celebrated a tough victory with the players on the court after the game.

It will be interesting to see if SC is better off keeping with that zone or not vs MIT today.

The zone doesnt seem to work well against MIT.  Clark tried it the last regular season game of the year and it didnt work then.

MIT up 59-47.  Bartolotta has 31 with 7 minutes left.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2009, 03:57:00 PM
The game all but over.  A little over 2 minutes to go.  MIT up 19.  Bartolotta has 35 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2009, 04:11:25 PM
MIT ends up cruising to the victory 76-50.

Bartolotta ends up scoring 37 points on 11-18 shooting (3-6 3PT).

Gampel had a really good game at the point, with 7 rebounds, 10 assists and 1 turnover.

Billy Bender and Jamie Karraker each chipped in 9 points and Billy Johnson had 13 points.  Eric Zuk had 10 boards.

MIT finally seems to be out of their funk, shooting 40% from 3 and 47% overall from the field.

Pat Crean led Springfield with 20 pts.


CONGRATS TO MIT ON THEIR FIRST EVER NEWMAC TOURNEY WIN AND THEIR FIRST EVER NCAA BIRTH.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on March 01, 2009, 05:13:43 PM
Congrats to MIT.  heck of a gutty team considering how many minutes the starters have to play and just how many talented big guys quit or never joined the program ... glad Bartolotta gets a well-deserved chance at the national stage.  Wonder if the first round opponent will throw a Stephen Curry style gimick defense at him.  If Bartolotta (along with Kent Raymond) aren't first team all americans, something is seriously wrong ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2009, 05:43:24 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on March 01, 2009, 05:13:43 PM
Congrats to MIT.  heck of a gutty team considering how many minutes the starters have to play and just how many talented big guys quit or never joined the program ... glad Bartolotta gets a well-deserved chance at the national stage.  Wonder if the first round opponent will throw a Stephen Curry style gimick defense at him.  If Bartolotta (along with Kent Raymond) aren't first team all americans, something is seriously wrong ...

So you think Bartolotta should get NE player of the year?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 01, 2009, 05:46:58 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 01, 2009, 05:43:24 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on March 01, 2009, 05:13:43 PM
Congrats to MIT.  heck of a gutty team considering how many minutes the starters have to play and just how many talented big guys quit or never joined the program ... glad Bartolotta gets a well-deserved chance at the national stage.  Wonder if the first round opponent will throw a Stephen Curry style gimick defense at him.  If Bartolotta (along with Kent Raymond) aren't first team all americans, something is seriously wrong ...

So you think Bartolotta should get NE player of the year?

If he doesn't, something is incredibly wrong with the system.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on March 01, 2009, 05:59:07 PM
I really don't think it is even close hugenerd.  A first team would look something like him, Shelton from UMD, Rudin, Baskauskas, Deluca, but of that group, he put up the best numbers by far, and all the rest of those guys had a lot more talent surrounding them.  I mean, I think he is a legit contender for national player of the year -- he's gotta be most valuable -- I mean, w/out him, what would MIT's record have been there year?  Although Wheaton fans could make a similar case for Raymond ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2009, 06:32:05 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on March 01, 2009, 05:59:07 PM
I really don't think it is even close hugenerd.  A first team would look something like him, Shelton from UMD, Rudin, Baskauskas, Deluca, but of that group, he put up the best numbers by far, and all the rest of those guys had a lot more talent surrounding them.  I mean, I think he is a legit contender for national player of the year -- he's gotta be most valuable -- I mean, w/out him, what would MIT's record have been there year?  Although Wheaton fans could make a similar case for Raymond ...

I agree.  Raymond does have another All-American on his team (a legit big-man, nonetheless, Wiele).  Wheaton (IL) did win a few games without Raymond, though.  I do not think MIT has won a game without Bartolotta, during his entire career (given he has only missed a few games).

You look at other NE All-Americans with not much depth (Pierce at Tufts and C. Johnson at CGA) and you see how their doing and compare that to how MIT is doing, and you can get an idea of how valuable Bartolotta is.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 01, 2009, 07:04:41 PM
Congratulations to MIT on the 2009 NEWMAC Championship and their first ever NCAA berth in the 108-year history of the program.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/championships/2008-09/championship09
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on March 02, 2009, 12:32:22 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 01, 2009, 06:32:05 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on March 01, 2009, 05:59:07 PM
I really don't think it is even close hugenerd.  A first team would look something like him, Shelton from UMD, Rudin, Baskauskas, Deluca, but of that group, he put up the best numbers by far, and all the rest of those guys had a lot more talent surrounding them.  I mean, I think he is a legit contender for national player of the year -- he's gotta be most valuable -- I mean, w/out him, what would MIT's record have been there year?  Although Wheaton fans could make a similar case for Raymond ...

I agree.  Raymond does have another All-American on his team (a legit big-man, nonetheless, Wiele).  Wheaton (IL) did win a few games without Raymond, though.  I do not think MIT has won a game without Bartolotta, during his entire career (given he has only missed a few games).

You look at other NE All-Americans with not much depth (Pierce at Tufts and C. Johnson at CGA) and you see how their doing and compare that to how MIT is doing, and you can get an idea of how valuable Bartolotta is.

Actually, Wheaton was 1-2 with Raymond out (and lost his first game back, when he was clearly sub-par and played less than half the game); with him healthy they are 23-0.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2009, 08:57:41 AM
Im not trying to detract at all from Raymond.  I got to watch him a few times online this year and he his a great player.  Since MIT doesnt webcast there games, it is hard for people from other regions to know how good he is.  I would say that Raymond and Bartolotta are the two best guards in the country and arguing who is better is an argument that can go back and forth.  Obviously, Raymond has had more team success to this point but he also has a better and deeper team around him.  Bartolotta has put up better numbers but he doesnt play in the CCIW.  They are both great players and I dont think there is use in arguing this.  I think the voting for player of the year will probably depend alot on the region of the voter.  Whoever wins Player of the Year and the Jostens will be deserving regardless of who wins.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 02, 2009, 01:53:26 PM
Some articles on MIT basketball:

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/basketball/view/2009_03_02_MIT___NCAAs___Unlikely_equation/

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_basketball/articles/2009/03/02/mit_crashes_ncaa_dance_party/

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/extras/colleges_blog/2009/02/small_college_c_2.html

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/basketball/view.bg?articleid=1150590&format=text
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: larry_u on March 02, 2009, 04:41:13 PM
Can someone post your NCAA team's profiles in here:

http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=6299.0
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 03, 2009, 09:43:02 AM
WPI drops out of the top 25 this week, receiving 11 votes.  MIT receives votes for the second time in their history (and the season), picking up 2 votes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 03, 2009, 02:26:36 PM
NEWMAC season ending awards were announced today:

Player of the Year
Jimmy Bartolotta, MIT 


Rookie of the Year
Brian Vayda, Clark


Coach of the Year
Larry Anderson, MIT


Sportsmanship Award
Babson College


First Team All-Conference
Jimmy Bartolotta, MIT
Craig Johnson, Coast Guard
Pat Crean, Springfield
Anthony Coppola, Wheaton
Jerome Kirkland, WPI


Second Team All-Conference
Zach Etten, Babson
Mark Alexander, Clark
Bradley Gampel, MIT
Billy Johnson, MIT
Ben Etten, WPI
Adam Lirette, WPI
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 03, 2009, 02:48:34 PM
I think, in general, the picks were pretty good.  I think the coaches got it right for the top 3 individual awards (an argument could be made for Jamie Karraker from MIT for ROY, but I guess you cant win them all).


The only major difference I would make would be to put Billy Johnson on the first team and have Pat Crean on the second team.  In NEWMAC play, B. Johnson's rankings were: 2nd in scoring, 6th in rebounding, 9th in FG%, UR in assists, 9th in FT%, 13th in steals, 1st in 3FG%, 3rd in 3FGM, and 5th in blocked shots.  Crean's rankings in the same categories were: 8th in scoring (-6 spots compared to Johnson), 9th in rebounding (-3 spots), 15th in FG% (-6 spots), 4th in assists (+), 15th in FT% (-6 spots), 13th in steals(even), UR in 3FG%(-), UR in 3FGM (-), and 14th in blocked shots (-9 spots).  So Crean only has him in the assists category, while Billy Johnson is ranked higher in every other category.  I dont think you could argue that Crean or Johnson are any more/less important to their team, and obviosly MIT had the better team this year (MIT beat Springfield 3 times).  I think Johnson is a first team player.


STATS for all games
##  SUMMARY        Min/G  FG%  3PT%  FT%  Reb/G  Ast/G  Stl  Blk  Pts/G
33  Billy Johnson     31.8   .469  .378  .705     6.9      1.6    34   23   17.3
41  Pat Crean         31.2   .438  .263  .683     5.6      3.0    46   12   14.5
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 03, 2009, 10:43:55 PM
MIT at RIC on
webcast Friday 6:00PM
LIVE VIDEO:

http://d3sports.prestosports.com/links/p47f78

Live stats:

http://d3sports.prestosports.com/links/15o9lp

http://www.goanchormen.com/livestatsbb/XLIVE.HTM


Interactive NCAA Bracket:

http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/2009/ncaa_bracket_DIII_basketball_men.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on March 04, 2009, 08:22:03 AM
Congratulations to the entire MIT team and staff on a great season, the NEWMAC Tournament title and their first NCAA tournament appearance.  Tremendous job by any measure, but extraodinary when your talking about playing with 9 men in uniform for most of the season!

Congratulations to Jimmy Bartolotta on the NEWMAC Player of the Year and also to Billy Johnson & Brad Gampel for their All-Conference honors

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on March 04, 2009, 08:49:26 AM
Sorry for my absence since last week.  Family concerns had me out of town since Sunday.  I did however get to the WPI/Springfeild game and saw the first 10 minutes of the MIT/Babson game as well.

I was very disappointed to say the least in WPI's performance on Sat.  I was (until we got called away) so looking forward to seeing a WPI/MIT matchup in the final.

The WPI/Springfield game looked like a blowout early.  WPI hit 3 3's and got out to a 14-5 lead after the first 6 minutes.  if you check the box score, they were 6 for 12 at that point.  After that, they went on a cold streak to rival the last Ice Age.   32 points in the next 34 minutes on 8 for 48 (17% !!!).  Even shooting that bad, they stayed in the game until around 4 or 5 minute mark.

My general observations were they played very tight in that second half.  They really made no adjustments to the 2-3 zone employed by Springfield.  The perimeter players all seemed reluctant to take open shots.  It seemed almost every time that ball movement created an open look, the player who received the ball would ball fake (a shot or a pass) and allow the defense to recover.

They never seemed to get the ball into the typical weak spots of the 2-3 zone and then attack it. My guess is practices this week will be highly focused on that!

In my opinion, they were shown a lot of respect from the Selection Commitee because of their SOS.  They get to host and have a very favorable matchup in Husson from Maine.

The portion of the MIT/Babson game that i did get to see, well it seemed that whatever "infected" WPI was still on the court.  Both teams struggled to hit shots.  Bartolotta was off, and the score was 10-6 MIT when I had to leave.  I was surprised to see the final score to olny be 50-39.

I think MIT has picked up some swagger on their run to the automatic NEWMAC bid, I think they will upset RIC.





Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on March 04, 2009, 08:56:09 AM
Before  I forget!

Congratulations to Jerome Kirkland, Ben Etten, & Adam Lirette of WPI for gathering All-Conference Honors!  Also glad to see Zach Etten from Babson up there too (as an older brother myself, I always root hard for the older one in brother-brother battles)

I do  agree with you Hugenerd in that I would have placed Johnson on the first team over Crean as well.  Both are deserving, but Johnson was asked to play huge minutes as well as alter his own style of play to help the team.  Numbers aside, performing the way he did under those circumstances (knowing there was really no backup for him to play down low) puts him on the first team in my mind.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 04, 2009, 10:06:47 AM
Hugenerd - I really enjoy your posts and in fact that is how I stay in touch with NEWMAC hoops - however, I think you talked yourself into a corner a bit.

One post you talk about how Jimmy B should win national player of the year because he "has absolutely no help" and the next post you show us stats on why Johnson should be first team all conference.  I have not seen MIT since last year so I am not qualified to talk post season awards, but it is tough for you to make both those arguments back-to-back.

ps - although I root for WPI and clearly they have an easier first round matchup (at least on paper), I could see Bartolotta as the best player on the court, willing MIT to a win or 2 in the big dance.

Hope they both do well
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2009, 10:25:30 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 04, 2009, 10:06:47 AM
Hugenerd - I really enjoy your posts and in fact that is how I stay in touch with NEWMAC hoops - however, I think you talked yourself into a corner a bit.

One post you talk about how Jimmy B should win national player of the year because he "has absolutely no help" and the next post you show us stats on why Johnson should be first team all conference.  I have not seen MIT since last year so I am not qualified to talk post season awards, but it is tough for you to make both those arguments back-to-back.

ps - although I root for WPI and clearly they have an easier first round matchup (at least on paper), I could see Bartolotta as the best player on the court, willing MIT to a win or 2 in the big dance.

Hope they both do well

I never said Bartolotta had no help (maybe you can provide a quote of what you are talking about).  If you are talking about my comparison to Raymond, I just said that Raymond has a deeper and more talented team around him (he has an all-american center on his team).

Quote from: hugenerd on March 02, 2009, 08:57:41 AM
Im not trying to detract at all from Raymond.  I got to watch him a few times online this year and he his a great player.  Since MIT doesnt webcast there games, it is hard for people from other regions to know how good he is.  I would say that Raymond and Bartolotta are the two best guards in the country and arguing who is better is an argument that can go back and forth.  Obviously, Raymond has had more team success to this point but he also has a better and deeper team around him.  Bartolotta has put up better numbers but he doesnt play in the CCIW.  They are both great players and I dont think there is use in arguing this.  I think the voting for player of the year will probably depend alot on the region of the voter.  Whoever wins Player of the Year and the Jostens will be deserving regardless of who wins.

Quote from: hugenerd on March 01, 2009, 06:32:05 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on March 01, 2009, 05:59:07 PM
I really don't think it is even close hugenerd.  A first team would look something like him, Shelton from UMD, Rudin, Baskauskas, Deluca, but of that group, he put up the best numbers by far, and all the rest of those guys had a lot more talent surrounding them.  I mean, I think he is a legit contender for national player of the year -- he's gotta be most valuable -- I mean, w/out him, what would MIT's record have been there year?  Although Wheaton fans could make a similar case for Raymond ...

I agree.  Raymond does have another All-American on his team (a legit big-man, nonetheless, Wiele).  Wheaton (IL) did win a few games without Raymond, though.  I do not think MIT has won a game without Bartolotta, during his entire career (given he has only missed a few games).

You look at other NE All-Americans with not much depth (Pierce at Tufts and C. Johnson at CGA) and you see how their doing and compare that to how MIT is doing, and you can get an idea of how valuable Bartolotta is.

That doesnt mean Bartolotta has 0 help, it means he has less help (especially in terms of guys off the bench) than most other teams. I have said all along that MIT has very little depth and that Bartolotta garners double or triple teams on most nights, but lack of depth doesnt mean they have lack of talent.  I have said on numerous times that MIT has strength in their top couple of players, whereas teams like WPI have strength in their depth. B. Johnson is a legit player, he put up 40 points on senior night, he was the second leading scorer in NEWMAC play behind Bartolotta, he is good.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2009, 10:34:29 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 26, 2009, 08:17:17 AM
Quote from: massd3fan on January 26, 2009, 07:48:51 AM
hugenerd,

   I will say MIT wins this one at WPI.  With the way Johnson has adjusted to playing the 5, MIT has two definitive "go-to" players that both provide matchup difficulties for WPI.  Johnson presents a huge huge problem for WPI.  If WPI goes with their small lineup, he can take over inside, if they play their only big guy (big body, but slow) on him, he can go back outside or work him off the dribble.

  As this is JB,s last go round, and I can see him having a huge game.  I you have presented the case for him being the best player in the conference for the past few years, I can see him wanting to cement that with a major statement game.  This is MIT's opportunity to take control of the conference and give their nemesis a slap in the process.

I hope to get there to see this one, it should be a great atmosphere.

We have a couple of day's to talk this one up, besides its ore fun talking about this than the Super Bowl !


I wont be able to make it but I sure am looking forward to it. 

The team's are very different, considering WPI seems to have a very balanced attack with 9-10 players contributing every game, while MIT depends heavily on their starting 5 (Bartolotta and Johnson score 67.5% of MITs points in their NEWMAC games so far, with those two + Jamie Karrakar scoring 84% of the team's offense).  I think that MIT definitely has a good chance to win, they have been playing really well on the road lately (they led both the Springfield and Clark games by 20+ points in the second half in their last two road games).  However, it is always interesting on the road.  WPI is a strong home team and it will also depend on Jimmy B and Billy J staying out of foul trouble.  Bradley Gampel will also play a key role.  If he can handle WPI's defense and not commit too many turnovers, it will give MIT a much better chance to win.

In terms of Billy J, he has definitely caused a lot of mathcup problems at the 5.  He has been knocking down two to four 3's the last several games (which is hard for a true post to defend) and at 6'8" he can take smaller guys inside.  Considering that Jimmy B has been a constant this season, scoring near his average in every game (he hasnt scored less than 20 in any game this season), I think Billy J has played a very large role in MIT's emergence as a top team in the NEWMACHe his currently the second leading scorer in NEWMAC conference play (23 ppg, behind Bartolotta's 30 ppg) and has also been averageing 6.8 rpg (second on the team behind Bartolotta's 7.3 rpg).  (Note all stats are through last Wednesday's games, because NEWMAC hasnt updated their stats through Saturday's games yet).

Should be a fun one to follow online (for me) and even more fun for you to watch in person.

If you read some earlier posts, I am pretty sure I have given Billy Johnson his due all along.  This post was made before the first MIT-WPI game.

There is a difference between saying a team doesnt have a lot of depth and saying Bartolotta is the only good player on his team or saying Bartolotta has no help (which I have never said).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on March 04, 2009, 11:46:50 AM
WPI89,

   Did you attend the WPI/Springfield game last week?  If so, what were your insights?  What do you think they need to do to gather a couple of wins this weekend?

   I have only seen a very few games and would appreciate anythin you can throw into the discussion on this year's team.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on March 04, 2009, 10:35:15 PM
Hugenerd,

I know you say you can't have it all, but I have to say, relax. Brian Vayda was by far the best rookie in the league and the only real spark the second half of the season for Clark. I went to the Clark vs. MIT game and yes it could possibly have been due to Johnson scoring upwards of 40 points and Bartolotta being his normal fantastic self (I have said on this blog before that he deserves all the credit in the world, he is GOOD), but I have no idea who this Jamie player is, and I like to think I keep up with what's going on in the league. No need to defend yourself as you like to do, you make good points. But please, let Vayda have his moment.

A HUGE congrats to Coach Anderson of MIT. Absolutely always a class act and am glad to see that he put together such a successful team despite not having a big enough roster for an intersquad scrimmage (even with no substitutes). I have always been impressed watching him from the sidelines and enjoyed seeing such a poised leader coaching MIT (even if I am a Cougar fan myself).

Let's go MIT!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on March 04, 2009, 10:53:43 PM
Just want to let everyone know, especially MIT fans,  that there is a piece scheduled to be broadcast tomorrow (i.e. March 5), probably on ESPNU about MIT.   It is my understanding that it will include a live phone interview with Coach Anderson, maybe some Jimmy B. sound bites and a bit of video.  I am told it will be first broadcast during the 5:30 (ET) PM ESPNU slot.  Perhaps will be rebroadcast within the ESPN family during the following hours.   Good for MIT!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2009, 11:21:07 PM
Quote from: remsleep on March 04, 2009, 10:53:43 PM
Just want to let everyone know, especially MIT fans,  that there is a piece scheduled to be broadcast tomorrow (i.e. March 5), probably on ESPNU about MIT.   It is my understanding that it will include a live phone interview with Coach Anderson, maybe some Jimmy B. sound bites and a bit of video.  I am told it will be first broadcast during the 5:30 (ET) PM ESPNU slot.  Perhaps will be rebroadcast within the ESPN family during the following hours.   Good for MIT!

I actually heard about this a few days ago but was told not to discuss it yet (at that point).  I hear there will also be interviews with all 3 MIT seniors.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2009, 11:24:40 PM
Quote from: clarkie on March 04, 2009, 10:35:15 PM
Hugenerd,

I know you say you can't have it all, but I have to say, relax. Brian Vayda was by far the best rookie in the league and the only real spark the second half of the season for Clark. I went to the Clark vs. MIT game and yes it could possibly have been due to Johnson scoring upwards of 40 points and Bartolotta being his normal fantastic self (I have said on this blog before that he deserves all the credit in the world, he is GOOD), but I have no idea who this Jamie player is, and I like to think I keep up with what's going on in the league. No need to defend yourself as you like to do, you make good points. But please, let Vayda have his moment.

A HUGE congrats to Coach Anderson of MIT. Absolutely always a class act and am glad to see that he put together such a successful team despite not having a big enough roster for an intersquad scrimmage (even with no substitutes). I have always been impressed watching him from the sidelines and enjoyed seeing such a poised leader coaching MIT (even if I am a Cougar fan myself).

Let's go MIT!

Vayda is definitely deserving.  I was just naming who I thought was probably the second best candidate.  Just to fill you in, Karraker scored 11 ppg this year for MIT, was second in the league in 3PT% and 3FGM (both behind Bartolotta) and 11th in overall FG%.  He was the 3rd leading scorer for MIT, behind Bartolotta and B. Johnson.  He made big 3s down the stretch for MIT in both the quarterfinal and semifinal NEWMAC tourney wins.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on March 04, 2009, 11:25:54 PM
Hey, how come I wasn't told not to discuss it?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2009, 11:31:40 PM
Quote from: remsleep on March 04, 2009, 11:25:54 PM
Hey, how come I wasn't told not to discuss it?

I apparently dont have as much authority as you.  I have the authority to know but not to distribute.  I also heard about it before the interviews actually occured with the 3 seniors so maybe they wanted to wait for the interviews to actually happen before spreading the word too much.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on March 04, 2009, 11:53:21 PM
 Of course, my previous post was simply laughing at myself.  I can assure you, Hugenerd, that EVERYONE has more authority that I do.   

Going to the game Friday?    Anchormen will have the advantage of playing this on their home floor.  Hope MIT will send some kids like they did during the NEWMAC tournament in Worcester.  Perhaps Mr. Kohl could buy the time of seven or eight hundred people and send them to Providence.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 05, 2009, 12:00:49 AM
Quote from: remsleep on March 04, 2009, 11:53:21 PM
Of course, my previous post was simply laughing at myself.  I can assure you, Hugenerd, that EVERYONE has more authority that I do.   

Going to the game Friday?    Anchormen will have the advantage of playing this on their home floor.  Hope MIT will send some kids like they did during the NEWMAC tournament in Worcester.  Perhaps Mr. Kohl could buy the time of seven or eight hundred people and send them to Providence.

Do you mean Mr. Koch?

I cant make it because of family obligations but I am going to try to watch online.  I hope they get it done, but I hear RIC is pretty tought.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2009, 07:58:30 AM
Massd3fan

Unfortunately I am down in CT now.  I have seen only 2 games this year.  Coincidentaly the Clark win at home and the horrible loss at Clark.

It was 2 completely different WPI teams - they seemed more comfortable out on the break and taking (of course you always look better when you are making them) shots early on the clock.  The second game they were very methodical and never looked comfortable.

That being said - they have won games in the 50's and 60's so I am not sure.

One home win at least sure would be nice!

H-NERD - sorry about misquoting you.  Keep up the Jimmy B stuff -- I hope he goes off against RIC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 05, 2009, 02:30:20 PM
"we've already found the best Cinderella story of March Madness this year"

MIT basketball getting big time ESPN coverage:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=darcy/090305

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/index

Anyone know the details about the ESPN segment on MIT tonight?  like is it on Sportscenter? or what time, etc?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 05, 2009, 03:55:54 PM
Quote from: T990 on March 05, 2009, 02:30:20 PM
"we've already found the best Cinderella story of March Madness this year"

MIT basketball getting big time ESPN coverage:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=darcy/090305

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/index

Anyone know the details about the ESPN segment on MIT tonight?  like is it on Sportscenter? or what time, etc?

From what I hear it will be on sportscenter tonight, but I dont know any other specifics.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 05, 2009, 04:14:04 PM
I now hear it is likely the 6:00 (early) sportscenter that will have it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 05, 2009, 05:06:56 PM
I now hear MIT may have been bumped to ESPNU.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 06, 2009, 08:03:16 AM
There was just too much news yesterday (AROD) for a feel good story like MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 06, 2009, 08:11:28 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 06, 2009, 08:03:16 AM
There was just too much news yesterday (AROD) for a feel good story like MIT.

Yeah, I have been trying to find the clip on the video archive but it isnt up so I guess it isnt going to be archived.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on March 06, 2009, 12:02:39 PM
Hugenerd,

   Good Luck To MIT tonight, I am planning to go to the WPI game tonight. (Convinced my wife that we can call it a date by going out to dinner after the game!).  I hope to see some of the 2nd game too, but if one is all i get, I have to take that and be happy...LOL
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 06, 2009, 01:07:10 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on March 06, 2009, 12:02:39 PM
Hugenerd,

   Good Luck To MIT tonight, I am planning to go to the WPI game tonight. (Convinced my wife that we can call it a date by going out to dinner after the game!).  I hope to see some of the 2nd game too, but if one is all i get, I have to take that and be happy...LOL

Fill us in on how it goes.  I wont be able to make the trip to RIC but I am going to try to watch online.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 06, 2009, 08:18:52 PM
MIT UPSETS RIC ON THEIR HOME COURT

Bartolotta had an awful game in regulation, but took over in OT.  Going 2-2 from 3 (2-2 from the field overall) and 4-4 from the line, scoring 10.  He finished the game 27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

Billy Johnson played HUGE (before fouling out with 1 minute to go in OT).  He 7-11 from the floor (3-4 from 3), scoring 19 points, adding 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.  Brad Gampel had 7 assists.

Bobby Bailey paced RIC with 16 points.

Unsung hero for MIT was Billy Bender.  He scored the last 4 points of regulation, going 4-4 at the line, to put MIT up by 2 in the final seconds.  RIC was bailed out on a phatom foul call on Bartolotta, and RIC was able to convert to send it to OT.

Bartolotta really played bad for about 40 minutes, but had an amazing final 5 to carry the team in OT.  Everyone really stepped up in OT.  Johnson had a nice finish, Karraker made a 3, Gampel made FTs, Bartolotta played like himself finally, and everyone took care of the ball.

MIT was really plagued by turnovers, committing 28, but were able to turnover RIC 23 times.  RIC also outrebounded MIT 48-36, including 23 offensive boards for RIC (RIC shot 27 more shots than MIT), but MIT held RIC to 36% FT shooting while MIT shot 46% from the field and shot 44% from 3.

The difference in the game was FT shooting down the stretch and 3-pointers.  MIT scored 12 more points than RIC from 3 (+9 in OT) and were +11 points at the FT line (MIT shot more free throws because RIC fouled the last minute and a half of OT, but MIT shot over 73% from the line, while RIC shot just 50%).

MIT was also able to exert their tempo for long stretches in the game, having long deliberate posessions, which kept the score low (53-53 at the end of regulation).  They then exploded in OT, scoring 20 points in 5 minutes (they scored 22 points in the first half and 33 points in the second half).

I give all the credit in the world to Coach Anderson and his staff, they had a game plan, stuck to it, and it came through for them.  Who would have thought that despite being outshot 75-48, committing 28 turnovers, and giving up 23 offensive rebounds, they would be able to pull out this game (especially with Bartolotta not playing like himself for most of the game).

If they show up tomorrow, they will have a very good chance to move on to the round of 16.  I look forward to it.

In other action, WPI absolutely destroys Husson 86-57.  Good night for the NEWMAC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 06, 2009, 10:33:47 PM
Release for the MIT game:

http://mitathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/030609aaa.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on March 06, 2009, 11:43:50 PM
WPI did indeed destroy Husson tonight, winning by a score of 86-57.
The Engineers dominated the game throughout, taking a double digit
lead with about 8 minutes left in the first half and Husson never
got the lead down to single digits again.  WPI's defensive intensity
was there all night.  That defense created 22 Husson turnovers which
were converted into 21 pts.  Also that deep WPI bench outscored
Husson's bench 49 to 20.  Husson was also plagued by foul trouble as
3 players fouled out of the game.

WPI had 4 players post double digits in scoring:
Jerome Kirkland – 15 pts
Fernando Perez – 14 pts
Jeff Robinson – 11 pts
Matt Carr - 10 pts

Altogether, 12 players scored.  Perez posted a double-double by adding 10 rebounds.

Husson was led by :

Scott Kissinger - 10 pts
Matt Mckenzie - 9 pts
Brock Bradford - 8 pts
Nick Perras - 8 pts

I will give the Husson supporters some kudos here though.  They were very
supportive and vocal for their team and displayed great sportsmanship.

Here is the link to the press realease :

http://wpi.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2008-09/news/mbb030609game

WPI will play UMass-Dartmouth tomorrow at 7 PM for a spot in the Sweet 16!


Hugenerd,

   Great to hear that MIT also won their game!  Your right, a GREAT night for
the NEWMAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 07, 2009, 12:02:49 AM
Thanks massd3,

I thought MIT was in trouble with the way Bartolotta was playing, especially after the very tough call at the end of the game that allowed RIC to tie in regulation.  However, Bartolotta player more like himself in OT and MIT was able to get it done.

Really sloppy game though (51 turnovers), MIT needs to play better tomorrow,  Farmingdale State seemed impressive vs. UNE (but it is tough to gauge the CCC schools).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 07, 2009, 12:51:29 AM
Article in the Denver Post about Bartolotta that came out on Friday:

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_11848199
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on March 07, 2009, 12:56:10 AM
Good night for the NEWMAC on the mens' side.   Attended the MIT-RIC game, and it was sloppy.  Incredible grittiness on the part of the Engineers.   Huge uplift for them when their fan busses arrived at half-time, cannot underestimate the energy they supplied.    Yes, it's true that JB had a relatively poor first 40 minutes, but the most impressive thing about him is that he just keeps playing.  Not sure what to think about Farmingdale State....same old stuff, play defense, hit threes, hope for a little fairy dust and who knows!?

PS  Hugenerd, yes I meant Mr. Koch not Mr. Kohl, thanks for the correction.

Excitement awaits tomorrow night in Providence
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on March 07, 2009, 01:14:51 AM
Just so you know, the schedule for Saturday, March 7 indicates that MIT is playing UNE in the second round.  This is incorrect, MIT is playing Farmingdale State.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 07, 2009, 10:25:14 AM
TV news coverage of MIT basketball from NECN.  (Both links go to the same video).

Cinderella story continues for MIT basketball


http://www.necn.com/Boston/Sports/2009/03/06/Cinderella-story-continues-for/1236393688.html

http://multimedia.boston.com/m/21961946/mit_advances_in_ncaa_tournament.htm
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 07, 2009, 10:40:29 AM
RIC has last night's full game video archived, MIT at RIC:

http://ricollege.ezstream.com/play/index.cfm?id=121FA01A9A

http://www.goanchormen.com/schedules/sch_mbasketball.html

Yes, the late arriving MIT fan buses were the difference!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on March 07, 2009, 11:38:39 AM
next opponent for MIT fixed on sked page. thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 07, 2009, 11:55:58 AM
Quote from: T990 on March 07, 2009, 10:25:14 AM
TV news coverage of MIT basketball from NECN.  (Both links go to the same video).

Cinderella story continues for MIT basketball


http://www.necn.com/Boston/Sports/2009/03/06/Cinderella-story-continues-for/1236393688.html

http://multimedia.boston.com/m/21961946/mit_advances_in_ncaa_tournament.htm


Thanks for that T990.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 07, 2009, 12:22:07 PM
I believe the MIT vs Farmingdale State game will be webcast live video tonight at 7PM.  Try these links at game time:

http://d3sports.prestosports.com/links/p47f78

http://www.goanchormen.com/ListenLive/ListenLiveWinter200809.html

http://www.farmingdalesports.com/sports/mbkb/index

(click on the MIT-Farmingdale game box here):

http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/2009/ncaa_bracket_DIII_basketball_men.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 07, 2009, 12:47:40 PM
Farmingdale State is a physically imposing team.  Every player is very strong and has great basketball instincts.  No problem scoring a basket while someone is hanging on them.  They've won 25 games!  UNE pressed the whole first half and only had a 16-point deficit to show for it. 

MIT has not faced a roster like FSU this season.  Maybe Yale was physically similar.  FSU only had 10 guys on the roster last night; MIT carries 9.  OTOH I doubt FSU has faced a team that does what MIT does this season either.  And who else has a player like Jimmy B?

Here is FSU's roster:

http://www.farmingdalesports.com/sports/mbkb/2008/roster

(Lots of guys over 225 lbs).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 07, 2009, 06:45:47 PM
Quote from: T990 on March 07, 2009, 12:47:40 PM
Farmingdale State is a physically imposing team.  Every player is very strong and has great basketball instincts.  No problem scoring a basket while someone is hanging on them.  They've won 25 games!  UNE pressed the whole first half and only had a 16-point deficit to show for it. 

MIT has not faced a roster like FSU this season.  Maybe Yale was physically similar.  FSU only had 10 guys on the roster last night; MIT carries 9.  OTOH I doubt FSU has faced a team that does what MIT does this season either.  And who else has a player like Jimmy B?

Here is FSU's roster:

http://www.farmingdalesports.com/sports/mbkb/2008/roster

(Lots of guys over 225 lbs).

That could work to MIT's advatange though, if FSU is slower closing out or does not play out as far, MIT may get their 3-point game rolling.

Another surprise for me last night was that fould trouble was more of an issue for RIC than MIT.  If the game had gone to 2 OT, MIT would have been in real trouble, but RIC had their best big man foul out in regulation and a starting guard foul out in OT, while MIT only had Billy Johnson foul out with about a minute left in the game (when MIT was up by 5, I believe). 

FSU may have won 25 games, but against who? Looking down their schedule I cant find a team that would give me a gauge on how relatively strong they are.  I guess we will find out in a little bit.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 07, 2009, 08:54:52 PM

MIT lost by 6, 67-61; it looks like the succeeded in slowing the game down just a bit.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 08, 2009, 12:19:42 PM
You can watch the Farmingdale-MIT game video; it is archived here:

http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/2009/ncaa_bracket_DIII_basketball_men.html

Click on the MIT-Farmingdale game box,

then click on the little Video Camera icon in the pop up.

I have no idea how long they will keep it up there, but it is accessible right now.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 08, 2009, 12:22:27 PM
Farmingdale game writ-up here:

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030709aau.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 08, 2009, 04:07:19 PM
You don't have to send people away -- we have all that stuff on our site.

http://www.d3hoops.com/game-releases/v2.0/2009/Mar/07/MIT-vs.-Farmingdale+State/x5qh79o0hpj1fv5q/29439
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 08, 2009, 07:02:39 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 08, 2009, 04:07:19 PM
You don't have to send people away -- we have all that stuff on our site.

http://www.d3hoops.com/game-releases/v2.0/2009/Mar/07/MIT-vs.-Farmingdale+State/x5qh79o0hpj1fv5q/29439

No helping the NCAA; remember, they're the enemy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 08, 2009, 07:05:30 PM
Oh, I'm sure that all the ads that display on that page will go directly into the Division III NCAA Tournament traveling fund. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on March 09, 2009, 11:00:33 AM
I did get to the WPI-UMD game on Saturday.  UMD came out hard and got WPI to turn the ball over numerous times early in the game.  WPI managed to stay within striking distance, but was never able to overcome that early deficit.

NT Izuchi kept WPI in the game going 3 for 3 from outside the arc in the games first 10 minutes or so, but only took 1 more shot during the rest of the game.  While WPI never seemed to find a go-to guy on the offensive end, UMD had 3 of them. Reece Freeman, Matt Walker & Brandon Shelton played great to carry UMD to the Sweet 16.  Walker had an amazing game going 9-9 from the field including 2 3's.  Freeman went 8 for 11 with 5 assts and Shelton was 6-12 and 4 out 5 from the free-throw line.  Another player who stepped up and hit crucial shots in the second half was Tom Henneberry.  His 2 three's each came at points where WPI had a chance to cut the lead under 5.

WPI had several opportunities to get the lead less than 5 points, but every time they got there, someone on UMD stepped up and made the big play.  UMD got a little sloppy committing 7 turnovers that helped to keep WPI close, but it was not enough for the Engineers to overcome a 16-2 differential in points off turnovers in the 1st half.

WPI was led by senior Adam Lirette's 12 points and 3 assts.  Jeff Robinson & Fernando Perez added 11 each.  Seniors Izuchi & Jerome Kirkland tossed in 9 and 7 points respectively.

The matchups favored the quicker Corsairs for most of the day.  The only advantage WPI had was some height inside, where Bennett Lessard posted 6 points & 5 rebounds, but he only played 17 minutes and his back up did not play at all. Perez did get a few scoring opportunities inside, but he only got about 4 of his 7 shot attempts from the low post offense and only took 2 shots in the 1st half.   In the end, UMD actually outscored WPI 38-32 in the paint.

In the second half, WPI went to a different kind of defense where they had Lessard playing UMD PG - Reece.  He was playing off him, sagging back into the paint giving Reece the 15 foot jumper.  This did seem to throw UMD off for a short time, but late in the game Reece started driving the lane and came up with a layup that bumped the lead to 9 pts and then the final dagger when hit a short jumper with 1:20 to go that pushed the lead to 8 and WPI never got that close again.

WPI did a good job to come back and stay in the game after looking very shaky at the outset.  Unfortunately for the Engineers, UMD had too many weapons and just shot the lights out going almost 60% from the field (48% from 3 land).  UMD is now 27-3.

WPI finishes another very successful season at 21-6.

I see that MIT lost as well, but what a great year for the NEWMAC.  Two teams into the tournament and both picked a win!  Congratulations to both teams for giving us some great basketball to enjoy this year!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2009, 11:18:53 AM
Congrats to MIT on a historical season, here are some records they broke this season:

Team (Season):

Most wins: 21 (tied with 2005-06)
Most points: 2200
3FGM: 281
3FGA: 715
FTM: 467
Assists: 526
Steals: 292

Individual (Season):

Points: Jimmy Bartolotta (1st, 800)
Scoring Average: Jimmy Bartolotta (1st, 27.6)
3FG%: Jimmy Bartolotta (1st, 0.436); Jamie Karraker (T-2nd, 0.419) Billy Johnson (12th, 0.377)
FT%: Jimmy Bartolotta (2nd, 0.837)
Assists: Brad Gampel (1st, 207)
Blocks: Jimmy Bartolotta (5th, 41)
Steals: Brad Gampel (1st, 80); Jimmy Bartolotta (T-4th, 57)


Individual (Career):
Points: Jimmy Bartolotta (1st, 2279)
Scoring Average: Jimmy Bartolotta (2nd, 20.7)
FG%: Jimmy Bartolotta (T-6th, 0.501)
3FG%: Jimmy Bartolotta (1st, 0.413)
FT%: Jimmy Bartolotta (1st, 0.837)
Rebounds: Jimmy Bartolotta (6th, 688)
Assists: Brad Gampel (3rd, 434); Jimmy Bartolotta (6th, 329)
Blocks: Jimmy Bartolotta (3rd, 99)
Steals: Jimmy Bartolotta (1st, 184); Brad Gampel (2nd, 183)

You add that to records this group has set in previous years, and an already impressive career becomes more incredible:

Season Records set in previous years:
Points: Jimmy Bartolotta(4th(2007-08) 574; 5th (2006-07), 572)
Scoring Average: Jimmy Bartolotta(2nd(2007-08) 23.9; 9th (2006-07), 21.2)
3FG%: Jimmy Bartolotta(3rd(2007-08) 0.415; 10th (2006-07), 0.382)
FT%: Jimmy Bartolotta(1st(2006-07) 0.866; 5th (2007-08), 0.805)
Assists: Jimmy Bartolotta (7th (2006-07), 116); Brad Gampel (8th (2007-08), 113)
Steals: Brad Gampel (3rd (2007-08), 59); Jimmy Bartolotta (6th (2007-08), 56; 9th (2006-07), 52)


Congrats on Great Careers (Billy Johnson should be back for year 5, and will get on a lot of the career lists if he does).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 09, 2009, 12:54:45 PM
I believe the MIT class of '09 also holds the MIT record for most wins in a 4-year span at the Institute.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2009, 01:04:47 PM
Thats very possible.  They were involved in both 21 win seasons.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 09, 2009, 01:11:42 PM
A few notes about the MIT-Farmingdale State game:

This was a game of runs, as each team held leads in each half.  FSC had a strong run just before crunch time in the second half.  MIT had the ball with :38 left in the game, trailing by 2, but things didn't go the way they wanted in their final possessions. 

The game was just as close and as intense as the MIT-RIC game, and either team could have won this one too.  The refereeing was bizarre, letting FSC grab and hold jerseys w/o a whistle, letting FSC go over the back and be given a held ball call, yet when 2 guys are jumping up for a loose rebound MIT gets whistled a foul (?).

Lastly, I have to say Brad Gampel absolutely played his heart out in this one.  He was all over hustling, rebounding, doing everything anyone could do to win this game.  He left it all on the floor.  If anyone watches the archive video, you'll see what I mean.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2009, 02:17:49 PM
Quote from: T990 on March 09, 2009, 01:11:42 PM
A few notes about the MIT-Farmingdale State game:

This was a game of runs, as each team held leads in each half.  FSC had a strong run just before crunch time in the second half.  MIT had the ball with :38 left in the game, trailing by 2, but things didn't go the way they wanted in their final possessions. 

The game was just as close and as intense as the MIT-RIC game, and either team could have won this one too.  The refereeing was bizarre, letting FSC grab and hold jerseys w/o a whistle, letting FSC go over the back and be given a held ball call, yet when 2 guys are jumping up for a loose rebound MIT gets whistled a foul (?).

Lastly, I have to say Brad Gampel absolutely played his heart out in this one.  He was all over hustling, rebounding, doing everything anyone could do to win this game.  He left it all on the floor.  If anyone watches the archive video, you'll see what I mean.

Yeah, that traveling call wasnt so great at the :38 second mark when MIT was down two.  The reason Bender bordeline traveled was because a defender raked him across the arms when he was going up for a shot (or pass, wasnt clear), and then the ball came out of his hands before he landed (so it should not have been a traveling anyway).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on March 09, 2009, 11:04:01 PM
I"m curious what happened to WPI freshman Jerome Stewart over the last 6-8 games of the season. He seemed to get buried on the bench after starting a bunch of games and getting significant minutes over the first 2/3 of the season.  He seemed to play well, albeit inconsistently at times, in the games I saw.  WPI could have used some of his inside toughness against UMD on Saturday, but it appears that once you get on the long end of Bartley's bench it takes a long time to earn back your minutes.  To his credit, he was a loud and positive cheerleader for his teammates from the bench Saturday night.

I thought UMD's Freeman was outstanding on Saturday, not only penetrating to the hoop at will but grabbing key rebounds and steals on the defensive end.  He's a lot of fun to watch and the key to UMD's defense.  The UMD press is one of the best I've seen, one you really can't prepare for, and the kids execute it extremely well, a credit to the coaching they get from Brian Baptiste. 

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2009, 11:33:49 PM
Quote from: T990 on March 09, 2009, 12:54:45 PM
I believe the MIT class of '09 also holds the MIT record for most wins in a 4-year span at the Institute.

I checked into this (all numbers are for since 1960) and this class does have the most wins by a 4 year class (68).  They also have the best winning percentage (0.602), and the first over 0.600, since the class of 1968-69.  The best winning percentage of any class was the class of 1966-67, winning 71.3% of their games.

To the credit of Coach Anderson, this is the 7th year in a row that a graduating basketball class has had a winning record at MIT, and 8 out of 9 of at 0.500.    Prior to that, (1999-2000 and prior) there had been 30 consecutive classes with losing records.  Definitely a tribute to Coach Anderson and his disciplined system.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on March 09, 2009, 11:38:49 PM
Huge---- will you predict that Coach Anderson is going to be wined and dined by some other schools' AD's who are looking for a really good basketball coach?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 10, 2009, 12:37:14 AM
Quote from: remsleep on March 09, 2009, 11:38:49 PM
Huge---- will you predict that Coach Anderson is going to be wined and dined by some other schools' AD's who are looking for a really good basketball coach?

I have no idea, I havent heard or even thought about that.  From what I know Coach Anderson is happy.

With that said, if I had a coaching vacancy, I would want Coach Anderson leading my team.  I think the circumstances would have to be perfect for him to leave, though, I cant see it happening, but you never know.  Plus, at what other university could he say his a Professor at MIT (he has the official title of associate professor, other titles include Head Men's Basketball Coach, Director of Club Sports, and I think he has some other position in some aspect of student life).

It is pretty spectacular what he has done.  He didnt have enough players to practice 5 v. 5 the whole season, yet he always gets the most out of his players.  I have seen quite a bit of d3 basketball over the past 8 years and Coach Anderson runs the most disciplined teams I have seen, period.  The three seniors deserve a lot of credit, but without Coach Anderson's defensive emphasis and the intelligent, deliberate way he approaches coaching, I dont think this team sees nearly as much success as it has.  I hope he gets a lot of consideration for NE coach of the year and even national coach of the year.  I think with him at the helm, and the recent interest in the program due to its success, MIT could become a perennial 20 win team.  Its just a matter of getting players admitted and whether those players are committed to basketball, as well as academics.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on March 10, 2009, 01:10:18 AM
I was always impressed with Coach Andersen--such a class act. You can see it everything he does from the beginning of the game til the end when he talks with his own kids and other kids and fans at the game. He has done a lot and deserves only the best. Congrats to MIT on a great season!

By the way, what is Coach Andersen a professor of? I wonder if you could audit his class.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 10, 2009, 01:37:57 AM
Quote from: clarkie on March 10, 2009, 01:10:18 AM
I was always impressed with Coach Andersen--such a class act. You can see it everything he does from the beginning of the game til the end when he talks with his own kids and other kids and fans at the game. He has done a lot and deserves only the best. Congrats to MIT on a great season!

By the way, what is Coach Andersen a professor of? I wonder if you could audit his class.


I am not sure, but if you search for his name in the mit people directory (web.mit.edu, lower left corner), his title will come up as associate professor.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 10, 2009, 01:38:59 AM
Congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta for being named the Jostens trophy winner for this year.  He truly deserves the honor for his great season and career at MIT.

I wish him all the best in Europe next season!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: deiscanton on March 10, 2009, 05:25:20 AM
I guess then I will be the second person to say congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta of MIT on being named this year's Jostens Trophy winner.    I concur with Hugenerd on his best wishes to Jimmy Bartolotta on his future endeavors.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on March 10, 2009, 08:28:49 AM
Congratulations to Jimmy Bartolotta from me as well.  Very well deserved honor and a great way for him to end a fantastic career!  I wish him nothing but the best of luck in his quest to play in Europe.

Great for the conference too, the NEWMAC now lays claim to 2 of the last 3 Joosten Awards.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on March 10, 2009, 10:17:39 AM
JustAfan,

   I managed to take in a few of the WPI games this season.  I'm an "old school" guy when it comes to basketball.  I firmly believe the most successful & consistent teams operate from the inside out.  You need a strong inside game to provide openings for your outside shooters.  By strong, I mean the ability to score from both sides of the lane in the low post, consistently box out, and be able to defend in the low post.  If your have true low post presence, then your outside game, and dribble penetration will be much, much more effective.

   Now, the game has progressed a great deal from my youth (I grew up watching Russell, Chamberlain, Alcindor/Jabbar, Unseld, Walton, Silas, etc.)  Today's game is indeed a guard dominated game at the college level, but the best teams still have good low post players.  There will be games where you guard play is down and the 3 points shooters are off.  If you don't have a strong inside game to go to when the outside game is off, you have big problems.  For what it is worth (probably not much more than Citibank stock right now) here are my observations and thoughts.

  WPI fell into this situation against Springfeild in the NEWMAC semi-finals.  They shot under 25% and half of their FG attempts were 3's.  Lessard was in foul trouble and only played 8 minutes going 0-1 with 4 boards, Perez played 22 minutes going 1-2 with 6 rebs & Carr played 5 minutes going 0-3 with 2 rebounds. As you noted, Stewart did not play in that game.  So you got only 6 FGA from the group and from the stat sheet, they went 13 for 54, with 29 of the attempts being 3-pointers.

   I am not sure what the status of Stewart is.  It does seem certain that something happened, but what will most likely remain internal. That is my guess, it's not based on any particular knowledge.  From what I could gather watching the games i did get to, I think Coach Bartley prefers smaller more athletic players over the typical big man.  He had 2 "big men" on the roster.  Lessard at 6'8" and he must be 245-250 in weight and Carr at 6'7" and rather wiry.  Stewart at 6'4"&  Perez at 6'3" provide a different look down low, but struggled against players in the 6'6" and above range.  They also have a couple of other freshmen Peter White & Dave Brown at 6'3".  White is listed as a forward & Brown a guard.  Lessard is a bit cumbersome and has difficulty handling the ball in the low post.  He will often pass the ball out when he should be attacking the rim. He is the only junior on the team and will need to refine his skills to make a bigger impact next year. Perez had flashes of brilliance this year.  He is undersized at the power forward slot, but uses his body very well.  He is also one of guys who just seem to have a nose for the ball.  He put up a couple of double-doubles down the stretch of the season at Babson & in the opening round win over Husson in the NCAAs.  He is also a good defender in the scheme coach Bartley employs.  If he can develop his right hand, he could be all-conference next year.  Carr didn't play all that much this season, but I did see him play a couple of times and he could be a real presence next year.  He appears to have the ability to be an offensive force from either side of the lane and boxes out very well on the boards. He very long and wore a knee brace this year.  From what I was told he is lost his senior high school season to an ACL tear. Even with a brace, he seems to get well above the rim with ease.  If he puts on some weight, he may be the perfect compliment to Perez inside.  White seems to be a leaper and more suited to the small forward position rather than the power forward slot.  Brown got into 19 games and my guess is he will be part of the guard rotation next year.  He is a good passer and can elevate over a lot of defenders.

In the games I managed to get to, Stewart looked to be the most polished and well-rounded offensive player of their big guy group.  Again, I think a bit undersized at center, but he did a great job of creating space to get off that 6 to 8 foot jumper.  He also was strong enough to attack the rim even against slightly bigger players.  The one feature I felt I brought that the others did not was the elbow/free throw line jumper.  Why he fell into the proverbial 'dog house', I cannot say.  One could make guesses or assumptions, but that would be unfair to the player & coach.

It would appear that Kyle Nadeau will take over for Lirette at PG.  Ben Etten will most likely remain in the small forward/guard slot. Jeff Robinson will most likely move into Jerome Kirkland's position.  Ryan Stock will most likely be involved in coming off the bench in both a guard and small forward role.  Todd Rappaport will join Brown as part of the guard rotation coming of the bench.  They will provide a some size at the guard position as well.

Overall, WPI should again be the top team in the NEWMAC.  MIT may have Billy Johnson back, but who knows what kind of team Coach Anderson will have to patch together next year.  Springfield beat WPI in the tournament, but they lose two key starters in Strawson & White.  They will do better in the regular season next year, but I do not think they can overtake WPI.  Clark gave WPI its only conference loss in the regular season and they will have the ROY back in Brian Vayda, but they lose 2 of their top 5 scorers.  Wheaton graduates 5, but only Mark Sullivan & Nick Michel were big factors.  Babson loses four, including Zach Etten and Pat Belniak.  Coast Guard will have to find someone to fill Craig Johnson's shoes.

Right now, I have not seen anything about committed incoming freshman.  I guessing that that our current economic mess has put a lot more stress & strain on families with kids starting college this fall.  Overall financial aid packages & a very strong focus on the academic avenue will most likely outweigh basketball concerns this year.

Feel free to offer up any other insights on WPI or other teams in the conference!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 10, 2009, 10:41:45 AM
NEWMAC - 2 Jostens in a row!

Congrats to both teams (MIT/WPI) proving academics and hoops can co-exist!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 10, 2009, 10:42:41 AM
Two out of three -- Troy Ruths of Wash U won it last year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 10, 2009, 10:51:27 AM
Correct - sorry - Cain felt like last year!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on March 12, 2009, 07:30:58 AM
Come on now, surely someone out there has some more closing thoughts on this season.  Some insights for next year.  News on incoming players.  Some Congrats for an outgoing senior.

Ok, I'm grasping at straws, but I'm trying to keep the conversation going.  In couple more weeks, my wife will have the annual spring cleaning list posted and my time on the computer will be even more limited than it is now.  LOL
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 12, 2009, 11:13:23 PM
Steve Buckley article on MIT (from last week):

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/basketball/view.bg?articleid=1156361&format=text
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 13, 2009, 03:58:10 PM
Here is something interesting I found out today.  Bartolotta's ankle injury suffered in the third to last regular season game (against Babson, causing him to miss the game vs. WPI) wasn't as insignificant as initially made out to be by the team.  From what I hear, it wasnt anything too serious (he would have been fine if he could have sat out 2-3 weeks to let it heal), but because of the impending NEWMAC tourney and the end of his career, he played through it.  He didnt look the same to me though and now I know why.  The stats seem to support that as well:

Here is a comparison between his first 23 games and the 6 games he played with the injury:

GamesFGMFGAFG%3FGM3FGA3%FTMFTAFT%RPGAPGTOPGSPGBPGPPG
First 23 games21040452.08217347.415117984.45.73.02.32.21.528.4
Final 6 Games5011443.9134528.9344281.08.22.72.51.21.324.5

All his stats are essentially down across the board (except for rebounds).  Obviously an ankle injury will hurt your elevation and quickness the most, and this is clearly apparent:  his shooting percentage is down over 8% after the injury, his 3% is almost down 20%, he is making 1.0 less steals per game, and scoring 4 points less per game while taking 1.5 more shots per game.  Clearly he wasnt getting the elevation needed to shoot 3s at the nearly 50% he shot before his injury (his 2PT% only dropped from 55.4% to 53.6% after the injury, so the 8% drop in shooting percentage is almost completely due to his drop in shooting from 3, which is likely a result of his decreased elevation on his shot). Needless to say, if he was healthy they may have done even better than they already did, but I am not complaining, they had a great season as it was.  His team did have a better winning percentage after the injury though (5-1 after the injury, 83.3%, compared to 18-8, 69.2%), so I guess he was doing something right after he came back.

Also, no need to worry, I hear that after a couple weeks of rest Jimmy will be back on the hardwood at 100% training for his Euro career.  Too bad this injury didnt come earlier in the season so that he would have had the opportunity to take a couple weeks off to heal up (a la Kent Raymond) and come back 100% for the tourney.  I guess it wasnt meant to be but I wish him the best in his career in Europe!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 14, 2009, 12:12:02 AM
Farmingdale State defeats Bridgewater State tonight, 84-64, to move to 27-3 and into the Elite 8.  The Rams take on Richard Stockton (28-2) for a spot in the Final 4.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 14, 2009, 12:22:50 PM
Quote from: T990 on March 14, 2009, 12:12:02 AM
Farmingdale State defeats Bridgewater State tonight, 84-64, to move to 27-3 and into the Elite 8.  The Rams take on Richard Stockton (28-2) for a spot in the Final 4.

Stockton is tough.  They are extremely athletic.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 15, 2009, 08:15:59 PM
An article from the MIT campus paper about the basketball program and its affect on student life:

http://tech.mit.edu/V129/N12/mbasketball.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 16, 2009, 10:57:22 AM
Article in the Globe:

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/extras/colleges_blog/2009/03/mits_bartolotta.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 17, 2009, 06:13:14 PM
Congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta for being named Northeast Player of the Year and to the All-Northeast 1st-Team.  Another great accomplishment to cap off a great career.

Craig Johnson made the 2nd-Team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 20, 2009, 06:53:37 PM
Congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta for being named the NABC New-England Player of the Year. He was the only NEWMAC representative on the two teams named.

Full release:

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nabc/genrel/auto_pdf/D3all-district.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on March 20, 2009, 11:41:56 PM
I haven't been following D3Hoops since the two NEWMAC teams were eliminated, but did want to wish a huge congratulations to Jimmy Bartolotta. An unbelievable player and what it seems, an unbelievable person as well. Wishing he and MIT all the best in the future.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 21, 2009, 11:30:31 PM
MITs release on Bartolotta receiving Jostens Award today:

http://mitathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/032009aac.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 22, 2009, 09:33:01 AM
Congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta for being named as a First-Team All-American and National POY of the year by d3hoops.  Another great accomplishment on his great career.

http://www.d3hoops.com/all-american/menallam09.htm
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 29, 2009, 10:23:54 PM
If you havent heard, Bartolotta will be playing in the D1 Seniors All-Star game Detroit (played at Ford Field, the site of the D1 Final 4).  He was invited to play for being selected the NABC D3 POY.  He will also receive his POY award at the event.  You can find more information about the game at the final 4 website.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 31, 2009, 10:55:21 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 29, 2009, 10:23:54 PM
If you havent heard, Bartolotta will be playing in the D1 Seniors All-Star game Detroit (played at Ford Field, the site of the D1 Final 4).  He was invited to play for being selected the NABC D3 POY.  He will also receive his POY award at the event.  You can find more information about the game at the final 4 website.

I hope he gets enough practice time so he can hit those threes in such a big arena.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 31, 2009, 11:13:22 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 31, 2009, 10:55:21 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 29, 2009, 10:23:54 PM
If you havent heard, Bartolotta will be playing in the D1 Seniors All-Star game Detroit (played at Ford Field, the site of the D1 Final 4).  He was invited to play for being selected the NABC D3 POY.  He will also receive his POY award at the event.  You can find more information about the game at the final 4 website.

I hope he gets enough practice time so he can hit those threes in such a big arena.

I just hope his ankle is back to 100% so he can get the lift on his shot he needs to shoot like he did the first 23 games of the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 31, 2009, 08:17:24 PM
Rosters were announced today for the NABC/Hershey's All-Star Game to be played at the Final Four this weekend.  In all, only 20 players were selected, that comprise two teams: The Hershey's All-Stars and The Reese's All-Stars.  Jimmy Bartolotta is on the Hershey's All-Star team, which appears to be the weaker of the two teams.  The Reese's All-Stars have Tyrese Rice from BC, Alex Ruoff from WVU, BJ Raymond from Xavier, Alfred Aboya from UCLA, Marcus Landry from Wisconsin, and Josh Heytvelt from Gonzaga and they are coached by Bruce Weber and Matt Painter.  The Hershey's team doesnt have any really big name players.

Full release: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nabc/genrel/auto_pdf/Hersheys.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on April 01, 2009, 07:49:17 AM
Congratulations to Jimmy Bartolotta - Give those D1 boys hell !

Great Pub for the NEWMAC too !
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 01, 2009, 10:57:49 AM
Bartolotta is the only non-scolarship player that is playing in the game.  I hope he represents MIT, the NEWMAC, and d3, in general, well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on April 01, 2009, 11:17:59 AM
Bartolotta's team also has Ben Woodside, who tore Kansas to shreds.  Really fun player to watch ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 01, 2009, 11:00:29 PM
Andy Katz blog that includes some comments about the NABC All-Star game:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4033468&name=katz_andy
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 03, 2009, 07:29:44 PM
I was able to watch about 3/4 of the NABC All-Star game today and the Reece's team beat the Hershey's team 105-100.  I havent seen a boxscore, but in the part of the game I saw, Bartolotta played about 5 minutes and made a shot. Heytvelt was clearly the best player in the game, he dominated in the second half.

In the middle of the second half, they did a nice feature on Bartolotta, outlining his stats and doing a live interview from the bench.  You had your typical questions about being a student at MIT, but it was clear by the last question that the lady doing the interview didnt have a ton of background because she asked him whether he would try ot play in the NBA next year, to which Bartolotta chuckled and answered he was going to try to play in Europe.  Anyway, it was nice exposure and I am sure he will have fun receiving his POY award this weekend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 03, 2009, 08:48:35 PM
Boxscore for the All-Star game, for those who are interested:

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/gonz/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/NABCBox.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on April 03, 2009, 08:54:42 PM
Just eight minutes? Sheesh. Why'd they bother to bring him out there?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 03, 2009, 09:21:20 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on April 03, 2009, 08:54:42 PM
Just eight minutes? Sheesh. Why'd they bother to bring him out there?

I agree, Bruce Weber seemed to play the members of his team much more evenly, alot of times he would just sub in a new line (each team only had 10 players), therefore everyone played 20+-4 minutes (6 players played exactly 20 minutes, including the D2 player, and 1 each played 24, 22, 18, and 16 minutes, respectively). It seemed  like Nolan Richardson was really playing for the win and managed it more like a regular season game, playing his first team for 24-27 minutes, although Bartolotta did play the least of anyone.  The spotlight and interview with him in the second half were really nice though.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on April 04, 2009, 12:30:25 AM
That's why "Coach" Richardson has "progressed" from being an NCAA DI Champion to the prized position of coaching the Mexican National team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 04, 2009, 01:57:54 PM
Yeah, the game wouldnt have been close if Weber would have played Heytvelt and Rice the whole game.  The reason the game was close because both those players only played 20 minutes each.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 05, 2009, 02:54:51 PM
Just saw this:

http://www.boston.com/sports/columnists/bob_ryan_blog/

Looks like Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe agrees with what I said about Bartolotta's minutes and his overall play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 07, 2009, 11:10:31 PM
MIT picks up a top 150 in NE recruit (based on newenglandrecruitingreport), Mitchell Kates.  He apparently had interest from some Ivy League schools (http://cornellbasketball.blogspot.com/2008/12/recruiting-news_19.html), but chose to go with MIT.  He will have the oppurtunity to compete immediately for the starting point guard position, after the graduation of Brad Gampel.  From what I hear, he is the real deal and should be the starting PG by the end of the season, if not immediately. 

If everything holds as expected, MIT will also get back one of their top scorers from two years ago, Dan McCue, who sat out last season with injury.  He should fill some of the void left by the departure of Jimmy Bartolotta.  Billy Johnson is also expected to return for a 5th year, because he had a medical redshirt two years ago.  Johnson could start at the 4 or 5, depending on the size of the other recruits MIT has coming in (I will provide more details as I receive them).  Jamie Karraker is the leading candidate to start at the shooting guard spot, while Eric Zuk could also start compete for a starting spot.  Billy Bender, who really emerged as a cluth performer for the team last year, could also compete for a spot. 

I cant see coach Anderson playing a small lineup like last year unless he absolutely has to.  Therefore, I think any good incoming post player could have a shot at significant minutes or a starting spot (along with Bender).  This would allow Billy Johnson to play closer to his true position of small forward, rather than having to play the 5 like he did last season.  That could mean, however, that a starter from last years team would have to come off the bench.  That is, unless Coach Anderson plays McCue at the point, but I think Kates will end up winning that job.  Therefore, with McCue definitely starting at the 2 or 3 and Johnson starting ath the 4 or 5, either Karraker or Zuk will likely come off the bench (unless they go small like they did last year and play Johnson at the 5).  It will be interesting to see how the rest of MITs recruiting class will look like.  They will obviously have a huge void, losing two top seniors, but I think they have a good nucleus coming back to lead this team and some potential top-notch recruits that could really contribute.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on April 07, 2009, 11:53:19 PM
Do they still have guys enrolled who aren't playing and might come back?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jamiejohn on April 08, 2009, 08:59:00 AM
From what i hear ted eby, and Erich Bracht the former ROY are still in school
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 08, 2009, 10:40:31 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on April 07, 2009, 11:53:19 PM
Do they still have guys enrolled who aren't playing and might come back?

There is a whole bunch of players who are still in school that arent playing, but I doubt any of them will come back.  Eby and Bracht are two of those players.  There are several other players who never played or quit before seeing any game action (Paul Burkard, Garrett Fritz, etc.).  I would be surprised to see any of them come back.

From what I hear, though, the MIT coaches are trying to take these past experiences into account when recruiting and trying to get players who are more passionate about the game and a bit tougher.  It also helps recruiting that the program is getting more exposure, so they may have players consider them who in the past would not have (previously, they may have just been going with whatever they could get). 

Coach Anderson always does a great job regardless of the players he has.  I hope that this past year is just the start for MIT and that they continue to get the players that will make them a contender in the NEWMAC, the northeast, and nationally for years to come.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on April 08, 2009, 03:01:49 PM
Not much noise on the recruiting front so far this year.  I would expect that will change in the few weeks as all the Financial Aid packages go out.

With the current economic mess, I guessing most people lost a good piece of whatever they had been able to set aside for college bills.  This year, I am sure that those aid packages will have more to do with where most kids end up than a basketball program.  This is especially true for the D3 landscape.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 08, 2009, 04:47:50 PM
More recruiting news from MIT.  I did some more research and here some more MIT commits, including what sound like some really good players.  These are in addition to Mitchell Kates, whom I wrote about earlier (ranked a top 150 recruit in NE by newenglandrecruitingreport.com).

Will Tashman, Menlo School (CA)
6'8" Power Forward
Inside/outisde threat who can shoot the 3.  Named MVP of his league in California.  He was also recruited by: Cal Poly-Pomona, Claremont College, and Washington University in St. Louis

Fun Fact: Tashman went to the same High School as, and played on the basketball team with, Jerry Rice Jr. (yes, that Jerry Rice), who is playing football at UCLA next year.

Sources: http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=11754,
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type=sports&id=106775,
http://www.menloschool.org/news/detail.asp?pageaction=ViewSinglePublic&LinkID=1914&ModuleID=26
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2EJvBCbar0



Ben Montgomery, Severn School (MD)
6'7" Power Forward/Center
He was also recruited by: Harvard and Princeton (see Source 1)

Source: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/recruiting/2008/09/aau_summer_recap_marylandseverna_park_3d_2009.html,
http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/hgh/hgh_latest.pdf



Jimmy Burke, Seton Hall Prep (NJ)
5'10" Guard
Was ranked as one of the Top 200 players in the country in the class of 2009 a year ago by hoop scoop (see source 1).

http://www.basketballforum.com/high-school-aau-basketball/385044-high-school-top-class-2009-updated.html
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=43069&season=2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyStD83h2Rc


Devin Dee, Burlingame (CA)
6'2" Guard
Honorable-Mention All-league as a senior.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on April 09, 2009, 07:49:13 AM
Sounds like an impressive group -- now the coach just has to keep them on the team, as demonstrated in the past, no easy feat with the academic pressures of MIT!  Ya have to wonder how far MIT could have gone last year if a few of the big-time recruits had stuck with hoops ...

Tashman went to the same school as Williams' top player Blake Schultz (in fact, I am surprised Ephs didn't make a big push for him, or at least if they did, I didn't hear about it), who was likely player of the year in that conference -- obviously, that worked out pretty well for the Ephs, so I imagine Tashman will make a big impact. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 09, 2009, 10:28:39 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on April 09, 2009, 07:49:13 AM
Sounds like an impressive group -- now the coach just has to keep them on the team, as demonstrated in the past, no easy feat with the academic pressures of MIT!  Ya have to wonder how far MIT could have gone last year if a few of the big-time recruits had stuck with hoops ...

Tashman went to the same school as Williams' top player Blake Schultz (in fact, I am surprised Ephs didn't make a big push for him, or at least if they did, I didn't hear about it), who was likely player of the year in that conference -- obviously, that worked out pretty well for the Ephs, so I imagine Tashman will make a big impact. 

I am not sure what Williams' interest was, but I have only heard really good things about Tashman.  It is also nice to see MIT win some of these recruiting battles.  Anytime you get a player that was recruited by a school like WashU or an Ivy, you know the kid you are getting can definitely play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 09, 2009, 11:16:18 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on April 09, 2009, 07:49:13 AM
Sounds like an impressive group -- now the coach just has to keep them on the team, as demonstrated in the past, no easy feat with the academic pressures of MIT!  Ya have to wonder how far MIT could have gone last year if a few of the big-time recruits had stuck with hoops ...

Just to respond to this point, I really dont think academics had anything to do with the big name players that quit in the past.  These guys just didnt love the game.  Ted Eby, for example, quit basketball so he could do crew.  He didnt quit so he could sit in his room and study 24/7.  All these guys are doing other things besides just academics.  If they wanted to, they could be playing and doing just as well in school.  Some people may use the academics as an excuse to quit, but if they really wanted to they could make basketball and school work.  I am not trying to say the academics arent difficult at MIT, because it can be challenging.  You will obviously need to put in the the time in the classroom and studying, but its not like the 2 hours of practice a day is going to have a negative impact on your grades.  The people that quit just wanted to do other things in their free time more than they wanted to play basketball.    If basketball doesnt mean anything to you its easy to use academics as an excuse to quit the team.  However, you can see that the guys who really want to do both stay and are very successful.  I know I talk about Bartolotta a lot, but he double-majored in Physics and Business, has over a 4.6/5.0 GPA, and we all know what he did.  Same goes for Gampel and Johnson.  I am sure that the same can be said at any school.

I know for a fact  that every player that Coach Anderson recruits is recruited because he thinks that that player can be a contributor for MIT.  He doesnt recruit in the hopes of retaining a certain percentage.  He recruits players that he knows can play.  Therefore, from what I hear, due partly to the recent defections, MIT has shifted their recruiting practices slightly and are trying to find guys that really love the game (guys who played AAU, worked at or went to summer camps, etc.), not just players that look good on paper.   I think you will see that the guys that are coming in this year and over the next couple years will all remain on the team because they are guys that really love the game. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 09, 2009, 01:10:09 PM
Article about Mitchell Kates going to MIT.  Apparently he had interest from not only the Ivies but other scholarship programs as well:

http://newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/760/Kates-Distasio-Headline-Division-III-Commitments.php


I guess this was released a week ago, but I just saw it for the first time:

http://www.ecacsports.com/sports/winter/mbkb/AllStars/2008-09/ECAC_Mbkb_All-Stars_-_D3_NE.pdf?dec=


Jimmy Bartolotta picks up New England POY honors from the ECAC and was also named to the first team.

Brian Vayda was named New England ROY and Craig Johnson was named to the second team
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 10, 2009, 03:50:58 PM
Jimmy Bartolotta has been selected to play in the New England Division III Senior Men's Basketball All-Star game. The contest will take place on Sunday, April 19 (3:00 p.m.), at Babson College, with all proceeds benefiting the Coaches vs. Cancer campaign.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 10, 2009, 03:55:18 PM
Some more media about the MIT recruits:

Ben Montgomery
http://www.digitalsports.com/video/id/1812744.aspx


Mitchell Kates
http://www.digitalsports.com/article/type/organization/typeid/117790/id/21839.aspx
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on April 12, 2009, 09:31:02 AM
The TV news report by Mike Dowling of WCVB Channel 5 in Boston about MIT earning its first ever NCAA bid is on YouTube (see link below).  It aired on March 6, 2009.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtLVibNSj7U
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 17, 2009, 10:17:27 PM
Article on Tashmen's commitment:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/ci_12160192
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on April 22, 2009, 11:34:24 AM
Another MIT commit, Devin Dee. Story also mentions Tashman.

http://bit.ly/X3Z6h
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 27, 2009, 10:02:02 PM
MIT record book is now updated through this year:

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/mit/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/MensBasketballRecordBook.pdf

Bartolotta is mentioned 77 times, Brad Gampel is mentioned 10 times, and Bill Johnson gets in 4 times (from what I hear, he is coming back for his final year of eligibility so he could add to that).

Bartolotta holds 2 single game records, 8 single season records (all but one came this season), and 6 career records.  He is ranked in 18 of 24 season and career categories that are tabulated (including essentially every offensive category both total and percentage-wise, career rebounds, season and career blocks, season and career steals, and career 30 point games (he had 23)).  Great collegiate career.  Only question is where will he play next?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 07, 2009, 09:52:56 PM
MIT picks up another recruit in 6'2" guard Nick Sather from George Washington High School in Colorado.  Colorado has been good to MIT in the past (they have had a player from Colorado on the roster for as long as I can remember, and will continue that streak with Sather).  George Washington is the same high school Chauncey Billups went to.  MIT appears to be bringing in a strong class. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 08, 2009, 09:23:20 PM
HUGE recruiting news out of MIT. They pick up a 2-star national recruit and he also plays MIT's most lacking position in recent years, the 5.

MIT rounds out their incoming class of 7 with a big time D1 transfer from Brown (he will be a sophomore this coming year).  Noel Hollingsworth had a lot interest from many of the top tier d1 academic programs coming out of high school (see the link from rivals.com). 

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=59321&sport=2

He will provide much needed play in the post for MIT and looks like the most likely candidate as the starting 5.  Coach Anderson could now have the option of possibly moving over Will Tashman to start at the 4 and have 6'8" Bill Johnson starting at the 3.  Obviously, one of them could also come off the bench, but it will be nice for Coach Anderson to have some options finally.

Some other links:

http://cornellbasketball.blogspot.com/2007/06/scout.html

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:0tBSaJqmgFAJ:scouthoops.scout.com/2/612086.html+noel+hollingsworth+recruit&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

If you do a google search for him you will find a few thousand links, so I am not going to list all of them here, but you get the idea.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on May 09, 2009, 10:32:18 AM
Just wondering, what are the rules on transfer eligibility from D1 to D3.  Have to sit out a year, or eligible immediately?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 09, 2009, 11:25:19 AM
Quote from: T990 on May 09, 2009, 10:32:18 AM
Just wondering, what are the rules on transfer eligibility from D1 to D3.  Have to sit out a year, or eligible immediately?

Eligible immediately.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 09, 2009, 01:59:08 PM
If they were eligible at the school they are leaving.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on May 11, 2009, 08:44:51 AM
Hugenerd,

   Sorry it has been a while, I hope your family is doing well & that your wife enjoyed a great Mother's Day.

   Sure looks like MIT is stealing all the off-season thunder.  I was looking at Brown's site & Hollingsworth was not even listed on the roster.  He is in the stat sheet (6 games - 23 minutes).  Any idea what happened to him there?  It appears  that he did not play in the 2nd semester (not in any of the game stat sheets including blowouts).  Was it a grades issue?, or dissatisfaction with his role n the program there at Brown ?

   Any insight on other NEWMAC recruits?  I have seen a few things on NERR, but have not heard much else at all.  I see that Clark, Babson & Wheaton have picked up a few players.   I have not seen or heard anything about Coast Guard, WPI or Springfield.

I will be posting this on the baseball site too, but since its more historic NEWMAC news I thought I would throw it out here as well.

Congratulations to the WPI baseball team!  They have had the greatest baseball season in school history and will played for the first time ever in the D3 NCAA Baseball Championship Tournament!

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on May 11, 2009, 04:54:36 PM
Hollingsworth had to leave the team before the end of the season in order to establish his release and meet MIT's application deadline:

http://www.brownbears.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/hollingsworth_noel00.html

He committed under Craig Robinson who ran a Princeton offense with post sets.  The new coach runs a lot of 4 guard sets.

Other links of note:

http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=290157

http://www.times-news.com/localsports/local_story_075000304.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20080115/ai_n21202266/

http://www.icatholic.org/indstory/2008/200822p23.html


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 11, 2009, 08:25:41 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on May 11, 2009, 08:44:51 AM
Hugenerd,

   Sorry it has been a while, I hope your family is doing well & that your wife enjoyed a great Mother's Day.

   Sure looks like MIT is stealing all the off-season thunder.  I was looking at Brown's site & Hollingsworth was not even listed on the roster.  He is in the stat sheet (6 games - 23 minutes).  Any idea what happened to him there?  It appears  that he did not play in the 2nd semester (not in any of the game stat sheets including blowouts).  Was it a grades issue?, or dissatisfaction with his role n the program there at Brown ?

   Any insight on other NEWMAC recruits?  I have seen a few things on NERR, but have not heard much else at all.  I see that Clark, Babson & Wheaton have picked up a few players.   I have not seen or heard anything about Coast Guard, WPI or Springfield.

I will be posting this on the baseball site too, but since its more historic NEWMAC news I thought I would throw it out here as well.

Congratulations to the WPI baseball team!  They have had the greatest baseball season in school history and will played for the first time ever in the D3 NCAA Baseball Championship Tournament!



Thanks for the well wishes, massd3fan.  I hope you and your family are well also. 

I think tball has answered this, but I just wanted to say that Hollingsworth would not have been admitted to MIT if he had had a grade issue at Brown (I am pretty sure he was admitted to MIT straight out of high school, as well).  I dont know him, so I cant really speculate on why he changed schools, but I am glad he did.  I was able to see him play recently and he definitely has very good post moves.  He doesnt look like the most athletic kid, but if he is in shape, he will absolutely dominate in the post in the NEWMAC, if not all of d3, at 6'9" and being able to do a minihook with both hands in the post. 


I dont know much about any other NEWMAC recruiting news so if anyone else has anything, by all means.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on May 11, 2009, 11:29:01 PM
I am admittedly short on detail here, but I can tell you that my "sources" indicate that although MIT seems to have done fairly well in the recruiting process this Spring, it is Wheaton that has come up with a stacked incoming class in the NEWMAC...including a 7-footer in the post...we'll see how it all plays out next winter.   Was stated to me that Amherst, Wesleyan and Wheaton came out on top in New England D3 in terms of best recruiting classes this Spring.    Anyone care to comment with more specifics than I am able to offer?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 12, 2009, 02:19:25 AM
Quote from: remsleep on May 11, 2009, 11:29:01 PM
I am admittedly short on detail here, but I can tell you that my "sources" indicate that although MIT seems to have done fairly well in the recruiting process this Spring, it is Wheaton that has come up with a stacked incoming class in the NEWMAC...including a 7-footer in the post...we'll see how it all plays out next winter.   Was stated to me that Amherst, Wesleyan and Wheaton came out on top in New England D3 in terms of best recruiting classes this Spring.    Anyone care to comment with more specifics than I am able to offer?

So checking New England Recruiting Report, Wheaton appears to have 4 recruits listed, including the 6'11" Michael Hall from St. John's Prep, who I believe you spoke of.  They are also getting a 6'6" Forward and a couple 6'3" wing players.  If I have the correct Michael Hall, he is also listed on Rivals, which is pretty impressive.

I think if you are talking to people in New England, I think it is hard to accurately compare recruiting classes because people tend to only be familiar with local players.  The 3 schools you listed look like they have the 3 best incoming classes in d3, if you only consider players coming in from new england, but I think that is because outside talent isnt being accurately judged.  I think Williams has an exceptional class coming in with a few players from outside the region (as well as some from in the region), as well as MIT (who only has really one player who played in NE last year, their other 6 or so recruits are from out of the region). 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jamiejohn on May 12, 2009, 07:05:27 AM
The Hall kid didnt even start for his high school team last year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on May 12, 2009, 07:53:24 AM
It will be interesting to see how these new big guys fair in the conference.  I saw very, very little in coaching style or on court ability to actually take advantage of low post mis-matches in the games I saw last season.
Most of the guards in this league have serious trouble making the lob entry to a big who is being fronted.

I think it's a stretch to say any big guy will dominate this conference, let alone all of D3 until we find out if his teammates understand how & when to get the ball into proper position in the low post.

I would enjoy seeing the low post game being developed more across the board in D3.  It seems to be it has become a lost art form in general.  Of course there is always the arguement of how much has the 3-ptr changed the game and taken away from more consistent low post play.  I for one feel the very best teams usually have a good balance between the two.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 12, 2009, 09:23:13 AM
Quote from: massd3fan on May 12, 2009, 07:53:24 AM
It will be interesting to see how these new big guys fair in the conference.  I saw very, very little in coaching style or on court ability to actually take advantage of low post mis-matches in the games I saw last season.
Most of the guards in this league have serious trouble making the lob entry to a big who is being fronted.

I think it's a stretch to say any big guy will dominate this conference, let alone all of D3 until we find out if his teammates understand how & when to get the ball into proper position in the low post.

I would enjoy seeing the low post game being developed more across the board in D3.  It seems to be it has become a lost art form in general.  Of course there is always the arguement of how much has the 3-ptr changed the game and taken away from more consistent low post play.  I for one feel the very best teams usually have a good balance between the two.

I guess the word "dominate" may have been a little strong.  I was thinking more relative to what MIT has gotten out of their post play in the past, and this years class is definitely a step up from previous years in true post men.  I guess we will have to wait and see how they do, but Coach Anderson definitely knows how to utilize his bigs, unfortunately he just hasnt had many to work with over the last few years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 12, 2009, 10:44:48 AM
I hear Wheaton's top 2 recruits (Hall and Cliff D) had some d1 interest and Hall is a legit 7-footer, but his game isnt as developed as his height.  Cliff D., their 6'7" recruit from Taft is a very strong aggressive kid, as is their 6'3" recruit from Brimmer and May.  Those 3 could be the starting 3, 4 and 5 for Wheaton next year, although Wheaton returns two seniors, Leo and Stehle, who started 22/ 26 and 26/26 games last year in those spots, so Coach Walmsley appears to have some options.  The 4th kid from Wilbraham & Monson is apparently a good shooter, so he will probably be a back up to Coppola, with Sasso the likely starting point guard.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on May 12, 2009, 02:39:10 PM
Basically, what hugenerd said.  From what I've heard Wesleyan has a large (at least seven guys, likely more) and absolutely stacked class, but some of the best players in the class (Sha Brown in particular) are actually from outside New England.  Even taking just the New England guys, Wesleyan has one of the best and deepest classes in the region.  Wesleyan should be a consistent regional contender within two years at this rate -- no surpise, as no way Reilly takes that job without some assurance about institutional commitment to improving the talent on campus. 

Williams has a very strong group, although zero guys from New England so far as I know.  But they have a pair of guards coming in (Klemm and Robertson) each with potential to be impact players early in their careers, three swingmen (at least two of whom have potential to contribute as early as sophomore year), and one big guy who may be more of a project.   Four of the six guys are from west of the Mississippi which is pretty unusual. 

Amherst has a loaded class coming in, but they generally clean up in region.  This year in particular though - seven well-regarded New England recruits, not too shabby.  Brandeis seems unusually quiet but maybe they are bringing in more guys from out of New England. 

With MIT, it does seem like most of their best players are from outside the region so hard to compare to guys like the Wheaton trio. The Brown transfer sounds impressive, although just being from D-I is no guarantee.  Coulibaly at Amherst got a lot more PT at Brown than this kid, and he never really made an impact in NESCAC despite a huge amount of hype.  That being said, not everyday that a two star national recruit ends up in D-III, so you figure he has the talent to do some big things early. 

As for Wheaton, some impressive forwards to complement their already loaded backcourt.   Anyone 6'11 with potential to contribute early will usually get snagged by D-I, so I'd imagine Hall is a big project (literally and figuratively).  But Wheaton I think may be most improved team in NEWMAC next year -- they graduate basically no major contributors, and have brought in loaded classes two of the last three years.  They are now a veteran team and if they play to their potential could easily win the conference. 

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on May 13, 2009, 11:59:08 AM
Mitchell Kates is Ranked 145 by NERR, highest for a  NEWMAC recruit and higher than all but one of Amherst's recruits

Should be a good one at a need position, he was very productive at Exeter
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 13, 2009, 02:56:39 PM
Quote from: tball on May 13, 2009, 11:59:08 AM
Mitchell Kates is Ranked 145 by NERR, highest for a  NEWMAC recruit and higher than all but one of Amherst's recruits

Should be a good one at a need position, he was very productive at Exeter

I saw Kates play in person recently and he is very good.

Interestingly, the highest ranked player by NERR who is going d3 is going to the GNAC (Albertus Magnus).  Check out the GNAC board for the link to that player.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on June 09, 2009, 05:10:41 PM
CGA's coach, Pete Barry, retired after 19 seasons.

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on June 21, 2009, 08:59:35 PM
Release on Jimmy Burke at NJ.com:

http://www.nj.com/hssports/news/boysbasketball/index.ssf/2009/05/seton_hall_preps_burke_peters.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on June 23, 2009, 10:06:50 PM
Article in the current issue of Technology Review (usually a research magazine, but is published by MIT) about the 2009 MIT basketball team:

http://www.technologyreview.com/article/22827/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on June 25, 2009, 08:44:17 PM
Bartolotta played in a 8-team tourney in Italy last week with a Serie A (top division) team that made it to that league's semifinals last year.  He scored 14 points in 3 games playing with some ex-nba players, former d1 players, and some top Italian talent.  Release from MIT is here:

http://mitathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/061609aaa.html

Also mentions it here:

http://www.masshightech.com/blog/tag/jimmy-bartolotta/

I believe Bartolotta now holds duel citizenship.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: lefrakenstein on July 02, 2009, 08:07:56 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on June 25, 2009, 08:44:17 PM

I believe Bartolotta now holds duel citizenship.

He probably holds dual citizenship, unless, you know, his citizenships plan to fight to the death to defend their honor or something.

Sorry, I usually wouldn't say anything, but the off season gets boring.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 11, 2009, 10:47:07 PM
Pat,

Just noticed that MIT's schedule was posted.  One question, you have MIT playing Clark 3 times, including back-to-back days at Clark on Jan 15-16.  Although it is possible that MIT would play a team 3 times, all 3 games are also marked as conference games, which I believe is not possible (NEWMAC has a double round robin format), so if it were true that they were playing 3 times, one would have to not count towards the conference standings.  Do you know what I am missing here?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 11, 2009, 10:52:35 PM
I figured out the error in MITs schedule.  MIT does not play Clark on Jan. 15.  They instead play Harvard on December 28.  MITs link is here:

http://mitathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/mit-m-baskbl-sched.html

It will be interesting how the young squad performs this year, especially against a d1 team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on July 12, 2009, 10:14:01 AM
First, I'm surprised MIT is playing a D1 team again this season.  But, I'm also surprised the game would be at MIT.  Although the d3hoops schedule says it's at Harvard.

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/MIT/m/2010

Do you know who else is playing in the RPI Tournament?  I didn't see their 09-10 schedule on the RPI site, but apparently RPI will be playing in a brand new arena this year.  Anyone know if MIT is playing in the first basketball game ever in the new arena?

http://rpiathletics.com/news/2009/6/26/BB_0626095112.aspx

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=813371&category=SPORTS

http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2009/07/02/news/doc4a4c1e2a2fdeb452723711.txt

http://www.rpi.edu/giving/athletics.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 12, 2009, 06:42:27 PM
Quote from: T990 on July 12, 2009, 10:14:01 AM
First, I'm surprised MIT is playing a D1 team again this season.  But, I'm also surprised the game would be at MIT.  Although the d3hoops schedule says it's at Harvard.

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/MIT/m/2010

There was a discussion about this on the Multi-region topics 2009-2010 schedules page yesterday.  I believe it is an error, as does Pat.  I heard about the game a while ago and I am almost certain it is at Harvard, unlesssomething changed and there is some reason that Harvard really wants to play at MIT (which I can think of any).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 18, 2009, 11:28:04 PM
Jimmy Bartolotta has signed with an Italian sports agency, Two Points.  Most of the other players this agency represents play in the Italien Serie A, but there some in the D-League and top Greek and Australian leagues.  From what I hear, he hasnt signed with a team yet, likely because he is awaiting his Italian passport.

http://www.twopoints.it/newspage.php?notizia=391
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BornBalla on August 11, 2009, 09:26:24 AM
Whats the word out of CGA?Any inside scoops on the who the new coach will be?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on August 20, 2009, 09:36:02 PM
Quote from: BornBalla on August 11, 2009, 09:26:24 AM
Whats the word out of CGA?Any inside scoops on the who the new coach will be?


Coast Guard hires former assistant as their interim head coach:

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/page/1
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on September 09, 2009, 10:59:38 AM
For anyone who is interested, here are some highlight clips of Bartolotta from last season:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w15t3ncBbwA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-Q58VITdKw&feature=fvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMvdGTZ62Uo&feature=related

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 09, 2009, 02:15:11 PM
Congrats to Coach Larry Anderson of MIT for being named the Division III New England College Coach of the Year by the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.  Release is here:

http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2009-10/releases/Anderson_100709

Coach Anderson will be receiving his award this eveining at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Mohegan Sun.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 21, 2009, 01:41:00 PM
The Preseason top 25 poll is out and there are a couple of NEWMAC teams receiving votes (non are ranked):

WPI: received 10 votes
MIT: received 3 votes
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on October 21, 2009, 04:23:40 PM
Any word on who showed up when MIT practices began?  They have had some issue with this in recent seasons.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 21, 2009, 04:45:25 PM
Quote from: tball on October 21, 2009, 04:23:40 PM
Any word on who showed up when MIT practices began?  They have had some issue with this in recent seasons.

From what I hear, everyone who is supposed to be there is still with the team.  A lot of the guys they got this year truly love the game, which was not always true with some of their recruits in the past.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 21, 2009, 07:34:26 PM
Congrats to Jimmy Bartolotta for signing with Air Avellino of Italy's Serie A. The team had Demarcus Nelson (Duke), Dee Brown (Illinois), and Chevy Troutman (Pitt) on their roster last year, as well as Cenk Akyol of the Turkish national team (listed on eurobasket.com).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on October 21, 2009, 10:37:06 PM
hugenerd, if any of Jimmy B's games are on the internet, I hope you let us know.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 21, 2009, 11:30:32 PM
So it looks like the roster I was looking at was current, here is the Lega website:

http://195.56.77.208/team/?teamid=1183

Looks like the addition of Bartolotta will round out the Air Avellino roster at 15.  I assume that he received his Italian passport because it is awfully hard to play in Serie A as a purely foreign player (Chevy Troutman, DeMarcus Nelson, and Dee Brown all were at least all league 1st team in their respective d1 conferences and were in NBA camps before being waived, Brown actually played in the NBA quite a bit before finding his way to Europe).  From what I hear Bartolotta will join the team some time in the next week.  I havent found any releases yet on the web about the signing, but I heard it from a very credible source (his name is not listed on any roster yet).

I havent heard about any games on the web, but if I hear of anything I will pass it along.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on October 27, 2009, 06:49:44 PM
MIT roster is up:

http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2009-10/roster

14 players, 7 freshman
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 27, 2009, 08:26:35 PM
Official site of Air Avellino, Bartolotta is on the front page:

http://www.scandonebasket.it/

(The front page cycles 3 headlines, the first is a picture of Bartolotta, the third is a picture of DeMarcus Nelson.  I think thats pretty cool)

In the release it says something about him only being with the team for a few weeks, so I am not sure if he signed the equivalent of a 10 day contract or what.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 29, 2009, 09:57:47 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on October 27, 2009, 08:26:35 PM
Official site of Air Avellino, Bartolotta is on the front page:

http://www.scandonebasket.it/

(The front page cycles 3 headlines, the first is a picture of Bartolotta, the third is a picture of DeMarcus Nelson.  I think thats pretty cool)

In the release it says something about him only being with the team for a few weeks, so I am not sure if he signed the equivalent of a 10 day contract or what.

Apparently the reason for Bartolotta only practicing for the next couple of weeks is because he is awaiting his Italian passport (the team is at its foreign player limit).  He should be playing once the technicalities are taken care of.  I believe the site above has a link to their games, but you may have to sign up or pay, the highlights for each game can be found on the main page, though.

http://www.eurobasket.com/Italy/basketball.asp?NewsID=175715
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 01, 2009, 07:46:07 PM
Bartolotta now listed on Air AV's roster (he's in there with some good company):

http://www.eurobasket.com/team.asp?Cntry=ITA&Team=2109


Release from his agency:

http://www.twopoints.it/newspage.php?notizia=443
Title: MIT - Emmanuel
Post by: bmull on November 13, 2009, 09:00:53 PM
Interesting opener Tuesday night - NCAA team vs GNAC runner-up - opinions?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 13, 2009, 09:53:57 PM
The NCAA team is a much different team than it was last year, especially without their National POY who is now playing in Italy's Serie A.  MIT will not be as perimeter oriented this year.  They have 4 legit 6'8"+ guys on their team, all who will play (3 who will likely start).  MIT also has a really good freshman point guard to fill in for the 3 year starter they lost to graduation.  They are big, long, athletic and they seemingly have depth at every position, which is a big departure from last year's team.  I think the big question mark is their youth, lets see how long it takes all the young guys to get on the same page and get used to the college game.

I dont know much about Emmaneul, except they lost by 22 to MIT in last years opener.  Additionally, Emmaneul has only one player over 6'5" on their roster and no one over 6'7".  I think MIT will pound it into the paint and control the pace of the game.  I dont think the home court will help them that much, I think MIT will win.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on November 14, 2009, 10:41:03 AM
MIT home games available via webcast for $60:

http://www.mitathletics.com/genrel/2009-10/BasketballWebcast_1113-0
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 14, 2009, 02:04:37 PM
I saw MIT in their final exhibition/scrimmage today against Framingham State.  They looked pretty good.  As I described in my previous post, MIT has 4 guys 6'8"+ who play alot.  They won the first half 51-36 and the second half 43-38.  Game was a bit sloppy both ways with alot of fouls.  Noel Hollingsworth, MIT's 6'9" D1 transfer (from Brown), unofficially had 37 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on November 14, 2009, 02:30:16 PM
encouraging,  how did Kates, Tashman & Burke look?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 14, 2009, 04:24:02 PM
Kates looked really good, more defensively than offensively to be honest.  He really hassled their guards and caused alot of turnovers.  Offensively, he handled the ball well but didnt score much because he didnt have to.  Tashman played well, he is big and athletic, but he didnt play as much as I expected.  I honestly dont remember Burke playing, he may have, but he didnt do anything spectacular if he played.  He isnt going to see a ton of minutes this year, because he will be behind several guys.  The majority of the minutes at the 2 went to Eric Zuk and Billy Bender (both are 6'5" and also play the 3 or the 4, if they have to) because Jamie Karraker didnt play much because he is just getting back into the swing of things after an injury.  Pat Sissman backed up Kates and played solid.  The surprise, for me, was the number of minutes and how well Ben Montgomery played (another freshman).  He is a big kid (one of their 6'8"+ guys) and he is strong and athletic.  He was really causing trouble defensively and was active on the boards.  MIT can consistently play with a lineup that is 6'1", 6'5", 6'8", 6'8", 6'9", if they want to, which is pretty big for d3.  Billy Johnson (6'8"), Zuk (6'5"). Bender (6'5"), and Karraker (6'4") can all shoot the 3 as well, so they are going to be a bit of a riddle to guard.  Noel Hollingsworth really shined, though.  He is a tall, long kid and he knows how to use his body and get position underneath.  He also can finish with either hand and has a mini-hook that is essentially impossible to block. 

However, what stuck out the most in my eyes is how everyone has already bought into Coach Anderson's system.  They may not be as refined as Coach wants yet, but they were flying all over the court giving every ounce of effort they could.  They have a really good group of guys, so I am sure that their ceiling is as high as last year, if they continue listening to Coach and fine tune their execution. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on November 14, 2009, 07:00:12 PM
I don't know how this year's Framingham St team compares to last year, but last year they had wins over Williams, Brandeis, and Salem State.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 14, 2009, 07:12:21 PM
Quote from: T990 on November 14, 2009, 07:00:12 PM
I don't know how this year's Framingham St team compares to last year, but last year they had wins over Williams, Brandeis, and Salem State.

Just checked their roster and it looks like they have at least their top 6 scorers back from last years team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on November 14, 2009, 07:32:27 PM
Not only does it appear that FSC has all five starters back, they are all seniors this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 14, 2009, 08:14:40 PM
Although they had some big wins, they were very inconsistent, finishing 15-13.  After losing to Williams by 11, they beat them by 3 four days later.  Similarly, they lost to Salem State at home by 22, beat them on the road by 4 two weeks later, and then lost to them by 23 on the road two weeks after that.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 17, 2009, 08:43:41 PM
MIT beats Emmanuel this evening on the road, 68-54. The margin could have been much larger, but MIT shot awful from the line (11-21) and also missed quite a few makeable shots (layups).  This was the first collegiate game for a lot of the players, so I would expect them to make those shots as they get more used to the college game.  Noel Hollingsworth had 15 and 11, Billy Johnson had 18 and 7, Mitchell Kates had 14, and Wil Tashman had 6 and 10.  Pretty sloppy game all-around for MIT (23 turnovers and only 43% FG), but they were able to get the win with 17 offensive boards (+17 boards overall), holding Emmanuel to 37% FG, and forcing 22 turnovers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on November 17, 2009, 10:19:58 PM
With two freshmen & a sophmore transfer starting and playing 30+ minutes (did Kates or Hollingworth come out in the second half?) the standard deviation may be quite high this season.

Two years from now may be very exciting though.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 17, 2009, 11:55:49 PM
I didnt notice Hollingsworth come out, but Pat Sissman played about 1/5-1/4 of the second half in place of Kates.  

In terms of the rotation, it looks like coach is currently going with an 8 man rotation.  3 are true freshman, 2 are sophomores (one of those is in his first year with the team as a transfer), 1 junior, 1 true senior, 1 red-shirt senior.  67% of the minutes were played by freshman or sophomores, and they scored 65% of the points.

Note: Jamie Karraker did not play tonight as he is still waiting to get to 100% after coming back from injury.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on November 18, 2009, 10:21:37 PM
Just noticing some early league scores from:

http://www.d3hoops.com/conference/NEWMAC/mens/2010

RIC in close wins over Clark and Springfield.

Springfield over Salem State 74-63 !

Emerson over Wheaton by 3.

Coast Guard plays Connecticut College on Friday.    

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 20, 2009, 08:22:07 PM
10 minutes into the John Abbott game, and Coach Anderson is already playing his 3rd team guys.  MIT is up 27-4 (after a 21-0 run).

13 minutes into the game and MIT is playing four freshman and a sophomore who didnt see any gametime at all last season.  This is turning into an uncompetitive JV game really quickly.

MIT up 46-21 at the half.  Noel Hollingsworth has 19 points and 8 rebounds.


Final Score: MIT 78 - JAC 38

No starter played more than 17 minutes, Noel Hollingsworth had 21 and 8 in 17 minutes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on November 21, 2009, 12:01:14 PM
Found the boxscore to the J. Abbott game here:

http://www.rpiathletics.com/sports/2009/11/20/MBB_1120093921.aspx?id=2535
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 21, 2009, 12:38:11 PM
Every player on MITs roster played at least 12 minutes.  There were only 5 FTs attempted the entire game by both teams combined (none in the second half).  What a waste of a game.  I wonder why RPI couldnt get another d3 school in their tourney (or at least a school from another division in the states). 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 21, 2009, 05:36:02 PM
MIT squeeks past RPI, 56-55.  Was a close game but really sloppy play by MIT.  They shot 38% form the field, 27% from 3, and 40% from the FT line, had 25 turnovers, and gave up 13 offensive boards.  They were lucky to pull this one out, but I am glad they did. 

Mitch Kates really carried the team, going for an (early) career high of 22 points in 38 minutes of play.  Noel Hollingsworth added 12 and 9, Billy Bender chipped in 11 points.

MIT plays at Curry on Tuesday, before their home opener against Suffolk next Saturday.   MIT plays 6 of their first 7 games on the road (including their first 4).  Only 4 non-conference home games for MIT this year (9 away).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 21, 2009, 10:14:22 PM
I agree that MIT played really sloppy, but a win is a win.  Their bigs can really dominate.  However, it appears they have trouble defensively with the 3 bigs playing together.  Billy Johnson was the 3rd leading scorer in the conference last season and managed just 3 points in both tournament games.  I expect Coach Anderson will eventually correct this by playing him at the 4 position where he can shoot over shorter opponents or take similar sized opponents out to the 3-point line where he is a proven scorer.  MIT appeared to struggle when RPI used man defense as most of the MIT players cannot create their own shots.  It is still early in the season and this team has the potential to be as good or possibly better than last year's team that was the best team in MIT history.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 21, 2009, 10:35:03 PM
Quote from: BBallers on November 21, 2009, 10:14:22 PM
I agree that MIT played really sloppy, but a win is a win.  Their bigs can really dominate.  However, it appears they have trouble defensively with the 3 bigs playing together.  Billy Johnson was the 3rd leading scorer in the conference last season and managed just 3 points in both tournament games.  I expect Coach Anderson will eventually correct this by playing him at the 4 position where he can shoot over shorter opponents or take similar sized opponents out to the 3-point line where he is a proven scorer.  MIT appeared to struggle when RPI used man defense as most of the MIT players cannot create their own shots.  It is still early in the season and this team has the potential to be as good or possibly better than last year's team that was the best team in MIT history.

I agree completely.  The point you made is exactly why Katz had a huge game, he is a guy who can make things happen off the dribble for himself and therefore he did better with the man-to-man defense (he was the best guard in the tournament, as evidenced by winning the tourney MVP honors, Noel Hollingsworth was also on the all tourney team).  He is not a spot up shooter, but makes things happen.  By the way, Katz has 10 steals through 3 games (he could have had much more, he had 4 in 13 minutes against John Abbott), which would put him on pace for 100 if they play 30 games like last year.  Pretty good start for his career.

As for Johnson, I think he will get it going eventually.  He sometimes struggles on the road, but he plays very well at home consistently.  Dont forget that he scored 40 last year at home on senior day.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on November 22, 2009, 12:40:51 AM
Congrats to MIT on gutting out a win on the road against the defending Liberty League champs.  Some significant stats:  Jamie Karraker DNP, Billy Johnson 3 total points in the tournament; vs RPI Kates had 1 Assist in 38 minutes, Hollingsworth 7 TOs (lots of traveling calls) and 5 PFs, but most of all the team shot a woeful 38% from the field.  Lots to improve on and sort out as the season progresses, especially their motion offense which wasn't producing efficiently.  But this is to be expected as they adding so many new players.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 22, 2009, 03:38:22 PM
Agree with your comments on Mitch.  He is one of the few players on the team who can take someone off the dribble.  Bender is the other one.  Jamie did not do it well last season, but he improved in this area over the summer.  I can't wait until his back gets better because he is a pure shooter along with Billy Johnson.  BTW, not to discount Billy Johnson's 40 points because that was a remarkable game, but their opponent made the conscious decision to play a triangle-and-two defense against Jimmy and Jamie, leaving Billy alone for shots.  Please don't interpret this as discounting Billy's skills as I believe he is not only the best MIT player but may be the best player in the conference.  IMO, Billy is an average on-ball defender, dribbler and passer, but an excellent rebounder and shooter and good post defender.  When playing the right position, he will begin to dominate again.

Comparing this team to last year's team:
Mitch vs. Bradley (Equal) Mitch is much better, but turns the ball over too much now.  Rated equal because Bradley was a senior and Mitch is a freshman.  Mitch will be better eventually.
Anybody vs. Jimmy (Advantage Last Year)  No question.
Sophomore transfer Noell, along with freshman Will and Ben are all better post players than we had last year (outside of Billy Johnson who is still here) and the other players are returning.  (Advantage this year).

Noell did do a lot of traveling over the summer and in practice, but he will overcome that.  He is a beast under the basket and has some good moves.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on November 22, 2009, 08:25:48 PM
First let's congratulate Coach Anderson and the MIT Team for winning the tournament this weekend

Second I'll qualify my comments by stating I didn't see the games this weekend - life interferes

Some observations from the box score and the play by play:   (accentuate the positive)

1.  MIT won the tournament.  The last several years they have come up short in tournament finals
2.  MIT started 3 new guys & played 5 new guys 10+ minutes against RPI
3.  RPI started 3 Seniors & 2 Juniors in the tournament and opened their new gym.  They were motivated
4.  RPI won their league last year
5.  Two of MIT's new guys led the tournament in: scoring, rebounding, steals & blocks, and made the all tournament team
6.  It was established that Mitchell Kates is a stud
7.  MIT won without Jamie Karraker who will help scoring
8.  MIT won without Bill Johnson playing his best.  (there is no doubt he will fill it up in familiar gyms)
9.   MIT won a game where they didn't play their best offensively
10.  A young team (on average) gutted out a win

There will be some growing pains but the future looks very bright
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 22, 2009, 09:31:41 PM
Quote from: tball on November 22, 2009, 08:25:48 PM
First let's congratulate Coach Anderson and the MIT Team for winning the tournament this weekend

Second I'll qualify my comments by stating I didn't see the games this weekend - life interferes

Some observations from the box score and the play by play:   (accentuate the positive)

1.  MIT won the tournament.  The last several years they have come up short in tournament finals
2.  MIT started 3 new guys & played 5 new guys 10+ minutes against RPI
3.  RPI started 3 Seniors & 2 Juniors in the tournament and opened their new gym.  They were motivated
4.  RPI won their league last year
5.  Two of MIT's new guys led the tournament in: scoring, rebounding, steals & blocks, and made the all tournament team
6.  It was established that Mitchell Kates is a stud
7.  MIT won without Jamie Karraker who will help scoring
8.  MIT won without Bill Johnson playing his best.  (there is no doubt he will fill it up in familiar gyms)
9.   MIT won a game where they didn't play their best offensively
10.  A young team (on average) gutted out a win

There will be some growing pains but the future looks very bright

This may be pedantic, but just to clarify, RPI won their conference tourney - they finished third in the regular season behind St. Lawrence and Hamilton in the Liberty League.

I agree with all your points.  Kates came in with a lot of hype and he definitely shows that promise.  As he gains more experience running the offense, I look for him to keep his turnovers down and become a complete point guard.  Hollingsworth is unstoppable in the post, the only person who can stop him is himself (when he travels and fouls).  The team is much more complete this year and they can get production out of every position, and they can play both an inside and outside game.  Hopefully they will put it all together eventually and be as good or better than last years team.  It may take some time for Billy Johnson to adjust to his new role as a 3, but he is also coming off of an offseason injury, so I am not too concerned about his lack of production this weekend, especially since they got two Ws.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on November 23, 2009, 06:45:24 PM
My assessment of the first games is easy - best yet to come.  A young team that commits 20+ turnovers a game and still finds a way to win is impressive. You have to expect some of the TO's especially for Kates as a frosh in a new system with new teammates. I think Tashman has yet to find himself but show ability and will improve every game. Hollingsworth can dominate if not double teamed and the shooters should make teams pay.  Johnson is with new teammates and in a new position for him. Best is yet to come.  Carriker DNP this year - another positive as we move on. Burke seems to be able to play 1 or 2 effectively and can score. Montgomery is a big that can shoot the three and play D in the post.  Returning players need to figure out what the new guys can and can't do but Bender and Zuk look sharp starting the year.   Coach Anderson may have more options this year than in the past and can expand the offensive game to take advantage of some of those skills.

Best part of the season is the webcasts that are taking over at many colleges allowing us alumni to see more games than in the past. Is there any reason that every school doesn't webcast its games???
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 25, 2009, 08:16:52 AM
Mitchell Kates dominated for MIT, enroute to 66-56 win at Curry.  Kates scored 28 points, on 10-12 from the field, had 9 rebounds, and 8 steals, all in 27 minutes of action.  Noel Hollingsowrth added 12 and 10, while Jimmy Burke added 12 points for MIT.

MIT hosts Suffolk on Saturday at 2 for their home opener.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on November 25, 2009, 08:16:05 PM
I see that WPI beat Framingham (1-3) by 2 points.   WPI plays Curry on Dec 1.  May be a good indicator of the relative strength of each program this year.  I see from the boxscore less turnovers but still 16.  Any word on the overall game. Did MIT play well?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 25, 2009, 08:28:56 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on November 25, 2009, 08:16:05 PM
I see that WPI beat Framingham (1-3) by 2 points.   WPI plays Curry on Dec 1.  May be a good indicator of the relative strength of each program this year.  I see from the boxscore less turnovers but still 16.  Any word on the overall game. Did MIT play well?

Im not sure about how they played, I am going to try to go to the home opener on Saturday, so I should have a better idea then (I have only seen them scrimmage in person, couldnt make the first 4 away games), but what is going on with the free throw shooting?  They are shooting 51% as a team (they were below 50% through the first 3 games).  Not a single person is shooting over 60% (Billy Johnson leads the team at 3-5).  Katz is 13-23 (56%) and Hollingsworth is 4-11 (36%), no one else has taken more than 5.  Also, 51 FTs through 4 games is a pretty low tally, I wonder if they are not getting calls because of all 4 games being on the road or if they are not being aggressive (part of the reason is that John Abbott game where they shot a total of only 2 FTs).  I cant see a team coached by Coach Anderson not being aggressive.  Hopefully they will start getting a few more calls at home and gain some confidence sinking some FTs at home.  They have 5 out-of-conference away games left and 4 home (only 10 home games this year, with 15 away overall).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on November 25, 2009, 11:28:36 PM
I saw the MIT- Curry game and it was a bit of a mess......Kates definitely is a high quality "get" for MIT...if he can avoid injury will probably be the best point in the conference within a year or two.   MIT obviously brings some size to the floor but so far it is not really clicking.  Hollingsworth has a nice skill set but is not a monster, Tashman is losing playing time, and so far Big Billy has not found his rhythm......in truth, MIT probably cannot play effectively with three bigs on the floor.....at least not so far.   It will be interesting to see what happens when Karraker returns.   This is a team that will, in time, be pretty good.... but they are going to take some serious beatings in conference before they find themselves....not a lot of team toughness yet....it will take some time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 28, 2009, 05:26:47 PM
I was able to watch to witness MIT trounce previously 4-0 Suffolk this afternoon.  The final score was 85-50, but it could have been much worse as they were up 60-22 with 12 minutes to go before the MIT coaching staff put the breaks on.

Billy Johnson finally got it going for MIT, he hit 5 three-pointers on his way to leading the team with 20 points (also adding 7 boards and 3 steals).  Noel Hollingsworth had 15 and 13, while Wil Tashman also added 13 boards.  Mitchell Kates had another all-around solid game.  He had 9 point, 7 assists, and 3 steals, but he really set the tone with his defense (but because of the score he only played 22 minutes).  Jimmy Burke played really well off the bench, he hit 4 of his 6 3s attempted and played really well guarding the other teams best shooter.

MIT appears to be playing pretty well right now.  This is probably the best they have played.  They have a busy week ahead with 3 games, and 2 of those being real good opponents: Emerson and Gordon.  Hopefully they make it a 3-0 week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massballer on November 29, 2009, 09:53:04 PM
hugenerd what did attendance look like at opening day at rockwell? ive been hearing that student support will finally increase after last year
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 29, 2009, 09:59:28 PM
Quote from: massballer on November 29, 2009, 09:53:04 PM
hugenerd what did attendance look like at opening day at rockwell? ive been hearing that student support will finally increase after last year

The MIT side looked pretty good, was pretty filled up, but as you know the capacity in rockwell is not huge.  The other side was populated mostly with other teams coaches scouting both teams.  The listed attendance was 200, which was probably about right.  They are advertising next weekends women's/men's double-header quite a bit (via Facebook and on campus), so it will be interesting to see what it looks like next weekend.  I think that if they can pick up two wins on Tuesday and Thursday, the gym will be really packed next Saturday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on November 30, 2009, 01:11:27 AM
Most students are away for the Thanksgiving weekend so I would expect a light student turnout.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2009, 12:58:51 PM
WPI and MIT both move up slightly in the newly released Top 25 national rankings.  WPI is up to 32, receiving 37 points, and MIT is up to 34, receiving 21 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2009, 06:05:16 PM
MIT is up 33-17 on Emerson at the half.  The Emerson webcast is pretty nice.  They have an scoreboard, clock, fouls, and shot clock display on the screen, which is uncommon among webcasts I have seen in the past.

*** MIT has missed about 10 layups and the lead is now in single-digits at 50-41 with under 8 minutes remaining.

***3 minutes left, MIT up 60-48.

FINAL: MIT 66- Emerson 51

Through 6 games, MIT has not given up more than 56 points in any game, and their opponents ppg is 50.7.

Wil Tashman (first collegiate double-double) and Noel Hollingsworth each had 12 points and 13 rebounds for MIT.  Mitchell Kates had another solid game of 7 points, 7 assists, and and 5 boards.  Billy Bender led the team with 15 points.  Billy Johnson and Jimmy Burke each had 9 points, in the win.  

Jimmy Burke is now shooting 52% for the year from 3, while averaging 2.6 makes per game.  MITs top 3 leading scorers are all new players (Hollingsworth, Kates, and Burke), as well as their top 2 rebounders (Hollingsworth and Tashman).  Noel Hollingsworth is averaging 15 and 11 on the young season.

MIT faces 1-3 Newbury on the road on Thursday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on December 01, 2009, 10:06:22 PM
So MIT goes to 6-0 on the season.

I believe MIT has only gone 7-0 to start a season one time in its history going back to 1900-01.

From the Record Book:

2001-02 (15-10, 5-7 NEWMAC)

Emerson W, 90-80

Newbury W, 78-55

Suffolk W, 66-65

Framingham State W, 77-46

RPI W, 68-62

Cal Tech W, 82-49

Eastern Nazarene W, 73-67

Tufts L, 77-84 (OT)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2009, 10:15:40 PM
Quote from: T990 on December 01, 2009, 10:06:22 PM
So MIT goes to 6-0 on the season.

I believe MIT has only gone 7-0 to start a season one time in its history going back to 1900-01.

From the Record Book:

2001-02 (15-10, 5-7 NEWMAC)

Emerson W, 90-80

Newbury W, 78-55

Suffolk W, 66-65

Framingham State W, 77-46

RPI W, 68-62

Cal Tech W, 82-49


Tufts L, 77-84 (OT)

I assume you mean the 2000-2001 season.  In all honesty, Newbury should not be a big challenge, Gordon could be a tougher test on Saturday (but at least that game is at home).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 03, 2009, 03:23:12 PM
Last year's MIT team picks up another accolade, the Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award, given by the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association, the awards goes to the team that best exemplifies "the highest degree of sportsmanship, character, and ethics among their players, coaches and spectators."

http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2009-10/releases/Schoenfeld_12309
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 03, 2009, 06:53:42 PM
Any webcast of the Newbury game?   It looks like there is none. Shame. Not a difficult thing to do.  Congrats to MIT on the award. That is special.  Seems like the scoring is being passed around with alot of options this year.  WPI looks like the best in the NEWMAC again this year with MIT second. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 03, 2009, 07:49:07 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on December 03, 2009, 06:53:42 PM
Any webcast of the Newbury game?   It looks like there is none. Shame. Not a difficult thing to do.  Congrats to MIT on the award. That is special.  Seems like the scoring is being passed around with alot of options this year.  WPI looks like the best in the NEWMAC again this year with MIT second. 

Newbury doesnt even have their own gym (they play at another college close to their campus), and that gym is about the equivalent of a middle school gym.  I am not sure you could set-up a camera anywhere that would get a good view of the court, unless you mounted it up on a wall or something.  The game report will have to suffice for this one when it is all said and done.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 03, 2009, 09:36:34 PM
MIT defeats Newbury tonight, 76-50, to move to 7-0 on the season.  Big night by the newcomers.  6'9" Noel Hollingsworth had 30 points (2-2 3s, 8-9 FTs) and 11 rebounds, Will Tashmen had 13 and 9, Mitch Kates had 13 points, 3 assists and 2 steals, and Jimmy Burke had 8 points, including two 3s.   Patrick Gichuiri scored the first two points of his career.

MIT newcomers scored 70 of their 76 points (40 by freshman, and 30 by the sophomore transfer Hollingsworth).  MIT finally shot a decent percent from the FT line, 21-28.  Hollingsworth now has 4 consecutive double-doubles and has 5 overall on the season.

MIT still has not allowed more than 56 points to any team, opponents are averaging 50.6 ppg on the season.  Opponents are shooting 35% from the field for the year and only 27% from 3, through  7 games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 04, 2009, 01:50:36 AM
A late note about the Curry-MIT game from last week.  Mitchell Kates tied an Institute single-game record with 8 steals (he tied Brad Gampel's total vs. Babson this past February).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on December 05, 2009, 10:51:58 AM
Gordon @ MIT today at 3PM.  Gordon has a big team: 

Gaskill 6-9, Walker 6-7, Derr 6-8 are significant contributors and they also have 6-9, 6-7, 6-7 on the bench.

Their starting guards Trigg and Bajema are their scoring leaders.  They are both seniors and have experience in clutch time. 

http://www.gordon.edu/athletics/team_roster.cfm?iSeasonID=218

It will be interesting to see how different they are under a new coach.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 05, 2009, 06:30:36 PM
MIT won in overtime. Gordon could not stop Hollingsworth inside or outside as he had 28.  MIT could not contain the Gordon shooters in the first half as they launched at will.  Foul shooting still is poor but turnovers way down today (10).  Latter is a good sign.  The ability of anyone to get to the rim except Kates is troublesome and leads to few foul shots overall.  Ball movement appears slow at times - maybe to try and cut down to's.   OVERALL - best start in program history at 8-0 with possibly more to come. Jim Burke and Bill (big shot) Bender had clutch 3's late in the game. Neither seems to be bothered by pressure. Bodes well moving forward.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on December 05, 2009, 06:36:59 PM
Any idea where Tashman was today?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 05, 2009, 07:42:24 PM
I was at the game and it was extremely close as the score indicates.

MIT started Ben Montgomery at the 4 instead of Wil Tashmen because Tashmen was out due to illness.  Hopefully he will return for the games next week.  The absence of Tashmen was a big one for MIT, because it really thinned out the MIT big-man corps, which caused the other guys to play more minutes than usual.  This was especially problematic because Gordan is very deep and skilled at the post positions.  Hollingsworth really responded and came up huge with 28 points, but you could tell he was getting a bit tired at the end of the game as he started defening more with his hand than his feet, and was subsequently called for some fouls which resulted in him fouling out with about 2 minutes to go.

Here is a full game recap:

MIT rushed out to an early 10-0 advantage, but allowed Gordon to shoot way too many wide open 3s and Gordon got back in it on a 9-2 run.  MIT then went on a run of their own, extending the lead to 19-9.  Gordon would not go away, though. Mitch Kates went out at the 11:30 mark with his second foul with MIT up 21-14.  Gordon took advantage and went on an immediate 6-0 run, including a 3 by Aaron Trigg.  MIT responded and pushed the lead to 31-20 over the next 4 minutes.  Gordon would not go away and they played really aggressive over the final 5 minutes to go on a 13-5 run to finish the half.  The run was sparked by Brady Bajema, as he scored 10 of the 13 points for Gordon in that run.  The final score was 36-33 MIT at the half.

Second half was very close the whole way.  Gordon tied the game 12 seconds in at 36 on an and 1.  MIT then went on a 10-4 run to take a 46-40 lead with 16 minutes left, behind 7 points from Noel Hollingsworth.  The game was back and forth for a bit, but Gordon closed the gap again, at 50-50, with 12 minutes to play on a 6-0 run.  MIT scored to take the lead, but relinquished their first deficit of the day with 7.5 minutes to go at 56-58.  MIT then went on an 8-2 run to go up 64-60 with  4 minutes to play.  Gordan responded with an 8-1 run over the next 3 minutes to go up 68-65, a span in which Noel Hollingsworth would foul out.  Gordon would hold the lead until under 1 minute left in the game.

The stage was again set for MIT's Robert Horry to step up, Big ____(insert superlative here) Bender.  With MIT trailing and hopes fading as they had been utterly ineffective over the past few minutes, Bender would nail a 3 from the right wing off an offensive rebound by Mitchell Kates to tie the game at 68.  Ben Montgomery would then take a HUGE charge on Gordon's next posession to give MIT 25 seconds to win the game.  It was not to be however:  Mitch Kates drove on his man, getting into the lane, the help came from the corner, leaving MIT's 5th year senior, Bill Johnson, wide open for the game winning 3, which ruthlessly rimmed in and out. OT.

The overtime saw Gordon come out strong, they scored a basket on their first posession to take a 2 point lead.  A big 3 by freshman Jimmy Burke with 3.5 to play, however, gave MIT a lead they would not relinquish.  That 3 was followed by another 3 by Robert Horry with 2 minutes to play to give MIT a 4 point lead.  Gordon got as close as 3 a few times, but were hurt by poor FT shooting.  MIT made most of their FTs, including some big ones by Burke to ice it, and were able to hold on to the 78-73 lead.


General impressions/notes:
I was very impressed by Gordon, they had quality bigs and very good guards who could shoot and had size.
MIT won because of their defense on Trigg and Bajema in the second half (Bajema had 16 in the first half, 4 in 2nd half and OT, Trigg had 10 in the first half and 10 in the second half and OT).  In addition to his huge shots, Robert Horry effectively shut down Bajema in the second half and OT.
Both teams shot poorly from the line (Gordon: 17-29, MIT: 8-15).  However, MIT made 12-26 from 3.  Gordon also shot well from 3, 6-12, but obviously made 6 less.
Hollingsworth absolutely could not be stopped.  He essentially did whatever he wanted on the offensive end, scoring 28 points on 12-20 shooting; however, he could have had more as he missed 6 FTs.
Gordon killed MIT on the boards, which can partially be explained by the absence of Tashmen.  Tashmen gives MIT another 6'8" big who can score and rebound.  He has averaged about 13 points and 11 boards over the last couple games and MIT could have used him today (he also gives them 5 more fouls and all of MITs bigs were in foul trouble all afternoon).  Without him, Gordon was +15 (43-28), including 14 offensive.
MIT had their best game of the year in terms of turnovers, only 10, and forced 19 by Gordon.


In summary, Gordon is a great win for MIT.  MIT has 3 more games next week before a layoff. 11 games in the first 4 weeks of the season makes for a nice schedule for the second half of the season.  This is the last week of classes for MIT, so I hope the guys can get their rest and get 3 more wins before the break.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on December 05, 2009, 07:58:27 PM
Great win when you consider that MIT did not have 2 of their top 7 players and had three freshman & 2 sophomores contributing most of the damage versus seniors & juniors for Gordon.

How about some love for Burke! , key shots my man!

MIT looks like a force for the 2011-2012 season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 05, 2009, 08:07:51 PM
Quote from: tball on December 05, 2009, 07:58:27 PM
Great win when you consider that MIT did not have 2 of their top 7 players and had three freshman & 2 sophomores contributing most of the damage versus seniors & juniors for Gordon.

How about some love for Burke! , key shots my man!

MIT looks like a force for the 2011-2012 season.

I think Burke is great.  He has a very pure shot.  He scored 11 big points and logged big minutes (36).  He is shooting 53% from the field and from 3 for the year, while making 2.6 3s per game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 07, 2009, 11:26:49 PM
Congrats to MIT sophomore Noel Hollingsworth for being named NEWMAC player of the week for putting up 70 points and 31 rebounds this past week.  Full release:

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2009-2010/mbkbweekly120709

"Hollingsworth played a big part in a 3-0 week for MIT, averaging 23.3 points and 10.3 rebounds, as the Cardinal and Gray got off to its best start in program history. Hollingsworth's finest performance came in a win at Newbury on Thursday when he dropped a career-high 30 points to go along with 11 boards. He then scored 28 and grabbed 7 rebounds in an overtime win over Gordon College on Saturday. He began the week with another double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) in a 66-51 win at Emerson. The Engineers ran their record to 8-0 on the season, the best start in Institute history. "
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 08, 2009, 01:22:20 PM
MIT has their highest ranking ever at 27 in the country (I beleive), they received 86 points and were just 4 points shy of making their first appearance in the top 25.  WPI is still receiving votes with 12 points, but they drop to #36.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 08, 2009, 02:09:25 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 08, 2009, 01:22:20 PM
MIT has their highest ranking ever at 27 in the country (I beleive), they received 86 points and were just 4 points shy of making their first appearance in the top 25.  WPI is still receiving votes with 12 points, but they drop to #36.

So do we have some Ewing Theory potential here this season?  Does it count if its one season to the next or does it have to be losing a star during one season?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 08, 2009, 02:19:54 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on December 08, 2009, 02:09:25 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 08, 2009, 01:22:20 PM
MIT has their highest ranking ever at 27 in the country (I beleive), they received 86 points and were just 4 points shy of making their first appearance in the top 25.  WPI is still receiving votes with 12 points, but they drop to #36.

So do we have some Ewing Theory potential here this season?  Does it count if its one season to the next or does it have to be losing a star during one season?


I think for the Ewing theory to be in effect, the injury or player leaving has to occur in the same season the team succeeds (like Brady for Bledsoe in the first year they won the Super Bowl).  This has more to do with the freshman being really good and Coach Anderson finally having some real big men in his system (that dont quit), in my opinion.  Nice thought, though.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on December 08, 2009, 02:36:48 PM
I think the Ewing theory can apply to the immediately subsequent season.  For example, Tiki Barber retiring prior to the Giants' Super Bowl season has been cited as a Ewing Theory example, if I'm not mistaken ... but let's not get ahead of ourselves, MIT DID end up in the sweet 16 last year, so this team would have to exceed that for the Ewing theory to apply. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 08, 2009, 02:50:21 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on December 08, 2009, 02:36:48 PM
I think the Ewing theory can apply to the immediately subsequent season.  For example, Tiki Barber retiring prior to the Giants' Super Bowl season has been cited as a Ewing Theory example, if I'm not mistaken ... but let's not get ahead of ourselves, MIT DID end up in the sweet 16 last year, so this team would have to exceed that for the Ewing theory to apply. 

I wish they had made the sweet 16, they barely lost to Farmingdale in the round of 32.

Your point is correct, though, MIT won 21 games last year, which tied an Institute record, so they would need to surpass that before we call the Ewing theory into effect.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 08, 2009, 07:47:20 PM
WPI crushing UNE 54-28 with 1.5 minutes to go in the first half.  This is the UNE team that beat UMD ealrier in the season.

***WPI handles UNE 88-70, wasnt really even that close though.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 08, 2009, 09:03:49 PM
MIT handles Mass-Boston 74-54 and improves to 9-0.  Tashmen back in the lineup for MIT, he had 10 and 4 in 25 minutes of action.   Another big game for Hollingsworth, 23 and 13 (6th double-double of season), 4 blocks and 3 steals.  8 points 6 assists for Mitchell Kates, 12 and 7 for Billy Bender, and 9 points (including 2 3s) for Jimmy Burke.

Sounds like the game was relatively close in the first half, MIT led by 9 at the break, but MIT lead by at least 12 for the final 15 minutes of the game.

Next up for MIT is Salem State at home on Thursday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 08, 2009, 10:38:57 PM
It looks like they held Michael Mitchell, Jr. in check with 4 points although he did have 9 assists.   He was rookie of the week twice in the Little East.  Looking at the boxscore it looks like 21 assists on 30 baskets.  The ball must have been moving.   I am impressed with Hollingsworth. He seems to bring it every game.  2 games left before the break are both potential wins. Salem State (1-6)got their first win tonight over a good Babson team so maybe they are playing better. Should be a good one with both games potential wins.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on December 09, 2009, 09:18:32 PM
Upcoming MIT opponent Harvard beats BC tonight, after losing by only 6 at UConn.

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=293430103
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 09, 2009, 10:27:39 PM
Quote from: T990 on December 09, 2009, 09:18:32 PM
Upcoming MIT opponent Harvard beats BC tonight, after losing by only 6 at UConn.

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=293430103

Harvard is real tough this year.  MIT also no longer has Bartolotta to negate Harvard's best player, Jeremy Lin..

That will be a real hard game for MIT win, but I am sure they are more worried about Salem State and Lesley right now.  Although, MIT does have some size this year so Harvard wont have extreme mis-matches in the post.  In previous year, it would have probably been a couple 6'4" guys guarding 6'8"-6'10" guys, but this year at least the height differential wont be as much.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 09, 2009, 10:59:49 PM

The Harvard-Cornell game could be a doozy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on December 10, 2009, 08:48:41 AM
Lin, btw, played with Amherst's All-American Baskauskas in high school -- must have been a heck of a team.  Would have been a pretty good match-up, both athletically and academically, against the Bartolotta-Brown-Snyder team from Colorado ... also, Harvard's star frosh Christian Webster played in high school with Williams' starting two guard Alex Rubin.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 10, 2009, 02:30:18 PM
Looks like Salem St @ MIT is on video Pay Per View (B2TV) tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 10, 2009, 03:03:18 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on December 10, 2009, 02:30:18 PM
Looks like Salem St @ MIT is on video Pay Per View (B2TV) tonight.

Yeah, all of their home games are pay per view, which is somewhat silly in my opinion.  I wonder how many viewers they get?  Probably most of the parents from across the country, maybe some friends, and I know Bartolotta has the season package in Italy.  I mean what are they making here, a few hundred bucks, maybe a thousand tops (season package I think is around $50)?  You think MIT could just pay $1K so anyone who wants to can watch (for example, people from around the country who would be willing to watch for free but not to pay, top 25 voters maybe), or get a sponsor to pay that and just have their advertisement on the bottom of the screen during all the games.

Luckily, I am able to go to the game tonight, so I will enjoy the action for free.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 10, 2009, 03:33:12 PM
Webcasting is the wave for most of the college teams this year.   I think the team supplies the camera, filmer and audio people.  My guess is when you add up the home fans that watch the games, potential recruits who might want to watch, visiting team parents, friends and alumni and then factor in the archived games (29.95) that opposing coaches buy as scout film etc. it adds up.

Harvard will be a very tough match. They have the whole package this year and will compete for the Ivy title.   It would be nice to go in at 11-0!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 10, 2009, 05:26:08 PM
Yeah, When LEC/Bridgewater TV broadcast the NCAA NE Regional Baseball Tournement @ Eastern Connecticut Baseball Stadium last May, (free access), I got to believe it was great for recruiting New England/LEC baseball in particular, (USM and ECSU participated) and ECSU baseball in particular, as I have to believe many High School Juniors/Senior would have watched

You can still go to LECTV and download all the  NE Regional games to watch. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 10, 2009, 09:45:21 PM
MIT game worth the cost of admission tonight.

Hollingsworth huge with 30 points before fouling out in regulation. He was unstoppable from everywhere including a long 3.

Kates was huge in OT with 6 pts, 2 rebounds and an assist as well as taking a charge late. He finished with 22. 

Turnovers still a problem especially on forced passes or lazy passes. That will need to be fixed as season progresses. Appears it is form indecision and lack of agression offensively.

Tashman had his first 20 point game and is starting to be another offensive option for MIT. 

Salem State is better than the record indicates with good athleticism and shooting. MIT defense very suspect after building up a 16 point lead in the 2nd half but credit Salem State with not going away and getting very aggessive -25 made foul shots.

Overall a nice win.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 10, 2009, 09:47:53 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on December 10, 2009, 09:45:21 PM
MIT game worth the cost of admission tonight.

Hollingsworth huge with 30 points before fouling out in regulation. He was unstoppable from everywhere including a long 3.

Kates was huge in OT with 6 pts, 2 rebounds and an assist as well as taking a charge late. He finished with 22.  

Turnovers still a problem especially on forced passes or lazy passes. That will need to be fixed as season progresses. Appears it is form indecision and lack of agression offensively.

Tashman had his first 20 point game and is starting to be another offensive option for MIT.  

Salem State is better than the record indicates with good athleticism and shooting. MIT defense very suspect after building up a 16 point lead in the 2nd half but credit Salem State with not going away and getting very aggessive -25 made foul shots.

Overall a nice win.

I echo your sentiments.  This is just a cheap excuse (I am very glad they got the win in OT), but a lot of the guys looked tired and it may have been because today was the last day of classes.  They gutted out the win anyway, so I am gald that it doesnt matter.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 10, 2009, 10:56:48 PM
Correct. I agree with that as well. Sometimes you forget the scholastic pressure does build up on a day to day basis I am sure. Makes the 10-0 start all the more impressive. 

2 OT wins and a late comeback against RPI says alot about a young team. 85 of the 98 points scored by Freshman and sophomores.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 11, 2009, 11:50:01 AM
A lot of the second half was 4 freshman and 1 sophomore on the court.  The new guys have just been huge.  Katz was unbelievable in OT.  The team was 5-5 from the field, 3 of those were Katz, one he assisted on a drive-kickout and the only other basket was a layup off the opening tip by Bender.  I felt bad for #10 on Salem, he got abused 3-4 plays in a row.  MIT had a slim 2 point lead with 3.5 minutes to go, and then they started just bleeding the clock to under 10 and giving Katz the ball to go one-on-one in a 1-4 set.  First time he drove all the way to the basket and scored, second time he pulled up about the free throw line, 3rd time the defense collapsed and he kicked to a wide open Tashmen for a 15 foot jumper.  The next play, you knew #10 was going to try to redeem himself somehow, but Katz read it perfectly and jumped on his left hand (the direction he had been driving all night) and the kid just plowed right threw him and was called for the charge.  MIT was sloppy inside of a minute, but they had already built up an 8 point lead at that point so they were able to hold on.

Next up is Lesley.  The won at UMass Boston by 12 yesterday (MIT won at UMass Boston by 20 3 days ago), so MIT cant sleep on the Lynx.  I hope they come focused and not thinking about exams next week or whatever else.  Hopefully they can pull out another W at home and get a well-deserved break before the Harvard game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on December 11, 2009, 04:45:04 PM
This was a good win by MIT over a good team, as were the wins over Gordon and RPI.  The rest of the schedule was somewhat weak.  Wins are wins and I am happy for all of them, but I hope MIT schedules better competition next season with everyone but Billy Johnson and Patrick Sissman returning.  This will also help their rankings and ability to make the NCAAs without winning the conference tournament.

I was very disappointed in the referees during this game.  They made phantom calls all night going both ways.  I enjoy watching basketball being played versus watch free throws.  This changed the way the players played defense.  #15 on their team is definitely a great player, but the refs were anticipating fouls and calling fouls that were not there.

MIT needs to improve on beating the zone defense, turnovers and especially defense.  Allowing Salem State to score 50 second half points is bad.  The guards have to stop allowing players to go by them.  I also held my breath on a few of the inbound plays.  All of the players ought to be able to seal off their opponent to get the ball and not need to do the fancy pass the ball to another player out of bounds.

I agree with everyone else and thought Tashman played great along with Hollingsworth and Kates.  I don't recall 4 freshmen and a sophomore in the second half.  The 7 main players by minutes are 1 senior (Johnson), 2 sophomores (Hollingsworth & Bender) and 4 freshman (Tashman, Kates, Montgomery & Burke).  Great freshman and sophomore classes.

I think MIT beat Lesley by 33 points last year, so I assume it will be another easy win.  I hope MIT brings its A game against Harvard.  Last year they lost all 3 of their scrimmage games against Harvard.  Tufts appears to be having a down year, but they are still hard to beat at home.  Looking forward to tomorrow's game!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 12, 2009, 01:07:47 AM
Quote from: BBallers on December 11, 2009, 04:45:04 PM
I don't recall 4 freshmen and a sophomore in the second half.  The 7 main players by minutes are 1 senior (Johnson), 2 sophomores (Hollingsworth & Bender) and 4 freshman (Tashman, Kates, Montgomery & Burke).  Great freshman and sophomore classes.

They had Kates (F), Burke (F), Bender (S), Tashmen (F), and Montgomery (F) in down the stretch when Hollingsworth was out with foul trouble and then after he fouled out.  Johnson played also, but coach played a lot of Bender and Montgomery for defensive purposes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 12, 2009, 08:32:24 PM
MIT wins today to go to 11-0.  Noel Hollingsworth had another huge game, 34 and 10. Hollingsworth averaged 29 and 10 this week in 3 games (he is averageing 21 and 10 for the season). Billy Bender also had a double-double.  Next up Harvard, that will be a tough one.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on December 13, 2009, 12:29:53 PM
Hugenerd, you're right, I forgot about Hollingsworth being in foul trouble in the previous game.  Thanks.

Another good win for MIT over Lesley.  I'm sure the players will be happy for their finals and Christmas break.  Lesley was a very short team who didn't stand a chance.  They did expose MIT by beating a lot of players off the dribble, but were too short to finish.  I kind of wish Coach would have played the bench players more at the end of the game because they don't always get a lot of playing time and it makes for a more even game, even though it is garbage time.  As had been done in previous seasons, I believe MIT will still have voluntary team practices (without coaches) this week to hopefully keep them game ready for Harvard, who will have played Georgetown a few days before playing MIT.

I hope MIT makes the top 25 list.  11-0 is certainly something to be proud of.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 13, 2009, 01:56:21 PM
So we are essentially done with the first semester of the season (Springfield has 1 game and Wheaton has 2 games before christmas, but everyone else is done until that time), so I thought it might be interesting to look at some top performers so far.

My candidates for first semester POY:

1.  Noel Hollingsworth, MIT  (11 games so far)
Averaging 21.1 ppg (on 57.1 FG%, and 75% from 3), 10.2 rbp (5.1 offensive, 5.1 defensive), 1.7 bpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg, and 2.7 topg.

2. Jeff Robinson, WPI (10 games so far)
Averaging 21.9 ppg (on 45.5 FG%, 41.9% from 3), 2.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, .7 spg, .3 bpg, 3.7 topg.

If anyone else wants to get into the conversation, they need to win some games in the second half of the season.  I have learned from experience that the best player in the league does not always win this award, you need to be the best player on a top 2 team usually.  The only other feasible candidate are Mark Alexander from Clark or Anthony Coppola from Wheaton, or perhaps Pat Crean from Springfield, but they are going to have to start winning some games and keep their numbers up.

Rookie of the Year

If Hollingsworth is eligible, this will be difficult for someone else to win (he is a sophomore but this is his first year in d3.)

If this award is only for freshman, I believe the following 5 are the top candidates (I looked through all the rosters and stats and found that only these 5 players who are freshman are in the top 6 in scoring on their respective teams).

In no specific order:

From Babson:
Marcus McDermott - 10.5 ppg (40% fg, 28% 3fg), 2.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.4 spg.
Russell Braithwaite - 8.6 ppg (38.5% fg), 5.8 rpg

From MIT:
Mitchell Kates - 13.8 ppg (51.8% fg, 31.3% 3fg), 3.2 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.8 spg.
Jimmy Burke - 9.3 ppg (46.4% FG, 43.3% 3FG), 2.7 apg, 1.3 rpg.
Wil Tashmen - 7.6 ppg (54.7% FG), 7.5 rpg.


If I had to choose, I would pick Kates for Rookie of the Year, he has hit so many clutch shots and runs their team, playing the most minutes of anyone on an 11-0 MIT team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 14, 2009, 03:43:29 PM
Congrats to Noel Hollingsworth on his second consecutive NEWMAC player of the week honor.  This is the first time I can remember that a player has won the award two weeks consecutively, as they usually try to spread the award around.  However, Hollingsworth's numbers were that spectacular.  In 3 games he averaged 29 points on 61.5% shooting from the field (35-57), 60% from 3 (3-5), and 73.7% from the line (14-19), 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in a 3-0 week for MIT.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2009-2010/mbkbweekly121409
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on December 14, 2009, 05:12:21 PM
In response to the remark on MIT's defense posted on the Northeast rankings board:

Here is how teams they have faced fared against other teams and versus MIT:

                                  Points                Shooting %            Rebounds

                          vs All   vs MIT         vs All       vs MIT     vs All    vs MIT

Emmanuel                  72.1      54         41.7%       37.5%    39.9       31
Rensselaer                 86.1      55         46.7%       35.1%    50.3       37
Curry                        67.3      56         44.3%       47.8%    35.0       36
Suffolk                      73.0      50         44.4%       30.9%    40.2      33
Emerson                    62.9      51         43.0%       34.7%    34.3      23
Newbury                    65.1      50         40.1%       33.9%    36.1      32
Gordon - OT               73.2      73         45.0%       47.2%    43.4      43
Umass Boston             69.4      54         41.5%       38.6%    39.9      31
Salem State - OT        79.2      93         44.5%       47.0%    39.1      34
Lesley                       63.7      61         41.4%       40.4%    32.3      29

The numbers tell a pretty good story and they look better if you back out the performance against MIT from the All category

Tashman was sick for the Gordon Game so rebounds would have been improved.

While MIT may have slight issues with being beat off the dribble, defense is more than that aspect.  This team is very good at limiting possessions to one shot due to rebounding and the guards are contesting shots leaving them more vulnerable to the drive.  They may feel with Hollingsworth, Tashman & Montgomery behind them this is worth that risk.

Kates is leading the conference in steals and Bender did a great job of shutting down Gordon's guard in the second half.  The Gordon guard scored 30 on last year's team.

WPI is giving up 14.2 more points per game and has 43.5% opponent field goal percent versus 38.4% for MIT.

The defense is really not that bad especially for a young team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on December 14, 2009, 05:23:08 PM
sorry the table is not straight.  It was when I posted it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 14, 2009, 05:55:55 PM
Nice work, I fixed your table.

Team   Points vs All   Points vs MIT   Shooting % vs. AllShooting % vs. MITRebounds vs. All  Rebounds vs. MIT 
Emmanuel  72.154   41.7%37.5%39.9 31
Rensselaer  86.1 55  46.7%35.1%50.337 
Curry  67.3 56  44.3%47.8%35.0 36 
Suffolk   73.050   44.4%30.9%40.2 33 
Emerson   62.9 51   43.0%34.7%34.3 23 
Newbury   65.150   40.1%33.9%36.1  32
Gordon - OT   73.2 73   45.0%47.2% 43.4  43
Umass Boston   69.4  54  41.5%38.6%39.9  31 
Salem State - OT 79.2  93 44.5%47%39.1  34
Lesley  63.761  41.4%40.4%32.3 29
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on December 14, 2009, 06:09:08 PM
Unfortunately you are not likely to get a robust debate on Player of the Year & Rookie of the Year since it would seem only MIT supporters are on this board.
   
Should the board be renamed?

(thanks for fixing the table)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 15, 2009, 12:37:56 PM
MIT is ranked for the first time ever this week, jumping into the polls at #22.  WPI also received votes, they are 33rd.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 15, 2009, 12:54:29 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 15, 2009, 12:37:56 PM
MIT is ranked for the first time ever this week, jumping into the polls at #22.  WPI also received votes, they are 33rd.

It's really not right to say teams receiving votes, but not in the Top 25 are ranked (ie WPI at #33).  If the poll allowed voters to rank teams through 35 places, then it would be acceptable.  These numbers below #25 are just not that accurate.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on December 15, 2009, 01:00:46 PM
Congratulations to Coach Anderson, a nice Christmas present for a good guy!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 15, 2009, 01:16:42 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on December 15, 2009, 12:54:29 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 15, 2009, 12:37:56 PM
MIT is ranked for the first time ever this week, jumping into the polls at #22.  WPI also received votes, they are 33rd.

It's really not right to say teams receiving votes, but not in the Top 25 are ranked (ie WPI at #33).  If the poll allowed voters to rank teams through 35 places, then it would be acceptable.  These numbers below #25 are just not that accurate.

I didnt say they were ranked, I said they also received votes, 33rd most.  I also think that people who read these boards know that the rankings are a top 25 so I didnt realize that by saying"WPI also received votes", I was not been explicit enough that they were not actually ranked.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massd3fan on December 15, 2009, 01:42:07 PM
Sorry for my absence gentlemen, work, family concerns & the holidays have limited my time online lately.  I have kept up reading the boards, but just hav not had much time to get into the conversations.

Anyway, I have a few minutes here now, and did have to respond to the notion the one cannot consider those below 25 as ranked. 

Given that those who recieved votes are by defintion considered by some to be in the top 25 over those teams who recieved NO votes, it is not at all unreasonable to say the 4th team past #25 is ranked at #29.

That entire concept of a poll is based on opinion to start with.  as an example, in this weeks poll, if St.Mary's is not the #26 team, then how can one claim Wooster is #25?

The logic of saying they are ranked #28 or # 37 is as sound as saying Augustana is #18.  because they got 2 more points than Chapman.  These are the teams the pollsters considered the best in the country at this point in time.  The numerical scoring is the choosen system to determine the order.

Those "others" are indeed ranked, just not "IN" the top 25.

Hugenerd,

   First, Congratulation to MIT on thier first ever top 25 appearance and a great start to the season.  The conference games this year look to be very interesting games. 

  I have seen a couple of the WPI games, and will take some time tonight to hit my word processor gather my "insights".

  How is your family doing?  In case my wife has other plans, and I do want to wish you and everyone here a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.

   

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 15, 2009, 02:06:19 PM
Quote from: massd3fan on December 15, 2009, 01:42:07 PM
Sorry for my absence gentlemen, work, family concerns & the holidays have limited my time online lately.  I have kept up reading the boards, but just hav not had much time to get into the conversations.

Anyway, I have a few minutes here now, and did have to respond to the notion the one cannot consider those below 25 as ranked. 

Given that those who recieved votes are by defintion considered by some to be in the top 25 over those teams who recieved NO votes, it is not at all unreasonable to say the 4th team past #25 is ranked at #29.

That entire concept of a poll is based on opinion to start with.  as an example, in this weeks poll, if St.Mary's is not the #26 team, then how can one claim Wooster is #25?

The logic of saying they are ranked #28 or # 37 is as sound as saying Augustana is #18.  because they got 2 more points than Chapman.  These are the teams the pollsters considered the best in the country at this point in time.  The numerical scoring is the choosen system to determine the order.

Those "others" are indeed ranked, just not "IN" the top 25.

Hugenerd,

   First, Congratulation to MIT on thier first ever top 25 appearance and a great start to the season.  The conference games this year look to be very interesting games. 

  I have seen a couple of the WPI games, and will take some time tonight to hit my word processor gather my "insights".

  How is your family doing?  In case my wife has other plans, and I do want to wish you and everyone here a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.


Thanks for asking, family is doing great.  My daughter just started preschool, so that was exciting.  Hope your family is doing well and also Happy Holidays to everyone.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 15, 2009, 04:08:37 PM
Another congrats to Noel Hollingsworth for being named ECAC player of the week in the Northeast.

http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2009-10/releases/HollingsworthPOTW_121409
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 16, 2009, 11:18:44 AM
nerd,

Congrats on MIT top 25 ranking, I think we all knew it was just a matter of time.

Tball,

Nice job with the stats, they tend not to lie!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 16, 2009, 12:23:49 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on December 16, 2009, 11:18:44 AM
nerd,

Congrats on MIT top 25 ranking, I think we all knew it was just a matter of time.

Tball,

Nice job with the stats, they tend not to lie!!!

Now if they could only beat Harvard...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 16, 2009, 02:16:11 PM
Shut down Jeremy Lin and there may be a chance!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 17, 2009, 08:09:47 AM
Harvard ranked #49 in the country today by USA today. The rankings are based on a formula devised by an MIT grad.  Interesting to have 2 Ivy league teams in the top 50 based on these formulas. Tough year to draw MIT as the D1 opponent.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 17, 2009, 11:51:49 AM
Congrats to both Noel Hollingsworth from MIT and Jeff Robinson from WPI for being named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week.

http://www.d3hoops.com/tow/

This is the third honor for Hollingsworth this week, as he was named NEWMAC player of the week (for the second consecutive week), ECAC player of the week, and now to the D3hoops Team of the Week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 17, 2009, 11:58:49 PM
The NCAA has d3 stats updated through 12/13:

http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/rankings?sportCode=MBB

Of 405 NCAA d3 teams ranked, MIT is 5th in scoring defense, 10th in scoring margin, 20th in FG% defense, 13 in rebound margin, and 31st in assists per game.  Additionally, Noel Hollingsworth is top 50 in the country in both scoring and rebounding.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 18, 2009, 10:50:54 PM
MIT places 6th in NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings:

http://www.mitathletics.com/genrel/2009-10/NCSARankings_121809
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 19, 2009, 07:13:11 PM
Here is a glimmer of hope for MIT fans as they go into their matchup with Harvard.  The same Army team that beat Harvard early in the year (53-56 at Army), only beat D3 Mt. St. Vincent (4-3 overall) today by 6 and they were tied with under 2 minutes to play in the game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on December 20, 2009, 03:14:57 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 19, 2009, 07:13:11 PM
Here is a glimmer of hope for MIT fans as they go into their matchup with Harvard.  The same Army team that beat Harvard early in the year (53-56 at Army), only beat D3 Mt. St. Vincent (4-3 overall) today by 6 and they were tied with under 2 minutes to play in the game.

Great opportunity for D3 bragging rights if MIT can pull off the win as no D3 team has beaten a D1 team this year. I imagine all of us D3 fans will be an MIT fan on December 28th.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 20, 2009, 10:55:14 AM
Quote from: magicman on December 20, 2009, 03:14:57 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 19, 2009, 07:13:11 PM
Here is a glimmer of hope for MIT fans as they go into their matchup with Harvard.  The same Army team that beat Harvard early in the year (53-56 at Army), only beat D3 Mt. St. Vincent (4-3 overall) today by 6 and they were tied with under 2 minutes to play in the game.

Great opportunity for D3 bragging rights if MIT can pull off the win as no D3 team has beaten a D1 team this year. I imagine all of us D3 fans will be an MIT fan on December 28th.

YOU BET!!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: leelowlang on December 21, 2009, 11:16:32 PM
NEWMAC First Semester All-Conference Team
Sure this'll bug somebody...just one basketball junkie's opinion.

First Team:
Noel Hollingsworth – 6'9", So., C/F, MIT – 21.1 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 57% FG, 59% FT, 1.7 bpg
Ben Etten – 6'4", Jr., F, WPI – 11.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 4.1 apg, 76% FT, 1.5 spg, 34% 3FG
Mitchell Kates – 6'1", Fr., G, MIT – 13.8 ppg, 52% FG, 4.5 apg, 63% FT, 2.6 spg
Jeffrey Robinson – 6'1", Jr., G, WPI -21.9 ppg, 46% FG, 3 apg, 85% FT, 42% 3FG
Mark Alexander – 6'3", Sr., F, Clark – 17.1 ppg, 49% FG, 2.1 apg, 81% FT, 1.6 spg, 50% 3FG

Second Team:
Fernando Perez – 6'3", So., F, WPI – 14.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 55% FG
Brian Vayda – 6'5", So, F, Clark – 13.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 43% FG, 75% FT, 1.6 spg
Anthony Coppola – 6'1", Jr, G, Wheaton – 19.1 ppg, 79% FT, 1.9 spg, 40% 3FG
Jevon James – 6'5", Jr., F, Coast Guard – 12.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 49% FG, 68% FT, 1.4 bpg
Pat Crean – 6'4", Sr., F, Springfield – 18.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 70% FT, 1.6 spg

Player of the Semester:
Noel Hollingsworth – 6'9", So., C/F, MIT – 21.1 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 57% FG, 59% FT, 1.7 bpg

Newcomer of the Semester:
Noel Hollingsworth – 6'9", So., C/F, MIT – 21.1 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 57% FG, 59% FT, 1.7 bpg

Coach of the Semester:
Larry Anderson, MIT
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on December 22, 2009, 11:52:03 AM
A little light on guards.  While this may be the ten best players, coaches usually pick 2 guards minimum out of each 5 players selected.

Only two seniors would indicate a fairly competitive NEWMAC for the next several years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 22, 2009, 12:08:50 PM
Quote from: tball on December 22, 2009, 11:52:03 AM
A little light on guards.  While this may be the ten best players, coaches usually pick 2 guards minimum out of each 5 players selected.

Only two seniors would indicate a fairly competitive NEWMAC for the next several years.

You could call Crean a G/F.  He guarded Bartolotta last year in their matchups.

I like the picks overall, I think that Coppola will end up on the first team, however.  He has already been on the teams for a few years and I think coaches take that into consideration.  Although Kates deserves it, he may be bumped just because some coaches will give the benefit of the doubt to the upperclassmen (unless his numbers continue to rise and MIT does exceptionally well in the conference).  Billy Johnson isnt showing it now, but he also has the potential to make one fo these teams if he starts putting things together (he was second team last year).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 22, 2009, 12:14:47 PM
Quote from: leelowlang on December 21, 2009, 11:16:32 PM
Player of the Semester:
Noel Hollingsworth – 6'9", So., C/F, MIT – 21.1 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 57% FG, 59% FT, 1.7 bpg

Newcomer of the Semester:
Noel Hollingsworth – 6'9", So., C/F, MIT – 21.1 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 57% FG, 59% FT, 1.7 bpg

One more thing, I highly doubt this is going to happen.  I believe coaches can only nominate one player for each of these awards, and I doubt Coach Anderson would do that for the end of the year awards (in theory he could nominate Hollingsworth for both, but I would think he would reward his freshman point guard, especially if Hollingsworth looks like a lock for POY at the time).  He would likely nominate Hollingsworth for POY and Kates for Newcomer.  I am not 100% sure of that, but I think that is correct.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: leelowlang on December 22, 2009, 12:49:55 PM
...and I would imagine that Kates would be the #2 no-brainer for the award in Hollingsworth wasn't a nominee.  MIT is going to be soooo good for the next several years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 22, 2009, 01:15:39 PM
Quote from: leelowlang on December 22, 2009, 12:49:55 PM
...and I would imagine that Kates would be the #2 no-brainer for the award in Hollingsworth wasn't a nominee.  MIT is going to be soooo good for the next several years.

They definitely have some good young players.  A couple more solid recruiting classes and they could be consistently at the top of the Northeast for the next few years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on December 22, 2009, 01:27:53 PM
Any word on early action basketball players?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 23, 2009, 04:07:22 PM
Quote from: tball on December 22, 2009, 01:27:53 PM
Any word on early action basketball players?

I heard of one kid out of Oklahoma so far that has been admitted to MIT.  His name is Will Baysinger and he is a 6'2" very versatile player able to play either guard positions.  He averaged 15+ ppg (~55% FG) and almost 6 rpg last season at Owasso in Tulsa.  He is a 4 year starter, so he has a lot of game experience. Here are a couple releases:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/highschool/article.aspx?subjectid=230&articleid=20091104_230_B4_hDefen48597&rss_lnk=230

http://www.gtrnews.com/owasso-rambler/3603/OwassoRamsBasketballApproachesState

You can probably find more stuff on him if you search the web.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 24, 2009, 03:57:54 PM
Looks like Coach Anderson got himself a pretty big (literally) early Christmas present.  I just heard about another commitment for the class of 2010.  Will Dickson is a 6'9" 240 pound F/C out of St. Mark's in Dallas.  He is a complete player who can score inside, rebound, pass out of the high post, and even make the 3.  You can find the commitment on the following rivals.com page:

http://texashoops.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=971434

Looks like Dickson was First-team all-district lastseason:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/hso/6415181.html

MIT already has two impact players committed for next year.  Both of the Will's (Dickson and Baysinger) will likely have the opportunity to make a significant impact on next year's team.

Exciting things happening on Vasser Street in Cambridge!  I hope there is more to come on the court this year and on the recruitng trail.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 26, 2009, 03:12:06 PM
Game notes for Monday's MIT-Harvard game:

http://static.psbin.com/p/1/04p7uopd34cxni/11_MIT.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 26, 2009, 06:11:52 PM
The Engineers just need to keep the game relatively close, ie 10 points or less, and move in for the kill in last couple of minutes.

Keep it close and anything can happen.

Some tough D will help with a key on J. Lin

Good Luck to the Engineers!!

Will the game audio, video, or live stats be streamed on Monday??
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 26, 2009, 10:29:44 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on December 26, 2009, 06:11:52 PM
The Engineers just need to keep the game relatively close, ie 10 points or less, and move in for the kill in last couple of minutes.

Keep it close and anything can happen.

Some tough D will help with a key on J. Lin

Good Luck to the Engineers!!

Will the game audio, video, or live stats be streamed on Monday??

I think all 3, but it sounds like the video is not free.  Links are on the following page:

http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mbkb/2009-10/releases/091226_MIT_Preview
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on December 27, 2009, 12:07:21 PM
MIT Basketball article in the Boston Globe:

By Craig Larson
Globe Staff / December 27, 2009

"Bill Johnson recalls the scene playing out more than once in pregame warmups last winter, a referee approaching the 6-foot-8-inch forward or a teammate and inquiring, "Where's the rest of your team?''

The entire MIT men's basketball team was on the floor.

The Engineers were short on numbers - both in height and players in uniform - but certainly not in talent, or victories, or achievement.
"

Full article:

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_basketball/articles/2009/12/27/mit_mens_basketball_team_off_to_11_0_start/?page=full

And reader comments:

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_basketball/articles/2009/12/27/mit_mens_basketball_team_off_to_11_0_start/?comments=all
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Emerson_fanatic on December 27, 2009, 12:48:53 PM
Does MIT have a legitimate chance of winning this game? Jeremy Lin of Harvard is great, should cause a problem for the MIT guards.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 27, 2009, 12:59:41 PM
Quote from: Emerson_fanatic on December 27, 2009, 12:48:53 PM
Does MIT have a legitimate chance of winning this game? Jeremy Lin of Harvard is great, should cause a problem for the MIT guards.

I guess we wont find out until they play but, as MIT's Associate head Coack Kevin Byrne knows from experience, it is not impossible.  Byrne was an assistant on the Carnegie Mellon team that beat Princeton in 05-06 and Princeton finished second in the Ivy League that year.  Although Lin is good, I doubt MIT will try to stop him with one guy, they will keep throwing fresh players at him and MIT has something they have not had, maybe ever, which is some depth and some size to matchup with Harvards bigs.  If MIT can rebound, slow down Lin (he can be turnover prone, he averages 4 per game but has had games with 6 and 8 already), force Harvard into being a jump shooting team, and knock down some shots themselves, they have a chance of being right there.  For another comparison from this year, Harvard lost at Army earlier this year by 3, Army recently only beat a d3 opponent (4-3)Mt. St. Vincent, by 6 at home.  What does that tell you?  Not much other than that anything can happen on any given day.  MIT has talented players, so if they play well they can compete with Harvard.  Who knows, if Harvard doesnt show up to play, they may be in for a surprise.  Is it going to be easy? No, but I think they do have a shot if things go well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Rick Vaughn on December 28, 2009, 05:30:08 PM
Harvard by 18 with 68-50 left...Noticed that they are not the only Ivy taking on a D-III opponent tonight - Brown is playing Kean from out of the NJAC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on December 28, 2009, 07:47:02 PM
88-61 final. According to the box score the game attracted a pretty good (1,564) crowd for a Monday afternoon game.

It appeared to be a pretty close game at the half, with Harvard up 42-33.  MIT only got to the line 10 times vs. 22 for the Crimson.  Harvard shot over 50% from the flloor in each half and 55% for the game, while MIT had a terrible second half of shooting, going 28% from the floor and 25% on 3's.  Lin finished with 18, going 6-12 from the floor plus 6 FT's.  Overall, Harvard's depth showed, as 9 guys got solid minutes while MIT pretty much rode its starting 5 plus a little help from Burke and Montgomery.

A few telling tidbits from the boxscore: 

Points in the paint-MIT 18,HARV 54.
2nd chance points-MIT 8,HARV 22.
Fast break points-MIT 5, HARV 18.
Bench points-MIT 7,HARV 43
The only outlyer: Points off turnovers-MIT 16,HARV 11


Would be interested in the observations of those who attended the game.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 28, 2009, 10:08:48 PM
I didnt observe, but I tried to follow as much as I could via the livestats (on a phone).  My thoughts are pretty much the same:

MIT played with Harvard for a little over a half (6 point game with under 19 to go), but the depth, especially in the post, was too much for MIT.  MIT was outscored 43-7 off the bench and 54-18 in the paint.  Was a good test for the young team, but the important games start again next week.  The final score is a bit misleading because it was about a 15 point game until about 4 minutes left when the benches cleared and MIT was outscored by 12 in those final 4 minutes.  

I think that if MIT shot a little better it could have been a bit more competitive (which Harvard probably had something to do with), but Harvard just played better today.  I think that this was a good experience for the young team, and I would much rather have them get their first losing experience against a D1 team than against a d3 team where the game counts for a lot more.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: deiscanton on December 28, 2009, 10:45:05 PM
I attended the game today, and my thoughts are pretty much in concurrence with Hugenerd.    I was hoping that the young MIT team could stay within 20 of Harvard, and for the most part, MIT did.    Harvard was only able to expand the lead signficantly beyond 20 points once the benches emptied with a few minutes left in the game.

MIT took an early lead in the game, and led 8-7 at the first media timeout.  Harvard then took the lead for good shortly after the first timeout, but MIT played scrappy and only trailed by 9 at the break.  The Harvard defense then made their adjustments for the second half and held MIT to under 30% shooting for the second half. 

All in all, though, I was not disappointed by MIT's performance.  MIT did not look intimidated against a stronger Harvard squad, and this game will help MIT down the road for the rest of the season.

The crowd of 1564 in attendance was helped by the fact that anybody who lived in the Allston/Brighton area of Boston could attend the game for free today with proof of residency.  (I had to pay the $10 for admission, however.)  The pub next door at the Dillon Field House opened at 2 PM, and tickets went on sale at the door at 3 PM, but most of the crowd arrived about 15 minutes prior to tip. 

I also got to have a short chat with Coach Anderson before the game and with Coach Byrne afterward.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on December 28, 2009, 10:57:27 PM
Also attended the game today at Harvard.  Actually, came away quite impressed overall with the energy that MIT played with.  The real tale of the tape was the athleticism of Harvard's bigs as compared with MIT's bigs.  No shame in that for the MIT group.  Kates may have been the second best player on the floor in this game......this kid has a great future with MIT and should feel very proud about his ability to compete at many levels.  All in all, a good showing by MIT against a solid Harvard team which may give Cornell a run in the Ivy.  Looking forward to the rest of the MIT season as the real games begin shortly.  One final note, I think it was great to see the turn-out for this game.  I would hope that MIT will be able to schedule one or two of these types of games in coming seasons....there is no downside to doing so.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massballer on December 28, 2009, 11:01:35 PM
wouldnt be surprised to see mit winning this game in 3 years, especially with the early 2010 commits.  Did both these kids actually get admitted, because MIT sometimes has trouble with admissions office? And any word on the total number of kids Anderson has committed and applying regular action?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on December 28, 2009, 11:02:59 PM
I thought MIT had a pretty poor outing today.   I expected a 15 to 20 point loss and I thought the guys played hard, however, they took a lot of bad shots and they were very impatient.   Harvard took the ball to the basket while MIT rushed shots and faded away from contact. The entire Harvard team went for rebounds and MIT did not.  MIT played their game.

It is hard to understand why this game was on the schedule with such a young team and I hope this does not have lingering effects for the rest of the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: deiscanton on December 29, 2009, 07:17:02 AM
WPI is not a bad team, but they're not of the same level as the Wash U Bears  :).    I think MIT will do fine in NEWMAC play.   MIT certainly would not be favored against Wash U if the two teams matched up, however.

At the same time, MIT has not faced a top level NESCAC team like Williams or Amherst, either.  It would be interesting to see how those matchups would turn out-- but those would not happen until the NCAA DIII tournament this season.

(Heck, I would even like to see Brandeis v MIT on the men's side-- MIT was a reguilar opponent of Brandeis when I was a student.)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Emerson_fanatic on December 29, 2009, 10:03:02 PM
remsleep i completley agree on your opinion of kates, saw him play once this year and he looks great and only a freshman. Carries himself with a lot of confidence, takes care of the ball an outstanding D3 point guard.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 30, 2009, 01:04:19 AM
I found out some good news out of MIT today.  Another recruit has committed (just to clarify, all 3 of the recruits I have mentioned have already been admitted to MIT early action).  Nick Davis is an athletic 6'5" wing player who can attack the basket and play above the rim.  He is a great defender (can defend mulitple positions) and plays well in the open court.  He is a starter on a state championship winning team from last season, and his team (Creighton Prep) is ranked #1 in the state this year again:

http://www.journalstar.com/sports/basketball/high-school-and-prep/article_b65ca7a5-d680-5c12-8746-b6e7b258e141.html

Davis was honorable-mention all-state last year:

http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1527103.html

I did a little research on him on the web, and he just seems to be a great athlete overall.  He was a member of the U-18  USA National Handball team:

http://usateamhandball.org/news/2009/08/12/u-18-national-team-rosters-announced-athletes-to-train-in-germany/15023

Also, as you would expect from an MIT admit, he is also the captain of the state-champion science bowl team:

http://www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov/partnerships/Sci_Bowl/2009results.html

Next year's MIT class is rounding out really well.

As for this season, I hope MIT can continue playing well against a d3 foe in Tufts.  Tufts can be dangerous and are much better than their record indicates.  I hope that MIT will come to play and be able to take care of business in their final non-conference game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 30, 2009, 01:34:08 PM
MIT and WPI both picked up a few votes in the latest national poll released today.  MIT moves up one spot to 21 (144 points) and WPI moves up to ORV 30 (26 points).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 31, 2009, 03:49:47 PM
MIT picks up their 4th big-time commitment before the New Year (all four have been admitted early action).  Tim Donegan is a 6'7" 220lb lefty from the Pittsburgh area. He can play multiple positions, can play on the wing or on the post effectively and has a great basketball IQ. Just an all-around solid player out of Hampton High School.

You can find lots of articles on Donegan on the web, he averaged over 15 ppg and 8 rpg last season and he leads a team that is ranked third in the state and picked as the favorites in western Pennsylvania going into his senior year:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09345/1020053-361.stm

His team was also picked as a favorite in the Pittsburgh area, and Donegan was picked as one of the top players to watch in the area by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_656569.html

He had a great post-season last year as a junior:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09057/951606-361.stm

And he played on a national championship winning AAU team:

http://www.basketballstarsofamerica.com/BSA_17U_Wins_National_Championship.php
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 04, 2010, 03:07:51 PM
I saw the MIT/Harvard game and I don't think MIT had its best game against Harvard.  The two primary reasons are: 1) the inactivity after the Christmas break and 2) the 4 or 5 hour hard practice MIT had on the Sunday before the Monday game.  Basically the MIT players' legs were gone and that affected their shooting, rebounding and transition defense.  However, I commend Coach Anderson for scheduling such a strong opponent.  I'm sure the players are disappointed, but I do not believe it will have any negative effects.  These are the types of teams I believe MIT can be competitive against to be a consistent top-20 ranked team.  I hope MIT rebounds from this loss and comes out strong against Tufts who does not have a good record, but has played good teams.

I appreciate the statistics posted and it confirms what we have seen in that MIT has dominated the majority of teams it has played.  MIT is a good team and a great team against weak competition.  IMHO, except for RPI, Gordon and Salem State (and Harvard, of course), the rest of the competition was weak.  I hope MIT keeps getting the great recruiting classes and plays better competition that will bring them to the level of the Amherst's and I think coach-of-the-year Anderson can pull it off.  BTW, do you have the link to the "Northeast rankings board" where someone commented on MIT's defense?  Is it on D3 Hoops?  Thanks again for the statistics and hope MIT takes out its frustration on Tufts in preparation for their conference games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 04, 2010, 03:34:07 PM
The board is called "Ranking the Northeast Teams" and it is on the "Northeast Region" board. 

http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=6646.30
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 05, 2010, 10:04:07 PM
MIT wins tonight to improve 12-1 (11-0 in-region), by a final of 71-59 at Tufts.  Very balance attack for MIT with no one scoring over 16 points and 6 players at least scoring 8 points.  Noel Hollingsworth led the way with 16 points and 13 rebounds.  Mitch Kates had 13 points and 6 assists. Bill Johnson had 12 points on 4 3s.  Jimmy Burke and Bill Bender each had 11 points.  Wil Tashmen had 8 points and 6 rebounds.  MIT was missing a starter for the game, Eric Zuk.  MIT, as a whole, shot 50% from the field, 41% from 3, and 86% from the FT line. 

For Tufts, Pierce was held to 10 points and 2 rebounds.  Beyel led the team with 20 points, but had to take 17 shots to get his points.  Tufts had 17 turnovers and only 9 assists.

MIT travels to Babson this weekend for their first NEWMAC game.  Game is being webcast and livestats are available.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 05, 2010, 10:27:31 PM
Nice to see MIT get back on track after their first loss of the season and the holiday break.  I heard it was a very physical affair and the refs just "let them play".  Tashman appears like the only player that can match the other team when it gets real rough.

Congrats on the number 15 ranking.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 05, 2010, 10:39:32 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on January 05, 2010, 10:27:31 PM
Nice to see MIT get back on track after their first loss of the season and the holiday break.  I heard it was a very physical affair and the refs just "let them play".  Tashman appears like the only player that can match the other team when it gets real rough.

Congrats on the number 15 ranking.

I heard it was ugly also.  MIT put it away with a 15-3 run half way through the second half.  They led by double digits almost the rest of the game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 05, 2010, 10:41:48 PM
As for the rankings, I forgot to mention it on this board, although I posted the NE rankings on that board.  In addition to MIT being ranked 15 (highest ever for MIT), WPI is also on the doorstep of cracking the polls with the 27th most votes in the land this week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 05, 2010, 11:02:14 PM
Hugenerd - how would you rank the Newmac teams after MIT and WPI?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 06, 2010, 01:09:26 AM
I would say, after MIT and WPI, I would tentatively rank the teams:

Clark (appear to be pretty solid this year, played Brandeis real close, but they have lost several close games, dangerous team)

Springfield (bad record, but look at who they have lost to, I think they will be competitive in conference)

Wheaton (have some good young talent, need to get it to mesh with Coppola and the other upper-classmen)

Babson (very inconsistent, lost to some bad teams)

Coast Guard (not playing too well lately, they dont really seem to have go-to players, although they have some pieces, they could make some upsets in conference, it is always tough to travel down to New London to play so they could pickup some conference wins at home)

That said, I could see how any of the top 4 teams on this list could finish 3-6, but as I see them right now, this is how I would rank them.  Things can change quickly though...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 06, 2010, 10:15:17 AM
Looks like Springfield has played the toughest non conference schedule.  They didn't beat any real good teams but looks like they battled. Should be interesting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on January 06, 2010, 10:43:50 AM
Massey Ratings place the league:

MIT                     .283
WPI                     .076
Clark                  -.336
Babson               -.630
Springfield           -.718
Wheaton             -.759
Coast Guard        -.856
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 06, 2010, 03:56:06 PM
First full day of conference action today, there are some interesting matchups:

Babson hosts Springfield

This game should tell us a few things about how the middle of the conference stacks up.  Springfield played a tough schedule so far but lost most of them, while Babson played an easier schedule, won some more games, but also lost to some pretty bad teams.  Im interested to see what will happen.  Babson has livestats and video of the game.


Clark hosts CGA

I expect Clark to win this game easily.  I would be very surprised if Clark lost at home to CGA. Clark has livestats.


Wheaton hosts WPI

This game will also be interesting.  Wheaton will be playing at home and they have some talent in their backcourt.  Coppola is one of the best scorers in the conference so if their young forwards can get it going, Wheaton has a shot.  I would still take WPI to win though.  Wheaton has livestats and audio.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on January 06, 2010, 04:10:31 PM
Photo slideshow of MIT / Tufts last night:


http://www.examiner.com/x-32793-Boston-Sports-Photography-Examiner~y2010m1d6-MIT-remains-undefeated-against-Tufts-with-a-7159-Tuesday-night-win

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on January 06, 2010, 04:25:38 PM
Tonight = Springfield, Clark, WPI
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on January 06, 2010, 05:04:31 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 06, 2010, 03:56:06 PM
First full day of conference action today, there are some interesting matchups:

Babson hosts Springfield

This game should tell us a few things about how the middle of the conference stacks up.  Springfield played a tough schedule so far but lost most of them, while Babson played an easier schedule, won some more games, but also lost to some pretty bad teams.  Im interested to see what will happen.  Babson has livestats and video of the game.


Clark hosts CGA

I expect Clark to win this game easily.  I would be very surprised if Clark lost at home to CGA. Clark has livestats.


Wheaton hosts WPI

This game will also be interesting.  Wheaton will be playing at home and they have some talent in their backcourt.  Coppola is one of the best scorers in the conference so if their young forwards can get it going, Wheaton has a shot.  I would still take WPI to win though.  Wheaton has livestats and audio.

Seems to me that MIT pretty much needs to beat WPI a couple of times and should be in pretty good shape for post season.  Looked at WPI schedule to date, which does not  look to be that strong.

I assume they will handle rest of Conference rivals without problem.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 06, 2010, 05:34:04 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on January 06, 2010, 05:04:31 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 06, 2010, 03:56:06 PM
First full day of conference action today, there are some interesting matchups:

Babson hosts Springfield

This game should tell us a few things about how the middle of the conference stacks up.  Springfield played a tough schedule so far but lost most of them, while Babson played an easier schedule, won some more games, but also lost to some pretty bad teams.  Im interested to see what will happen.  Babson has livestats and video of the game.


Clark hosts CGA

I expect Clark to win this game easily.  I would be very surprised if Clark lost at home to CGA. Clark has livestats.


Wheaton hosts WPI

This game will also be interesting.  Wheaton will be playing at home and they have some talent in their backcourt.  Coppola is one of the best scorers in the conference so if their young forwards can get it going, Wheaton has a shot.  I would still take WPI to win though.  Wheaton has livestats and audio.

Seems to me that MIT pretty much needs to beat WPI a couple of times and should be in pretty good shape for post season.  Looked at WPI schedule to date, which does not  look to be that strong.

I assume they will handle rest of Conference rivals without problem.

On paper, that is the way it may appear, but conference games are always tough.  There are bound to be some upsets, although I hope there are not.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on January 06, 2010, 06:18:11 PM
Upset brewing in Worcester, shooting gallery in Norton.  If this continues based on my picks above I am picking Babson Saturday!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on January 06, 2010, 07:07:47 PM
Clark shoots 2 - 22 from three in their own gym to go down to CGA.

Glad I didn't place any large bets, probably jinxed Springfield.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: deiscanton on January 06, 2010, 07:19:12 PM
Congrats to Wheaton on pulling off the upset over WPI in Emerson Gym in Norton, MA today.  Wheaton won, 91-79.  this is the first victory for Wheaton over WPI since Feb. 8, 2006, when Wheaton won 64-62, also on Wheaton's home floor.  WPI had won the previous 7 matchups between the two schools until tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 06, 2010, 09:54:01 PM
Big upsets tonight with CGA over Clark in Clark's gym and WPI going down to Wheaton.  Like I said earlier, Wheaton is a dangerous team if they start to put things together, especially with a player like Coppola. From the boxscore, it looks like Wheaton shuffled their starting lineup a bit and it seems to be working.  Coppola scored 29 for Wheaton.  CGA appears to have just shut down Clark, allowing only 46 points.  Clark had 20 offensive rebounds, and outrebounded CGA by 11, yet lost mainly due to 28% FG%, 9% 3FG% adn 57% FT%.

The only expected result was a close win by Springfield.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on January 06, 2010, 10:39:49 PM
How do you spell Unconscious?  Try Wheaton's second half shooting tonight vs. WPI to turn a 2 point halftime lead into a 12 point win--75% (6-8) from behind the arc, 71% (17-24) overall field goal percentage and 93% (14-15) from the line.  Wow! Coppola and Leo were especially hot, with Coppola shooting 10-17 en route to 29 points and 10 rebounds, including 4-5 from behind the arc and 5-5 from the line, and Leo shooting 9-11 en route to 19 points.

Despite Wheaton's hot shooting, it would have been a closer game if WPI had been able to hit its free throws.  The Engineers only went 11-21 from the line, and only went to the line 6 times in the 2d half. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2010, 02:56:49 PM
Clark holds on against Wheaton today, 74-70.  They led by 12 with under 3 minutes to go, but 3 turnovers in a row allowed Wheaton to cut the lead to 2 on several occasions.

Springfield beat CGA 69-61. Springfield is atop the early NEWMAC standinsg at 2-0, Wheaton, Clark, and CGA all at 1-1.

MIT and Babson top off at 3 today.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2010, 03:33:03 PM
MIT leads 27-26 at the half.  They played rather poorly and are being outrebounded, which is inexcusable in this matchup.  Hopefully they will put it together in the second half.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2010, 03:44:58 PM
WPI recovers after trailing by 1 at the half to Trinity (CT) to blow them out 90-75 (they led by 20+ for quite a bit in the second half).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2010, 04:12:44 PM
MIT up by 12 with 8.5 minutes to go.  Noel Hollingsworth has 37 for MIT on 17-25 shooting.


MIT ends up winning going away, 72-45.  Hollingsworth didnt scored after the 8.5 minute mark because the game was out of hand, but he did tie a 41 year old record for field goals made in a game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 09, 2010, 04:44:05 PM
MIT had a poor first half with Hollingsworth taking virtually ever shot. Looked like the game plan was to feed the beast!.  He was unstoppable the entire game but the difference in the second half was Kates and Burke.  Burke was deadly from long range (4-5) on several kickouts from Hollingsworth. He is a big time weapon against the double and triple teams. Mitchell Kates has 11 points 5 assists and 5 steals to control the game late as the lead built. Kudos to the defense holding Babson to 19 second half points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2010, 08:23:48 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on January 09, 2010, 04:44:05 PM
MIT had a poor first half with Hollingsworth taking virtually ever shot. Looked like the game plan was to feed the beast!.  He was unstoppable the entire game but the difference in the second half was Kates and Burke.  Burke was deadly from long range (4-5) on several kickouts from Hollingsworth. He is a big time weapon against the double and triple teams. Mitchell Kates has 11 points 5 assists and 5 steals to control the game late as the lead built. Kudos to the defense holding Babson to 19 second half points.

Hollingsworth's biggest strength is the way he uses his size in the post and holds his position.  When you front he gets real good position and MIT kills you with lobs and if you play behind he has both the mini and long range hook, as well as the mid-range jumper (especially using the backboard) to just kill you.  When Babson started doubloing down, as toooldtoplay stated, he would kick out for open 3s to MITs real good shooters.  He scored 37 without scoring in the final 9+ minutes of the game.  I thought he might break the scool record (43) after he scored 20 in the first 11 minutes of the second half (making his first 9 FG).

This sets up a big game for MIT, as they host WPI on Wednesday.

Also, MIT could be ranked as high as #10 in the top 25 next week, as #7 Middlebury, #8 Brandeis, #9 Amherst, #10 Mississippi College (twice), and #14 Wheaton (IL) lose.  It will likely depend on how much Middlebury and Amherst drop.  I suspect Middlebury will drop below MIT by losing to the 2nd best team in the CCC at home (MIT beat the best team in the CCC, Gordon, earlier in the year), but Amherst may not because their loss was a close one on the road to #11 Williams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2010, 09:19:47 PM
I thought this was interesting when I noticed it.  Babson is 5-1 when they tie or outrebound opponents and now 0-6 when they get outrebounded.  When Babson was up on MIT in the first half, you guessed it, they were also winning the rebounding battle.


I wonder who wins player of the week this week.  I think it would have to be from MIT or Springfield as they are the teams that went 2-0.  Statistically, Hollingsworth had the best week, averaging 26.5 ppg (25-41 FG), 8 rpg, 2.5 bpg, and 2.5 apg, but he has already won it twice and I could see them giving it to someone else.  Could be Matt Cavalieri as he averaged 18 ppg (14-21 FG), 11 rpg, and 2 spg, but Hollingsworth clearly had the better week. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 10, 2010, 01:15:05 AM
Just found out that MIT Coach Larry Anderson will be on Hoopsville tomorrow night at about 7:20.  He is a very genuine person and great to talk to.  I highly recommend tuning in for the interview.  It will be interesting to hear his thoughts on the current squad and how they have been so successful so far with such a young team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 10, 2010, 04:39:57 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 10, 2010, 01:15:05 AM
Just found out that MIT Coach Larry Anderson will be on Hoopsville tomorrow night at about 7:20.  He is a very genuine person and great to talk to.  I highly recommend tuning in for the interview.  It will be interesting to hear his thoughts on the current squad and how they have been so successful so far with such a young team.

Here is the release from MIT:

http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2009-10/releases/AndersonHoopsville_011010
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 10, 2010, 07:26:40 PM
I agree with what everyone else said about the MIT win.  Babson has a shorter frontcourt, but they are really strong and utilize it in rebounding.  Babson face guarded Johnson, Bender and others, but did not appear to leave either of those two players and neither touched the ball as often as they normally do.  That left Hollingsworth one-on-one and Coach Anderson (being the smart coach that he is) will utilize that match until they decide to double.  It wouldn't matter if he scored 70 points and the rest of the team 0, as long as he is in single coverage, that is probably MIT's best option.  When Babson finally doubled, they decided to leave Burke open, which is a HUGE mistake.  Burke drained the open shots like he usually does.  I thought MIT would rebound better than they did in the game.  I'm curious how WPI will defend against MIT.  When was the last time MIT beat WPI?  Didn't they lose home and away to them the last two years?  I hope MIT uses their record against WPI as additional incentive in their most important game of the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 10, 2010, 08:02:45 PM
Quote from: BBallers on January 10, 2010, 07:26:40 PM
I agree with what everyone else said about the MIT win.  Babson has a shorter frontcourt, but they are really strong and utilize it in rebounding.  Babson face guarded Johnson, Bender and others, but did not appear to leave either of those two players and neither touched the ball as often as they normally do.  That left Hollingsworth one-on-one and Coach Anderson (being the smart coach that he is) will utilize that match until they decide to double.  It wouldn't matter if he scored 70 points and the rest of the team 0, as long as he is in single coverage, that is probably MIT's best option.  When Babson finally doubled, they decided to leave Burke open, which is a HUGE mistake.  Burke drained the open shots like he usually does.  I thought MIT would rebound better than they did in the game.  I'm curious how WPI will defend against MIT.  When was the last time MIT beat WPI?  Didn't they lose home and away to them the last two years?  I hope MIT uses their record against WPI as additional incentive in their most important game of the season.

That would be February 20, 2003.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 10, 2010, 09:16:17 PM
Appreciate the info, Hugenerd.  Wow, 7 years since MIT beat WPI.

BTW, just listened to Coach Anderson and was very happy to hear that MIT will probably play D1 Harvard again next year and future years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 10, 2010, 09:26:18 PM
Quote from: BBallers on January 10, 2010, 09:16:17 PM
Appreciate the info, Hugenerd.  Wow, 7 years since MIT beat WPI.

BTW, just listened to Coach Anderson and was very happy to hear that MIT will probably play D1 Harvard again next year and future years.

If they continue to bring in recruiting classes like this years and the one they should bring in next year, they could compete very closely in those games soon.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 11, 2010, 12:57:39 PM
Congrats to Noel Hollingsworth for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week, for the third time in 4 weeks (and 3 out of 5 weeks the award has been given out this season).  

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2009-2010/mbkbweekly011110
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 11, 2010, 01:11:22 PM
In terms of statistics, MIT players are doing pretty well in conference:

Hollingsworth leads the league in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.  He is also second in the league in blocks.

Mitchell Kates leads the league in assists, steals, he is 4th in FG%, 8th in A/TO ratio, 9th in scoring, and 13th in FT%.

Jimmy Burke leads the league in 3FG%, 2nd in 3s made, 4th in A/TO ratio, 8th in FG%, 13th in assists, and 17th in scoring.

Billy Johnson is 4th in 3s made, 8th in blocked shots, 9th in 3FG%, 19th in rebounding, and 20th in scoring.

Billy Bender is 11th in 3FG%, 13th in 3s made, 16th in rebounding, 26th in scoring.

Will Tashmen is 7th in rebounding.


As a team, MIT leads the league in scoring defense, scoring margin, and rebounding defense.  They are second in scoring offense, FG%, FG% defense, 3FG% defense, and rebounding margin.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 11, 2010, 06:59:34 PM
MIT Athletics is on twitter and facebook now, for anyone interested:

http://www.twitter.com/MITengineers

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/MIT-Engineers/220473176562

The pages have all press releases by MIT as well as possible score updates through twitter.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 11, 2010, 07:05:03 PM
Article aboue MIT recruit Tim Donegan:

http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_661588.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on January 11, 2010, 08:54:00 PM
Great win for Babson & the NEWMAC Conference tonight.  Nice work!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 11, 2010, 08:55:59 PM
HUGE win for Babson tonight over#9 Amherst, 65-59.  Babson led the entire game, and by as many of 14 early in the second half, until they gave up the lead for the first team around the 5 minute mark.  They never went down by more than 2, however, and were able to rally to make some timely shots down the stretch and pick up a great win.  Marcus Edwards and Russel Braithwaite led Babson with 13 points each, but everyone on the court made big plays down the stretch.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 11, 2010, 11:11:00 PM
Nice work Babson.  Amherst hangover from Williams?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 12, 2010, 12:08:22 AM
New poll out, MIT #9.  First top ten ever!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 12, 2010, 03:41:41 PM
Recent release by NCAA.com about Division III basketball:

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011210aaa.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 12, 2010, 04:26:04 PM
I got a chuckle out of the title of the recent release by MIT on Noel Hollingsworth's NEWMAC Player of the Week honors: "Hollingsworth's Scoring Binge Leads to Player of the Week Accolades".

http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2009-10/releases/HollingsworthPOW_011210

I have never thought of anyone binging on scoring, but I guess the term fits after the Babson game.

Hollingsworth also picked up ECAC player of the week honers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 12, 2010, 11:01:32 PM
Also Noel D3 team of the week. Impressive list of awards so far. Congrats.

Noel Hollingsworth
Hollingsworth had a huge week, averaging 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, as MIT improved to 13-1 with wins over Tufts and Babson. The sophomore notched his eighth double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 boards in a 71-59 win over Tufts. He then followed that up with a career-high 37 points, including 20 on 9-for-10 shooting in the second half, as MIT picked up a win against Babson, 72-45. Hollingsworth shot 60.9 percent from the field for the week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: massballer on January 13, 2010, 08:43:39 PM
anybody know how many "commits" anderson has.  I hear alot of coaches talking about waiting on kids who got deferred, in addition to the 4 hes already got in. It sounds like he might have 10+ hoping to get in?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 13, 2010, 09:09:33 PM
Quote from: massballer on January 13, 2010, 08:43:39 PM
anybody know how many "commits" anderson has.  I hear alot of coaches talking about waiting on kids who got deferred, in addition to the 4 hes already got in. It sounds like he might have 10+ hoping to get in?

I really dont think its that many.  I think he is waiting on a few more that are actively being recuited.  Should be about the size of the class he has this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 13, 2010, 09:27:55 PM
MIT handles WPI tonight 76-53, holding WPI to 30 points below their season average.

MIT really came to play tonight and it showed throughout the game.  I was able to attend the game, but I am not going to go into too many specifics of game action because it was really lobsided.  WPI made one last run with a little over 5 minutes to go to cut a 19 point lead to around 12, but that is as close as they got as MIT got some clutch shots from Jimmy Burke and Billy Bender to extend the lead back out into 20+ territory.

So many guys played well tonight.  Mitch Kates is the best point guard you haven't heard of in D3, but dont worry, he is only a freshman, so there will be plenty of time for that.  He completely controlled the tempo of this game for MIT.  His box score doesnt really do his performance justice (11 points, 6 assists, 4 reboubds, 2 steals).  He does so many things that dont show up on paper.  Noel Hollingsworth had his usual solid performance, scoring 16 on 7-10 shooting and adding 10 rebounds for his 9th double-double of the year.  Billy Bender had a huge game, he played really well on D the whole game.  He guarded Jeff Robinson throughout the entire game and held him to 8 points (he was averageing in the 20-21 range).  On top of that, Bender made 3 3s and scored 17 points, adding 7 rebounds and 2 steals.  Jimmy Burke was huge in the second half, picking up 12 points, most of them on 3 3s.  Wil Tashmen also had a solid game, with good defense on Fernando Perez and added 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.  Bill Johnson added 9 points for MIT.

The nice part of a blowout is you get see some of the younger guys on the other team.  Fernando Perez (who usually plays alot regardless of the score), was pretty impressive in the post, leading WPI in scoring with 10 points.  He is a strong kid who can score over people despite only being 6'3".  He is a sophomore, so if he can develop his off hand he could be a top league performer in years to come.  There was also another very athletic, young kid on WPI: Jameel Galloway.  You could tell he was excited to be out there and he can jump out of the gym.  He had a pretty nice dunk and he was the one who was the catalyst on WPIs run near the end of the game that cut MITs lead down to 12.  Jamie Shannon, Jeremy Shannon's younger brother (perseason All-American for Emerson) also is a very quick and athletic player. He has the tools to develop into a nice guard for WPI.  I met Jeremy and his parents at the game, so a shout out to them, they seem like very nice people.

Overall a very nice performance for MIT and I hope this solidifies MIT as a top 10 team in the eyes of voters.

There are still a lot of games left though, and it starts with a game at Clark on Saturday.  It wont be easy, they have a solid team this year.  I was worried about the number of road game MIT had in their non-conference schedule before the year started, with such a young team, but now it seems like a huge advantage as they went through it pretty much unscathed.  These guys are used to playing on the road.

Go MIT!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 13, 2010, 09:54:27 PM
In other conference action, both home teams won. 

Springfield over Wheaton 78-61

Coast Guard over Babson 69-61

Springfield is off to a hot start in the league at 3-0.  Coast Guard has also impressed at 2-1 with their only loss to Springfield.  Neither team has played WPI or MIT yet, though.

I am not sure what is going with Wheaton, they seemed to have a veteran nucleus, but their record is a woeful 5-8 and 1-2 in conference (that one win being over WPI).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on January 13, 2010, 10:10:00 PM
Three top players for Wheaton did not play.  Coppola, Degnan & Stehle.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 13, 2010, 10:33:40 PM
Quote from: tball on January 13, 2010, 10:10:00 PM
Three top players for Wheaton did not play.  Coppola, Degnan & Stehle.

That doesnt sound too good.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on January 14, 2010, 12:19:32 AM
Hugenerd---- I too was at the game tonight and you hit it right on the head with your assessment of Kates...what a great career he has in front of him.  On another note, earlier this season I was critical of MIT on defense because of their general lack of quickness....so far they are proving me entirely wrong....particularly in the past two games against Babson and WPI....more than anything else this is a team that appears to enjoy playing with one another.
I would be very wary of Saturday's game at Clark.  MIT is due for a stinker and the Cougs will be all honked up about this one in Worcester.  Alexander playing great for them at this time....currently it looks to me like Alexander and Kates may be, in reality, the two best players in the conference...with all due respect to the job Noel Hollingsworth is doing.   

It's great that MIT's ranking gets better and better and they certainly deserve the recognition......but I'd rather they were more under the radar....it only matters how they finish.   By the way, so-called  "No.1" Randolph-Macon gets torched tonight.  So it goes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 14, 2010, 05:13:48 PM
Great posts about the young MIT players. Teams have tried different methods of beating them this year and the coaches and team have adjusted very nicely.  I think it starts with Kates who seems to really have a mature feel for the game and adjusts the offense to what the D takes away. Against Babson they played Hollingsworth 1 on 1 in the post and he through the ball inside every possession. Yesterday they doubled the post, trapped the pick and roll and left the weakside shooters open (Johnson and Bender) and Kates made them pay.  Teams seem to be trying to wear him down with full court pressure and that has failed as well. 

Kudos to the shooters who were deadly from outside.  Burke was unconscious as his shots were not open and all deep 3's, 2 with the shot clock winding down.  Right now I think the entire team is a nightmare to prepare for. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 15, 2010, 12:23:06 PM
Hugenerd,

   I had issues remembering my password, so i just created another account, anyway...

Congrats to MIT.  Very impressive performance! I did manage to make the game, sitting at the top of the bleachers so I had something to lean my back against. Damn, it just plain sucks to grow old!  I was invited by a colleague who got his Master's degree at MIT many moons ago.

It was a statement win for MIT as far as putting their foot down on WPI's reign.  After this win, there is no doubt who is the top dog in the NEWMAC is now.

After attending a handful of WPI games this year, I was afraid this game would play out this way.  I believe a serious re-think is needed on Institute Road.  Basketball is ALL about matchups.  It is about recognizing match-ups and exploiting them to your advantage when they are in your favor, and minimizing them when they are not.  Right now, MIT puts a much better, make that bigger & athletic, lineup on the court position-by-position, than WPI.  This equals a big advantage in ...you guessed it... Matchups!

This game was a classic example of one team understanding that fact and the other one not.   WPI kept with it's usual lineups which meant MIT had a huge advantage inside.  You had the feeling they could just take their time and see which match-up they wanted to exploit.  WPI's choice to primarily only play one "big" at time was major problem all night.  They chose to play a lot of 6'2"/6'3" players against MIT's big forwards.  The lobs were there just about anytime MIT wanted them and rebounding mismatches were everywhere.  WPI was leaving men all alone at the 3pt line as they tried to cover up for the fact they could not match-up at the forward positions.  The result was Bender & Burke going a combined 6-9 from outside the arc. Johnson also had some wide open looks, even though he only hit one.  Also, the size mismatch gave WPI fits.  Ben Etten only had 3 FGA, and 2 of those were from 3pt land.  Perez did go 5-7, but only 7 FGAs in 30 minutes showed he struggled to get his usual shots against the greater size of MIT.  It also showed in the rebounding, where Perez had been averaging over 7 boards a game, he only got 4 and Etten was 6.6 a game and was shutout on the glass.

WPI point guards, Nadeau & Shannon, were no match for Kates tonight. While Kates was running his team's offense and distributing the ball, WPI never seemed to really to get a flow going and on many possessions looked to be simply running the old shell drill instead of an offensive set.  (LOL, to this point, read the MIT write-up on the game, they are calling Robinson the point guard because he had 6 assists!)

Bender was the "star" in my book in this game, he completely took Robinson off his game, while having a very good offensive game himself.  Again...MATCHUPS!

As we have discussed in the past, I am firm believer that you need a true center and a power forward combo underneath to be consistently effective inside. (Both offensively AND defensively.)  This is how you open up your 3pt sharp-shooters.  Again, MIT executed this to virtual perfection last night.  I really enjoyed watching them play as a complete team.  When was the last time MIT had the kind of even distribution of FGAs in  a game Vs. WPI.  The game last year at MIT showed exactly why the so-called "one-star" system can get you wins...until the star goes down.  Then the rest of the team has no idea how to make things work.  Coach Anderson deserves a tremendous amount of credit on this.  He moved from the one star system to a complete team in one year.  Not only selling recruits that he would do that, but then making it actually happen while increasing the teams win total and national standing in less than a year.!

On WPI's outlook, I agree with you on Perez, he could be a big time scorer if he develops some right hand skills.  He also must add some kind of mid-range jumper.  I would add their sophomore center, Matt Car, to that group of potentially good young players.  His minutes have been cut back some, but I saw him play earlier this year and he showed the ability to score inside and out.  In the 2nd half, WPI went to him on back-back possessions and he scored over Hollinsworth both times.  He also showed range hitting a 3 earlier in the game.  He defended Noel very well when he was in the game.  I would have enjoyed seeing Galloway & Carr out there at the same time to see what they might have been able to do together.  They need to get both of those players much more involved if they want to compete with MIT & teams with good size.  Galloway's dunk was nice and he runs the floor well.  The kid is ALL arms & legs though, and will need to put on some body mass and develop some good post moves to fulfill his potential.  They also have another 6"6" freshman, Joe Wesoloski, who got in late in the game.  If his game develops, that would them the ability to match up much better with MIT in the future.  I just don't see anyway WPI can defeat MIT without getting at least two real bigs on the court at the same time and make MIT's interior players work harder on defense. (LOL, if you can play 2 PGs at the same time, I would think you could play 2 bigs - In MIT's case...3 BIGS!)

Galloway's dunk was nice.  The kid is ALL arms & legs, and will need to put on some body mass and develop some good post moves to fulfill his potential.  They also have another 6"6" freshman, Joe Wesoloski, who got in late in the game.  If his game develops, that would them the ability to match up much better with MIT in the future.

WPI has its work cut out now. Coast Guard has already beaten Clark on the road and they struggled with Springfield last season, including losing to them in the NEWMAC tourney.  They can't afford to take any games lightly this season as the debacle at Wheaton has already shown.

For now, it would appear that the road to the automatic bid in the conference will go through Cambridge this year!

Again, Congratulations to MIT!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 16, 2010, 01:43:24 PM
I agree with everyone's comments.  You take the center away and you leave the guards open and Coach Anderson has given them the green light and related confidence.  Johnson was only 1-5 in 3 pointers, but he needs to keep shooting the open shots because they will drop eventually.  Kates played a lot of minutes dribbling against the press and deserves all the kudos.  Defense is definitely improving and fun to watch.

Now on to Clark.  Big road game.  Hope there is no letdown and they stay aggressive.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 16, 2010, 03:41:45 PM
MIT down 8 at the half after being down 14 early. Getting outplayed in every facet of the game.  Kates had 5 points in last minute to cut lead to 8. Noel and Kates with 9 each at the half. Alexander 8, Renshaw 7 and Vayda with 6 leads a balanced Clarke attack.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 16, 2010, 04:42:19 PM
MIT holds on to win by 3. The D stepped up in the second half holding Clark to 17 points and 51 for the game.  Shooting was off today at 4-17 from 3 but Clark shot 4-23 and 1 for the last 15 I believe.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 16, 2010, 07:33:38 PM
The conference road games are never easy.  I am glad MIT was able to gut out a tough one in Worcester.  Clark is a solid team, they have some really talented players, and were 10-5 coming into the game.  Although MIT shot 50% overall for the game, their three point shooting was not where it has been.  I wasnt able to make it to this game, so I cant provide much insight, but MIT needs some of these types of games to stay sharp. You dont learn too much about yourself in blowouts, but when you gut out close conference wins on the road, it really shows you something about the team.

MIT has two at home next week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 16, 2010, 07:47:35 PM
In other NEWMAC action, Wheaton falls 73-74 to Babson at home.  Coppola still not playing.

WPI beats CGA comfortably 68-55 at home.

Every team in the NEWMAC now has at least 1 win:

MIT and Springfield are atop the standings at 3-0.  CGA is 2-2.  WPI and Clark tied at 1-2.  Babson and Wheaton bringing up the rear at 1-3.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: clarkie on January 17, 2010, 01:06:14 PM
I was at the Clark v. MIT game. It was a dousy for Clark as they could just not make a shot in the second half--they were leading by 13 with 5 minutes to go in the first half. When you lose a game with 9 team turnovers, compared to MIT's 21, you know shots were just not going in.

With that said, MIT definitely has talent, but the #9 team in the country? When I was at Clark, a #9 Amherst would have demolished a now #9 MIT. It says more about D3 than it does about MIT, but I was very surprised to read the program and see that MIT was #9.

I think the rematch in a few weeks will be a war of a game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 17, 2010, 02:10:12 PM
Quote from: clarkie on January 17, 2010, 01:06:14 PM
I was at the Clark v. MIT game. It was a dousy for Clark as they could just not make a shot in the second half--they were leading by 13 with 5 minutes to go in the first half. When you lose a game with 9 team turnovers, compared to MIT's 21, you know shots were just not going in.

With that said, MIT definitely has talent, but the #9 team in the country? When I was at Clark, a #9 Amherst would have demolished a now #9 MIT. It says more about D3 than it does about MIT, but I was very surprised to read the program and see that MIT was #9.

I think the rematch in a few weeks will be a war of a game.


Earlier in the week, the #1 team in the country lost by 23, I am sure they didnt look like a top 10 team that night either.  

On Wednesday, MIT destroyed WPI and they looked pretty darn impressive.  What counts is Ws and Ls.  Despite playing poorly for much of the game, MIT was able to pull out a win in a conference road game versus a pretty good team.  Clark also played Brandeis tough at home earlier in the season, who is also a top 20 team and beat #3 WashU on the road on Friday.  I think this is good for the young MIT squad.  If you blow out every team, you dont know what to do in a close game.  MIT got down by double digits, they may have panicked a little, but they kept their composure overall and were able to mount a comeback and pick up a win on the road.  I would rather them have some of these types of games now, and be prepared for it later in the season, then win every game by 30 and be completely clueless when they play a tough opponent in the postseason.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on January 17, 2010, 02:48:15 PM
MIT only had 15 turnovers to Clark's 9.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 17, 2010, 06:27:23 PM
Here is an article from the Boston Herald:

http://bostonherald.com/sports/college/basketball/view.bg?articleid=1224731&format=&page=2&listingType=colbb#articleFull

It is about a Harvard recruit, mainly, but on the second page there is a couple paragraphs about MIT and Tommy Ammaker's thoughts on the programs.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 17, 2010, 11:03:40 PM
Well, I did manage to get to the 2nd half of the MIT/Cark game yesterday.

MIT was down 8 at the half, and certainly did not play like they did Wed. against WPI. A letdown is natural after such a big & emotional win agaist the team that has dominated the conference regular season for the last 6 years.

That being said, the Engineers did what needed to to secure the win.  Clark did not play well in the 2nd half and let MIT off the hook with a series of bad shot selections and turnovers. Kates was again key with some key driving buckets and running the offense.  From what I was told about the first half and saw in the second, The lob to Hollinsworth was there all day,  but MIT did not fully take advantage of it.  Just about everytime they did, they got a quality scoring chance.

The bottom line here is MIT got a win, not a good performance, but since every most every ranked team will have a "stinker" win or two over the course of a season, its not anything out of the ordinary.

They now need to focus on Springfield.  I don't think a similar performance against the Pride will result in a victory.  Springfield can match up with MIT frontcourt better than Clark did, but I am not sure if their guards can match the Engineer's backcourt though.

Clark must also refocus as they host WPI on Tues in a game both teams must have.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 18, 2010, 12:49:45 AM
Clarke is a solid team and will make alot of noise before the season is over.  Mass-fan is correct as the shot selection was poor when the tide was turning. A little more patience could have resulted in a different final.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 18, 2010, 01:29:26 AM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on January 18, 2010, 12:49:45 AM
Clarke is a solid team and will make alot of noise before the season is over.  Mass-fan is correct as the shot selection was poor when the tide was turning. A little more patience could have resulted in a different final.

Conversely, one of the hallmark's of MIT under Coach Anderson is good shot selection.  They dont often take bad shots, as Coach Anderson is very honest with players about their roles on the team and what their skill set is.  Obviously some guys have greener lights than others, but you dont often see guys doing things they shouldnt be on offense.  Playing within the system is what gets MIT a lot of quality, makeable shots for their bigs and open shots for their perimeter players.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on January 18, 2010, 04:07:21 PM
Updated Pool C rankings from the Pool C board on the Multi-Regional Topics page. 
Includes all games through 1-17-10.

Numbers include regional results only.

REG   #   WP      OWP     OOWP    RPI      NAT   Pool        REG     OVR   CONF     Team
                                   
NE   01   0.909   0.549   0.548   0.6388   010   A   C      10-1    14-1   NESCAC   Middlebury
NE   02   1.000   0.481   0.532   0.6236   015   A   C      14-0    15-1   NEWMAC   MIT
NE   03   0.846   0.507   0.591   0.6129   022   C   011    11-2    11-2   UAA      Brandeis
NE   04   0.889   0.494   0.553   0.6076   026   C   014     8-1    10-2   NESCAC   Colby
NE   05   0.800   0.536   0.529   0.6005   032   A   C      12-3    12-3   LEC      Eastern Connecticut
NE   06   1.000   0.407   0.559   0.5935   042   C   023    12-0    14-1   NESCAC   Williams
NE   07   0.667   0.586   0.511   0.5871   050   C   028    10-5    10-5   LEC      Mass-Dartmouth
NE   08   0.700   0.539   0.545   0.5807   060   A           7-3     8-5   MASCAC   Bridgewater State
NE   09   0.786   0.503   0.530   0.5804   062   C   033    11-3    12-3   NEWMAC   Worcester Polytech
NE   10   0.625   0.579   0.505   0.5719   074   A           5-3     8-4   NAC      Husson
NE   11   0.750   0.496   0.516   0.5646   085   A           9-3    10-3   CCC      Gordon
NE   12   0.400   0.684   0.490   0.5643   086   C   050     4-6     6-8   NESCAC   Bates
NE   13   0.778   0.451   0.560   0.5600   092   C   055     7-2     8-2   NAC      Thomas
NE   14   0.750   0.483   0.517   0.5583   093   C   056     9-3    10-3   LEC      Western Connecticut
 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 19, 2010, 10:32:11 AM
This article mentions two of the MIT commitments:

http://www.nehoopnews.com/news/601/New-Years-Day-Dish-2010.php

There is one error, NicK Davis is from Nebraska (not Wisconsin, as it says in the article).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on January 19, 2010, 07:31:32 PM
Does not look like Alexander is playing for Clark tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 20, 2010, 10:08:14 AM
In NEWMAC action last night, WPI beat Clark 67-57.  As previously mentioned, Mark Alexander did not play.

Babson knocked off another NESCAC school at home, beating Bowdoin on a buzzer beater (see front page) a week after beating Amherst.  Babson is undefeated in out-of-conference home games, but 0-2 in conference home games (they lost 72-70 to Springfield and 72-45 to MIT).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 20, 2010, 04:24:57 PM
Big game tonight for first place in the NEWMAC.  I think it could go either way.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: scout on January 20, 2010, 06:55:15 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on January 20, 2010, 04:24:57 PM
Big game tonight for first place in the NEWMAC.  I think it could go either way.

At halftime, MIT leads Springfield 37-33. I'm unable to find live stats, but it appears that this will be another defensive, and close, game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 20, 2010, 08:40:14 PM
MIT was able to pull out a tough one, 67-56.  The bigs for MIT really showed up.  Noel Hollingsworth had 25 points (8-12 FG), 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  Will Tashmen had 12 points (5-6 FG) and 9 rebounds.  In addition to Springfield's D, what hurt MIT was their outside shooting (7-31, 22.5%), turnovers and sluggishness of their guards in general.  I am not sure what it was, but the team just didnt play as hard as against WPI a week ago (except for Hollingsworth and Tashmen).  Either way, they got the job done and are now in sole posession of first in the conference and improve to 16-1 overall (15-0 vs. d3).  Every team will have their off nights, but I am glad they were able to recover enough to win comfortably at the end of the game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 20, 2010, 09:03:13 PM
Poor game all around by MIT. With virtually no pressure compared to the previous few games they had 19 turnovers - many unforced and just lazy. The guards were sleep walking the entire game. No first half foul shots, Bender fouls out after waking up for about 20 seconds and hitting 2 threes, Jimmy Burke got hot for about 2 minutes hitting 3 3's and then went 0 for the rest of the game. Kates had a bandage on his wrist but knocked down 2 early shots so not sure about that issue. He did have uncharacteristic trouble handling the ball tonight and rarely went to the glass.

I am very concerned with the execution and aggression. It seems like they are slumping and believing that they can just show up. This is not the case for league games. The energy and urgency from the guards is not there. After going up 10-2 the  2-3 zone put them to sleep and they never really woke up.

Still, overcoming that and winning by 11 shows the talent is there. Killer instinct is missing - maybe lack of leadership???  Next 2 should be winnable home against Wheaton and at Coast Guard.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 20, 2010, 09:06:35 PM
Coast guards builds a 20 point lead on Wheaton, gives it up and hangs on by 4. CGA a aurprising 3-2 in the NEWMAC
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 20, 2010, 11:21:06 PM
I agree that MIT did not play their best game.  They appeared like they were a little tired and dragging somewhat.  This could be because a lot of the players are not used to playing this many games/minutes or their practices are too hard on the day before a game.  I also agree that MIT had way too many turnovers, many of which were unforced.  However, I don't believe everything should be blamed on MIT guards.  Looking briefly at the box scores at points showed MIT's 3 starting forwards scoring 12+0+25 = 37 points in 38+14+40 = 92 combined minutes compared to Springfield's 14+17+6 = 37 same points in 36+36+24 = 96 combined minutes.  MIT's 2 starting guards scored 10+10 = 20 points in 33+25 = 58 minutes compared to Springfield's 2+7 = 9 points in 33+31 = 64 minutes.  Scoring isn't everything and I agree that MIT's bigs outplayed Springfield's bigs.

What disappointed me the most during the game was just how many calls Pat Crean gets during a game.  I agree that he is the most aggressive player and aggressive players get rewarded with drawing contact and going to the foul line, but 13 free throws?  He is a really good player, but the refs gave him calls as if he were Michael Jordan.  It appeared that Pat initiated contact and sometimes fouled and the refs called it the opposite way.  The same thing happened in one of the two games last year.  Oh well, that happens in some games...

Bottom line is that MIT did not play its best game and still won by 11.  Don't forget that nationally ranked MIT is going to get every opponent's best game in an underdog role.  Wheaton next...  Anyone know if their 3 best players are going to play?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 20, 2010, 11:30:43 PM
I think they played against Coast Guard today and still lost. May not be 100%.

Crean is a strong player and has a smooth pull up jumper. He is aggressive and get rewarded.

The foul issues in the first half were partly due to the zone vs. man aspects as well as lack of initiation by the MIT players.

Finesse vs. power.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 20, 2010, 11:56:10 PM
I would definitely say that MITs two starting post players had much better performances than the guards and carried the team tonight.  They shot a combined 13-18 from the floor, scoring 37 points. They additinally had 19 rebounds between the two of them.  Billy Johnson may be a forward, but he is a perimeter player and nearly all his shots are on the perimeter.  If you compare the actual post players of MIT to those of Springfield, MITs guys were dominant.  Springfield's starting 6'7" center, Coburn, was held to 6 points, 1 rebound, and 1 block, all well below season averages.  Even if you look at Springfield's other two "slasher" type forwards, Creen and Cavalieri, they may have scored 31 points between them, but they shot a combined 8-22 from the field (15 of their points were from the FT line).  The post players more than did your job.  Hollingsworth playerd really well, as he usually does.  I was really happy to see Tashmen step up and assert himself on the offensive end a bit a the end of the game. If not for those two guys showing up, MIT would have been in trouble tonight. 

The 3 MIT guards that play significant minutes in the rotation (Kates, Bender, and Burke) were a combined 9 -30 from the floor (Johnson, the other perimeter player in the rotation, was 0-5).  That is way too low, considering most of those shots were wide open 3s.  They looked off the whole night and that happens sometimes.  Luckily, MIT has enough talent this year so that they can win some tough conference games without everyone playing their best.  Every player in the rotation has made significant contributions throughout the year, I just felt tonight, for whatever reason, the guards werent as steady as we have come to expect.  They did a good job to fight through it, though, and pull out the win.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 21, 2010, 12:02:51 AM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on January 20, 2010, 11:30:43 PM
I think they played against Coast Guard today and still lost. May not be 100%.

Crean is a strong player and has a smooth pull up jumper. He is aggressive and get rewarded.

The foul issues in the first half were partly due to the zone vs. man aspects as well as lack of initiation by the MIT players.

Finesse vs. power.

On most nights, MIT would kill a zone with their outside shooting.  Springfield was fortunate that MIT was shooting terribly and they got a lot of stops on posessions where MIT had wide open shots.

In terms of leadership, MIT has only played one upper-classmen in recent games (Eric Zuk, a junior who started the first 11 games of the season, has been hurt for several games now).  Their 8 man rotation (with Zuk out)  consists of 5 new faces and 6-7 underclassmen in all.  Leadership will come with time and this team is still learning to play with eachother.  I dont think they have peaked yet by any means.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on January 21, 2010, 09:22:22 AM
I thought the three point attempts were significantly longer against Springfield adding to the degree of difficulty.  Not many easy baskets in the game, I not sure Hollingsworth should lead the team in assists.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 21, 2010, 10:26:45 AM
Hollingsworth is always the first option on O and the fact that he did lead in assists this game is huge which means when the double and triple teams are coming he is recognizing and kicking. If the shots go down last night it could have been a 30 point game - and they will. I agree that the 3's were long but not out of range for those type shooters. 

I have a big concern with zero fast break points. Somewhere you need to get an easy one now and then.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 21, 2010, 11:36:40 AM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on January 21, 2010, 10:26:45 AM
I have a big concern with zero fast break points. Somewhere you need to get an easy one now and then.

I think that gets back to the sluggishness of the guards, they are the ones that need to push it if they are going to get fastbreak points.  MIT isnt really a fastbreak team this year, though, so they can still win games without getting these types of points, although it is always a plus to get some easy points here and there.

I agree with your comments about Hollingsworth.  He is a smart player and when he sees/feels doubls coming, he is quick to pass out to shooters or to drop the ball to Tashmen.  If teams continue to double him (and MIT can knock down some shots), his assists totals could go up the second half of the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 22, 2010, 12:17:56 PM
Just to clarify my earlier points in the MIT/Springfield game, I agree that the MIT bigs played better overall than the MIT guards, but not by as large of margin as many have opined.  I also thought Kates and the MIT guards got too much credit in the previous game compared to the bigs.  I do not like arguing statistics, but I saw too many layups/putbacks by Springfield against the MIT bigs.  My initial comments were based on the 3 forward (depicted by "f" in the box scores) starters along with 2 guards ("g" in box scores).  Looking at the scoring of MIT's 4's & 5's, Hollingsworth, Tashman & Montgomery versus Springfield's Cavalieri, Crean and Christner shows MIT bigs with 37 points (12+25+0) in 85 minutes (38+40+7) and Springfield bigs with 41 points (14+17+10) in 89 minutes (36+34+19).  The rest of Springfield's team scored only 15 points (6+2+7+many 0's) compared to MIT's starting 2 guards with 20 points (10+10).  Other indicators are points in the paint where Springfield had 24 compared to 20 for MIT along with points off turnovers where MIT had 20 compared to 15 for Springfield.

The MIT guards defense has definitely improved since earlier this year along with cutting down turnovers, but the unforced needless turnovers by Kates was disappointing (but I still believe it was a fluke).  The Johnson (whether guard or forward) and Burke combined 3-18 shooting was not typical of an Anderson coached team (with good shot selection) and hope it is not repeated.  I'm confident that both of these players (who are excellent shooters, probably the best in MIT's rotation) will have big games to offset this game.

I don't believe MIT thinks it is overconfident to a large extent and agreed they looked slow and sluggish.  My opinion is this was caused by the previous day's hard practice along with this being a long season that some players have to get used to playing.  Also, MIT is a ranked team that is getting the best games from their opponents.

At the beginning of the season, I thought Johnson was the best player in the conference, but now believe Hollingsworth is the best player in the conference (of course MIT biased).  My opinion has not changed regarding Johnson playing better as a 4 instead of a 3, but I am still confident he has some great games in him.  Zuk (hamstring) could have helped the team in this game, especially after Johnson and Bender fouled out.  Lehto is strong and hustled during his increased role this game and actually drew a (makeup) foul call on Crean.

I must have missed Crean's pull up jumpers because I always saw him attacking the basket.  Despite being a physical player, I still believe Crean gets way too many phantom foul calls by the refs.  Sometimes I wish the refs would be required to watch their foul calls after the game to encourage them to call what they see rather than what they anticipate.  Of course, I also think that Hollingsworth gets away with too many traveling violations, but let's keep it our secret.  I just think it is fantastic that MIT fans can have different opinions (positive and negative) on games MIT doesn't play well, but MIT still continues to win.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 22, 2010, 01:31:44 PM
Quote from: BBallers on January 22, 2010, 12:17:56 PM
Just to clarify my earlier points in the MIT/Springfield game, I agree that the MIT bigs played better overall than the MIT guards, but not by as large of margin as many have opined.  I also thought Kates and the MIT guards got too much credit in the previous game compared to the bigs.  I do not like arguing statistics, but I saw too many layups/putbacks by Springfield against the MIT bigs.  My initial comments were based on the 3 forward (depicted by "f" in the box scores) starters along with 2 guards ("g" in box scores).  Looking at the scoring of MIT's 4's & 5's, Hollingsworth, Tashman & Montgomery versus Springfield's Cavalieri, Crean and Christner shows MIT bigs with 37 points (12+25+0) in 85 minutes (38+40+7) and Springfield bigs with 41 points (14+17+10) in 89 minutes (36+34+19).  The rest of Springfield's team scored only 15 points (6+2+7+many 0's) compared to MIT's starting 2 guards with 20 points (10+10).  Other indicators are points in the paint where Springfield had 24 compared to 20 for MIT along with points off turnovers where MIT had 20 compared to 15 for Springfield.

I dont care what letters there are next to their names in the boxscore, your argument does not make sense because Bender guarded Crean for most of the game.  Johnson guarded Springfield's 2 man most of the game when he was in there (#24 starting the game). Also, scoring 10 points is not difficult in a game if you take enough shots.  Kates, Bender, and Burke shot a combined 9-30 and scored 29 points (each of them making 3 field goals).  The two post men took 12 fewer shots (13-18), but scored 37 points.  The bottom line is Kates is a lot better than the guy he was matched up against but it didnt look that disparate in the game.

Quote from: BBallers on January 22, 2010, 12:17:56 PM
I don't believe MIT thinks it is overconfident to a large extent and agreed they looked slow and sluggish.  My opinion is this was caused by the previous day's hard practice along with this being a long season that some players have to get used to playing.  Also, MIT is a ranked team that is getting the best games from their opponents.

I think you are making too big an issue with these "hard practices".  Coach Anderson is not going to try to run his team into the ground.  He is not going to give his team a day off because they have a game the next day.  The goal is to improve consistently throughout the season.  If you are taking days off you are not getting better and I guarantee you every other team works hard in practice the day before a game.  This is not MIT unique.  I dont know why this keeps being brought up.

I agree with you about MIT getting everyones best shot.  They are going to have to learn that every player must bring their "A" game every night, or they could get beat in any game here on out.

Quote from: BBallers on January 22, 2010, 12:17:56 PM
At the beginning of the season, I thought Johnson was the best player in the conference, but now believe Hollingsworth is the best player in the conference (of course MIT biased).  My opinion has not changed regarding Johnson playing better as a 4 instead of a 3, but I am still confident he has some great games in him.  Zuk (hamstring) could have helped the team in this game, especially after Johnson and Bender fouled out.  Lehto is strong and hustled during his increased role this game and actually drew a (makeup) foul call on Crean.

Johnson is still just as good as he was last year, if not better.  His role on the team has just changed.  Last year he was asked to do a lot of things he doesnt have to do this year.  Obviously, if you are playing in the post, you are going to get more rebounds and put-backs for easy baskets.  However, you just cant play someone in the 4 because he put up better numbers there last year.  MIT now has two better post options than Johnson.  If you put Johnson at the 4, what are you going to do with the other guys?  Play Hollingsworth or Tashmen on the wing?  Play 3 post players at the same time?  Johnson is doing what he does best this year.  He is no longer the second scoring option, because MIT is so balanced, but he stretches the court and provides matchup nightmares against most teams they play.  With him in there, they are able to go 6'5", 6'8", 6'8", 6'9" in the starting lineup 2-4.  That is really unique for a d3 team.  I would not worry about Johnson, he may have missed a few shots last game, but he makes the team better when he is on the court, whether he is making his shots or not.  Teams have to respect his shooting because he can make 5 in a row at any given time, and has in the past.  It is a credit to him to make decisions to make his team better.  He could throw up double-digit shots every game, but he does what is best for the team and he knows the team is more balanced this year so there are better shots out there.

I agree that it will help the team when Zuk comes back.  He provides some added depth and size on the wings, as well as a lot of experience playing in big games (he has started ~40 games in his career).  I guess it is better to be safe at this point, he came back for one game after the injury originally happened (the one game he did not start this year) and he re-aggravated it.  He was in uniform against Springfield, however, even though he did not play (he may be close to coming back).

Quote from: BBallers on January 22, 2010, 12:17:56 PM
I must have missed Crean's pull up jumpers because I always saw him attacking the basket.  Despite being a physical player, I still believe Crean gets way too many phantom foul calls by the refs.  Sometimes I wish the refs would be required to watch their foul calls after the game to encourage them to call what they see rather than what they anticipate.  Of course, I also think that Hollingsworth gets away with too many traveling violations, but let's keep it our secret.  I just think it is fantastic that MIT fans can have different opinions (positive and negative) on games MIT doesn't play well, but MIT still continues to win.

I agree with you about Creen, most of the foul calls he gets are on contact he initiates.  He is very good at hurling himself at defenders and bringing the ball and his arms through the defenders arms, even if the defender is stationary and straight-up.  But hey, if he is getting those calls, that is a skill also.  I dont blame him, it is on the refs to get the right call.  

Hollingsworth does get called for the occasional travel, but the kid has great footwork.  He uses his body for positioning better than any player I have seen in D3 this year.  Some of those moves that may look like travels are not, but I know what you are saying.

Anyway, keep up the posting, I guess we can agree to disagree on a few points about last game, but the important thing is that MIT got it done again.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 22, 2010, 06:16:57 PM
Great points, Hugenerd.  I agree that the boxscore labeling of positions is not always accurate, I was merely stating the basis for my boxscore comparison.  You are right about the big's shooting percentage being much better than the guards.  As previously stated, I do not like debating statistics, but the most frequent statistic I look at is the one your mentioned - total points compared to shots taken.  I agree that Kates is a lot better than the Springfield guard and didn't always show it and made some unforced turnovers.  I also agree that MIT's bigs are a lot better and they should not allow inferior Springfield bigs to score more points in the paint.  Again, I agree with you that the MIT bigs played better overall than the MIT guards.  I just thought both could have played better (especially the guards), but I'm really happy with an 11-point MIT win without a good game and with 2 players fouling out.

I may be making too big of an issue on hard practices and I apologize if I stated it too frequently, but I will keep the opinion.  Of course I do not believe Coach Anderson would intentionally run his team into the ground, but I am convinced that the Harvard game performance was influenced by the 4 or 5 hours of hard conditioning practice the previous day.  In his defense, it is a difficult choice because the players just returned from their Christmas week break and could easily have been out of shape.  Either way I am very happy that they got an opportunity to play a D1 school.  My apologies again if it was insinuated that the players be given a day off before a game.  That would not be smart.  IMHO, he should just have easier practices going through the plays and shoot-arounds without hard conditioning similar to their practice the day before the WPI game.  WPI tried to wear out MIT with almost every player on their roster and MIT had energy throughout the game (especially Kates).  I maintain that the MIT players' dead legs may have made the guards more careless/sluggish, their shooting percentages go down, the bigs not box out as they normally do, etc.  I don't want this to sound like an excuse, but I believe it is just one of the factors in their game performance.  I agree that the intensity of practice before an upcoming game is not unique to MIT.  I also agree with you that the goal is to improve throughout the year and I think Coach Anderson and MIT are improving every game and will continue to do so.  I only bring it up if I become aware that there were conditioning work in practices the night before a game (i.e., hard practices) and if I believe the team does not play up to its potential.  I also know that there weren't as much conditioning practices early in the season because of all of the player injuries, so maybe the team still needs it.  I am a huge proponent of conditioning in every practice except the night before a game and would never want players to be given a day off before a game.  Sorry to keep rambling, but I don't remember hearing about any conditioning practices before games last year.  Just an opinion...  You are so correct that MIT better get used to bringing their "A" game every night because their opponents will.

As stated, I am a big fan of Johnson and believe he is one of the best (if not the best) shooter on the team.  That is a very valuable asset, especially for a 6'8" player playing D3.  Earlier in the season, I was concerned about his skillsets at the 3 position, but your point is well taken.  He is definitely a matchup nightmare and always hope he keeps shooting 3-pointers because he is such an excellent shooter.

I agree with you about Crean and his skills and refs interpretations.  He is a player I dislike on their team, but would love him if he played for MIT.  Hollingsworth does have great footwork as you have stated.  I really enjoy watching his post moves and am so happy he transferred to MIT.  It doesn't matter what I think about traveling, bottom line is whether the ref calls it and he didn't call it.  Appreciate your feedback.   :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 22, 2010, 07:01:23 PM
Good post, the only thing I would say is that MIT was in a completely different situation last year.  They had very limited depth and didnt even have enough players to practice 5 v 5 (most of the time they would go 3 v 3 or 4 v 4 or walk through plays, and often some of the younger assistants had to participate).  This year they have some depth and I am sure Coach Anderson is doing what he thinks is best for the team.  The more competitive your practices, the better your team will be in the long run.  Last year they were so thin that they were just trying to make it from game to game, this year they are pretty deep and they play more guys.

Also, I think the Harvard game was the least important game of the year for MIT. I dont know anything about any specific practices and I know they only had one practice before the Harvard game after the layoff, but if everyone came back out of shape and Coach Anderson felt he needed to work them harder than he wanted to, then I dont blame him.  Some time you need to do something to get players attention and it may not seem like the right decision in the short run, but it can be the right decision for the team in the long run.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 22, 2010, 08:13:55 PM
'With him in there, they are able to go 6'5", 6'8", 6'8", 6'9" in the starting lineup 2-4.  That is really unique for a d3 team. '


I agree.  Against WPI, That front line completely neutralized Perez's ability to be a real influence on the outcome of the game.  He did go 5 for 7, but only 7 shots in 30 minutes when your being counted on as the low post game for your team is not much.  Many times he got the ball down low in a good position, only to find one or two defenders 6" taller right there to deny him a good look.

I have said it before - MIT present a huge matchup issue for most teams and especially for WPI.  Springfield may be still be the best team in the conference to matchup with MIT.  I have a feeling the Clark-MIT rematch will not be anything like the first game.  Clark had their chance in catching the Engineers on a down day after the very emotional win over WPI.

If there is a loss out there in conference for MIT, I think it may be when they travel to Springfield.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 22, 2010, 09:03:21 PM
         Don't look too far ahead. In league play any team can beat any other.  A few injuries and a couple of players with stomach issues  can neutralize a size or skill advantage. Tomorrows game could be alot closer than expected.  BEWARE!!

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 22, 2010, 09:29:09 PM
toooldtoplay,

I agree.

I was talking more about if the teams stay healthly.  There is no way to predict injuries and what their impact will be on a team.

Having seen MIT twice, once in their place - charged up to take the conference's reigning big dog and then in the game after that when they had a very natural let down.

Their talent is the best in the conference, I have no doubt about that.  Youth & experience are perhaps their weakness, but they now have a numbe rof games behind them and have gone through the expereinces of winning blowouts, winning close games and winning rival games.   The expereince factor is becoming a much smaller part of the picture now.

I would say thier biggest concern now is if Kates is going to continue to struggle with that wrist/hand issue.   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 23, 2010, 12:31:11 PM
I agree that the 6-5; 6-8; 6-8; 6-8 lineup with skills definately creates mismatches and Kates is a good sized one also who probably won't play against bigger point guards.  I believe Clark matches up against MIT better than Springfield, but either have the potential to beat MIT if they play bad.  Right now I'm just worried about Wheaton.  I think MIT should dominate Wheaton inside, but I just heard that both Billy's (Johnson and Bender) along with Devin have the flu, with 2 of them spending the night in the hospital.  Don't know who will play, how long or how well.  Wheaton's top two scorers appear to be their 1 and 2 guards, Choppola and Degnan who are both fast and good shooters.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 23, 2010, 06:32:32 PM
From what I head it was food poisoning, but it doesnt make any difference, both of the Billy's played.

I caught the second half of the game and MIT didnt play anywhere close to where you would hope.  They havent played well since the WPI game, so this may be a good wake-up call for them that they cant just show up and beat teams.  They do have guys sick or dinged up, but you gotta play through that.  Unlike the game against Springfield, they didnt get great production out of Hollingsworth or their two main shooting threats (Johnson and Burke), so they just didnt have enough.  They had their run in the second half and took a 4 point lead at one point, but then they went cold for 4 minutes with 5 minutes left in the game, and you cant do that if you want to win games.  They missed some layups and gave up some 3s that ended up costing them this game.  I hope that this gets the guys attention and that they can rebound and start playing well again.  Bender played tough today even though he wasnt 100%, going for 12 and 12.  Kates played a bit more like himself but missed a couple big layups near the end of the game.  Another bright spot was Tashmen who went for 15 (6-8 FG), 9 rebounds, and 4 steals. This is a game they should have won, but they didnt get it done.  Wheaton is a bit of an enigma, they only have 2 league wins and they are over WPI and MIT.  Anything can happen in league play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 23, 2010, 10:00:58 PM
You're right.  They haven't played good enough since the WPI game and hopefully this will be a wakeup call.  It was kind of strange seeing MIT in a zone against a team that was making over 50% of their 3-pointers.  Then again, MIT had difficulty stopping them off the dribble.  The other thing I noticed defensively was that there was too much "help" defense from several players even when the player was already covered.  Several times it ended up with several MIT players trying to guard one player that allowed them to easily kick the ball back out to their choice of shooters.  The rotation off of help defense was also slow.  I assume other conference teams might try the same tactic, but I'm sure Coach Anderson will get it corrected.  On the bright side, I agree that Tashman had a good game and appears to be playing better each game.  Hollingsworth had a bad game, but from what I've seen in the conference, he would still be my choice for early player of the year.  I pity Wheaton when Hollingsworth plays them again.  Your right that anything can happen in conference play, but I didn't think their first loss would be at home.

At least the whole team didn't get the flu like the 2007-08 MIT team at the end of a promising season.  I hope MIT keeps winning enough to get an at large bid to the NCAA's even if they lose a game in the conference tournament, but that's looking ahead too much...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 24, 2010, 06:20:00 PM
Quote from: BBallers on January 23, 2010, 10:00:58 PM
You're right.  They haven't played good enough since the WPI game and hopefully this will be a wakeup call.  It was kind of strange seeing MIT in a zone against a team that was making over 50% of their 3-pointers.  Then again, MIT had difficulty stopping them off the dribble. 

I think a lot of these problems can be attributed to team health.  I think the most important thing right now is to try to get everyone back as health as possible.  As some of you know, they had three guys in the hospital the day/night before the game, including two starters. A few other guys are playing with lower body injuries that can really effect your movement on the court and shot.  All of them played, but, as you pointed out, they uncharacteristically played a zone a lot of the game and were still slow closing out a lot of the time.  I think the zone was to try to protect some of the players who werent feeling 100%.  They have been shooting awful recently from 3, which doent help either  (they were 4-20 from 3, Wheaton was 10-19). Hopefully everyone will be feeling better soon.  They only have 7 games over the next month, including a week  break after the Babson game and they will get another week break if they can secure first place for the conference tourney (that could be huge for them).  I hope they get back on track at Coast Guard on Wednessday, but it is never easy playing down there.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 25, 2010, 04:13:12 PM
Here are some video highlights of a recent game of Creighton Prep.  Nick Davis (#24 in White), an MIT recruit, has a pretty nice dunk and some other nice plays.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100122/HIGHSCHOOLS/701229759/-1/highschools
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 25, 2010, 05:18:06 PM
Hard loss to take over the weekend but probably good in the long run. They were going to lose one somewhere along the way and this was as good a time as any. Kates and Burke are banged up pretty good. That combined with hitting a bit of the freshman wall, and losing a bit of hunger has led to the dissappointed outings. I expect a big performance this Wednesday at CGA providing the legs are healthy.

The penetration is a problem that needs to be addressed. I believe they are a team that is ideally suited to a packed in man or match up zone at times when teams start to put their head down and penetrate. The 2-3 actually got them back into the game and built a 6 point lead. In hindsight it also allowed the long 3's to get back in the game.  The 1-2-2 would keep Tashman and Hollingworth in the paint with Kates, Burke, Bender and Johnson dealing with the perimeter players. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 25, 2010, 05:19:44 PM
Davis looks like a long 3-4 that can put the ball on the floor and get up over the rim easily. Might be a nice addition. Plays on  a good team. Keep up the info as you find it. Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on January 27, 2010, 09:46:04 AM
We don't have video (as MIT does), but if you want to listen to the Coast Guard-MIT game, you can tune in at 7:30 eastern tonight on http://sportsjuice.com

If you're listening, feel free to send us a note at cgbears2008@aol.com
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 27, 2010, 01:43:37 PM
Quote from: atnwriter on January 27, 2010, 09:46:04 AM
We don't have video (as MIT does), but if you want to listen to the Coast Guard-MIT game, you can tune in at 7:30 eastern tonight on http://sportsjuice.com

If you're listening, feel free to send us a note at cgbears2008@aol.com

Nice to hear from you Mark.  I thought you had disappeared.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 27, 2010, 07:24:16 PM
I know Kates wrapped his wrist and he tweaked his ankle a little at the end of the Springfield game, but he looked pretty good going coast to coast for layups at the end of the game.  What's wrong with Burke being all banged up?  I hadn't heard anything about him, but I hope he gets well from whatever injury.

Appreciate the video of Davis.  The more recruits, the deeper and better the team gets.  I'm more excited at when Jamie returns because he is a proven scorer at the college level and he improved his game over the summer before his late summer back injury.  I haven't heard anything about him coming back this season or waiting/red-shirting until next season.  I know he had back problems and now hamstring problems, but not sure of his current progress.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 27, 2010, 07:53:49 PM
Quote from: BBallers on January 27, 2010, 07:24:16 PM
I know Kates wrapped his wrist and he tweaked his ankle a little at the end of the Springfield game, but he looked pretty good going coast to coast for layups at the end of the game.  What's wrong with Burke being all banged up?  I hadn't heard anything about him, but I hope he gets well from whatever injury.

Appreciate the video of Davis.  The more recruits, the deeper and better the team gets.  I'm more excited at when Jamie returns because he is a proven scorer at the college level and he improved his game over the summer before his late summer back injury.  I haven't heard anything about him coming back this season or waiting/red-shirting until next season.  I know he had back problems and now hamstring problems, but not sure of his current progress.

He is red-shirting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 27, 2010, 08:04:38 PM
Mark Simon doing a great job on the call.

MIT up 45-37 at the half.  Jevon James has 13 points for CGA.  Hollingsworth has 14, Jimmy Burke has 11, and Billy Johnson has 9 for MIT.

About halfway through the second half, MIT up 69-48.  Billy Johnson wakes up today, he has had a pretty good shooting night, 4 three-pointers for him so far.

Jimmy Burke also shows up today, with 4 threes of his own so far.  MIT up 21 with 5 to play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 27, 2010, 08:47:47 PM
Babson handles WPI tonight, 72-58. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 27, 2010, 08:53:50 PM
MIT defeats Coast Guard, 78-58.

Mark Simon was on his game, as usual, on the call.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 27, 2010, 08:57:10 PM
Springfield holds home court against Clark, 64-61.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 27, 2010, 10:12:59 PM
Getting back to the MIT game, Noel Hollingsworth had 25 points on 10-13 shooting, adding 7 boards, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.  Will Tashmen continued his strong play, almost getting another double-double, with 9 points and 12 boards.  Billy Johnson and Jimmy Burke came alive, with each of them making 4 threes in the game (Johnson was 4-5, Burke was 4-9).  Mitch Kates put in another solid effort, scoring 14 points on 5-9 shooting.

As a team, MIT put their 3-point shooting woes behind them, going 8-12 in the first half, and finished just under 50% at 11-23 for the game.  They shot 56% from the floor as a team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 28, 2010, 12:52:30 AM
Good signs for the Engineers all around. The box shows 14 assists to only 12 turnovers - another good sign against recent games.   It looks like the D picked up in the second half allowing only 27% shooting while stretching the lead from 8-20.  WPI next away. It will be an intense and physical game. I expect WPI to bring their best effort of the year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 28, 2010, 12:53:42 PM
Article published today on Hollingsworth and MIT:

http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2010/01/28/Sports/Hollingsworth.Leads.DIii.Mit.After.Transferring.From.Brown-3859530.shtml

The article is in the Daily Orange, which is Syracuse's newspaper, of all places.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 29, 2010, 11:13:23 AM
Hugenerd,

   My wife attended a gathering of her old school friends this week at Babson. I and a couple of the other husbands decided to "escape" some of it by going to the Babson-WPI game on Wed.

Given the MIT loss, the door to gaining at least a share of the regular season title had opened up and I expected the Engineers to play well and handle Babson.  It was a very bad showing on the part of WPI.  Babson on the other hand continued their Jeckle & Hyde ride by playing a very solid game.

Right from the opening tip, the signs of a bad evening were there for WPI.  I had to double check the play-by-play sheet on this, but they did not score until almost 5 minutes were gone.  They did not get to 10 pts until over 13 minutes had gone by.  In just the first 10 minutes, they had 8 turnovers & 6 missed layups and only 7 points. 

All night they had major issues seeing the floor and moving the ball to the open man.  Their offense was forced and lethargic.  Coach Bartley was clearly frustrated on the sidelines and drew a T after an offensive foul call against the Engineers.  He kept on the officials and came very close to getting tossed.  On the night, WPI had 8 assists on 24 made FGs and 22 turnovers.

Jeff Robinson was shutout in the first half, came alive to bring WPI back into the game.  Two minutes into the 2nd half, Babson got Robinson to commit his 3rd foul by isolating Florio on him.   Just after that, Robinson started to catch fire and Babson never came back to attempt the isolation play again.  WPI got to with 1 at 47-46 on a Robinson 3-ptr with just under 10 minutes left.  That completed a run where he scored 17 of WPI's 26 2nd half points. 

Babson applied some full court pressure after that and WPI simply folded.  Shannon & Nadeau looked completely intimated by it.  Looking back at the play-by-play, of their next 11 possessions (about 6 minutes), they had 6 turnovers(3 by Shannon) and only scored on 2 Robinson free throws.  During that time they had multiple opportunities to get the ball down court to wide open teammates for easy scores but never once made the play.  Babson capitalized on the turnovers with easy break out hoops including a nice dunk by Braithwaite.

Matt Zoia had a very good game.  He had 4 3-ptrs and tallied up 19 points on the evening.  Russell Braithwaite gave the Engineers fits all night and had 15 of his 21 in the second half.

Babson defended Perez very well and had him frustrated all night as evidenced by the fact had the same number of FG attempts as turnovers – 6.  Combine the 22 turnovers with 26 in their previous game against Springfield and the trend is not pretty. If they turn it over 20+ times vs. MIT on Sat., it could lead to an even bigger blowout than the game in Cambridge.  They need to get back to the way they were playing before Christmas when they moved the ball much better in their offensive sets.  If they don't, look for MIT to seriously embarrass them on their home court.

I was hoping that that Saturday's game would be a big battle for the top again, but now it's a really a pride issue for WPI to show that they can actually compete with MIT.  I think WPI's only route to the NCAA's now is to win the NEWMAC post-season tournament.  A pool C bid is pretty much out of the picture now.



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 29, 2010, 04:22:06 PM
Good stuff.  Good to hear about other games in the NEWMAC.  I hope MIT takes care of business tomorrow.  The team played pretty well on Wednesday, so I hope the loss go their attention (and I hope that the guys are getting over the illnesses/injuries).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 30, 2010, 07:17:11 PM
MIT with a solid win today at WPI.  Made it out to Worcester today and was happy to see MIT play well in the second half to pull out the win.  Great shooting again was the key, as they shot 60% from 3 and 58% overall from the field.  Up next is Babson at home on Wednesday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 01, 2010, 10:09:19 AM
Hugenerd,

   I had a scurry around to get a few things done at home, but did make the game just after the tip.

   What were your impressions of WPI's usage of the big men in this game?
Specifically, I am curious what you thought of them staying small in the last minute when they cut the lead to 3.

   Also, the MIT front court did an even better job on shutting Perez down this time - he was non-factor in this game (1-6,2pts).

   In the end, the difference in this game was again MIT's ability to take advantage of mismatch's and hit the 3's.  MIT is 16 for 30 in the 2 games Vs. WPI from outside the arc, while WPI is only 8 for 24.

   Another interesting stat MIT had 11 assists spread over 6 players on their 26 made FG's.  WPI had only 5 assists on 24 made FG's and they were all by Kyle Nadeau.

   Overall, WPI played better than in Cambridge, but the end result was the same.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2010, 10:46:16 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 01, 2010, 10:09:19 AM
Hugenerd,
  I had a scurry around to get a few things done at home, but did make the game just after the tip.

  What were your impressions of WPI's usage of the big men in this game?
Specifically, I am curious what you thought of them staying small in the last minute when they cut the lead to 3.

  Also, the MIT front court did an even better job on shutting Perez down this time - he was non-factor in this game (1-6,2pts).

  In the end, the difference in this game was again MIT's ability to take advantage of mismatch's and hit the 3's.  MIT is 16 for 30 in the 2 games Vs. WPI from outside the arc, while WPI is only 8 for 24.

  Another interesting stat MIT had 11 assists spread over 6 players on their 26 made FG's.  WPI had only 5 assists on 24 made FG's and they were all by Kyle Nadeau.

  Overall, WPI played better than in Cambridge, but the end result was the same.

I think WPI stuck with the small lineup because thats the lineup that cut the lead to 3.  WPI has some bigs that make up in strength what they are missing in height, so they can be effective.  However, when you are down double-figures you need to go to a smaller lineup to try to press and pickup the tempo to force turnovers.  It almost worked, as MIT made a couple of poor decisions in terms of shots and a couple of  bad passes, but when Kates got the ball at the end of the game the team settled down, they ran their stuff, and got the ball to Hollingsworth for the decisive shot.

I expected Perez to be shut down because he can only go left.  The reason he scored as much as he did in the first game was because it took a little while (one half) for Tashman to figure out how to defend him.  Tashman is big enough so that he is not overpowered by Perez and when he sits on his left and forces Perez to go right, he really has shown that he cant do anything.  In the last 3 halves that Tashmen has guarded Perez he has a total of 6 points, and only 2 points in the last 50 minutes of game time (Perez had 6 in the first half of the first matchup).  Perez is a good player, but unless he gets more comfortable going right, teams are going to be able to slow him down considerably if they have a strong post defender.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 01, 2010, 12:41:10 PM
Hn,

  I completely agree with your assessment on Perez.  I saw the same thing unfold at that Babson game.  They are even trying to give him the ball at the top of the key and drive, but he always ends up on that left block.  In truth, Jerome Stewart would appear to be a better fit for the role they are forcing so hard to fit Perez into.  He has the ability to work both sides of the lane and has the mid-range jumper that Perez is missing.

I also agree there are times when you need to try to speed up the tempo when your down and it did work in getting the game to a single possession contest.  However at that point, WPI did not need a steal, they needed a defensive stop.  It was surprising to me and those around me that they did not get one of their bigs in the game at that point.  We all knew exactly were MIT was going to go with the ball, and it was a serious mismatch.  I am not saying that putting Lessard or Carr on him would have prevented a score; just that it was the right play given the fact they had held him in check when they were in the game.

Just out of curiosity, I went back over the play-by-play sheet and was very surprised to see that when either Lessard or Carr or both were in the game, Hollinsworth was only 1-4 scoring just 2 pts.  During that time, Tashman only had 2, Bender 4 & Johnson 0.

The rest of the time without a true size presence on the court, Noel did not miss a shot! (8-8 FGs,3-3 FTs)   He kick started MIT by scoring 6 pts in the first 4 minutes of each half and had no difficulty getting the ball or scoring over that small lineup.

I will say Stewart was very effective on the offensive end against Hollinsworth, but on the defensive end, if MIT wanted Noel to get the ball, he was able to get it and get his shot whenever he wanted it. This is not a knock on Stewart, just a simple fact that he was overmatched.

Sticking with my 'bigs' theme, I thought Ben Montgomery played a good game spelling both Hollinsworth & Tashman.  He keeps their front line big without a really big drop off in ability.

I think this was a good character win for MIT.  They were very patient most of the game and obviously shot the ball very, very well. (57.8% from the field overall, 60% from 3, and 86.7 from the line)  They did make a couple of mistakes near the end, but Kates showed a great amount of poise in the final minute handling & passing the ball.  This team is constructed for a good run in March.  Depth is really their only weakness.  The experience factor is fading away with each game where they get tested and respond as they did in this one.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2010, 01:09:34 PM
Hollingsworth is very patient.  He may have been 1-4 when he was guarded by WPIs bigger guys, but he also is very adept at passing out of double teams, or otherwise congestion in the lane, and this can lead to wide open shots from the perimenter guys (obviously they shot very well).  I wouldnt read too much into him going 1-4 compared to 8-8 in a single game.  He had a huge game against Jevon James against CGA on Wednesday and James is probably the best big man in the league outside of MIT's guys.  He can score against either.  They may have been running a different defensive scheme when the bigger guys were in (clogging the middle and leaving the wings open, for example), so it may not have been an issue of 1 on 1 matchups either.

I am just glad Hollingsworth is at MIT and not at Brown this year.  With this young nucleus, and what I have heard about some of the guys coming in next year,  they not only look good going into this postseason but potentially for several years down the road as well.  In terms of depth, if MIT is healthy this year then they will be fine (and they will definitely have more re-inforcements next year).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2010, 01:50:16 PM
Noel Hollingsworth named NEWMAC player of the week (again).  This is the fourth time he has won the award this season (out of 8 weeks the award has been given).

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2009-2010/mbkbweekly020110
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 01, 2010, 02:54:10 PM
Hugenerd,

Congratulations to Noel Hollinsworth on the Player of the Week award.  Very Well Deserved!

I agree he is a very patient low post player.  It does not surprise me that had a big day against CGA's James.  James may be very physical, but give me a talented 6'9" player in the low post against 6'4" or 6'5" any day of the week. Also, it's not like James is 6'5" and 240 lbs either.  Noel gets the ball up in a good shooting position very quickly and lets face it, there are no 6'5" players around whose reach alone is going to bother a 6'9" player of Hollinsworth's ability.  From the box score, Noel was 10 for 13 with 2 of the 3 misses coming from outside the arc.  It just proves my point, you are not going to be able to defend a player like Noel with someone the size of a Jerome Stewart or Jevan James.  He simply plays over them.  It is a huge advantage that MIT & Coach Anderson fully exploit.  This is backed up by your observations and the 2 1/2 games I have seen him play, he has the ability to completely destroy smaller guys in the low post and mid-range areas.

You also see MIT have this advantage in the guard slot as well.  How many other 6'5" shooting guards is Bender matching up against?  None in the NEWMAC that is for sure.  Also Johnson at 6'8" is more comfortable on the perimeter where he is rarely drawing someone his own size this season.  I know his offense has been sub-par based on what he has done in the past, but he is still a hard weapon to defend when he gets going. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2010, 03:50:03 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 01, 2010, 02:54:10 PM
Hugenerd,

Congratulations to Noel Hollinsworth on the Player of the Week award.  Very Well Deserved!

I agree he is a very patient low post player.  It does not surprise me that had a big day against CGA's James.  James may be very physical, but give me a talented 6'9" player in the low post against 6'4" or 6'5" any day of the week. Also, it's not like James is 6'5" and 240 lbs either.  Noel gets the ball up in a good shooting position very quickly and lets face it, there are no 6'5" players around whose reach alone is going to bother a 6'9" player of Hollinsworth's ability.  From the box score, Noel was 10 for 13 with 2 of the 3 misses coming from outside the arc.  It just proves my point, you are not going to be able to defend a player like Noel with someone the size of a Jerome Stewart or Jevan James.  He simply plays over them.  It is a huge advantage that MIT & Coach Anderson fully exploit.  This is backed up by your observations and the 2 1/2 games I have seen him play, he has the ability to completely destroy smaller guys in the low post and mid-range areas.

You also see MIT have this advantage in the guard slot as well.  How many other 6'5" shooting guards is Bender matching up against?  None in the NEWMAC that is for sure.  Also Johnson at 6'8" is more comfortable on the perimeter where he is rarely drawing someone his own size this season.  I know his offense has been sub-par based on what he has done in the past, but he is still a hard weapon to defend when he gets going. 


I wouldnt say Billy Johnson has been subpar, he did have a minor shooting slump at one point, but he has been very gracious in accepting a limited offensive role in order to make the team better.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 01, 2010, 04:24:26 PM
"I wouldnt say Billy Johnson has been subpar, he did have a minor shooting slump at one point, but he has been very gracious in accepting a limited offensive role in order to make the team better."


You are correct, My bad on that one.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 03, 2010, 09:51:41 AM
Johnson is enjoying this year doing what he loves to do which is shoot the ball and play the game. I don't think it is or ever was about the stats for Bill. His teammates love him and he does whatever he is capable of on the floor. Sometimes it is knocking down 3's, helping the guards when they are pressured, defending a big guard or a post player and sometimes it is going down to the block and scoring and rebounding. He is a versatile big who can play the perimeter. Best of all when he is not in the game he is a great cheerleader for his younger teammates. He recognizes their talent and is glad to fit in and let them flourish.

MIT would not be 18-2 without him and will miss him next year. He brings so many intangibles to the game. This is a totally different team than last year when everyone played off Bartolatta who commanded double and triple teams.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 03, 2010, 09:57:44 AM
WARNING:  Don't sleep on Babson.  They have wins over WPI and Wheaton and a 2 point loss to Springfield. The second time around the losing team makes adjustments and the winning team usually stands pat which leads to a closer game or different outcome.  I expect the Beavers to come ready to chop wood!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 03, 2010, 07:45:20 PM
Springfield squeeks out a win over CGA, 58-56, to pull within 1/2 a game of MIT in the NEWMAC (for the moment).

Wheaton wins at Clark, 74-69.

MIT up on Babson 39-21 at the half.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 03, 2010, 07:50:24 PM
Best first half of basketball this year. Everyone involved, tempo controlled and team defense very tough. I am surprised at the Springfield score. They seem to leave everyone in the games and then pull them out.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 03, 2010, 08:09:43 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on February 03, 2010, 07:50:24 PM
Best first half of basketball this year. Everyone involved, tempo controlled and team defense very tough. I am surprised at the Springfield score. They seem to leave everyone in the games and then pull them out.

MIT now up 24 with 14 minutes to play, 52-28.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 03, 2010, 08:38:31 PM
MIT wins comfortably, 67-49.  MIT was again paced by Noel Hollingsworth with 21 and 8 rebounds.  A very balanced effort from the starting 5.

CONGRATS TO BILLY JOHNSON ON SCORING HIS 1000TH POINT TONIGHT!!  With his 9 points tonight, he has exactly 1000 for his career.  Great achievement for a great player.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 03, 2010, 09:20:51 PM
Great game by MIT, especially the first half.  My only suggestion would be to play the bench earlier in the second half of a blowout because those kids also practice hard.  Special congratulations to Billy Johnson for scoring over 1,000 points.  It is something he will always be proud of.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 04, 2010, 11:43:28 PM
Moving through the second half of league play I am going to take a stab at mid-year honors in the league.  Still time for anyone to step up and show what they have.

First team:
Noel Hollingsworth (MIT) - MVP so far. Player of the week 4 times. Leads league in scoring and 2nd in rebounds.
Jeff Robinson(WPI) - Best player on WPI, 2nd in scoring, FT %, and first in 3 pt %.
Mark Alexander (Clark) - #3 in scoring, FT%, 4th in steals and minutes played.
Matt Cavalieri (Spr) - # 1 in Rebounding and #7 in Scoring
Mitchell Kates (MIT) - #1 in Steals and assists, #8 in scoring, #5 in fg%, and second in minutes played.

Second team:
Anthony Coppola (Whe)
Jevon James (CGA)
Brian Vayda (CLK)
Pat Crean (Spr)
Tri Fernandez (CGA)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on February 05, 2010, 11:53:17 AM
I would hope that Billy Johnson would get consideration for 2nd Team if MIT wins out in conference (I know this will be very difficult & maybe unlikely) or if they are regular season & tournament champs.

His numbers are comparable to WPI's Etten & Lirette last year when WPI had the best record & placed three players on the All-Conference teams.  History says Clark would not have two players with their record,  maybe CGA as well.

His contributions as the leader of a very young team should not be underestimated or go unrewarded.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 06, 2010, 12:23:12 PM
Quote from: tball on February 05, 2010, 11:53:17 AM
I would hope that Billy Johnson would get consideration for 2nd Team if MIT wins out in conference (I know this will be very difficult & maybe unlikely) or if they are regular season & tournament champs.

His numbers are comparable to WPI's Etten & Lirette last year when WPI had the best record & placed three players on the All-Conference teams.  History says Clark would not have two players with their record,  maybe CGA as well.

His contributions as the leader of a very young team should not be underestimated or go unrewarded.

I agree completely.  Bill Johnson, as well as the other two co-captains: Senior Pat Sissman and Junior Eric Zuk, have been instrumental to this teams success.  Without their leadership there is no way this team is where they are now.  The younger guys have a lot of talent but the older guys have done a great job of teaching and acclimating everyone to the MIT system and the college game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 10, 2010, 01:37:11 PM
Tonight's games at MIT have been postponed until tomorrow.  Release here:

http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2009-10/releases/Snow_021010
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 10, 2010, 05:20:05 PM
MIT and WPI both ranked in this week's regional poll.  MIT at #2 and WPI at #11.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 10, 2010, 05:24:10 PM
All of tonight's NEWMAC games have been postponed until tomorrow.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 11, 2010, 04:29:41 PM
There is a new "unofficial" blog following MIT Basketball, it can be found here:

mitbasketball.blogspot.com (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com)

It has a nice preview of tonight's game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 11, 2010, 10:06:15 PM
Big Congrats to Coach Larry Anderson on his 200th win of his career tonight (and 20th on the season).

MIT pulls out a close one 59-52 against Clark.  Noel Hollingsorth scored 20 on 8-10 shooting and added 11 rebounds, Jimmy Burke added 14, and Kates had 13, as the Engineers came from behind to win the second half.

Elsewhere, Springfield got a 3 with under 10 seconds to play to send the game to OT and then won in OT.  WPI big over CGA, and Wheaton came back to beat Babson despite trailing by 9 at the half.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 12, 2010, 09:39:13 AM
Another great win for MIT.  I do not believe they played their best game with too many turnovers, but the bigs really dominated the boards and Jimmy Burke hit some high percentage 3-pointers.  Kates also played great.  I believe Clark matches up well against MIT, so I'm especially glad for the win.  I'm hoping MIT has an easy game against Coast Guard before going on the road for their final 2 important games against Sprigfield for the conference and hopefully some good revenge against Wheaton.

Does anyone know how the tiebreakers are handled, e.g., if MIT would lose to Springfield (hopefully not) and Springfiled/MIT win their remaining games?  I don't believe this will occur because I think MIT matches up fairly well against Springfield.  I think their games are similar, but MIT has better overall players.  Also, Springfiled has won so many really close games that it will probably catch up with them when they play Clark and WPI.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 12, 2010, 11:50:07 AM
Quote from: BBallers on February 12, 2010, 09:39:13 AM
Another great win for MIT.  I do not believe they played their best game with too many turnovers, but the bigs really dominated the boards and Jimmy Burke hit some high percentage 3-pointers.  Kates also played great.  I believe Clark matches up well against MIT, so I'm especially glad for the win.  I'm hoping MIT has an easy game against Coast Guard before going on the road for their final 2 important games against Sprigfield for the conference and hopefully some good revenge against Wheaton.

Does anyone know how the tiebreakers are handled, e.g., if MIT would lose to Springfield (hopefully not) and Springfiled/MIT win their remaining games?  I don't believe this will occur because I think MIT matches up fairly well against Springfield.  I think their games are similar, but MIT has better overall players.  Also, Springfiled has won so many really close games that it will probably catch up with them when they play Clark and WPI.

If both teams win out except MIT losing to Springfield (so both teams were 10-2) the next tiebreaker would be head-to-head against the next highest ranked team.  Therefore, if WPI finishes higher in the rankings than Wheaton, MIT would have the tiebreaker because they are 2-0 against WPI and Springfield already lost to them (obviously the opposite is true if Wheaton finishes ahead of WPI, currently WPI has a 1.5 game  lead on Wheaton in the standings, 2 ahead in the loss column with 3 to play).  Remember, however, Springfield has probably the toughest 3 games stretch of anyone in the NEWMAC in their last 3 games, they have to play @Clark, @WPI, and then host MIT.  They already lost to WPI at home by 18, so that game in Worcester is going to be a tough one for them to win.  They also barely edged Clark at home, so that will be a tough game for them as well.  Regardless, I hope MIT can take care of their own business so it doesn't come to tiebreakers or other teams' results.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 12, 2010, 04:09:09 PM
Preview of tomorrows game:  MIT-CGA Preview  (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/02/80-battles-and-counting-for-mit-coast.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on February 13, 2010, 01:21:06 PM
For some reason, Cavalieri did not start for Springfield today.  Big hit if he is not playing.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 13, 2010, 05:37:30 PM
MIT all but secures the NEWMAC regular-season crown after handling CGA and Spingfield falling at Clark.  Look for WPI to beat Springfield on Wednesday to finish the regular season in the #2 spots as they would then hold the head-to-head (2-0).

MIT wins today 64-53, but the final score was a lot closer than the actual game.  MIT steamrolled to a 25-4 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game and never led by less than double-figures the rest of the way.  MIT next tries to avenge their only d3 loss next Wednesday at Wheaton.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 17, 2010, 09:08:20 AM
Preview for the Wheaton/MIT Game:  MIT Preview (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/02/engineers-eye-historic-win-against.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: deiscanton on February 17, 2010, 04:19:04 PM
I'm at the Wheaton College Library right now, getting ready to watch the MIT/Wheaton rematch at Emerson Gymnasium in about 75 minutes.  I'll give you my reaction to the game probably later tonight or sometime tomorrow morning. 

The Wheaton athletic community is really pumped up for this rematch-- They should be watching.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 17, 2010, 07:28:54 PM
Congratulations to the Wheaton team for taking out MIT again. Great shooting and aggressive play were the difference. Should be a fun NEWMAC playoff.  MIT needs to regroup Saturday vs. Springfield.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 17, 2010, 07:43:51 PM
Wheaton shot out of their mind, especially in the second half.  They were 10-15 from 3 and 24-27 from the FT line.  MIT still had it to a 2 point game in the final minute, but Wheaton made their FTs.  Springfield also beat WPI to set up some interesting tie-breaking scenarios for hosting the conference tourney (if Springfield wins next weekend against MIT).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: deiscanton on February 17, 2010, 07:44:35 PM
Tough one for MIT.  Not only do they lose the game, but Billy Bender got injured in the second half and had to be wearing crutches after the game.

Update:  The injury to Billy Bender happened with 8:36 left in regulation.  To my eye, it looked like a leg muscle cramp or tear, but I can't be certain.  Bender had to be helped to the bench by 2 MIT teammates.  I don't know how long Bender will be out.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 17, 2010, 08:58:33 PM
Disappointing loss by MIT, again the culprit is defense.  Getting beat off the dribble and then over-help defense creates wide open shots and Wheaton connected on a high percentage.  Wheaton isolated many matchups and MIT should expect the same by other teams.  Something is definitely wrong when a team can score 56 second half points.  I'm nervous about Springfield with their big win over WPI.  I was feeling pretty comfortable about an at large NCAA bid if MIT didn't win the tournament, but if MIT loses to Springfield and lose in the conference tournament, it is doubtful.  Big game at Springfield...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 17, 2010, 09:23:14 PM
Quote from: BBallers on February 17, 2010, 08:58:33 PM
Disappointing loss by MIT, again the culprit is defense.  Getting beat off the dribble and then over-help defense creates wide open shots and Wheaton connected on a high percentage.  Wheaton isolated many matchups and MIT should expect the same by other teams.  Something is definitely wrong when a team can score 56 second half points.  I'm nervous about Springfield with their big win over WPI.  I was feeling pretty comfortable about an at large NCAA bid if MIT didn't win the tournament, but if MIT loses to Springfield and lose in the conference tournament, it is doubtful.  Big game at Springfield...

I wouldnt say doubtful, but less of a certainty.  I cant see them falling lower than #5 in the region even if they lose 3 straight.  They will not fall behind Bridgewater because for them to be in the Pool C talk they would have had to lose another game in the MASCAC tourney, giving them 5 in region losses and 7 overall.  Additionally, Bridgewater has also lost to Wheaton, so MITs losses vs. Wheaton wont look as bad when compared to Bridgewaters losses.  They may not even drop below Brandeis and Colby depending on their results.  Either way, I would like to see MIT end the season on a high note and beat Springfield on the road.  Springfied, however, has been real tough, Cavalieri played tonight and was pretty good (he was out vs. Clark on Saturday).

If, however, Springfield wins on Saturday, they and MIT would be tied for first in the NEWMAC.  There is an analyses about the tiebreaking scenarios for hosting here:  NEWMAC Tiebreakers (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/02/tiebreaking-scenarios-for-newmac.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: LyonFan on February 17, 2010, 10:34:48 PM
Got my first look at MIT this year after following them on this board, expecting to see a dominant team.   I was not impressed.  Liked the Kates kid a lot - very quick, good at both ends. And Tashman is tough on the glass.   But I thought Hollingsworth was pretty ordinary.  He got his 20 and 10, but it took 26 attempts, and half the rebounds were offensive recoveries of his own misses.  He was guarded by an assortment of players much shorter than him and got bodied off the block regularly.  I was also surprised at how sparingly Billy Johnson played; he has killed Wheaton in previous years.  Certainly a great win for Wheaton, and worrisome for the Engineers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 17, 2010, 11:38:24 PM
Hollingsworth's shooting performance tonight isnt typical for him, he is shooting close to 60% on the year.  It is always tough to beat a team if they shoot 65% from 3 and outscore you by 19 points on the foul line. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 18, 2010, 01:04:42 PM
A very bad loss for WPI last night against Springfield.  The Engineers were coming off 3 good games (I only saw the last one Vs Babson) where they had made a change in their player rotation. In that Babson game Stewart, Lessard, Perez & Carr combined for more than 50% of the offense scoring.  The Engineers had move to rotating players so that most of time Lessard or Carr was in the game with Stewart or Perez. During that 3 game stretch, Lessard had 11 pts/17 rebs, Carr had 25 pts/23 rebs, Perez had 27 pts/15 rebs & Stewart chalked up 22 pts/14 rebs.

Last night, was a horrific shooting night for WPI - 27.4% (17 for 62) for the game.  Bad shooting and a lack of getting the ball inside just killed them. The Engineers went long stretches during the game without scoring.  For the game, Lessard was 0 pts/2 rebs, Carr was 6 pts/6 rebs, Perez was 6 pts/4 rebs & Stewart was 2 pts/4 rebs.

The game was basically decided in the final 10 minutes of the 1st half.  Back-to-back Perez lay-ups, one of them right-handed, gave WPI a 22-21 lead at 9:33 to go in the half.  That would be the last points the Engineers would score until a Kyle Nadeau 3-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer. That made the game 38-25.  WPI got it to 11 a couple of times in the 2nd half, but the Pride always responded.  WPI struggled mightily against the Pride's 2-3 zone.  They could not hit the outside shot, and very rarely were able to get penetration and dish off.

Matt Cavalieri & Pat Crean made all the big plays either scoring or hitting open teammates to keep Springfield's lead in double digits. Cavalieri was game high scorer (20) and looked very comfortable shooting the ball all night.  He did have a bandage on his forehead, which I assume may have been the reason for his absence Vs Clark.

On the other side, Jeff Robinson had his worst game of the year scoring only 5 pts on 2 of 13 shooting.  While Nadeau was the only Engineer in double figures (16 pts), he was only 5 for 13 shooting.

The highlight of the evening for WPI was a monster dunk by Carr over Coburn.  It pulled the Engineers within 11, but then another of those scoring droughts (9 possessions over 5 minutes this time) killed any momentum the dunk had generated.

It had looked like WPI had climbed back into contention for a possible at-large bid to the NCAAs, but that possiblity flew out the doors of the gym last night.  They must win the NEWMAC tournament to go back to the dance this year.  They have a big game against Clark on Sat. to at least grab 3rd place in the conference.  A loss would mean a possible tie-breaker with Wheaton if the Lyons defeat Coast Guard.

The Engineers need to re-group and get back to what they were doing in the 3 previous games.  The good inside play was opening up things for the perimeter shooters.  As MIT's loss last night reveals, any team is capable of taking out any other team when the tournament starts.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2010, 10:44:23 PM
Interview with MIT freshman point guard Mitchell Kates at the new MIT basketball blog (mitbasketball.blogspot.com (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com)).

I am looking forward to Saturday's games.  Nothing is set in stone except for the #7 spot (Babson).  #1 and 2 is not yet decided between MIT and Springfield.  #3 and 4 is not yet decided between WPI and Wheaton, and #4-6 is not yet decided between Wheaton, Clark, and CGA (Wheaton could be high as 3 or low as 6 depending on tiebreakers, Clark and CGA could potentially finish anywhere between 4 and 6).  Should be an exciting weekend as the top 6 teams are all in action (only Babson is idle) and all 3 games mean something in terms of the standings.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2010, 02:46:30 PM
MIT pulls it out on the road, 66-62, to pull out the NEWMAC championship.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 20, 2010, 05:02:23 PM
Appreciate the tournament seeding scenarios.  I'm very happy and relieved that MIT got the win over Springfield on the road.  This was a very close game where 6 of their best 7 players (Lehto played 9 minutes) had 3, 4 or 5 fouls.  Coach Anderson was forced to go to a 2-3 zone (that is rare) to protect his players from fouling out.  It ended up working out great as Springfield failed to hit their outside shots.  Pat Crean had his way in the first half and first part of the second half, then went bombing away unsuccessfully at the end of the game.  Matt Cavalieri only went 1-4 and fouled out and Ryan Coburn missed a boatload of lay-ups.  Especially glad to see Billy Johnson have a breakout game scoring 20 points.  Springfield also did a lot of doubling up which left Burke open and he definitely made them pay for those mistakes.  Hollingsworth had a great 15-15 (points-rebounds) game.

It is obvious that Wheaton is a bad matchup for MIT as the only D3 team to beat MIT, but I'd still like to see MIT get a third shot at them in the conference tournament.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2010, 07:26:57 PM
It was a big win today for MIT.  Lehto had to play because the starting shooting guard, Billy Bender, was out with an injury in todays game (the injury was reported by deiscanton from Wednesdays game).  From what I hear, he is will be a gametime decision next Saturday.

One other quick note, Cavalieri actually didnt foul out, he did see limited mintues due to foul trouble, but ended with 4 fouls. MIT was able to hold him to 5 points, which was a key in the game, because he is the 5th leading scorer in the conference at 16+ ppg.  He was huge in the win over WPI on Wednesday.  Also, MITs entire starting 5 was in foul trouble pretty much from mid-way through the first-half and on, but the only player to foul out was Hollingsworth in the last minute.  The zone, as Bballers pointed out, was key in allowing MIT to protect the guys who were at risk.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 24, 2010, 12:54:51 PM
FWIW, here's a website predicting the D3 NCAA field.

http://www.mittensportsreport.com/2009/10/d3-bracketology.html

They are not showing WPI with a Pool C slot.  WPI didn't even make "Left on the Board".  So that would mean the only way the NEWMAC gets 2 teams into the NCAA is if someone other than MIT can win the NEWMAC tournament.

Also has a projected bracket here:

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3eUjT5MfRzjYzk0ZTEwNTAtMDQ0ZC00MDFmLTgwMTctNDE3NTRlNTY3YjA4&hl=en

According to that, MIT would be hosting the NCAA first round, along with Williams and Middlebury.  Of course, lots of games to play before any of this is settled.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on February 24, 2010, 01:21:23 PM
Bracket has issues as Ramapo, Merchant Marine, Cabrini & Rutgers-Newark are listed twice.  They are in both the top right & bottom right brackets.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 24, 2010, 01:24:28 PM
Good find!

Either there are 4 more slots for New England teams, or those teams are being given double-elimination seeds!  ;)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 24, 2010, 09:31:23 PM
Semifinal are set for Rockwell Cage!!

MIT vs. Clark who survived a furious comeback by Wheaton to hang on by 3. Degnan misses a 3 pointer off his own (intentional) foul shot miss at the buzzer. Game time 1:00.

WPI vs. Springfield at 3PM.

Big snow storm forecast for the East Coast but it should be cleared out by Saturday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 24, 2010, 09:38:27 PM
Clark shot 3-11 from the FT line in the final 4 minutes (including a front end of a 1-and-1) and almost handed the game to Wheaton.  They were fortunate to survive with all those missed opportunities.

Babson played Springfield tough, but comitted way too many turnovers (especially in the final minutes) to pull out the win.

WPI was up big (really big) early in the game, but CGA stormed back and were within 2 points near the end of the game, but could not pull it out.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on February 24, 2010, 11:28:56 PM
hugenerd,

Would you characterize MIT as disappointed they can't seek revenge on Wheaton, or relieved they don't have to face them again? :D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2010, 12:19:01 AM
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on February 24, 2010, 11:28:56 PM
hugenerd,

Would you characterize MIT as disappointed they can't seek revenge on Wheaton, or relieved they don't have to face them again? :D

I have heard both sentiments from people on campus prior to tonights game (I havent talked to anyone within the program about this).   This year, I think they would have liked to exact revenge because I think they are good enough to pretty much beat any team you put in front of them if they play well.  Obviously any team can have their pitfalls on a given night (even WashU lost to a ~.500 team), but for some reason Wheaton would just shoot lights out against MIT from deep.  I dont know if it was chance that it happened two games in a row against the same opponent (they were combined 20-35 in those two games from 3), or if the Wheaton shooters were getting more arc on the ball because they had to shoot over the taller MIT players, but it is tough to beat anyone when they are scoring 30 points from 3 on 57% shooting, on average, especially when the games are low scoring like the first matchup was (MIT was also outscored by nearly 20 at the FT line in the second matchup at Wheaton).

With that said, in past experiences, such as last year, I know that I personally was very relieved they did not have to play WPI in the NEWMAC finals in last years tourney.  In fact, Bartolotta never beat WPI in his 4 year career (I believe 0-10 counting the conference tourney).  This years team has already beaten them twice.  I dont think they care that much in either direction about who they play.  However, another plus about getting the bye in a conference like the NEWMAC is that you dont have to play on Wednesday night and so the coaches get an extra game to scout live (this is not a huge factor because this late in the season they have already seen eachother twice, but it is an advantage, along with the extra game off to get guys healthy).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 25, 2010, 10:12:14 AM
The 3 point shot is the great equalizer.  Going 10-18 vs. 3-18 is 21 points - certainly more than enough to elevate a middle of the pack team over a better group. If they didn't have to put them in the outcomes would be pre determined. That is why we love the game. I personally would have loved to see another chance at Wheaton but believe the spread is higher over Clark.

If the weather is not too bad it should be a fun weekend in Cambridge. I see a WPI vs. MIT final going down to the wire. Predictions??
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on February 25, 2010, 10:51:06 AM
Wheaton shot 24 for 27 (88.9%) free throws against MIT and only 14 of 24 (58.3%) last night v. Clark.

MIT will need to step up their free throw defense this weekend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2010, 02:01:30 PM
MIT recruit Will Dickson is averaging nearly a double-double this season for his high school team in Dallas (and thats in only a 32 minute game).

http://www.dallasnews.com/highschoolsports/st-marks/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 25, 2010, 05:45:02 PM

With that said, in past experiences, such as last year, I know that I personally was very relieved they did not have to play WPI in the NEWMAC finals in last years tourney.  In fact, Bartolotta never beat WPI in his 4 year career (I believe 0-10 counting the conference tourney).
[/quote]

I agree as I can still remember how grateful I was for MIT not having to face WPI again last year.  It always appeared that WPI knew MIT's plays last year and matched up very well against MIT, since only Bartolotta could beat their opponents off the dribble with any consistency.  It is surprising (but correct) that MIT had such a long losing streak to WPI.

Quote from: hugenerd on February 20, 2010, 07:26:57 PM
Lehto had to play because the starting shooting guard, Billy Bender, was out with an injury in todays game (the injury was reported by deiscanton from Wednesdays game).  From what I hear, he is will be a gametime decision next Saturday.

I heard Bender is out, but hopefully be will be back for the NCAA's.  I am nervious about MIT's game against Clark as they appear to match up well against MIT.  They are a quick team.  MIT's games against Clark were wins, but were hard faught and close.  Hopefully Burke and Johnson will come out hitting a high perccentage of 3-pointers; Tashman rebounds, plays good defense and gets a lot of put backs; Kates dibble penetrates to some easy layups; Hollingsworth plays like the conference player of the year that he is; and Zuk and the other players bring intensity.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 25, 2010, 05:49:32 PM
Hugenerd, my apologies for screwing up your first quote in the other post.   :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 26, 2010, 10:35:43 AM
Hope that Bill heals quickly. He is an integral part of the team this year, making big shots, rebounding, and oftne guarding the other teams stud (Jeremy Lynn).   Eric Zuk will have to pick it up on D. I expect that Bill Johnson and Mitchell Kates will pick up the slack on O. Defense tomorrow is critical.

Need to handle the dribble penetration and kick out game and limit turnovers. It has been awhile since the Engineers put together a top notch game but now is as good a time as any to put it into another gear.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on February 27, 2010, 10:25:55 AM
hugenerd,

Good Luck to the Engineers tonight, been following MIT all year!!

Kick some butt in the NCAAs!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2010, 10:16:51 PM
Thanks.

They started out the game really well today, going up 17-4 in the first 4.5 minutes.  Then something unfortunate happened, Mitch Kates hurt his ankle and was out of the game for about 5 minutes of the game, during which Clark went on a 15-2 run.  The game was close the rest of the way, until Clark used a big run near the end of the game to take the win.  MIT also missed the presence of starting shooting guard Billy Bender, who usually guards the other teams best perimeter player and also adds a decent scoring punch.  Hopefully the team recoups and can get healthy enough to compete if they get a bid.  I think they should get a bid, but you never know.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 28, 2010, 10:57:16 AM

Just an observation:  In the 2 earlier games between Clark and MIT, MIT scored 54 and 59 points.  Yesterday they scored 59 points again.  In the 3 games, Clark scored 51, 52, and yesterday had 71.

Looking at Clark's 3 top scorers from yesterday, in the 3 games they went:

Mitch Renshaw  11p, 0p, 19p  (game1 pts, game 2 pts, game 3 pts)

Mark Alexander 12p, 17p, 15p

Jack Minister  5p, 3p, 19p

Minister and Renshaw were the difference, with Renshaw hitting 7 of 8 from the field and Minister hitting 5 Treys.  Clark got 38 points from 2 guys who put up a total of 11 and 8 in the previous games. 

Clark has a senior ladden team and they played like their backs were against the wall.  Maybe thats part of the reason why the NEWMAC host team has been bumped from 4 straight NEWMAC tournaments.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 28, 2010, 11:10:21 AM
For what it's worth, here's a projected bracket showing East region first round host schools MIT, Williams, Middlebury, and Plattsburgh State.

http://www.d3boards.com/playoffs/proj-mbbbracket2010.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on February 28, 2010, 11:53:14 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 27, 2010, 10:16:51 PM
Thanks.

They started out the game really well today, going up 17-4 in the first 4.5 minutes.  Then something unfortunate happened, Mitch Kates hurt his ankle and was out of the game for about 5 minutes of the game, during which Clark went on a 15-2 run.  The game was close the rest of the way, until Clark used a big run near the end of the game to take the win.  MIT also missed the presence of starting shooting guard Billy Bender, who usually guards the other teams best perimeter player and also adds a decent scoring punch.  Hopefully the team recoups and can get healthy enough to compete if they get a bid.  I think they should get a bid, but you never know.

Yes I heard, Hopefully the MIT bench can come through in case  Bender and Kates are not 100%!!  Never the less you cant take away the fact that the team had a tremendous regular season!!! Good Luck on your NCAA draw and will be looking for the boys to go deep into the tourny
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2010, 02:41:24 PM
Thanks, I hope they can get healthy and go on a run as well.

Congrats to Clark for getting the automatic bid today.  Maybe they and MIT could meet for a 4th time if both teams take care of business.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 28, 2010, 03:53:57 PM
Congrats to Clark...4 straight yrs in which the NEWMAC's 1 seed wasn't the league tourney champ. Wonder if any other leagues have a current streak of that length.

And remember that next yr...NEWMAC men's tourney will be a 5-team deal. (6 and 7 won't make it)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 28, 2010, 04:15:07 PM
Interesting. Why are they going to a 5 team tourney? I guess that would mean 3 byes and 1 play in game?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on March 01, 2010, 09:19:19 AM
I believe it's an across-the-board measure for all sports. Women's tourney is being cut from 8 teams to 6.

And yes, 5 would play 4, with the other 3 getting byes, from what I was told.

Last 4 yrs in the NEWMAC, the tourney champs have been the 7, 3, 2, and 5 seeds.

and in the first round, the 7 seed has beaten the 2-seed twice, and lost VERY close games the other 2 times.

I'd also guess that if you looked at the winning percentage of the lower seed in conference tournaments over the last 4 yrs, the NEWMAC would rate near the top...

Makes for good discussion...I had a good chat at the CUNYAC with some folks about whether I'd rather see a reg season champ in the NCAAs or would rather have the conf tourney champ get in, a la the Ivy League.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Rick Vaughn on March 01, 2010, 11:24:03 AM
MIT fans must have been sweating it a little bit...They had to have been confident, but that was cruel to put them in the bottom right corner bracket.   MIT has a tough road ahead.

Speaking of that bottom right hand bracket...Don't see any real favorite there.  I could easily see a match up of the two ODAC teams in the Elite 8. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 01, 2010, 11:52:55 AM
Yeah, I think VA Wesleyan and Williams have the easiest road to the final eight.

If MIT's hitting shots, though, I think they have a fighting chance to win a game or two.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 01, 2010, 12:09:10 PM
Quote from: Rick Vaughn on March 01, 2010, 11:24:03 AM
...that was cruel to put them [MIT] in the bottom right corner bracket.   MIT has a tough road ahead.

It does seem strange that #13 MIT is sent to the pod at the #10 rated team while none of the teams in Plattsburgh is ranked.  And schools like Plattsburgh, Merchant Marine, and Albright get to host yet none of them is ranked.  MIT only has 3 D3 losses.  The driving distance from Nazereth College or Medaille College to Plattsburgh is the same as to Cambridge, MA according to Google Maps. 

Obviously the wisdom of setting up these brackets is beyond me. ;)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 01, 2010, 12:20:44 PM

They don't pay any attention to the d3hoops.com rankings.

MIT's SOS hurts their seeding for tournament purposes, as did not winning their conference tournament.

Medaille and Plattsburgh won their conference tournament and they got those spots. 

They had to send three teams south, Clark and Albertus make sense due to rank and location.  MIT is in essentially the 8-9 game in their region.

The only other likely spots I would have seen for them are Plattsburgh's and Brandeis' spots.

I'm not sure the potential William Patterson matchup will be much harder than the potential St. John Fisher matchup would have been.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2010, 01:21:52 PM
Anyone notice how everyone in the NEWMAC has a pretty good SOS besides MIT?  I think this is mainly because they all get "credit" for playing MIT at least twice, which essentially adds a ~42-6 record to their SOS which brings it up a lot.  Too bad they could not host, I think if they had taken care of business this weekend it may have been a possibility.  Regardless, they got into the tourney, so you cant complain.  Looking at DeSales site, MIT will have a size advantage, as they have against nearly every team they have played this year, but DeSales has some really talented guards, so it should be interesting to see the clash of styles.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 01, 2010, 01:52:43 PM
Also, MIT won't be No. 13 anymore this week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 01, 2010, 02:54:19 PM
Quote from: T990 on February 28, 2010, 10:57:16 AM
Just an observation:  In the 2 earlier games between Clark and MIT, MIT scored 54 and 59 points.  Yesterday they scored 59 points again.  In the 3 games, Clark scored 51, 52, and yesterday had 71.

Looking at Clark's 3 top scorers from yesterday, in the 3 games they went:

Mitch Renshaw  11p, 0p, 19p  (game1 pts, game 2 pts, game 3 pts)

Mark Alexander 12p, 17p, 15p

Jack Minister  5p, 3p, 19p

Minister and Renshaw were the difference, with Renshaw hitting 7 of 8 from the field and Minister hitting 5 Treys.  Clark got 38 points from 2 guys who put up a total of 11 and 8 in the previous games.
Excellent analysis.  The real difference maker was Minister.  From what I've seen, he is a designated shooter who seldom drives and often fouls.  He is one of those players who should never be left open.  His 3-pointers per minute are significant.  Oh well, credit still goes to Clark and I will be rooting for them in every game except when they play MIT.

Quote from: Rick Vaughn on March 01, 2010, 11:24:03 AM
MIT fans must have been sweating it a little bit...They had to have been confident, but that was cruel to put them in the bottom right corner bracket.   MIT has a tough road ahead. 

I'm sure there were some anxious moments as the team was listening to the announced brackets.  I am also disappointed in having to potentially face a top-10 ranked team in their second round.  Hopefully, MIT can dig down and play some good defense.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 01, 2010, 03:07:01 PM
hugenerd,


   I managed to get to Cambridge yesterday for the title game.  The game was a wild one, but I guess I missed the real fireworks on Sat.  MIT was unable to finish strong with a tied game midway through the 2nd half and then WPI winning big over Springfield.  Big win,  but also a big loss as well.   WPI lost top rebounder and 2nd leading scorer Fernando Perez for the championship game when he and Ryan Coburn of Springfield both threw punches after Coburn hit Perez in the face with an elbow and then Perez retaliated with shove.  Later Calaveri & Etten got hit with double Ts and Pat Crean went off on a ref for a double T of his own near the end of the game.  6 Ts and 51 fouls overall!  I looked back at the play-by-play to check that out after what people were telling me about that game.  Everyone I talked to that saw the game agreed on one thing - the officials had extremely poor control over the game and then had to over compensate to get it back. 

   Yesterday, early on it looked like it might be a blowout...by Clark!  They got things moving and had a 21-9 lead midway in the 1st half.  WPI did finally get back into it led by Jeff Robinson (9pts) & Matt Carr (6 pts).  Clark got a bucket in the final 10 seconds from Minister to make it a 6 pt lead at the half.

   In the second half, it was Ben Etten show for the engineers.  He played all 20 minutes scoring 16 pts.  The only shot his missed was a free throw.    The game  bounced from 5 to 8 pts until 12 minutes to go when Kyle Nadeau found Carr for a big dunk that triggered a 13 to 6 run.  Robinson dished to Carr for a layup that gave the Engineers a 56-54 lead with 7 minutes to go.  It would be the last lead for WPI.   Vayda missed a 3 and then WPI had 2 open looks to extend the lead, but missed both shots.  Chris LoPiano found Minister for 3 and Clark was backon top.  They opened it up to 5 pts when Carr made a great 3/4 court outlet pass to Etten who was fouled on his layup and he cut the lead to 2 with 3:34 to go.  2 Vayda free throws made it 4 pt lead then a questionalable traveling call on Etten and missed shots by both teams gave Clark the ball and Vayda,  who had been contained most of the day by the tandem of Carr and Bennett Lessard, hit 3 coming off a screen to open make it a 7 point game.  Clark sealed the game by hitting 7 of 10 free throws in the final minute.

Robinson (18 pts, 9 rebs), Etten (18 pts), Carr (10 pts, 7 rebs) & Nadeau (8 pts, 8 assts) led the way for the Engineers.  Lone senior Bennett Lessard put up 4 pts and 4 rebs to go with a tremedous effort on the defensive end in his final collegiate game.

Clark was led by Mark Alexander with a game high 21 pts to go with 4 rebs , Jack Minister (18 pts, 6 rebs) and Brian Vayda with 13 pts and 5 boards.


Good Luck To MIT in their 1st round game against DeSales.

Congradulations the the Clark Seniors - Jack Minister, Chris LoPiano, Mark Alexander, Slader Lyell, & Reed Powell.  Best of luck to them & the entire Cougar team when they play Albright!


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: emesb on March 01, 2010, 03:13:34 PM
Boy talk about sour grapes. MIT didn't take care of business. If they had made to the final and lost that might have helped. Clark played MIT strong both times during the regular season. Clark lost at least 8 games by 4 points or less. Jekyl and Hyde team they threw big punch in the first half most of the time but couldn't close it out. They are loosing seniors  buut they still have a young core. My felling was if Clark had a chance to get their it was this year. As MIT matures they will be that much tougher.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2010, 08:08:23 PM
mass,

I couldnt make the game on Saturday, but it wasnt too difficult a decision to make, it was my daughter's 3rd birthday, and then I didnt feel like going to the final after MITs semifinal result.

Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 01, 2010, 03:07:01 PM
hugenerd,


  I managed to get to Cambridge yesterday for the title game.  The game was a wild one, but I guess I missed the real fireworks on Sat.  MIT was unable to finish strong with a tied game midway through the 2nd half and then WPI winning big over Springfield.  Big win,  but also a big loss as well.   WPI lost top rebounder and 2nd leading scorer Fernando Perez for the championship game when he and Ryan Coburn of Springfield both threw punches after Coburn hit Perez in the face with an elbow and then Perez retaliated with shove.  Later Calaveri & Etten got hit with double Ts and Pat Crean went off on a ref for a double T of his own near the end of the game.  6 Ts and 51 fouls overall!  I looked back at the play-by-play to check that out after what people were telling me about that game.  Everyone I talked to that saw the game agreed on one thing - the officials had extremely poor control over the game and then had to over compensate to get it back.  

I heard it was more than just a shove by Perez, I heard it was a left (not suprisingly) to the head of Coburn that required 4 stitches to close.  Too bad, they sorely missed him in the championship as he is their real inside presence.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2010, 10:04:58 PM
MIT dropped to #5 in the final NE region rankings.  MIT Basketball Blog (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/03/mit-falls-to-5th-in-final-ne-region.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2010, 10:49:46 PM
Clip of MIT NCAA Selection 'Party' at MIT Basketball Blog.  Ever wonder what its like to wait until the last pick to see if you are into the dance:

MIT NCAA Selection Party at MIT Basketball Blog (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/03/mit-basketball-ncaa-selection-reaction.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 01, 2010, 11:14:52 PM
Nerd,

  You are correct from the accounts I heard.  Once the punches started to go, Perez got the best of Coburn.  What everyone I spoke with said though was the crew let the elbow by Coburn go with no call and Perez's retaliation shove.  The double T's and ejections were only whistled and called after both players started throwing punches.  The game was apparently very "chipy" with a lot of trash talking before this, so my bet is that the play that led to the fight was the proverbial last straw for both of them and the frustrations came out.

I have seen similar situations (none getting to the point of punches however) in a lot of games over the last few years where officials can't seem to call a game consistently from start to finish and the players get frustrated that plays in one part of the game are let go, then all of a sudden the crew starts to call a completely different game.

If you look back at the play-by-play of the box score, WPI was called for 7 fouls in the next 3 minutes after the fight while Springfield was called for 1 (Cavalieri's T with Etten).  In the 2.5 minutes before the fight, there was one foul called on each team.

As far as Perez being WPI's real inside presence, that really was not true after conference play started, especially down the stretch.  In that semifinal game, he only had 2 pts and no rebounds before getting ejected.  Jerome Stewart and Carr both stepped up and provided better overall balance on the inside for the Engineers.  As we have discussed many times, Perez's game is actually easy to defend right now.  Stewart has a good variety of moves both left & right on the block and has a very effective jumper out to about 15 ft.  Carr has developed a very good jump hook and has 3pt range as well the ability to finish strong above the rim. 

If you look at the numbers since that loss to MIT in Worcester,

Perez  - -  21.5 mpg/8.1 ppg/5.8 rpg in 6.5 games
Stewart – 20.5 mpg/7.1 ppg/4.1 rpg in 8 games
Carr  - - - 17.9 mpg/6.6 ppg/5.9 rpg in 8 games
Lessard – 14.3 mpg/3.1 ppg/4.4 rpg in 8 games

In my view it was because of a greater diversity in their low post game that WPI went 6-2 in those 8 games after going 4-4 in the previous 8 games.  Having more than one person to go to inside opened up the outside game for Nadeau, Robinson & Etten

They also had a 6'6" freshman, Joe Wesoloski, stepped in and played very well after Perez was lost to the team.  In order to compete with MIT over the next couple of years, WPI needs to have Carr to continue to improve and Wesoloski & Jameel Galloway need to step up and become a bigger part of the playing rotation.  If they don't bring these players (or someone else in that 6'6" to 6'9" range) along as a major part of the team, there is no way they will handle MIT.  We saw that this year and I think we all agree that the young MIT front court will continue to get better over the next few seasons.


Congrads on your daughter's birthday.  You obviously made the correct choice - > The only game you should be at on her birthday is one she is playing in!  Don't worry that will be happening in no time!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2010, 01:28:45 AM
Thanks,

MIT already has at least 3 more 6'5"-6'9" forwards players that have verbally comitted to MIT.  One is the recently mentioned Will Dickson, who at 6'8"-6'9" is averaging nearly a double double with 17.5ppg and 9.5 ppg for his high school in Dallas.  

Also 6'6" Tim Donegan, another forward recruit of the Pittsburgh area has already let his interest in MIT known with an article in the Pitt Tribune (Donegan to MIT article (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/sports/s_661588.html))
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on March 02, 2010, 07:13:58 AM
New Top 25 Poll has been released;

http://d3hoops.com/top25/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on March 02, 2010, 11:58:02 AM
I believe the Donegan article is from a year ago.

I am hoping MIT wins on Friday, good chance I can make it to the Saturday game.  Maybe the email sent to the area alums generates some interest for the weekend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2010, 02:00:29 PM
Quote from: tball on March 02, 2010, 11:58:02 AM
I believe the Donegan article is from a year ago.

I am hoping MIT wins on Friday, good chance I can make it to the Saturday game.  Maybe the email sent to the area alums generates some interest for the weekend.

You are right. 

Yeah, I hope some people show up to cheer on MIT.  Also, Jimmy Burke's high school is within 15 minutes of William Paterson, from what I hear, and Mitch Kates is about an hour away, so they should have some other local support as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2010, 03:40:00 PM
Congrats to Noel Hollingsworth for picking up Player of the Year honors and Mitchell Kates for picking up Rookie of the Year honors.  Hollingsworth was also named 1st Team and Kates was named 2nd team all-conference.

http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/03/noel-hollingsworth-named-newmac-player.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 02, 2010, 07:58:22 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 01, 2010, 11:14:52 PM
I have seen similar situations (none getting to the point of punches however) in a lot of games over the last few years where officials can’t seem to call a game consistently from start to finish and the players get frustrated that plays in one part of the game are let go, then all of a sudden the crew starts to call a completely different game.

If you look back at the play-by-play of the box score, WPI was called for 7 fouls in the next 3 minutes after the fight while Springfield was called for 1 (Cavalieri’s T with Etten).  In the 2.5 minutes before the fight, there was one foul called on each team.
I agree with your opinion on the officiating.  There appeared to be many questionable physical plays by Springfield when they played MIT that did not get called.  This is not to take anything away from Springfield because they were smart in continuing their physical play as long as it is not being called.  The referees should do a better job as that is how games can easily get out of control.

Quote from: hugenerd on March 02, 2010, 01:28:45 AM
MIT already has at least 3 more 6'5"-6'9" forwards players that have verbally comitted to MIT.  One is the recently mentioned Will Dickson, who at 6'8"-6'9" is averaging nearly a double double with 17.5ppg and 9.5 ppg for his high school in Dallas. 

Also 6'6" Tim Donegan, another forward recruit of the Pittsburgh area has already let his interest in MIT known with an article in the Pitt Tribune (Donegan to MIT article (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/sports/s_661588.html))
I agree that it appears that MIT is getting a lot of good recruits.  It's also worth mentioning that Jamie (6'5" shooting guard or small forward) who started last year will be back for MIT.  IMHO, Jamie will probably move into Billy Johnson's spot in the lineup, but hopefully there will be good competition at all spots.

I hope that both Clark and MIT will win their first two NCAA games so they can play each other again with both teams healthy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 02, 2010, 08:52:31 PM
First off,

  Congradulations to ALL those recieving honors from the conference today.

Player of the Year
Noel Hollingsworth, MIT

Rookie of the Year
Mitchell Kates, MIT

Coach of the Year
Charlie Brock, Springfield

Sportsmanship Award
Coast Guard Academy

First Team All-Conference
Noel Hollingsworth, MIT
Mark Alexander, Clark
Brian Vayda, Clark
Matt Cavalieri, Springfield
Jeffrey Robinson, WPI 

Second Team All-Conference
Mitchell Kates, MIT
Pat Crean, Springfield
Anthony Coppola, Wheaton
Brendan Degnan, Wheaton
Kyle Nadeau, WPI



Quote from: BBallers on March 02, 2010, 07:58:22 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 01, 2010, 11:14:52 PM
I have seen similar situations (none getting to the point of punches however) in a lot of games over the last few years where officials can’t seem to call a game consistently from start to finish and the players get frustrated that plays in one part of the game are let go, then all of a sudden the crew starts to call a completely different game.

If you look back at the play-by-play of the box score, WPI was called for 7 fouls in the next 3 minutes after the fight while Springfield was called for 1 (Cavalieri’s T with Etten).  In the 2.5 minutes before the fight, there was one foul called on each team.
I agree with your opinion on the officiating.  There appeared to be many questionable physical plays by Springfield when they played MIT that did not get called.  This is not to take anything away from Springfield because they were smart in continuing their physical play as long as it is not being called.  The referees should do a better job as that is how games can easily get out of control.


I agree with you that a savvy team will continue to push the edge of what is being called and not being called.  The officials MUST be better at establishing in the first few minutes what the game is going to be and then calling that game until the very end.  The best officiated games I have seen in ANY sport are the ones where you don't walk away talking about the officiating.

There is nothing more frustrating as a player than to get called for a foul halfway through the 2nd half of a game when you and your opposition have been playing that way the whole game with no calls.  It is the same as an umpire all of a sudden changing the strike zone halfway through a game, or in football when the refs start calling pass interference in the fourth quarter after letting the same kinds of plays go for 3 qtrs.

The single biggest thing we all look for in officials is consistency from the tip-off until the final buzzer!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2010, 10:26:11 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 02, 2010, 07:58:22 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 01, 2010, 11:14:52 PM
I have seen similar situations (none getting to the point of punches however) in a lot of games over the last few years where officials can't seem to call a game consistently from start to finish and the players get frustrated that plays in one part of the game are let go, then all of a sudden the crew starts to call a completely different game.

If you look back at the play-by-play of the box score, WPI was called for 7 fouls in the next 3 minutes after the fight while Springfield was called for 1 (Cavalieri's T with Etten).  In the 2.5 minutes before the fight, there was one foul called on each team.
I agree with your opinion on the officiating.  There appeared to be many questionable physical plays by Springfield when they played MIT that did not get called.  This is not to take anything away from Springfield because they were smart in continuing their physical play as long as it is not being called.  The referees should do a better job as that is how games can easily get out of control.

Quote from: hugenerd on March 02, 2010, 01:28:45 AM
MIT already has at least 3 more 6'5"-6'9" forwards players that have verbally comitted to MIT.  One is the recently mentioned Will Dickson, who at 6'8"-6'9" is averaging nearly a double double with 17.5ppg and 9.5 ppg for his high school in Dallas.  

Also 6'6" Tim Donegan, another forward recruit of the Pittsburgh area has already let his interest in MIT known with an article in the Pitt Tribune (Donegan to MIT article (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/sports/s_661588.html))
I agree that it appears that MIT is getting a lot of good recruits.  It's also worth mentioning that Jamie (6'5" shooting guard or small forward) who started last year will be back for MIT.  IMHO, Jamie will probably move into Billy Johnson's spot in the lineup, but hopefully there will be good competition at all spots.

I hope that both Clark and MIT will win their first two NCAA games so they can play each other again with both teams healthy.


They could also be getting back Dan McCue, who was a starting guard 2 years ago.  He can play both the point and shooting guard.  He was injured last year and is abroad/injured this season.  
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 03, 2010, 09:05:47 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 02, 2010, 01:28:45 AM
They could also be getting back Dan McCue, who was a starting guard 2 years ago.  He can play both the point and shooting guard.  He was injured last year and is abroad/injured this season. 
I forgot all about "D-Mac".  MIT will really be loaded next season.  I hope that MIT plays more D1 and other strong competition next season.  I bet you could let about 80% of our pre-conference opposing coaches choose 5 MIT players who would not play and MIT would still go undefeated.

But that is next season.  I hope MIT plays strong again in the NCAA's beginning this weekend and start playing an underdog role that could help control the playoff nervousness.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmachoopsfan on March 03, 2010, 10:44:32 PM
This is my first post.  I read an article about Jimmy Bartolotta and his success at MIT and I was very impressed.  I started following the team's success this winter and it sounds like they have a great mix of veteran leadership and young talent.  I saw the NCAA selection clip on the blog and it sounds like the coach is a very impressive guy.  Do they have a good match up against the first team or two they face?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on March 04, 2010, 12:14:48 AM
Quote from: newmachoopsfan on March 03, 2010, 10:44:32 PM
This is my first post.  I read an article about Jimmy Bartolotta and his success at MIT and I was very impressed.  I started following the team's success this winter and it sounds like they have a great mix of veteran leadership and young talent.  I saw the NCAA selection clip on the blog and it sounds like the coach is a very impressive guy.  Do they have a good match up against the first team or two they face?

NMHF---MIT will be playing against DeSales on Friday night...although MIT will outsize them, DeSales runs almost all their stuff through their guards who are very good...teams that do this with quality at the guard position generally give MIT problems....expectation is this will be a close game and should be viewed currently as a toss-up.  Either way, the winner of this game may be playing William Patterson on Saturday ( assuming WP defeats Albertus Magnus)....highly unlikely that either MIT or DeSales will prevail over William Patterson...they're pretty stacked and certainly a lot more athletic than MIT....having said all that many many kudos to Coach Anderson ( by the way, he IS a very impressive guy) and and his team...they will continue to progress in the next few years because they are recruiting very effectively
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 04, 2010, 12:34:55 AM
Congratulations to Ben Etten & Matt Carr of WPI on receiving Academic All-Conference Honors.

Also congrats go out to Noel Hollinsworth, Billy Bender, Jamie Karraker & Pat Sissman of MIT, Conner Flynn of Springfield College and David Opp of Clark University.

These young men show us they can play the game at a high level, but also commit to achieving at the highest levels in the classroom too.  After all that is the real purpose for being at these schools.

Here is the WPI release.

Babson Park, MA --- A pair of New Hampshire natives represent WPI on the 2009-2010 NEWMAC Men's Basketball All-Academic team.  Junior Ben Etten (Hollis, NH) receives the honor for the second straight season, while Matt Carr (Somersworth, NH) earns his first academic accolade from the conference.

WPI joined conference regular season champion MIT as the only NEWMAC institution with multiple student-athletes named to the squad.

Both WPI players have distinguished themselves on the court and in the classroom.  Etten, a junior, was selected in early February to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (Co-SIDA), while Carr, a sophomore, boasts a perfect 4.00 GPA.

Honorees must have met the following criteria: earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5/4.0 scale or 4.35/5.0 scale after the 2009 fall semester, achieved second year academic status at her institution, and been a member of the varsity team for the entire season.

The NEWMAC consists of 10 highly selective institutions committed to academic excellence: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The Engineers won a pair of NEWMAC Tournament contests last week before falling to Clark 74-68 in the championship game.  WPI, 20-7 on the season, joined Wooster (OH) and Maryville (TN) as the only Division III programs with 20 or more wins in the each of the past seven seasons.   

NEWMAC Release


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2009-10 NEWMAC Men's Basketball Academic All-Conference Team

David Opp                 2011  Clark 

Billy Bender               2012  MIT 

Noel Hollingsworth    2012  MIT 

Jamie Karraker          2012  MIT 

Patrick Sissman         2010  MIT 

Conner Flynn             2012  Springfield

Matt Carr                  2012  WPI 

Ben Etten                  2011  WPI 

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2010, 11:17:30 AM
Quote from: remsleep on March 04, 2010, 12:14:48 AM
Quote from: newmachoopsfan on March 03, 2010, 10:44:32 PM
This is my first post.  I read an article about Jimmy Bartolotta and his success at MIT and I was very impressed.  I started following the team's success this winter and it sounds like they have a great mix of veteran leadership and young talent.  I saw the NCAA selection clip on the blog and it sounds like the coach is a very impressive guy.  Do they have a good match up against the first team or two they face?

NMHF---MIT will be playing against DeSales on Friday night...although MIT will outsize them, DeSales runs almost all their stuff through their guards who are very good...teams that do this with quality at the guard position generally give MIT problems....expectation is this will be a close game and should be viewed currently as a toss-up.  Either way, the winner of this game may be playing William Patterson on Saturday ( assuming WP defeats Albertus Magnus)....highly unlikely that either MIT or DeSales will prevail over William Patterson...they're pretty stacked and certainly a lot more athletic than MIT....having said all that many many kudos to Coach Anderson ( by the way, he IS a very impressive guy) and and his team...they will continue to progress in the next few years because they are recruiting very effectively

I think a lot will depend on how healthy MIT's guards are.  If Bender and Kates are close to 100%, they will have a pretty good shot.  MIT will definitely outsize DeSales, as they dont play anyone over 6'4" more than ~10 minutes a game, and MIT will start 6'2", 6'5", 6'8", 6'8", 6'9", but the game will depend on how much MIT can slow down Darnell Braswell and who shoots better from outside.  If MIT is -18 or more points from 3, they will have a tough time beating anyone.

Also, with respect to William Paterson, and not overlooking DeSales in any way, but I think an MIT/WP matchup would be a very close game.  Both play similar styles and both are top ~7 in the country in scoring defense, which makes me think that if they were to play, the game would be low scoring and both teams would have a shot at it.  I think DeSales and WP are both very good teams though, so there is no telling who is coming out of that pod (Albertus Magnus also has a lot of talent).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2010, 01:06:38 PM
Quote from: newmachoopsfan on March 03, 2010, 10:44:32 PM
This is my first post.  I read an article about Jimmy Bartolotta and his success at MIT and I was very impressed.  I started following the team's success this winter and it sounds like they have a great mix of veteran leadership and young talent.  I saw the NCAA selection clip on the blog and it sounds like the coach is a very impressive guy.  Do they have a good match up against the first team or two they face?

Welcome to the board.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: emesb on March 04, 2010, 03:06:04 PM
I wuld love to see MIT and Clark win at least a couple games each. That would make a nice statement for the NEWMAC. Good luck Boys. I hope all are healthy and ready for the tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: emesb on March 04, 2010, 03:09:55 PM
I have a question of others more experienced than me. Do teams run into big changes in the way games are called by the refs when they travel out of the northeast or are the games just as physical everywhere or even more so.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 04, 2010, 03:35:20 PM
Don't forget, final three-plus hours to enter the D3hoops.com bracket challenge.

You have extra time for the women's bracket, since the first game isn't until 4 p.m. ET on Friday.

http://www.d3hoops.com/pickem/

(And yes, emesb, I would say the style of officiating varies significantly across the country, though I don't know it well enough to characterize it.)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 04, 2010, 03:40:28 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 04, 2010, 11:17:30 AM
MIT will be playing against DeSales on Friday night...although MIT will outsize them, DeSales runs almost all their stuff through their guards who are very good...teams that do this with quality at the guard position generally give MIT problems....expectation is this will be a close game and should be viewed currently as a toss-up.  Either way, the winner of this game may be playing William Patterson on Saturday ( assuming WP defeats Albertus Magnus)....highly unlikely that either MIT or DeSales will prevail over William Patterson...they're pretty stacked and certainly a lot more athletic than MIT....having said all that many many kudos to Coach Anderson ( by the way, he IS a very impressive guy) and and his team...they will continue to progress in the next few years because they are recruiting very effectively

I think a lot will depend on how healthy MIT's guards are.  If Bender and Kates are close to 100%, they will have a pretty good shot.  MIT will definitely outsize DeSales, as they dont play anyone over 6'4" more than ~10 minutes a game, and MIT will start 6'2", 6'5", 6'8", 6'8", 6'9", but the game will depend on how much MIT can slow down Darnell Braswell and who shoots better from outside.  If MIT is -18 or more points from 3, they will have a tough time beating anyone.

Also, with respect to William Paterson, and not overlooking DeSales in any way, but I think an MIT/WP matchup would be a very close game.  Both play similar styles and both are top ~7 in the country in scoring defense, which makes me think that if they were to play, the game would be low scoring and both teams would have a shot at it.  I think DeSales and WP are both very good teams though, so there is no telling who is coming out of that pod (Albertus Magnus also has a lot of talent).
[/quote]
Appreciate the DeSales preview and analysis.  I agree it will be a tough matchup for MIT.  I believe Kates is close to 100% and Bender was cleared to play but still has a high ankle sprain.  BTW, the game is being shown on video (link is at the MIT website under "Schedule/Results").

I hope everyone filled in their D3 Mens brackets on this website.  My only chance of being close to a high score is if MIT goes all the way!  ;)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 04, 2010, 03:51:21 PM
Quote from: emesb on March 04, 2010, 03:06:04 PM
I wuld love to see MIT and Clark win at least a couple games each. That would make a nice statement for the NEWMAC. Good luck Boys. I hope all are healthy and ready for the tourney.
Me too!  Go NEWMAC!  Hope Clark and MIT face each other again after winning a couple of games.
Quote from: emesb on March 04, 2010, 03:09:55 PM
I have a question of others more experienced than me. Do teams run into big changes in the way games are called by the refs when they travel out of the northeast or are the games just as physical everywhere or even more so.
LOL, I have seen so many games called differently by different officiating crews during our conference games, sometimes with the same crew (but not often).  Suffice to say that there will be some adjusting by all the teams.  The home team probably feels more comfortable and will have the fan support.  I just hope MIT and Clark perform well and not let the referees influence the game too much.  If DeSales smaller team fouls the larger MIT players, I hope it will be called fairly.  DeSales may be quicker and more athletic, but hopefully that won't influence the officials calls or no calls.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2010, 03:53:52 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 04, 2010, 03:40:28 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 04, 2010, 03:40:28 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 04, 2010, 11:17:30 AM
MIT will be playing against DeSales on Friday night...although MIT will outsize them, DeSales runs almost all their stuff through their guards who are very good...teams that do this with quality at the guard position generally give MIT problems....expectation is this will be a close game and should be viewed currently as a toss-up.  Either way, the winner of this game may be playing William Patterson on Saturday ( assuming WP defeats Albertus Magnus)....highly unlikely that either MIT or DeSales will prevail over William Patterson...they're pretty stacked and certainly a lot more athletic than MIT....having said all that many many kudos to Coach Anderson ( by the way, he IS a very impressive guy) and and his team...they will continue to progress in the next few years because they are recruiting very effectively

I think a lot will depend on how healthy MIT's guards are.  If Bender and Kates are close to 100%, they will have a pretty good shot.  MIT will definitely outsize DeSales, as they dont play anyone over 6'4" more than ~10 minutes a game, and MIT will start 6'2", 6'5", 6'8", 6'8", 6'9", but the game will depend on how much MIT can slow down Darnell Braswell and who shoots better from outside.  If MIT is -18 or more points from 3, they will have a tough time beating anyone.

Also, with respect to William Paterson, and not overlooking DeSales in any way, but I think an MIT/WP matchup would be a very close game.  Both play similar styles and both are top ~7 in the country in scoring defense, which makes me think that if they were to play, the game would be low scoring and both teams would have a shot at it.  I think DeSales and WP are both very good teams though, so there is no telling who is coming out of that pod (Albertus Magnus also has a lot of talent).
Appreciate the DeSales preview and analysis.  I agree it will be a tough matchup for MIT.  I believe Kates is close to 100% and Bender was cleared to play but still has a high ankle sprain.  BTW, the game is being shown on video (link is at the MIT website under "Schedule/Results").

I hope everyone filled in their D3 Mens brackets on this website.  My only chance of being close to a high score is if MIT goes all the way!  ;)

All those links are also on the MIT Basketball Blog (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: emesb on March 04, 2010, 04:09:50 PM
I may be making an assumption that is incorrect but I have watched both teams newmac teams are playing on video online it surely didn't seem very physical. I would be very concerned. It looked like people were being given a free pass to the basket and there was noo bodying up like we see.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BJ - DSU SID on March 04, 2010, 08:37:25 PM
Been following the conversation on this board all week in anticipation of tomorrow's MIT/DeSales match-up.

One thing I must correct.  DeSales has started 6-6 Jamey Bercier in all 27 games and 6-5 Bob Zanneo averages 15+ minutes per game.  So we do have some height on our roster to go along with all our quick/skilled guards.

Should be an exciting and interesting match-up tomorrow.  I am looking forward to it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on March 04, 2010, 10:01:06 PM
What kind of crowd will Desales bring to New Jersey? I don't expect alot of people for the first game but expect it to be pretty full for the WP contest with all the giveaways to the students.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2010, 10:43:42 PM
Quote from: BJ - DSU SID on March 04, 2010, 08:37:25 PM
Been following the conversation on this board all week in anticipation of tomorrow's MIT/DeSales match-up.

One thing I must correct.  DeSales has started 6-6 Jamey Bercier in all 27 games and 6-5 Bob Zanneo averages 15+ minutes per game.  So we do have some height on our roster to go along with all our quick/skilled guards.

Should be an exciting and interesting match-up tomorrow.  I am looking forward to it.

On the site it says Bercier averages 15.0 mpg and Zanneo plays 14.7 mpg.  Also Bercier has played 9, 14, and 10 minutes in the last 3 games despite two of those being blowouts.  The general comment was meant to say that DeSales prefers playing a smaller lineup, and mainly plays players 6'4" and under.  Out of players who have appeared in at least 75% of the teams games, players over 6'4" play only 35 minutes or so out of 200 total minutes.  And the two players you pointed out who are taller than 6'4", who are 6'5" and 6'6", play 30 of those ~35 minutes.  Needless to say, MIT will be the bigger team.  It will be an interesting clash of styles.

http://athletics.desales.edu/custompages/mbball/2009-10/teamcume.htm?path=mbball
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2010, 10:54:27 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 04, 2010, 10:43:42 PM
Quote from: BJ - DSU SID on March 04, 2010, 08:37:25 PM
Been following the conversation on this board all week in anticipation of tomorrow's MIT/DeSales match-up.

One thing I must correct.  DeSales has started 6-6 Jamey Bercier in all 27 games and 6-5 Bob Zanneo averages 15+ minutes per game.  So we do have some height on our roster to go along with all our quick/skilled guards.

Should be an exciting and interesting match-up tomorrow.  I am looking forward to it.

On the site it says Bercier averages 15.0 mpg and Zanneo plays 14.7 mpg.  Also Bercier has played 9, 14, and 10 minutes in the last 3 games despite two of those being blowouts.  The general comment was meant to say that DeSales prefers playing a smaller lineup, and mainly plays players 6'4" and under.  Out of players who have appeared in at least 75% of the teams games, players over 6'4" play only 35 minutes or so out of 200 total minutes.  And the two players you pointed out who are taller than 6'4", who are 6'5" and 6'6", play 30 of those ~35 minutes.  Needless to say, MIT will be the bigger team.  It will be an interesting clash of styles.

http://athletics.desales.edu/custompages/mbball/2009-10/teamcume.htm?path=mbball

Don't mess with the nerd.  He knows how to use that giant calculator.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BJ - DSU SID on March 05, 2010, 09:04:50 AM
I am not messing with anyone.  He is partly right...but the lack of minutes over the past few games was a match-ups situation.  The team we played in the conference title game only had one big guy and he wasn't that big and didn't really play in the post.  So we went small to match them.

Definitely going to be a contrast of two styles tonight...although I will admit I didn't do nearly the amount of research that hugenerd seems to have done.  I am just going on what has been said on the board.

Good Luck to everyone!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 05, 2010, 03:57:52 PM
I don't think MIT has faced a team this year that truly relied on the transition game for its offense.  For MIT to stay with what they've done all year (half court offense and lots of inside game) against DeSales, they will have to minimize their turnovers and control the rebounds.  Generally, MIT is not sloppy with ball.  In their last 2 losses, it did seem there were times MIT was not contending for offensive rebounds as guys would be headed away from the basket on shots rather than getting inside.  The transition game could strain MIT's guards, no question, so MIT is best off being efficient with their own offense and not letting DeSales have too many opportunities on transitions. 

Sounds like Darnell Braswell gets his 21+ pts no matter what you do (like Jimmy Bartollota got his 27+ against everyone last year), so MIT shouldn't get overly concerned with him and foul their team out and put DeSales into the Bonus trying to control him.  Some half court trapping may help, something MIT used effectively a lot in past seasons, but not really used this year.  This year's MIT roster could probably be a pretty good zone D team, although they've only used it in about 3 games this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 05, 2010, 04:24:38 PM
Nice Game Preview article here:

http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2009-10/Game_Notes_NCAA_Tournament_-_MIT_vs._DeSales_Mar_5.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on March 05, 2010, 08:44:38 PM
Disappointing end to the season, losing 3 of 4 and playing their worst basketball of the season.  I hope they learn from this.  Tashman played well, not much else.

Very poor shot selection, missed free throws and getting out rebounded by a much shorter team equals the loss.  I think Bender was missed the last three games rebounding more than anything.  Surprised how few easy baskets were created today, almost every shot was contested.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 05, 2010, 08:50:56 PM
Clark going toe to toe with Albright, at Albright.

37-34 Clark at halftime.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ncaa-division-iii-basketball-albright
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 05, 2010, 09:27:35 PM
I think the lack of depth, combined with injuries, caught up with MIT.  If you look at their 3FG% the last 1/4 of the season or so, it fell off pretty drastically.  Hopefully, with some more depth coming in next year, they will be a better team going into the postseason, instead of peaking about 20 games into the year. 

Either way, a great and memorable season.  Congrats to seniors Billy Johnson and Pat Sissman on great careers.  The future looks bright for MIT, hopefully they will be able to build on this success.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 05, 2010, 09:53:06 PM

Clark beats Albright 69-67.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: newmachoopsfan on March 05, 2010, 09:53:49 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 05, 2010, 09:27:35 PM
I think the lack of depth, combined with injuries, caught up with MIT.  If you look at their 3FG% the last 1/4 of the season or so, it fell off pretty drastically.  Hopefully, with some more depth coming in next year, they will be a better team going into the postseason, instead of peaking about 20 games into the year. 

Either way, a great and memorable season.  Congrats to seniors Billy Johnson and Pat Sissman on great careers.  The future looks bright for MIT, hopefully they will be able to build on this success.

hugenerd,
I completely agree with you assessment. I was able to finally get the video of the DeSales game to pull up on my computer.  I think the guys legs were finally worn out.  The late run in the second half was awesome but it took everything they had to send the game into overtime.  When I saw on the stat sheet that MIT played 5 guys over 40 minutes, it really became apparent that lack of depth and injuries finally did them in.  MIT is full of great young talent that now can be called veterans and hopefully the young guns coming in can contribute next year as much as the freshman did this year.  I did some research on the four players that appear on the MIT blog and found some interesting stuff.  This Baysinger kid is out with an injury but this article appeared from one of his playoff games last year.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/twpdfs/2009/FINAL/W_022809_B_7.PDF

From what I found it seems the other three are currently in their respective state playoffs...

This was a great team to follow this year and I look forward to following them in the years to come.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 05, 2010, 10:06:40 PM
Next year should be fun to watch.

Congrats to Clark on the win.  I am on the Clark bandwagon for the rest of the postseason.  Hopefully they do the NEWMAC proud.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 05, 2010, 10:09:20 PM
Quote from: tball on March 05, 2010, 08:44:38 PM
Disappointing end to the season, losing 3 of 4 and playing their worst basketball of the season.

I think Bender was missed the last three games rebounding more than anything.

I agree and it completely baffles me.  I love Coach Anderson and think he is a great coach, but I believe he made two significant mistakes in his coaching:
·   Benching MIT's starters in 2005 or 2006 game in the NEWMAC tournament costing them the game and a potential shot at the NCAA's.  That team was probably MIT's 3rd best team besides the current team and last year's team.
·   Not playing Bender in this NCAA game after he went though a full practice and most of the players not playing well.

Don't know why.  Maybe he wanted to prove the D3Hoops.com article wrong that depicted MIT's 3 losses in the last 4 games could be due to his absence (now 4 of 5).  It's not that he is an all conference player, but he gives the team what it needs and always plays well in the big games.

This was a big loss.  I'm sorry, but to be truthful, I don't know who DeSales played to earn their record, but I believe they are at best a 3rd place team in our conference.  If this were how they always play, Clark would have easily beaten them.  MIT's defense this game could be referred to as Matador Inspired Technique defense.  Darnell Braswell is a good player, but he could not hold Jimmy Bartolotta's jock strap IMHO.  I didn't see the whole game, but it was obvious that Braswell was not even trying to score earlier in the game (don't confuse that with the defense), but when it was needed, he easily got great looks.

Oh well, my apologies to everyone (especially Coach Anderson) for being negative.  I'm just a disappointed fan.   :-[  To be perfectly clear, I wouldn't trade Coach Anderson for any coach and I'm sure he will get MIT re-loaded next season and go deep in the NCAA tournament and play some strong teams in the early season.   :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 05, 2010, 10:33:29 PM
DeSales will be playing Albertus Magnus tomorrow night.  Wm Paterson took the lead w/ 1.6 sec remaining in the game, then Magnus hit a HALF COURT SHOT before the buzzer to win it 57-55 !
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 05, 2010, 10:46:10 PM
"When I saw on the stat sheet that MIT played 5 guys over 40 minutes, it really became apparent that lack of depth and injuries finally did them in.  MIT is full of great young talent that now can be called veterans "

I have to say this is a bit contradictory.  If your full of great young talent, then you do not have a lack of depth.  They do have 3 great young players, but you cant expect to be sucessful game in & game out when they have to play these number of minutes.  Tashman stepped it up big for MIT tonight, otherwise this is not even a contest.  Very hard to win a tournament game when your best 2 players combine to go 11 for 33. Take Tashman's 8 FGs out, and the rest of theam only scored 14 FGs in 45 minutes of play.  They needed much more from Johnson with Bender being a non-factor.  5 points in 41 minutes was not good for him in these circumstances.

It is amazing that they had Kates play 45, Tashman 44, Burke 43, Hollinsworth 41 & Johnson 41.  Other than those 5, the rest of team only contributed 11 minutes among 3 other players.  Even if they had won, what would they have had left in the tank to play tomorrow?

Certainly Bender not being able to contribute was a big reason for the late season collapse, but that is why you must develop depth during the season.



Congrats to Clark for a thrilling last minute 2-pt win!  It's up to them to carry the NEWMAC banner now.  Brian Vayda with a huge game to lead Clark.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: emesb on March 05, 2010, 10:52:59 PM
Clark finally get some love. one of the best games i have ever seen win or loose but wining is nice.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 05, 2010, 11:20:58 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 05, 2010, 10:09:20 PM
Quote from: tball on March 05, 2010, 08:44:38 PM
Disappointing end to the season, losing 3 of 4 and playing their worst basketball of the season.

I think Bender was missed the last three games rebounding more than anything.

I agree and it completely baffles me.  I love Coach Anderson and think he is a great coach, but I believe he made two significant mistakes in his coaching:
·   Benching MIT's starters in 2005 or 2006 game in the NEWMAC tournament costing them the game and a potential shot at the NCAA's.  That team was probably MIT's 3rd best team besides the current team and last year's team.
·   Not playing Bender in this NCAA game after he went though a full practice and most of the players not playing well.

Don't know why.  Maybe he wanted to prove the D3Hoops.com article wrong that depicted MIT's 3 losses in the last 4 games could be due to his absence (now 4 of 5).  It's not that he is an all conference player, but he gives the team what it needs and always plays well in the big games.

This was a big loss.  I'm sorry, but to be truthful, I don't know who DeSales played to earn their record, but I believe they are at best a 3rd place team in our conference.  If this were how they always play, Clark would have easily beaten them.  MIT's defense this game could be referred to as Matador Inspired Technique defense.  Darnell Braswell is a good player, but he could not hold Jimmy Bartolotta's jock strap IMHO.  I didn't see the whole game, but it was obvious that Braswell was not even trying to score earlier in the game (don't confuse that with the defense), but when it was needed, he easily got great looks.

Oh well, my apologies to everyone (especially Coach Anderson) for being negative.  I'm just a disappointed fan.   :-[  To be perfectly clear, I wouldn't trade Coach Anderson for any coach and I'm sure he will get MIT re-loaded next season and go deep in the NCAA tournament and play some strong teams in the early season.   :)


Have to disagree with you on a few points here:  

1) MIT has now lost 3 of 4, previously it was 2 of 3 (they lost to Harvard and Wheaton earlier in the season).

2) The game that the starters got benched in 2006 was in the ECAC Semifinals, it did not cost them anything in terms of NCAA appearances (I know, I was a grad assistant that year).

3) Bender is ineffective when he cant move.  He is a great player for MIT, but he is not the most athletic player in the world even when 100%.  When you add a serious ankle injury to the equation, things get very subjective.  Coach Anderson put him out there, and obviously didnt like what he saw, and add to that that Burke was playing pretty good defense and I guess he went with the lineup he felt gave them the best chance to win.  He knows his players much better than anyone else, and he put the guys out there he thought would give them the best chance to win.

If you want reasons why they lost:
1) Getting outrebounded even though you are 4 inches taller than everyone on the opposing team at positions 2-5

2) Shooting 13-24 from the FT line (if they make even 70%, they win the game in regulation)

3) Shooting 7-26 grom 3.  Not getting it done.

4) Shoot 38% from the field for the game.

5) Not winning any 50/50 balls, DeSales got nearly every long rebound (hence the edge in overall rebounding).

MIT had a shot, and I wanted to see them win, but you cant expect to win when you get outshot across the board, outrebounded, and out-hustled.  Hopefully this will be a good learning experience for all the young players on the team.  It was certainly a great season and it was amazing to see what this young team did.  No one expected them to win this many games, so I think it best to just be happy with what they accomplished, not what they didnt.  It is unnecessary to try to rehash decisions Coach Anderson made in tonights game, let alone 4 years ago.

There is a lot to look forward to next season...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 05, 2010, 11:35:32 PM
Clark's Coach Phillips did a marvelous job of letting the talents of his players win the game tonight, as well as in the NEWMAC tournament.  He seems to let the players do what they do well and ultimately to win the game.  Clark actually played great in crunch time making critical plays as if they did not have to over think what coach would want, but just play basketball and do what comes naturally to their skill set.  Vayda's 3-pt play in the lane while trailing in the final seconds and double-teamed was immense.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BJ - DSU SID on March 06, 2010, 12:15:42 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 05, 2010, 10:09:20 PM

I agree and it completely baffles me.  I love Coach Anderson and think he is a great coach, but I believe he made two significant mistakes in his coaching:
·   Benching MIT's starters in 2005 or 2006 game in the NEWMAC tournament costing them the game and a potential shot at the NCAA's.  That team was probably MIT's 3rd best team besides the current team and last year's team.
·   Not playing Bender in this NCAA game after he went though a full practice and most of the players not playing well.

Don't know why.  Maybe he wanted to prove the D3Hoops.com article wrong that depicted MIT's 3 losses in the last 4 games could be due to his absence (now 4 of 5).  It's not that he is an all conference player, but he gives the team what it needs and always plays well in the big games.

This was a big loss.  I'm sorry, but to be truthful, I don't know who DeSales played to earn their record, but I believe they are at best a 3rd place team in our conference.  If this were how they always play, Clark would have easily beaten them.  MIT's defense this game could be referred to as Matador Inspired Technique defense.  Darnell Braswell is a good player, but he could not hold Jimmy Bartolotta's jock strap IMHO.  I didn't see the whole game, but it was obvious that Braswell was not even trying to score earlier in the game (don't confuse that with the defense), but when it was needed, he easily got great looks.

Oh well, my apologies to everyone (especially Coach Anderson) for being negative.  I'm just a disappointed fan.   :-[  To be perfectly clear, I wouldn't trade Coach Anderson for any coach and I'm sure he will get MIT re-loaded next season and go deep in the NCAA tournament and play some strong teams in the early season.   :)


I am not going to dignify this post with a comment.  Stay Classy BBallers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: tball on March 06, 2010, 09:11:01 AM
Re Hugenerd last post:

My comment about Bender was that his rebounding was missed due to injury not coaching related.

I do think they need to find ways to score more easy baskets.  Nearly half of the shot attempts in the last two games have been threes and all of Kates' assists the last two games have been on three point shots.

Overall we can look forward to next year, especially if Karraker & McCue are back & if Montgomery works hard to improve this summer and relieve some post minutes.  I would have liked to see a little more of him this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 06, 2010, 11:18:04 AM
Quote from: tball on March 06, 2010, 09:11:01 AM
Re Hugenerd last post:

My comment about Bender was that his rebounding was missed due to injury not coaching related.

I do think they need to find ways to score more easy baskets.  Nearly half of the shot attempts in the last two games have been threes and all of Kates' assists the last two games have been on three point shots.

Overall we can look forward to next year, especially if Karraker & McCue are back & if Montgomery works hard to improve this summer and relieve some post minutes.  I would have liked to see a little more of him this year.

Your post was fine, my response was to BBallers. 

As I said earlier, great season for MIT.  They just got worn down and had too many injuries to win.  Kates, Burke, and Bender were all limited or did not practice last week, not to mention Nick Sather who got injured in the first game this year and Jamie Karraker who was out the whole season.

The return of McCue and Karraker will help, but so will some of the new guys coming in.  Coach Anderson has no problem playing a freshman over upper-classmen, he plays who gives the team its best chance to win.  I will be interested to see what happens with regular-action admissions.  Would be nice if MIT could pick up a couple more solid players to round out the class.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: emesb on March 06, 2010, 01:03:41 PM
This should be called the MIT board not the NEWMAC. All teams deal with injuries players academicaly unable to play and other issues you have to rise above it all. I love you guys. I love Coach Anderson but, Coach Anderson does a great job but.... They didn't get it done thats all. You guys have been bragging about your depth all year. You can't have it the other way. Rmember this beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. STRENGTH COMES FROM ADVERSITY. Your bug man is great but you can't rely on him so much. You need to spread it around a little.

Clark will have a very difficult time matching up today but that is why you play. They have nothing to loose.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on March 06, 2010, 01:09:31 PM
The old injury devil bit the Engineers hard by end of a great season. :o

Next year everyone will have that extra experience, together with a good recruiting year, sould be a NCAA Championship bound,(assuming all starters stay healthy).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 06, 2010, 01:16:56 PM
As promised previously, new article on Tim Donegan.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1039959-361.stm
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: FISHERMAN on March 06, 2010, 05:34:27 PM
I predict Russell Braithwaite will be POY next year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 06, 2010, 06:17:20 PM
Quote from: FISHERMAN on March 06, 2010, 05:34:27 PM
I predict Russell Braithwaite will be POY next year.

That will be tough.  Not only does Hollingsworth return (this year's POY), but so do current first-teamers Jeff Robinson (WPI), Brian Vayda (Clark), Matt Cavalieri (Springfield), former first-teamer (and current second-teamer) Anthony Coppola (Wheaton), and current second-teamers Mitch Kates (MIT) and Brendan Degnan (Wheaton).

I honestly dont see it happening.  I think the winner will be from a top two conference team, so whoever the most productive player on the team that finishes one or two in conference will likely win it.  We saw in the past that numbers alone dont get it done, if they just looked at numbers Bartolotta would have won POY 3 years in a row, but he only won it his senior year when MIT was second in the regular season and won the conference tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 06, 2010, 07:17:06 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 05, 2010, 11:20:58 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 05, 2010, 10:09:20 PM
Quote from: tball on March 05, 2010, 08:44:38 PM
Disappointing end to the season, losing 3 of 4 and playing their worst basketball of the season.

I think Bender was missed the last three games rebounding more than anything.

I agree and it completely baffles me.  I love Coach Anderson and think he is a great coach, but I believe he made two significant mistakes in his coaching:
·   Benching MIT's starters in 2005 or 2006 game in the NEWMAC tournament costing them the game and a potential shot at the NCAA's.  That team was probably MIT's 3rd best team besides the current team and last year's team.
·   Not playing Bender in this NCAA game after he went though a full practice and most of the players not playing well.

Don't know why.  Maybe he wanted to prove the D3Hoops.com article wrong that depicted MIT's 3 losses in the last 4 games could be due to his absence (now 4 of 5).  It's not that he is an all conference player, but he gives the team what it needs and always plays well in the big games.

This was a big loss.  I'm sorry, but to be truthful, I don't know who DeSales played to earn their record, but I believe they are at best a 3rd place team in our conference.  If this were how they always play, Clark would have easily beaten them.  MIT's defense this game could be referred to as Matador Inspired Technique defense.  Darnell Braswell is a good player, but he could not hold Jimmy Bartolotta's jock strap IMHO.  I didn't see the whole game, but it was obvious that Braswell was not even trying to score earlier in the game (don't confuse that with the defense), but when it was needed, he easily got great looks.

Oh well, my apologies to everyone (especially Coach Anderson) for being negative.  I'm just a disappointed fan.   :-[  To be perfectly clear, I wouldn't trade Coach Anderson for any coach and I'm sure he will get MIT re-loaded next season and go deep in the NCAA tournament and play some strong teams in the early season.   :)


Have to disagree with you on a few points here:  

1) MIT has now lost 3 of 4, previously it was 2 of 3 (they lost to Harvard and Wheaton earlier in the season).

2) The game that the starters got benched in 2006 was in the ECAC Semifinals, it did not cost them anything in terms of NCAA appearances (I know, I was a grad assistant that year).

3) Bender is ineffective when he cant move.  He is a great player for MIT, but he is not the most athletic player in the world even when 100%.  When you add a serious ankle injury to the equation, things get very subjective.  Coach Anderson put him out there, and obviously didnt like what he saw, and add to that that Burke was playing pretty good defense and I guess he went with the lineup he felt gave them the best chance to win.  He knows his players much better than anyone else, and he put the guys out there he thought would give them the best chance to win.

If you want reasons why they lost:
1) Getting outrebounded even though you are 4 inches taller than everyone on the opposing team at positions 2-5

2) Shooting 13-24 from the FT line (if they make even 70%, they win the game in regulation)

3) Shooting 7-26 grom 3.  Not getting it done.

4) Shoot 38% from the field for the game.

5) Not winning any 50/50 balls, DeSales got nearly every long rebound (hence the edge in overall rebounding).

MIT had a shot, and I wanted to see them win, but you cant expect to win when you get outshot across the board, outrebounded, and out-hustled.  Hopefully this will be a good learning experience for all the young players on the team.  It was certainly a great season and it was amazing to see what this young team did.  No one expected them to win this many games, so I think it best to just be happy with what they accomplished, not what they didnt.  It is unnecessary to try to rehash decisions Coach Anderson made in tonights game, let alone 4 years ago.

There is a lot to look forward to next season...
As usual Hugenerd, you are correct.  That's why I enjoy reading your posts.  You are correct about the wins along with previous tournament (I must have gotten my tournaments confused).  You are also correct that Coach Anderson knows the players and how they are playing better than the fans.  I'm sure Coach would have played Bender if his ankle was better.  Also agree about the shooting, rebounding, etc.

Like I said, if 2 mistakes are all that I remember (and maybe they weren't even mistakes), that is a pretty good coaching job.  I am not always PC and was just a dissapointed fan after a big game.  Like I said at the end of my post, I would not trade Coach Anderson for any coach and I'm sure MIT will be reloaded and make a deep run in the NCAA's next season.  This was their most wins in any season ever so there is much to be proud about.

Quote from: BJ - DSU SID on March 06, 2010, 12:15:42 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 05, 2010, 10:09:20 PM

I agree and it completely baffles me.  I love Coach Anderson and think he is a great coach, but I believe he made two significant mistakes in his coaching:
·   Benching MIT's starters in 2005 or 2006 game in the NEWMAC tournament costing them the game and a potential shot at the NCAA's.  That team was probably MIT's 3rd best team besides the current team and last year's team.
·   Not playing Bender in this NCAA game after he went though a full practice and most of the players not playing well.

Don't know why.  Maybe he wanted to prove the D3Hoops.com article wrong that depicted MIT's 3 losses in the last 4 games could be due to his absence (now 4 of 5).  It's not that he is an all conference player, but he gives the team what it needs and always plays well in the big games.

This was a big loss.  I'm sorry, but to be truthful, I don't know who DeSales played to earn their record, but I believe they are at best a 3rd place team in our conference.  If this were how they always play, Clark would have easily beaten them.  MIT's defense this game could be referred to as Matador Inspired Technique defense.  Darnell Braswell is a good player, but he could not hold Jimmy Bartolotta's jock strap IMHO.  I didn't see the whole game, but it was obvious that Braswell was not even trying to score earlier in the game (don't confuse that with the defense), but when it was needed, he easily got great looks.

Oh well, my apologies to everyone (especially Coach Anderson) for being negative.  I'm just a disappointed fan.   :-[  To be perfectly clear, I wouldn't trade Coach Anderson for any coach and I'm sure he will get MIT re-loaded next season and go deep in the NCAA tournament and play some strong teams in the early season.   :)


I am not going to dignify this post with a comment.  Stay Classy BBallers.

Again, my apologies.  I am not always the most PC, just a fan who was venting, but did not think I was that bad.  Maybe I will wait longer prior to posting.  Best of luck to DeSales and especially Clark who really won a barnburner.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 06, 2010, 08:03:35 PM

Clark and Randolph-Macon are tied with 15 minutes to go.  This is quite a run Clark's gone on to end the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 06, 2010, 08:29:47 PM
Real tough break for Clark in tonights game.  Mark Alexander goes down 30 seconds into the game with a knee injury and does not return.  My hats off to Clark for hanging with RMC for the entire game without their best player and senior leader.  If they can somehow find a way to pull this game out it would be amazing, but they are against it now down 8 with 3:45 to play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 2RMCFans on March 07, 2010, 10:27:18 AM
We were at the game and Clark played great but the Jackets got some key offense from our point guard (Croskey) at the right moments & outlasted Clark on defense. 

We're sorry that #22 was injured and hope he recovers well-- had he been in the game, the outcome might have been different although R-MC plays really good teams all season & hangs tough. 

#'s 24 and 34 gave R-MC fans fits.  Clark is a really classy team who can mix it up with anyone.  Congrats on a great season!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: FISHERMAN on March 08, 2010, 04:31:16 PM
Babson's Braithwaite, a freshman this year, has a lot of coaches talking. Even as far as Pennsylvania/Ohio region. Supposedly, insiders have him picked to have a breakout season next year. From what i can tell he did well this year on the offensive end for a frosh but really made a name for himself on the defensive end. Anyone have an in-depth scouting report on him? I'm sticking with him as my POY next year. Who's with me?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 08, 2010, 05:18:09 PM
Quote from: FISHERMAN on March 08, 2010, 04:31:16 PM
Babson's Braithwaite, a freshman this year, has a lot of coaches talking. Even as far as Pennsylvania/Ohio region. Supposedly, insiders have him picked to have a breakout season next year. From what i can tell he did well this year on the offensive end for a frosh but really made a name for himself on the defensive end. Anyone have an in-depth scouting report on him? I'm sticking with him as my POY next year. Who's with me?

I really doubt anyone is going to be with you.  And what does having coaches talking as far as Penn/Ohio have to do with anything? Only the coaches in this conference vote, and even if others were talking, what is the significance of Penn/Ohio?  This doesnt seem like a logical or strong argument

Mitch Kates from MIT is also a freshman this year and scored more points per game and had more steals per game (among many other statistics), as was Will Tashmen.  Both put up better numbers than Braithwaite.

Hollingsworth who is the returning NEWMAC POY, went D1 out of high school (he was recruited by at least 15 schools, see link below). 

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Noel-Hollingsworth-59321

Kates could have been also, as he was recruited by several Ivy League schools (see link below):

http://cornellbasketball.blogspot.com/2008/12/recruiting-news_19.html


Braithwaite is a good player, he did well as a freshman, but there is little chance of him winning POY next year, or any year for that matter, with 70% of the all-conference players coming back next year and several of those guys being only freshman and sophomores. 

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on March 09, 2010, 04:20:13 AM
Quote from: emesb on March 06, 2010, 01:03:41 PM
Your bug man is great but you can't rely on him so much. You need to spread it around a little.

My bug man is great as well. And I rely on him quite a bit. Comes in once a month, spreads it around, and all those nasty creepy crawlies are toast! ;D 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 09, 2010, 11:21:25 PM
Quote from: FISHERMAN on March 08, 2010, 04:31:16 PM
Babson's Braithwaite, a freshman this year, has a lot of coaches talking. Even as far as Pennsylvania/Ohio region. Supposedly, insiders have him picked to have a breakout season next year. From what i can tell he did well this year on the offensive end for a frosh but really made a name for himself on the defensive end. Anyone have an in-depth scouting report on him? I'm sticking with him as my POY next year. Who's with me?

Hard to take this seriously, but since you seem to want to press this, so be it.

Since the start of conference play, he had only one game that you even consider was the kind of game a POY should being posting every game day.  He commits too many fouls and turnovers. He has no 3 pt range.

Who exactly are the coaches you are talking about,? I have heard no one other than yourself  thinking this way.  Why would anyone in Penn. care about a freshman player from the Brooklyn, NY on a 10-16 team in Mass.?

You claim there is all this 'buzz' about him, yet you are asking about an in-depth report on him? 

I saw that first WPI game and he played out of his mind, and did a good job on Robinson.  He also played well defensively against him 2 weeks later.  If the league gave a defensive player of the year or selected an All-defense team, he might possibly have a shot at those honors, but just being a good defensive player does not put you in the conversation for POY. 

Lets look at the games he played against the top 2 teams, MIT & Springfield.

5 Games - All Losses, 12-35(34%), 26 pts(5.2), 14 rebs(2.8), 14 TO(2.8), 102 min(20.4), 16 fouls(3.2).

If your going to be even a passing thought in the POY conversation, you must put up some big numbers against the top teams. He is a good young player, but has some big issues that need correction.  You can't foul out of 20% of your teams games if your supposed to be a high end defensive player. He is a 6'3" forward who like Perez from WPI has big problems when he is forced to play against the bigger players in the conference. 

He is not even close to players like Hollinsworth, Robinson, Vayda, Cavalieri & Coppola. These are the real contenders for that award next season.  those first four brought their teams into the conference semis and they consist of 2 sophomores and 2 juniors.  Hard to see how Braithwaite leapfrogs these guys next year or the year after.
 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: FISHERMAN on March 10, 2010, 06:58:17 PM
Thank you mass_d3fan and hugenerd for your responses. I think you make some fair points. I only mentioned that some D3 coaches from outside of the region know of him and were impressed because it made an impression on me that they were aware of a player in the NEWMAC, a freshman nonetheless. I am fully aware that they don't vote for POY. I am also aware that Braithwaite would have to leapfrog some players in order to get such an award. I did do some research though and have not changed my mind that he will be leading contender for the top NEWMAC award.

You mentioned that Kates and Hollingsworth got D1 offers. According to what I heard, Braithwaite was a lock to be offered from numerous schools. He committed to Babson early and turned away the pursuit of BU, Northeastern and Cornell to name just a few. He was also the only player to ever start all four years for Coach David Lubick at national powerhouse St. Mark's. A high school I'm sure many of you in MA area of aware of. Supposedly, he also made a huge jump from year one to year two while he was in high school. I expect the same to happen in his college career.

As for your concern that he might struggle against bigger players, I don't think will be an issue. He's a strong, athletic 6'3'' wing that was recruited to play safety at BC, Syracuse, UNH and Umass.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 10, 2010, 08:49:27 PM
Regardless of how good he, or any other play, is, you aren't good to win POY finishing last in the conference, as Babson was this year.  The winner of the POY has been from a first or second place finisher in the conference each of the last 9 years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 10, 2010, 10:42:51 PM
I didnt notice this until just now, so maybe others already know this, but Williams senior Blake Shultz and MIT freshman Will Tashman went to the same high school.  I found that interesting:

http://www.menloschool.org/news/detail.aspx?pageaction=ViewSinglePublic&LinkID=2409&ModuleID=26
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Rick Vaughn on March 11, 2010, 09:10:33 AM
Quote from: FISHERMAN on March 10, 2010, 06:58:17 PM
According to what I heard, Braithwaite was a lock to be offered from numerous schools. He committed to Babson early and turned away the pursuit of BU, Northeastern and Cornell to name just a few. He was also the only player to ever start all four years for Coach David Lubick at national powerhouse St. Mark's.

As for your concern that he might struggle against bigger players, I don't think will be an issue. He's a strong, athletic 6'3'' wing that was recruited to play safety at BC, Syracuse, UNH and Umass.

He was also heavily recruited by the Canadian curling team and the South Korean short-track speed skating team, but pushed them away for a chance to play hoops for Babson.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 11, 2010, 10:36:38 AM
Quote from: FISHERMAN on March 10, 2010, 06:58:17 PM
Thank you mass_d3fan and hugenerd for your responses. I think you make some fair points. I only mentioned that some D3 coaches from outside of the region know of him and were impressed because it made an impression on me that they were aware of a player in the NEWMAC, a freshman nonetheless. I am fully aware that they don't vote for POY. I am also aware that Braithwaite would have to leapfrog some players in order to get such an award. I did do some research though and have not changed my mind that he will be leading contender for the top NEWMAC award.

You mentioned that Kates and Hollingsworth got D1 offers. According to what I heard, Braithwaite was a lock to be offered from numerous schools. He committed to Babson early and turned away the pursuit of BU, Northeastern and Cornell to name just a few. He was also the only player to ever start all four years for Coach David Lubick at national powerhouse St. Mark's. A high school I'm sure many of you in MA area of aware of. Supposedly, he also made a huge jump from year one to year two while he was in high school. I expect the same to happen in his college career.

As for your concern that he might struggle against bigger players, I don't think will be an issue. He's a strong, athletic 6'3'' wing that was recruited to play safety at BC, Syracuse, UNH and Umass.
I admire your loyalty to Babson and its players.  I remember Braithwaite a little when Babson played MIT.  From what I recall, he was a quick jumper and had some athleticism.  With this athleticism, you could be correct that he has the potential of making a big leap from his freshman to sophomore year.  However, I agree with the great points made by Mass_D3fan and Hugenerd about other conference players and applicable supporting statistics.

Your statements that he was recruited for both basketball and football also validates his athleticism.  When discussing toughness by using football analogies has some merit, a tough-as-nails 6'1" 350 pound nose tackle basketball player would still have trouble shooting over the outstretched arms of a series of 6'8" or 6'9" players in our conference.

It appears that Braithwaite really liked Babson a lot to give up scholarships to all those good D1 programs who are also good schools academically.  What basketball position was he recruited for?  I haven't seen too many 6'3" forwards recruited by D1 programs, but I guess it could happen.

If he has a great leap between his freshman and sophomore years as he had in high school, maybe he could make the second team.  At some point, talent has to be demonstrated statistically and turn into wins for Babson.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 11, 2010, 02:59:39 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 11, 2010, 10:36:38 AM
It appears that Braithwaite really liked Babson a lot to give up scholarships to all those good D1 programs who are also good schools academically.  What basketball position was he recruited for?  I haven't seen too many 6'3" forwards recruited by D1 programs, but I guess it could happen.

He was recruited at the D1 level mainly as a safety in football.  He was a two-star recruit in football: Rivals (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Russell-Braithwaite-85735)

Not rated in basketball, as most d3 players are not, except for a few exceptions (examples: Hollingsworth, Michael Hall from Wheaton also was a star-rated player going into his junior of high school but his star seems to have fizzled a bit, Rivals (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Michael-Hall-59355), note the date on the Rivals article, mid-way through his sophomore year).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 11, 2010, 06:51:23 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 11, 2010, 02:59:39 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 11, 2010, 10:36:38 AM
It appears that Braithwaite really liked Babson a lot to give up scholarships to all those good D1 programs who are also good schools academically.  What basketball position was he recruited for?  I haven't seen too many 6'3" forwards recruited by D1 programs, but I guess it could happen.

He was recruited at the D1 level mainly as a safety in football.  He was a two-star recruit in football: Rivals (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Russell-Braithwaite-85735)

Not rated in basketball, as most d3 players are not, except for a few exceptions (examples: Hollingsworth, Michael Hall from Wheaton also was a star-rated player going into his junior of high school but his star seems to have fizzled a bit, Rivals (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Michael-Hall-59355), note the date on the Rivals article, mid-way through his sophomore year).

I know a few d1 prospects who ended up in d3 because they were injured their senior year and the more attractive d1 programs backed out.  Choosing academics over athletics is a little easier when the athletics aren't so attractive.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 16, 2010, 04:27:55 PM
Congrats to MIT's Noel Hollingsworth for being named 1st-Team All-Northeast Region and Mitchell Kates for being named Northeast Region Rookie of the Year. 

In addition, Jeff Robinson of WPI and Mark Alexander of Clark were named to the 2nd and 3rd teams, respectively.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 17, 2010, 12:41:31 AM
Really good interview of Coach Anderson on ESPNU, if anyone missed it last year (from the 2009 season when MIT made their first ever NCAA tourney).

http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/03/video-flashback-2009-coach-larry.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 17, 2010, 08:44:22 PM
Congratulations to MIT's Noel Hollingsworth for being named 1st-Team ECAC New England ALL—Star team.  Also WPI's Jeff Robinson was named to the 3rd team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 17, 2010, 09:39:04 PM
Congrats to Noel Hollingsworth for being named 2nd team All-American and 1st team All-District by the NABC.

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nabc/genrel/auto_pdf/2010D3All-America.pdf

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nabc/genrel/auto_pdf/2010D3All-District.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 20, 2010, 10:20:06 PM
I was surprised to see today that McClary from Olivet was picked for honorable mention All-American over Noel Hollingsworth.  Both players put up similar numbers this year, Hollingsworth putting up slightly more points and shooting a better percentage from the field, while McClary had a couple more rebounds per game. 

Hollingsworth   McClary
Points   20.419.8
Rebounds9.011.0
Blocks1.441.63
Assists1.71.2
FG%56.0%51.6%
3FG%42.50

However, Hollingsworth was a leader on a team that went 22-5 and made it to the NCAAs while McClary was on a 14-13 Olivet team.

It is a disappointment to not see Hollingsworth on the list, because I feel he really deserved to be there.  The NABC, which I assume is voted on by the NABC coaches, had Hollingsworth as the second best player in the region behind Schultz, while 3 players from the NE made it on the list over Hollingsworth on this site's list.  Tough to imagine that he isnt one of the 15 best forwards or centers in D3.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 22, 2010, 07:38:13 AM
I see record is important to you. What would Olivet have been without McClary?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 22, 2010, 08:15:35 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 22, 2010, 07:38:13 AM
I see record is important to you. What would Olivet have been without McClary?

What would MIT have been without Hollingsworth?  Did his 20+ ppg (on a very high FG%)and 9 rpg not contribute to more wins?

I also know record is important to you.  Does Aaron Thompson make 3rd-Team with just his numbers from this year if he isnt on WashU? (I am not saying he isnt deserving, but there are a lot of guys who scored 17 ppg this year, he was #118 in the country in scoring through last week, so there is obviously something more)  3 years ago, Bartolotta averaged 21.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.9 spg, and 1 bpg, but didnt make AA because he was on a ~.500 team (or was that the year there was a nomination issue?).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 22, 2010, 09:16:59 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 22, 2010, 08:15:35 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 22, 2010, 07:38:13 AM
I see record is important to you. What would Olivet have been without McClary?

What would MIT have been without Hollingsworth?  Did his 20+ ppg (on a very high FG%)and 9 rpg not contribute to more wins?

I also know record is important to you.  Does Aaron Thompson make 3rd-Team with just his numbers from this year if he isnt on WashU (I am not saying he isnt deserving, but there are a lot of guys who scored 17 ppg this year, so there is obviously something more)?  3 years ago, Bartolotta averaged 21.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, and 4.5 apg, 1.9 spg, and 1 bpg, but didnt make AA because he was on a ~.500 team (or was that the year there was a nomination issue?).

I agree that there appears to be some inconsistencies in ascertaining nominees.  The question could also be asked as to where would MIT have been without Bartolotta that year.  Bartolotta also made his other teammates better by creating open shots.

I can see statistically where it would be a close call, but I wish the selections were more consistent on a year to year basis.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 22, 2010, 01:48:31 PM

I've always respected that D3hoops makes its selections on more than numbers.  I think in light of how difficult it is for many of us to see the best players play, either in person or on video, it's admirable that Pat works so hard to make it happen.  I don't have the same luxury, but when I have been able to compare players in person, I've always understood why the decisions were made.

I think Hollingsworth is an exceptional player, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this call simply because of experience.  I doubt I'll ever have the chance to see McClary play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 22, 2010, 02:06:08 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 22, 2010, 01:48:31 PM

I've always respected that D3hoops makes its selections on more than numbers.  I think in light of how difficult it is for many of us to see the best players play, either in person or on video, it's admirable that Pat works so hard to make it happen.  I don't have the same luxury, but when I have been able to compare players in person, I've always understood why the decisions were made.

I think Hollingsworth is an exceptional player, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this call simply because of experience.  I doubt I'll ever have the chance to see McClary play.

So you are telling me that Pat saw Hollingsworth play?  I would be surprised if that were true.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: CCC Talk on March 22, 2010, 03:42:34 PM
Pat and company do an excellent job giving coverage to an area of the sports world that doesn't get much.

I'll take the D3 hoops people's word for it as they are looking at a nationwide picture instead of through the narrow view of one school and one team. Obviously (as evidenced by Hugenerd's 1000 plus posts) we're talking about a very passionate fan of a particular program- which is to be commended- however the incessant posting about first Bartolotta who I think got a lot of press simply because he was from MIT and who took a TON of shots (bad, good and otherwise) and now about Hollingsworth shows clearly where your loyalties lay and to complain about one kid over another on a nationwide team when you're so clearly a fan of a particular team seems silly and not likely to accomplish much.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 22, 2010, 06:47:58 PM
Seriously?  What are these boards for other than to support the teams we back and to discuss, or in some cases argue, about basketball issues.

Secondly, Only about 1/3 of my posts have been on the northeast region boards (you can check my stats) and that includes all of the northeast boards (NESCAC, general topics, etc.) so my guess is that more like 1/4 of my posts are on the NEWMAC board (I post much more heavily on the Multi-regional boards).

Third, to go along with the two points above, I watch as much d3 basketball as I can, across the country.  I played in the UAA, I am very familiar with those teams.  I may not be able to get out of the house much to watch games in person, but I watch a lot of games online and have seen many teams play from each region.  I am not looking through as small a hole as it may appear from my posts on this board.  The reason I post so often on the NEWMAC board is to try to bring attention to what MIT is doing, because there are very few NEWMAC posters and none that follow the schools as closely as some of the other top programs' and conferences' fans across the country.  I bet if you look at the number of posts by the regular posters for the CCIW, MIAA, NESCAC, WIAC, etc., and compare them to mine on the NEWMAC board, I would have fewer, but because there are no otehr regular posters, it gives the impression that I post some obscene amount and I am fanatical about the team.  You can believe that if you want, I am obviously a supporter of the team, but my true intent is to get the program at MIT the same coverage and attention other programs get inherently, either due to their geographical location or because of their history and following.

Fourth, I was only using McClary as a point of comparison, not to necessarily say that McClary shouldnt be on the team.  My argument was, and still is, that if you compare those two players, I dont see a whole ton of difference in the numbers, McClary gets a couple more boards, Hollingsworth scores slighly more and shoots better from the field.  The big difference is their team's records, and that usually counts for something (if not a lot, as evidenced by some other selections).  While on that subject, you should look at the kid from Green Mountain's numbers, he led the nation in scoring (25ppg) and averaged over 12 boards and 1.5 blocks per game.  He isnt' an All-American, probably because his team was 9-17.

Fifth, I was not attacking Pat or d3hoops.  In my original post I said I was "surprised" and "disappointed", no where did I throw any stones.  I obviously realize the job everyone at d3hoops does and the time they put into covering DIII basketabll.  However, that doesnt mean every time they say anything it should be taken as the Truth.  There was a huge argument about POY last year, that was fine, why isnt this?

Sixth, CCC Talk, do a little homework next time before making a post attacking me.  Just because this is the only board you see me post on does not make it the only board I post on.  Your attempt to dismiss my argument based on your own subjective conceptions is duely noted, but based on the content of your posts I would recommend you watch a whole lot more about DIII basketball, in general, before you have an intelligent conversation about it.  Also, what is the point of trying to disparage Bartolotta at this point?  To go along with the do your homework theme, he may have taken a lot of shots, but he shot over 50% from the field...for his career, including over 41% from 3 for his career and 84% from the FT line.  I am sure any coach in the country would tell him to take any shot he wanted if he kept shooting at those percentages.

Finally, although I may post a lot about MIT, I rarely make subjective claims with no support backing them.  I always provide data, either in the form of stats or other awards (in this case Hollingsworth's stats from this year and the fact that he was NABC second-team All-Americnan).  I suggest you do the same.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on March 22, 2010, 08:14:37 PM
While he hardly needs my help, I'll offer it to Hugenerd anyway! ;)

While he 'champions' MIT on the Posters' Poll board (and elsewhere), he actually only infrequently was the high outlier for them.  His knowledge of the entire d3 spectrum seems quite good.  (Of course, although I am a CCIW partisan, I am also a Michigander - your choice of McClary for comparison was most unfortunate! :D  Without him, Olivet would be hard-pressed to win TWO games.)  (Oh, and much as I respect Bartolotta, I still say Kent Raymond was National POY! :o)

OK, Hugenerd, I came to your defense (well, sort of!) - where's that final PP ballot? ;D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 22, 2010, 08:23:00 PM
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on March 22, 2010, 08:14:37 PM
While he hardly needs my help, I'll offer it to Hugenerd anyway! ;)

While he 'champions' MIT on the Posters' Poll board (and elsewhere), he actually only infrequently was the high outlier for them.  His knowledge of the entire d3 spectrum seems quite good.  (Of course, although I am a CCIW partisan, I am also a Michigander - your choice of McClary for comparison was most unfortunate! :D  Without him, Olivet would be hard-pressed to win TWO games.)  (Oh, and much as I respect Bartolotta, I still say Kent Raymond was National POY! :o)

OK, Hugenerd, I came to your defense (well, sort of!) - where's that final PP ballot? ;D

OK, I guess after that I owe you one.  ;)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 22, 2010, 09:28:30 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 22, 2010, 08:15:35 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 22, 2010, 07:38:13 AM
I see record is important to you. What would Olivet have been without McClary?

What would MIT have been without Hollingsworth?  Did his 20+ ppg (on a very high FG%)and 9 rpg not contribute to more wins?

I also know record is important to you.  Does Aaron Thompson make 3rd-Team with just his numbers from this year if he isnt on WashU? (I am not saying he isnt deserving, but there are a lot of guys who scored 17 ppg this year, he was #118 in the country in scoring through last week, so there is obviously something more)  3 years ago, Bartolotta averaged 21.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.9 spg, and 1 bpg, but didnt make AA because he was on a ~.500 team (or was that the year there was a nomination issue?).

MIT and Olivet certainly won the same number of NCAA Tournament games.

I think you probably know that Thompson healthy was a lot better than Thompson playing with mono.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 23, 2010, 01:23:50 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 22, 2010, 09:28:30 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 22, 2010, 08:15:35 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 22, 2010, 07:38:13 AM
I see record is important to you. What would Olivet have been without McClary?

What would MIT have been without Hollingsworth?  Did his 20+ ppg (on a very high FG%)and 9 rpg not contribute to more wins?

I also know record is important to you.  Does Aaron Thompson make 3rd-Team with just his numbers from this year if he isnt on WashU? (I am not saying he isnt deserving, but there are a lot of guys who scored 17 ppg this year, he was #118 in the country in scoring through last week, so there is obviously something more)  3 years ago, Bartolotta averaged 21.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.9 spg, and 1 bpg, but didnt make AA because he was on a ~.500 team (or was that the year there was a nomination issue?).

MIT and Olivet certainly won the same number of NCAA Tournament games.

I think you probably know that Thompson healthy was a lot better than Thompson playing with mono.

Agreed, but that again is a very subjective criteria and you are going on what he has done in past years, not this year.  It also gives the advantage to more visible programs when selections are made this way.  For example, Jeremy Shannon, who was a preseason all-american this year, was hurt for much of the season, but still played in 24 games and put up pretty good numbers for a point guard (15.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, and 5.2 apg), yet no one is making any excuses for him. (WashU only won one more tourney game than Emerson). This is just an example, but you know what I mean in general. 

MIT did lose in the first round of the NCAA tourney, so if you are going to hold that against Hollingsworth, so be it.  However, it is not as if they were blown out in the first round (like Cabrini vs. RMC) and they were a FT or rebound away from winning their first round game, but unfortunately could not get it done. Also, the NEWMAC is a better conference than people give credit to.  Clark, who finished 4-8 in conference, and tied for second to last, beat a hosting (20-5) Albright team, and then played RMC tough for 40 minutes despite losing their best scorer and senior leader 30 seconds into the game (the game was tied with 9 minutes to play).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 23, 2010, 10:24:58 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on March 22, 2010, 03:42:34 PM
Pat and company do an excellent job giving coverage to an area of the sports world that doesn't get much.

I'll take the D3 hoops people's word for it as they are looking at a nationwide picture instead of through the narrow view of one school and one team.
I agree that Pat and company do an excellent job giving coverage to D3 hoops and it is greatly appreciated.  I also don't want to beat a dead horse, but Pat and company provide these message boards for expressing opinions and I'm certain that they do not object to differing opinions on player selections.  IMO, that is part of the fun of selecting teams.

Quote from: CCC Talk on March 22, 2010, 03:42:34 PM
however the incessant posting about first Bartolotta who I think got a lot of press simply because he was from MIT and who took a TON of shots (bad, good and otherwise)
As Hugenerd stated, Bartolotta took a ton of good HIGH PERCENTAGE shots.  Bartolotta currently plays professionally in Europe which should provide undeniable evidence of his skills, unless you believe he developed these skills after graduating from MIT or you believe they are biased towards MIT.  Granted, Europe is not the NBA, but it is professional.  How many of the other players chosen over Bartolotta over the years play professionally?  If given the opportunity, I believe most college basketball players would like to continue doing it professionally.
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 22, 2010, 09:28:30 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 22, 2010, 08:15:35 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 22, 2010, 07:38:13 AM
I see record is important to you. What would Olivet have been without McClary?

What would MIT have been without Hollingsworth?  Did his 20+ ppg (on a very high FG%)and 9 rpg not contribute to more wins?

I also know record is important to you.  Does Aaron Thompson make 3rd-Team with just his numbers from this year if he isnt on WashU? (I am not saying he isnt deserving, but there are a lot of guys who scored 17 ppg this year, he was #118 in the country in scoring through last week, so there is obviously something more)  3 years ago, Bartolotta averaged 21.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.9 spg, and 1 bpg, but didnt make AA because he was on a ~.500 team (or was that the year there was a nomination issue?).

MIT and Olivet certainly won the same number of NCAA Tournament games.
Atta way to stir the pot, Pat.   :)  It helps create good posting.  MIT had its share of injuries with several starters nicked up and one starter missing, but that has already been discussed...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 23, 2010, 10:33:47 AM
Agreed -- we have no problems with a civilized discussion of just about anything, including our awards.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 23, 2010, 01:55:24 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 22, 2010, 02:06:08 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 22, 2010, 01:48:31 PM

I've always respected that D3hoops makes its selections on more than numbers.  I think in light of how difficult it is for many of us to see the best players play, either in person or on video, it's admirable that Pat works so hard to make it happen.  I don't have the same luxury, but when I have been able to compare players in person, I've always understood why the decisions were made.

I think Hollingsworth is an exceptional player, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this call simply because of experience.  I doubt I'll ever have the chance to see McClary play.

So you are telling me that Pat saw Hollingsworth play?  I would be surprised if that were true.

I saw Hollingsworth play and I see far fewer games than Pat does.  Granted, online video isn't the same as in person, but it's a lot better than reading a boxscore.

By the way, he'll never admit anything, but you don't know that Pat didn't want Hollingsworth on the AA team - it's not like he does all the awards himself.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 23, 2010, 02:17:18 PM
I didnt say anything about Pat not wanting Hollingsworth on the team, I was just curious why he wasn't selected. Also, I do not think Pat saw him play, even on video, but that is pure speculation on my part.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 23, 2010, 05:14:25 PM
No. If MIT had been able to even make it to the NEWMAC championship game, I would have, but since they couldn't win the semifinals at home, it meant I wasn't able to.

And not like I would let one broadcast on a 400xwhatever screen make my sole determination, either. That wouldn't be fair to David Golembiowski, not to mention the five centers we did select to the All-American team sight unseen.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 23, 2010, 07:35:28 PM
Thats all I was trying to get at.  The team was not selected based on seeing all these players and judging the best ones, as Hoops Fan suggested.  It is based on perceptions that do not have to do with the numbers and do not have to do with actual observation, in most cases.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 23, 2010, 09:51:33 PM
That doesn't make them wrong -- hugenerd, even if I saw the teams play 20 times, I'm not a scout or a coach, so I am not going to see the same things they see.

In addition, hugenerd, if I saw EVERY player play (which I know you did not either), that doesn't mean that I would see them the same way you do. So, sure, emphasize the fact that I didn't have a chance to see your boy play. That doesn't mean I'd have put him on the team. Not everyone is an MIT booster. There are 400 other teams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 23, 2010, 10:57:30 PM
I agree with you, my last point was not intended directly at you, it was more towards Hoops Fans original comment explaining your decision.

I never said your decision was wrong either, just that I didn't agree with it, which I think is fine.  I appreciate the time you put into watching the players and the coverage you, and the others involved, bring to DIII basketball.

I apologize if my last post used stronger language then I intended, I should have said "some cases" not "most cases", and this point was not meant to disparage the AA team in any way.  I was just trying to point out, that when it comes down to it, sometimes you have to make decisions based on your opinion (or perception) and that doesnt make your choices wrong, but they can be debated.

Don't tell me that record doesn't matter in some cases and that numbers don't matter in other cases, just say that you think player A impressed you more than player B.  I may not agree, but I will accept that.  Every case is different, and for some players it is there huge numbers (even if the team doesnt have a ton of wins), others it is that they are on a very good team and have played at a high level for some time, and for some it is just a gut call.  What really got me going on this subject was not your original post, Pat, but the other posters saying the reasons they thought you had made those decisions.  If you look at my original post I wasn't flipping out, saying this was a travesty, etc., I just said I was disappointed.  But I did not agree with those posts, as I found them a bit naive.  If you had said, "Hugenerd: sometimes we have to make difficult decisions between equally deserving players, but we can only pick 25 players and therefore not everyone can make it.  Maybe he will have a shot at it next year,"  I would have had zero problem with that.

Also, MIT booster or not, I would not be saying a word if I didn't feel he truly deserved it.  And I am sure even you have to admit that his numbers are at the AA level, but, like I said, sometimes you have to make difficult dicisions, which is your right. 

As you said, no problems with a civilized dicussion, and I dont feel that this one has crossed any lines.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 23, 2010, 11:04:41 PM
I didn't say those words to you because I didn't think you needed me to. That's fairly boilerplate for me and I am sure you have seen me say it before. Really? You would truly have been placated by that?

I looked at the same players and came to a different decision. That's all there is. Some of the things you seem to think are a factor are not. You didn't like my explanation of Thompson, and that's fine, but that's why I made the decision. You'll note he wasn't on the first team, although if he had played like he did in 2008-09 I think it's fair to say he would have been. So it's not purely Wash U's record -- heck, you could consider Wash U's postseason record a disappointment, so perhaps it's not something that would even be considered a positive.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 23, 2010, 11:25:37 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 23, 2010, 11:04:41 PM
I didn't say those words to you because I didn't think you needed me to. That's fairly boilerplate for me and I am sure you have seen me say it before. Really? You would truly have been placated by that?

I probably would have been more placated than you giving me a rhetorical question, or if you wouldnt have said anything it probably would have just been forgotten and rolled off the front page eventually.

I wasnt trying to start anything, just seeing if I had missed something that clearly distinguished the two players, or Hollingsworth from other players on the list.  

I know there are a lot of things that go into these decisions, I just don't always like the mentality that Pat (or whomever else) knows best and we will take it at face value.  I knew Thompson was going to make it, just because he has established himself as a top DIII guard over his career and he didnt do too much to hurt himself this year.  He didnt blow you away like he has in years past, but he played to a level similar to what you would expect, so instead of making 1st team and possibly being a POY candidate, he dropped to 3rd.  I know it would have been very difficult for you guys to drop him off completely, because it wouldnt feel right, and I fully understand and accept that. Other guys made it for other reasons, but we dont really need to dissect every decision.  Maybe if Hollingsworth had played DIII last year and put up similarly big numbers, you would have given him the benefit of the doubt this year, but with guys like McClary, or any other player who has been solid for 3 or 4 years now (or even 2), you (and when I say "you" I just mean a hypothetical third person party, not "you" as in Pat) feel more comfortable with that decision and give them the close call.  I understand that also. There is usually a reason you dont see freshman on the AA team, and that is because you really have to prove something to make that team, and Hollingsworth is essentially a freshman in the eyes of DIII.  It is easier to be skeptical when you do it just once, compared to if you do it consistently season after season.  I guess the reason I was "surprised" was because in years past it seemed to me that you usually you gave the benefit of the doubt to players on teams that had better records, and I thought MIT had shown that with their 21-4 D3 record, compared to Olivet's 10-9, but, like I have stated, there are other factors, including post-season results.

I was originally just trying to get a conversation started and seeing what others thought.  That was all.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: emesb on March 24, 2010, 08:53:36 AM
The best big in the league didn't even get a sniff. Brian Vayda should have been recognized a little bit. On the national stage for what he did in the final week as well as the season. Clark underachieved as a team in the regular season but he didn't. I also have to say the NEWMAC is a tough physical league more than many I think.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 24, 2010, 09:24:19 AM
Quote from: emesb on March 24, 2010, 08:53:36 AM
The best big in the league didn't even get a sniff. Brian Vayda should have been recognized a little bit. On the national stage for what he did in the final week as well as the season. Clark underachieved as a team in the regular season but he didn't. I also have to say the NEWMAC is a tough physical league more than many I think.

I agree that Vayda is one of the top players in th conference, but I think in this case he was hampered by team success.  When your team finishes tied for second-to-last in the conference in the regular season, you really need to blow people away with your stats to get all-region honors, and although 16 ppg and 7 rpg is very good, and he is definitely a first-team all-conference performer, it wont draw peoples attention from outside the area (those who arent familiar with the NEWMAC).  This comes down to the discussion a bit earlier on this board: in the last 9 seasons, no NEWMAC POY has come from a team finishing worse than #2 in the regular season.  There is usually some level of team success factor in these individual awards, that I have come to accept. If Clark performs better next season, or he puts up 20 and 10, I think he will get noticed next year and likely be in the discussion as an all-region player.

I also agree with you that people underestimate the NEWMAC.  There are a lot of tough teams.  However, it ultimately will come down to how people schedule out-of-conference and then the results of those games.  If the NEWMAC, as a whole, puts up an impressive winning percentage next season out-of-conference, that will be very important in drawing positive attention.  That will also increase the OWP and OOWP of team's in the league and improve credibility.  Scheduling is key in this sense, if you schedule a really tough schedule and cant beat any of your opponents, that is just as bad, or possibly worse, than scheduling a bunch of cupcakes and not being tested.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 24, 2010, 09:47:58 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 23, 2010, 05:14:25 PM
No. If MIT had been able to even make it to the NEWMAC championship game, I would have, but since they couldn't win the semifinals at home, it meant I wasn't able to.
Your point of a player not leading a team at a critical point of the season is understood, however, I thought he played great in those games.  IMHO, MIT only lost 3 of its last 4 games because it had some players nicked up and was missing a key starter due to injury, not because Hollingsworth did not step up.  Looking at Hugenerd's stats on both players, it was definitely a close call for anyone to make.  Although I am admittedly a biased MIT fan, I can understand choosing a third-year junior over a first-year sophomore as somewhat of a tie-breaker.  Appreciate your discussion and feedback.  Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on March 24, 2010, 11:00:00 AM
I just hope MIT and Williams find a way to play next year so we can see Hollingsworth vs. Whittington ... talk about a contrast in styles (I'm not sure that would work out so well for Hollingsworth, actually :)). 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: emesb on March 24, 2010, 11:27:18 AM
I agree with everything you say regardidng Vayda, Clark and the NEWMAC. I just wanted his name out there.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 24, 2010, 12:29:59 PM
Vayda may or may not have a standout(20+,10+) year statistically next season.  Remember Clark is losing 3 of 5 starters including their 2 top assist men.  Vayda will be the focus of other teams defenses until a another top level scorer proves themselves. Vayda did struggle in the 2nd round loss in the NCAAs after Alexander went down(5-16, 12pts).

The late-season Clark run was fueled by not just Vayda, but by clutch performances by Alexander & Minster.  While Renshaw had a career day against MIT, he was a non-factor in both NCAA tournament games.

I am not sure what Clark has coming in next year, but I am quite sure they will not see 3 like Kates, Tashman & Hollingsworth walking in the door.  It would be assuming a lot to think they will be much better record-wise next year.

As far as recognition outside the conference, Vayda will face the same issues as this year and that HN has been pointing out about good players on bad-to-average teams. 

While he is certainly deserving of 1st team NEWMAC honors, saying he is the best big in the league is going to be a stretch as long as Hollingsworth keeps performing at the level he played at this season. Right now, I would put Vayda a little ahead of Cavalieri from Springfield based on this past post season. 

Two other players in the 'bigs' conversation who i think will step up with better scoring numbers next year are Tashman & Coburn.  (Question - Does Coburn have to sit the first game of next year as a consquence of the fight with Perez?)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 24, 2010, 01:09:29 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on March 24, 2010, 11:00:00 AM
I just hope MIT and Williams find a way to play next year so we can see Hollingsworth vs. Whittington ... talk about a contrast in styles (I'm not sure that would work out so well for Hollingsworth, actually :)). 

You are right, but Hollingsworth has had some really big games on the AAU circuit against D1 prospects.  If you search for his name and georgetown prospects you will likely find the links to read what I am talking about.  I have included one link below discussing this. 

http://www.icatholic.org/indstory/2008/200822p23.html

You never know, he can be effective against superior athletes because of his strong fundamentals and the array of shots he can make.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 24, 2010, 01:18:26 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 24, 2010, 12:29:59 PM
Vayda may or may not have a standout(20+,10+) year statistically next season.  Remember Clark is losing 3 of 5 starters including their 2 top assist men.  Vayda will be the focus of other teams defenses until a another top level scorer proves themselves. Vayda did struggle in the 2nd round loss in the NCAAs after Alexander went down(5-16, 12pts).

The late-season Clark run was fueled by not just Vayda, but by clutch performances by Alexander & Minster.  While Renshaw had a career day against MIT, he was a non-factor in both NCAA tournament games.

I am not sure what Clark has coming in next year, but I am quite sure they will not see 3 like Kates, Tashman & Hollingsworth walking in the door.  It would be assuming a lot to think they will be much better record-wise next year.

As far as recognition outside the conference, Vayda will face the same issues as this year and that HN has been pointing out about good players on bad-to-average teams.  

While he is certainly deserving of 1st team NEWMAC honors, saying he is the best big in the league is going to be a stretch as long as Hollingsworth keeps performing at the level he played at this season. Right now, I would put Vayda a little ahead of Cavalieri from Springfield based on this past post season.  

Two other players in the 'bigs' conversation who i think will step up with better scoring numbers next year are Tashman & Coburn.  (Question - Does Coburn have to sit the first game of next year as a consquence of the fight with Perez?)
By all means, plug away.  I would love to have some conversations about top players in the conference and to hear what other people have to say about them. I dont particularly enjoy having conversations with myself so the more NEWMAC posters we can get on here discussing, the better.  Any of you "guests" out there who want to join the conversation, by all means.

I am not sure Coburn is as at risk as Perez, because what I heard was Perez was the one who threw a punch (Coburn pushed him, I believe).  I am also not so sure how a suspension would work, if issued,  would it be the first game next year, or the first NEWMAC game, or the first NEWMAC tourney game?  I dont know if Perez's suspension was just 1 game (which he would have already served) or if Coburn also received a suspension.  He got the worst of that altercation so maybe that is punishment enough.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 24, 2010, 03:27:24 PM

I knew I should have just done an online rules search - LOL.

My understanding is BOTH players threw punches.  According to the NCAA rules, it does not matter if the punches connect.  There is a suspension  penalty of one game.  Perez has served his; Coburn would be required to sit out Springfield's first regular season game this fall.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: emesb on March 25, 2010, 08:15:01 AM
Prez paid the ultimate peanlty. The player from Springfield may have more coming in he form of a suspension.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 31, 2010, 07:38:52 PM
MIT's admissions rate fell to a new low (at least for recent times), as only 9.7% of applicants were admitted.

http://tech.mit.edu/V130/N13/admissions.html

I hope that when its all said and done, MIT has another solid recruiting class like last year.  Regular-action decisions went out on March 14th.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on April 01, 2010, 09:45:10 AM
Thanks. That is am impressive statistic. I guess that education is being valued more in a down economy knowing that great jobs are not out there for everyone regardless of school.  Congratulation to all those admitted. I hope a couple are "high fliers".
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 07, 2010, 04:50:19 PM
New article on the strength of the NEWMAC on the MIT Hoops blog: MIT Hoops (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/04/glance-at-newmac.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 14, 2010, 08:34:35 PM
Season Highlights for Hollingsworth:

http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/04/2010-player-highlights-noel.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on April 21, 2010, 06:58:27 PM
WPI lands its first recruit for the class of 2014.

http://mass-nh-highschoolbasketballreport.blogspot.com/2010/04/nelson-commits-to-wpi.html

Looks like the Engineers have landed the top NH high school PG.

Coach Bartley continues to grab good talent from NH.  Nelson joins WPI-NH connection that includes Ryan Bourque, Adam Lirette, Ben Etten, & Matt Carr in just the past few years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 21, 2010, 09:59:57 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on April 21, 2010, 06:58:27 PM
WPI lands its first recruit for the class of 2014.

http://mass-nh-highschoolbasketballreport.blogspot.com/2010/04/nelson-commits-to-wpi.html

Looks like the Engineers have landed the top NH high school PG.

Coach Bartley continues to grab good talent from NH.  Nelson joins WPI-NH connection that includes Ryan Bourque, Adam Lirette, Ben Etten, & Matt Carr in just the past few years.

Do you think he will see time over Nadeau or Shannon?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on April 23, 2010, 01:57:32 PM
Hugenerd,

   I am not sure how Nelson will fit in next season as far as playing time.  I came across this just doing a few web searches to see what NEWMAC recruits I could find.  I have not seen this guy play, only read some things on the NH basketball sites.

   I do not imagine he would take any playing time away from Nadeau.  It is possible that he could get time in lieu of Shannon.   Shannon only averaged 8 min/game from the start of February until the end of the season and only 6 min/game during the NEWMAC tournament.  If Nelson can move the ball within the context of their offense without the excessive dribbling that Shannon could not seem to break out of, then one could see him getting minutes backing up Nadeau.

Also you have to factor in the other guards who are returning.  David Brown, Craig Melilo, Mike Byron, Ricardo Bonhomme & Ryan Stock. 

Obviuosly no one is going to take minutes away from Robinson.

Anyone out there hear anything about the incoming players for the other NEWMAC schools ?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on April 25, 2010, 09:20:19 AM
Here is what little I have been able to find so far on other NEWMAC recruits.


Clark:

Adam Boyle - 6'4" F from Brattleboro, VT (Brattleboro HS)

    NERR - #5 ranked player in VT


Wheaton:

Will Bayliss - 5'8" PG from Manchester, NH (Tilton Prep)

    NERR - Ranked 29th in NH

Brian Grossman - 6'1" SG from Duxbury,MA (Duxbury HS)


Babson:

Colin Russell - 6'5" F from Mt. St. Charles in Rhode Island

    NERR - #6 player in RI



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 25, 2010, 04:30:51 PM
MIT rounded out their recruiting class with a 6'0" PG, Josh Dunaway,  from Sevin Hills in Cincinnati.  They have a total of 5 commits, all of whom I have listed previously.  They are all listed on the MIT Hoops Blog (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 28, 2010, 03:37:56 PM
Mitch Kates Highlights (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/04/2010-player-highlights-mitchell-kates.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on April 29, 2010, 03:18:20 PM
More on the NEWMAC Class of 2014

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/1373/Commitment-CatchUp.php

Some insight on the incoming freshmen for WPI, Clark & Babson

WPI:

   Jake Nelson (5'11" G), David White (5'11" PG) & Ryan Kolb (6'5" F)

Clark :

    Jake Gubitose (5'8" PG) & Adam Boyle (6'4" F)

Babson :

    Matt Palazini (6'3" G/F) & Connor Boyen  (6'2" SG)

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 29, 2010, 03:40:19 PM
Good stuff
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on May 03, 2010, 10:30:44 PM
Mention of an MIT point guard commit from LA here:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/1383/Locals-Shine-at-Academic-AllAmerican-Game.php

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on May 11, 2010, 05:46:26 PM
WPI picks up another New Hampshire player.

From NERR today:

WPI Gets Another

WPI has added to their already tremendous recruiting class with the addition of George Tsougranis who will join Ryan Kolb, David White, and Jake Nelson in the Engineers' class.

Tsougranis is a versatile forward who can produce inside and out.  Strong, athletic and rugged inside the paint, he plays bigger than he is around the rim and can both score and rebound over bigger players.  But he worked hard to develop his perimeter skills this season and made himself into a quicker player off the dribble and more consistent three-point threat.

Tsougranis won a state championship during his senior season at Portsmouth High School in New Hampshire and claimed another title this year in helping the Rams to their Class B crown during his post-graduate season.


The link to the article is : http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/1400/Catching-up-on-More-Commitments.php


According the NERR site, Tsougranis is a 6'3" forward.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 24, 2010, 10:04:33 AM
MIT is currently in Taiwan, playing in the 2010 Kainan Invitational Tournament.  For those who remember, MIT won the inaugural Kainan tourney crown in 2006, behind strong play from Northeast region player of the year Mike D'Auria, and then freshman Jimmy Bartolotta.

Coverage can be found here: MIT Hoops Blog (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/05/mit-returns-to-taiwan-to-defend-tourney.html) and the links found on that page.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 28, 2010, 01:53:32 PM
MIT ended up winning the Kainan Tourney (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 27, 2010, 04:05:04 PM
I heard MIT gets another shot at Harvard this year.  Should be interesting to see how a year of experience for the young MIT squad, and the loss of Jeremy Lin for Harvard, affects to the final outcome.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on July 29, 2010, 09:07:06 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on July 27, 2010, 04:05:04 PM
I heard MIT gets another shot at Harvard this year.  Should be interesting to see how a year of experience for the young MIT squad, and the loss of Jeremy Lin for Harvard, affects to the final outcome.

It might be a little more even this year without Golden State's backup PG.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on August 05, 2010, 12:04:26 AM
New Interview with Jimmy Bartolotta (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/08/jimmy-bartolotta-sits-down-with-blog.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on August 20, 2010, 12:22:21 AM
According to the schedules posted here on d3hoops.com, WPI & MIT will both play Havard as a regular season game.  WPI travels there on Dec. 7 & MIT will play the Crimson on New Years Eve.

Interesting that a D1 school would schedule 2 games against D3 teams in the same year.  I doubt this is the first time its ever happened, but I do not think its very common.

Nerd,

  Did MIT try to keep some of their players together and play in any summer leagues in Mass?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on August 20, 2010, 10:00:05 PM
Not many players played in local summer leagues.  Kates played in the Jersey Shore Summer League, for example.  There were only two guys who stayed for the whole summer.  Hollingsworth played with Mike Crotty and some other ex-Williams guys in the Watertown league, from what I hear.

Harvard's full schedule is here:

http://ivybbn.com/?p=4668

Good planning by MIT to get them after WPI, they should have some pretty good scouting on them for their game.  I know that MIT had the game planned since last season, so maybe Harvard needed a game and picked up WPI.  They play at Michigan 3 days before the WPI game, so maybe WPI can catch them tired.  Harvard has a ton of talent, but they are real young and dont have their floor leader in Lin anymore. They will obviously be huge favorites in both games, but I think both teams will test them.  MIT has a lot of experience coming back, and they should be much deeper than last year (with guys returning from injury and incoming freshman).  MIT should also be more athletic on the perimeter this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on August 28, 2010, 01:15:02 AM
Former Clark point guard and MIT assistant coach Gunnar Hagstrom talked to the MIT Basketball Blog (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/08/interview-with-former-mit-assistant.html).  He has been in Cyprus for the past year as a part of Peace Players International.  He will beack in Cyprus next year as well, but has also signed a contract to play in the professional Turkish-Cypriot basketball league (not to be confused with the TBL).

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 20, 2010, 03:01:54 PM
Former Clark guard and MIT assistant coach Gunnar Hagstrom signed with the Nicosia Devils of the Northern Cyprus basketball league:

http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/10/former-mit-assistant-gunnar-hagstrom.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 28, 2010, 11:57:49 AM
Preseason rankings are out.  MIT ranks at #15, WPI is just out of the poll in the ORV #26 spot.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on October 28, 2010, 02:38:18 PM
Hugenerd,

   Time to crank it up is getting closer.  Congrats to MIT on #15 and WPI will hopefully be in there soon too.  Good Preseason showing for the NEWMAC.

From what little I have picked up on WPI, I guess they had a very good trip to Montreal last week with two blowout wins.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 29, 2010, 01:58:26 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on October 28, 2010, 02:38:18 PM
Hugenerd,

   Time to crank it up is getting closer.  Congrats to MIT on #15 and WPI will hopefully be in there soon too.  Good Preseason showing for the NEWMAC.

From what little I have picked up on WPI, I guess they had a very good trip to Montreal last week with two blowout wins.

Yeah, its good to see some NEWMAC representation.  This is MITs first ever preseason ranking.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 04, 2010, 08:04:45 AM
MITs roster is now posted:

http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2010-11/roster

MIT has real good size (and talent), like last year, with Noel Hollingsworth (6'9") and Will Tashman (6'8") starting on the front line and with two guys in the 6'4"-6'5" starting on the wings, with Mitch Kates (6'1") starting at the point.  MIT gets two former impact players back, with Jamie Karraker, who started two years ago and missed last year with injury, and Daniel McCue, who started 3 years ago and missed the last two years with injury, back on this years squad.  They also have a deep class of eight freshman, who will fill in some of the voids that last years team had (for example, Will Dickson gives them a solid big man to backup Hollingsworth, Donegan and Watkins are solid guys at the 3 or 4, Davis and Thompson give them some athleticism at the 2 or 3, and Attanasio, Dunaway, and Baysinger provide solid options at the 1-2).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 06, 2010, 10:33:39 PM
MIT scrimmaged Wheelock tonight, winning both haves pretty convincingly.  MIT had the clear size advantage at pretty much every position, and shot well in the 2nd half, which gave Wheelock a lot of problems.  MIT also had a surprisingly large contribution from the freshman.  They appear to have a deep, talented class this year, as they did in last year's freshman class.  Overall, MIT won 95 - 58 (38 - 26, 57 - 32).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 11, 2010, 04:53:22 PM
Noel Hollingsworth named 1st team preseason All-American

Jeff Robinson named 2nd team preseason All-American
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 12, 2010, 09:05:46 PM
MIT Season Preview (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/11/2010-11-season-outlook.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: FISHERMAN on November 15, 2010, 04:19:24 PM
Russel Braithwaite (Babson) DPOY. Mark it down. Rumor has it he locked down Avery Bradey (Boston Celtics) in high School.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 15, 2010, 07:13:36 PM
WPI Preview:

http://www.telegram.com/article/20101111/NEWS/11110867


Clark Preview:

http://www.telegram.com/article/20101111/NEWS/11110862


Fisherman - Rumor has it?  Well, the fact is (unless it has changed for this year) the NEWMAC does not give out a DPOY.  Seems to me we heard this hype from you on him back in March.  You were pushing him as the POY back then.  Admirable loyalty, but not based on any facts that even begin to put him in the conversation with Hollingsworth, Robinson, Vayda, Kates, Cavalieri & Coppola.  These have to be the primary candiates for the POY.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2010, 07:16:09 PM
Quote from: FISHERMAN on November 15, 2010, 04:19:24 PM
Russel Braithwaite (Babson) DPOY. Mark it down. Rumor has it he locked down Avery Bradey (Boston Celtics) in high School.

First of all, the NEWMAC doesnt name a Defensive POY (I know see mass_d3 beat me to the post). Secondly, didnt we already have this conversation last year?  I saw him play last season and he looks like a great athlete, but dont get carried away.  
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 15, 2010, 07:47:15 PM
Hugenerd,

    Since it is the start of a new season, lets take a shot at the NEWMAC final standings.

MIT
WPI
Springfield
Wheaton
Clark
Babson
Coast Guard

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2010, 09:20:42 PM
Those look pretty good.  Tough to judge some of these young teams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 15, 2010, 09:55:06 PM
Clark over Fitchburg St - 84-71
Coast Guard loses to Merchant Marine - 83-72
Springfield loses to Castleton St - 72 - 59

For Springfield, No Coburn in box score, so I assume this is the game he was required to sit out due to the fight in the NEWMAC semi-final game in February.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2010, 11:53:33 PM
Big night for Vayda (Clark), 26 points (on 9-19 shooting), 15 boards, and 3 steals.  After scoring 15 points all of last season (1.0 ppg), Travis Curley started off his junior season pretty well also with 23.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 16, 2010, 03:50:00 PM
Big game for WPI tonight to get it all going.  Beat Salem State - stay relevant - likely sneak into the top 25 next week, etc.........

Salem State is a tough place to play.  This isn't the run and gun 100+ point teams from a few years back, but it will be a real test.  Hope the freshmen are ready to contribute.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 16, 2010, 09:37:21 PM
MIT coasted to a 91-61 win tonight.  Noel Hollingsworth led all scorers with 18 points in just 21 minutes.

WPI finished the game strong to blow out Salem State.  WPI led by only 2 at half time and trailed early in the 2nd half, but had a big run to blow it open late.  Jeff Robinson had 24 points, although it took 20 shots to get it.  Fernando Perez had 19 points.

Wheaton blew a 14 point halftime lead to lose by 4 to Emerson.  Coppola played well, but the team stunk in the 2nd half.

Babson started the season strong with a double digit win over Curry. DPOY candidate Russell Braithwaite locked down the bench with 11 minutes played, 4 points, 0 steals, and 2 turnovers.  If only Avery Bradley played for Curry,  I am sure he would have played more in order to shut him down, but Babson just didnt need that out of him tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 16, 2010, 11:50:27 PM
WPI wins at Salem St with 4 players going for double digits:

Robinson - 24 pts on 8 for 20, 5 assts, 4 rbs
Perez - 19 pts on 8 for 12, 5 rbs
Carr - 12 pts on 6 for 8, 7 rbs
Etten - 12 pts on 3 for 9, 3 rbs

Babson also won with 4 guys scoring over 10.

Palazini - 22 pts on 6 for 12, 5 rbs
Noonan - 19 pts on 8 for 10, 10 rbs
McDermott -13 pts on 3 for 11, 3 assts, 4 stls
Ziola - 13 pts on 3 for 8

Wheaton just did not have enough outside of these 3.

Degnan - 11 pts on 2 for 7, 4 rbs 
Coppola -20 pts on 6-10,  3 rbs 
Johnson  13 pts on 4- for 7, 3  rbs 

MIT's box score looks really good!

Even though they did not shoot well from the FT line, they still made more (28) than Emanuel attempted (23).  They also shot 50% from the field for the game.  What happened to Jimmy Burke? Injury?


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 17, 2010, 12:45:45 AM
Jimmy Burke was on the bench, but he is currently out with injury.  MIT has some more options this season to fill in, though, so they should be fine until he gets back.  They have Jamie Karraker, who had 17 points tonight, Nick Davis (who probably would have played more in a close game), Billy Bender, and Eric Zuk.  Freshman Josh Dunnaway was also out win injury tonight (along with Nick Sather, Will Baysinger, and Dan McCue), but from what I hear Dunnaway should be back soon. 

MIT should be in good shape in any case.  The really addressed some needs with their freshman class and players returning from injury.  With a solid backup for Hollingsworth in Will Dickson (who had 8 point, a team leading 7 boards, 4 assists, and 2 blocks tonight) and two solid backups for Will Tashman in Tim Donegan and Will Watkins, their backcourt is pretty solid.  In the frontcourt, they got a sharpshooter in Karraker back from injury, but also now have an athletic slasher type in Nick Davis.  They brought in a couple young point guards in Dunnaway and Attanasio.  They essentially have 2-3 guys at every position that Coach Anderson can go to under various circumstances, which was not at all the case last year (or the year before), when they were only 8 or so deep and were even thinner with injuries.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on November 17, 2010, 05:07:09 PM
MIT vs. Emmanuel was an ugly physical game featuring over 50 fouls and 54 combined TO's. It was kind of like "if you can't beat 'em, beat em up. I think Emmanuel fouled out 4/5 of the starting lineup.  My positives from the game were the more up tempo play of the wings, the improved depth in the frontcourt and the overall talent top to bottom. Noel is A. A., Tashman has come back bigger, stronger and faster, and Kates shows increased size, speed, strength and game control.  Carraker did not shoot well and still hit 4 threes and is a long defender.

For the first game it was solid.  I expect improvement in all areas going forward.

Burke is sitting with a concussion and will be out for a while.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 17, 2010, 11:10:28 PM
Coast Guard upsets Albertus Magnus in a big way, 97-72.  4 players from the Academy registered a double-double against a Magnus team that returns all but one player from a squad that lost in the 2nd round of the NCAAs last year.

Greg Marshall had career-highs with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Jimmy Knudsen tied his career-high with 16 points a had a career high 11 rebounds. Freshman John Benedict had 10points and 11 rebounds and Jevon James added 10points & 10 rebounds in the win.  Coast Guard dominated the boards, 56 to 28.



Meanwhile, Clark falls to RIC at home tonight, 63-49

RIC's Mike Akinrola, Steven Roberts & Ashton Watkins combined for 30 points and 17 boards. RIC controlled the glass on the night 40 to 23.

Brian Vayda had 15 and Mitch Renshaw 12 for Clark.  The remainder of the Clark squad shot 9 for 30.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 17, 2010, 11:16:33 PM
Coast Guard got a nice win over an NCAA team from a year ago, Albertus Magnus.  They actually won pretty easily, 97-72.  This may be some sort of record, Coast guard had 4 players with double doubles.  Greg Marshall had 27 points and 10 rebounds, Jimmy Knudsen had 16 points and 11 boards, Johns Benedict had 10 points and 11 boards, and Jevon James had 10 points and 10 boards.  Kevin Sowers (I am assuming the younger brother of former CGA guard Al) also had a pretty good game with 19 points, 7 assists, and 6 boards.  Overall, they doubled up Albertus in rebound, 56-28.

http://www.uscgasports.com/statistics/malb10.htm
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on November 18, 2010, 11:31:51 PM
Sounds like the CG is much improved from a year ago. Did everyone play for AM?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 18, 2010, 11:35:35 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on November 18, 2010, 11:31:51 PM
Sounds like the CG is much improved from a year ago. Did everyone play for AM?

No,  their best player, Ray Askew, did not play and their second best player, Jefferson Lora, only played 7 minutes (dont know the reason why).

In their first game, CGA lost by 11 @Merchant Marine.  However, Merchant Marine is apparently a pretty good team (they are receiving votes in the top 25 poll)).  CGA looks pretty young, but they seem to have talent.  Jevon James, who was previously a top conference performer, isnt even starting over some younger players.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 19, 2010, 10:06:52 PM
Not a good night for the NEWMAC.

Clark, Springfield, and Babson all lose.  Oh yeah, and CGA lost to Gordon, the same Gordon that lost to Husson by 50 points 3 nights ago.

WPI only winner tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 20, 2010, 07:28:18 PM
I was out all day, so didnt see any scores unti just now and was shocked to see MIT lost to Framingham. 

Hollingsworth doesnt appear to be himself (he is coming back from a broken foot this summer) and, as a team, they are committing way too many turnovers.  Hopefully the ship gets righted soon.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 20, 2010, 09:57:15 PM
So much for top 25 dreams.  MIT likely out and it will now take WPI 10 wins in a row to think about sniffing the list.  They went down to Becker.  First time ever (in its new reincarnation) WPI loses the Worcester tip-off tourney.

Back in the day we used to split it with Clark every other year basically.  But in the 7 years it has been back (with Worcester Stete, Becker, and Nichols) WPI has never lost.  Not that many years ago Becker was an all girls school and a decent WPI team should not be messing around in a close game with them.

I "watched" on the computer and it actually had wpi winning 63-62 for about 3 minutes then it switched to Becker 62-61 - no idea what happened?

Not a good day for the NEWMAC elite.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 21, 2010, 01:01:25 AM
Good evening all, Late but still it is basketball season so it is good.

I was trying to post last night about the WPI game when my computer crashed, after a day of recover fun, I am back up running to an extent anyway.

WOW, what a game at Becker College tonight.  Becker came with full effort and hustle all night.  They squeak out the upset win in the last few seconds after a wild back & forth over the last few minutes. 

I will post my observations on what I saw this weekend later today.

Tough day for the NEWMAC, but this is why they play the games !


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 23, 2010, 12:21:28 PM
We need Nerd.  The conversation has come to a halt.  Lots of games tonight - hope MASS and Hugenerd are available for comments/recaps.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 23, 2010, 02:11:40 PM
Sorry it took me so long to get this posted, but I have had a few computer issues here at home.

WPI was out of sync and pressing all night. In the first half, Jeff Robinson got into early foul trouble and was limited to 2 points in just 7 minutes of playing time. Matt Carr & Fernando Perez kept the Engineers in this one with their work down low.  Carr had 9 points & Perez chipped in with 6. No one else had more 3.

Becker was led by Trae Jacobs with 8 and Exum had 6, but the Hawks also had 3 players with 4.  In my view, this was the classic case of letting a team hang in a game and then they believe they can win it. (Simlar to MIT earlier in the day.)

The 2nd half was a lot of hustle plays by both teams.  Jerome Stewart came out hot in the first few minutes with 5 points, a block and a steal,
but Becker answered each time it looked like WPI would gain control of the game. Carr had a series of big blocks and forced traveled calls in the paint & Perez and Robinson converted on the offensive end. Ben Etten played his usual solid overall game with great defense while puting up 6 pts and grabbing 4 rebounds in the 2nd half.

It was great game to watch for any basketball fan. From the 9 minute point to the end of the game, neither team had a lead of more than 3 pts. It looked like WPI had finally wrestled control of the game in the final minute.  Becker had to foul a few times to put WPI into the bonus and send them to the line.  with 23 seconds left and WPI up by 1, they turned it over while inbounding the ball after the 6th team foul on Becker. Rajai Leggett missed the layup, but Markus Wright hustled as the trailer on the play got the rebound and put it in to give Becker the lead. Robinson was fouled and made both to give the Engineers the lead with 10 seconds left.

The game was finally decided onwhen Favors brought the ball up and penetrated the lane.  From what I saw Carr stepped up to help and I thought he may have partially blocked what I thought was a shot the ball went to Leggett who was alone  on the opposite side of the lane and he put the ball in at 3 seconds.  WPI must not have had any TOs left as they
just inbounded the ball and got off a desperate heave that was well short.  Now, the play-by-play section of the stat sheet shows it as an assist and not a shot by Favors, in either case, he got inside the defense and made a play.

               
A get well wish to senior DeJohn Joseph-Exum.  He hurt his knee on a horrific looking play. He jammed his leg awkwardly after knocking the ball away from a WPI player on a breakaway play. He did come back and try to play, but limped badly to the sidelines after one possesion.  I hope it is not a serious as it looked you hate to see any kid go down like that, but especially a senior.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 24, 2010, 09:37:09 AM
MIT won easily over Curry, 90-63.  Hollingsworth was out the lineup for Engineers, he didnt seem right early in the season, so hopefully he gets back in the lineup closer to 100% soon.  His backup, freshman Will Dickson, is a pretty talented post player and did a good job filling in last night.

WPI blew out the same Framingham team that upset MIT.  The game wasnt even close, with WPI leading by over 40 at one point.  Hopefully MIT never plays like they did last Saturday again, they are a much better team than they showed.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 24, 2010, 10:59:19 AM
Thanks for the detail on the Becker game, MASS.
Thanks for the updates from last night, HN.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 24, 2010, 08:49:55 PM
Well, All I can offer on the WPI-Framingham State game is the perspective given to me by a friend who did attend it plus my look at the play-by-play and stat sheet. I meanwhile, spent the majority of my early evening in the massive mess on I495 as I had an afternoon appointment in Andover.

Anyway, to the game which was a 180 degree turn from the close game with Becker.  The Engineers came out and went right down low to Carr for 2 quick inside buckets one being a huge dunk.  That a prelude to how the night would go for WPI. After that, Stewart, Robinson & Brown each put up points as WPI buit its lead to double digits.  Ben Etten drained a couple 3's to end the half and extend the lead to 54-26.  As a team they shot 22 for 28 (79%) in the first half.

The second half belongs to the reserves as the starters did not log many minutes on the evening:

Nadeu - 20 min, 2 pts, 1 asst
Robinson - 17 min, 9 pts, 2 assts
Perez - 19 pts on 8 for 12, 5 rbs
Carr - 12 min 6 pts, 5 rbs , 2 assts
Perez - 11 min, 8 pts, 4 rbs
Etten - 13 min, 10 pts, 3 rbs, 3 assts
Bonhomme - 10 min, 1 pt

Led by Mike Byron with 12 pts the bench ,  Jameel Galloway with 7 rebounds and David White with 6 assists.

14 players scored & 14 logged 10 or more minutes.

The lone bright spot on the night for Framingham St belonged to Royce Veal who posted 15 points.  Darius Carter who went off for 27 Vs. MIT on Sat. was held to only 6 points.

I see MIT won big (without Hollingsworth) as Dickinson & Donegan combined for 28 points and 12 boards along with Tashman's double-double (16 & 10). But the real question is what is the short term & long term status of Hollingsworth? .... Nerd??

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 24, 2010, 10:09:43 PM
Hollingsworth broke his foot early in the summer in a summer league game playing on a team with the ex-Williams guys.  I think that injury is fully healed, but it is taking him some time to acclimate back to game action. I do not know for sure, but I am assuming he may have missed the game with something related to that, but then again it could be something totally unrelated.  It also may have been precautionary if Coach didnt like what he saw out of him against Framingham (maybe the coaching staff is trying to get him closer to a 100% for later in the season).  I honestly dont know for certain, because I havent even had time to catch a real game this season, let alone talk to the coaching staff for an extended period of time, because I am trying to finish up the PhD in the not so distant future.  I did see Hollingsworth on campus today and I did not notice any braces, casts, or anything obvious to suggest an injury, but I did not have a chance to talk with him.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on November 26, 2010, 04:31:38 PM
Hollingsworth hurt his ankle early in the Framingham game and played through it accounting for the poor showing, 8 turnovers and 16 missed shots. He was in an ankle boot for the Curry contest and not dressed.  Will be questionable this weekend for the Suffolk game.  The freshman Dickson had a monster first half against Curry with all 16 points and the game was never in doubt.  Less 3 point shooting (13 attempts vs. 23 against Framingham) usually spells success as it did last year.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 27, 2010, 10:25:50 PM
Thanks for the info, that explains it.

Tashman played like a monster today, leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks.  Freshman Donegan played well off the bench.  MIT didnt really need much out of their usual starters, winning easily 86-47 over Suffolk.

I hope that Hollingsworth comes back when he is healthy.  He is not the same player when he plays hurt, but MIT is not the same team without him either.  Hopefully by the end of the season everyone will be on the court and healthy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 29, 2010, 07:28:07 PM
Congrats to Will Tashman for being named the NEWMAC Player of the Week.
He averaged 19 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5 assists & 1.5 steals in MIT's 2 wins.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 29, 2010, 10:40:48 PM
They are going to need Tashman to play well, as well as Dickson, Donegan, etc., until Hollingsworth gets back.  As toooldtoplay pointed out, Hollingsworth has an ankle injury and I would expect MIT to be cautious with bringing him back too early.  MIT has the talent to get through the next few games without him, as long as they show up (unlike against Framingham), so hopefully he will have time to heal without MIT taking anymore L's.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 30, 2010, 01:29:07 PM
Week #1 Top 25 Poll:

MIT's loss to Framingham St. has cost them just about half of their votes (202 to 107) as the Engineers fall from 15th to 20th.

WPI's Loss to Becker had an almost similar effect as they fall from 74 votes to 45. (ORV:#26 to  ORV:#28).

Interesting sidenote: Becker's win garnered them a single vote.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 30, 2010, 04:42:14 PM
Becker beat WPI and RIC early this season, they likely would have received more votes if not for being blown out by Albertus Magnus.  Albertus Magnus previously was blown out by Coast Guard. However, in that game they did not have their best player, Ray Askew, but they had him back when they blew out Becker.  Albertus Magnus may be a legit team with all their players.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on November 30, 2010, 09:50:04 PM
Interesting that MIT did not drop out of the top 25 completely. They have obviously earned some respect over the last 3 seasons and can have a "clunker" once in a while. Now it is time to win and move back up. Todays game against Emerson was a mismatch inside as Tashman had another big game with 20 and 9 before fouling out. MIT struggled to get untracked early, built a 20 point lead and then coasted. 

WPI cruises in much the same fashion, struggling early and then coasting in.

Note that Emerson beat both Babson and Wheaton already this year in close games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2010, 12:02:49 PM
Could have been a huge night for the NEWMAC, but Clark couldnt hold onto a lead on the road against Brandeis, and lost on a last second layup in OT.

Springfield beat previously unbeaten Keene St. on the road, which is a good win for the conference.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2010, 12:07:42 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on November 30, 2010, 09:50:04 PM
Interesting that MIT did not drop out of the top 25 completely. They have obviously earned some respect over the last 3 seasons and can have a "clunker" once in a while. Now it is time to win and move back up. Todays game against Emerson was a mismatch inside as Tashman had another big game with 20 and 9 before fouling out. MIT struggled to get untracked early, built a 20 point lead and then coasted. 

WPI cruises in much the same fashion, struggling early and then coasting in.

Note that Emerson beat both Babson and Wheaton already this year in close games.

I think it also helped that 14 other ranked teams lost at least 1 game prior to the Week 1 poll, and 7 teams ranked below them dropped out.  MIT lost about half their points, but because everyone below them lost points too, they stayed in.  Hopefully this serves as an early wake up call and they dont get caught sleeping again.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on December 02, 2010, 10:59:27 PM
Springfield winning on a buzzer beater beating Keene 85-82.  Looks like it should be another battle for the NEWMAC Crown with Springfield, WPI, and MIT
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 02, 2010, 11:17:38 PM
I agree. I think a good race this year as always. It will come down to who is playing well at tournament time.

MIT wins today in a case of not shooting well and still winning. A packed in zone by Newbury led to a plethora of open 3's that were converted at a staggering 19%.  Lucky to win as the Newbury big man Bernard was benched by his coach after a flagrant foul call following a rebound early in the first half with Newbury ahead.

Report that Hollingsworth may be back Saturday against Gordon. Any word??
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 03, 2010, 09:00:12 AM
I was able to attend the WPI game last night.  The Engineers blewout Lasell (89-63) last night behind 21 points by Jeff Robinson and a double-double (16 pts/10 rbs) by Matt Carr.  The duo combined to shoot 15 for 24 from the field in limited minutes.  Jameel Galloway brought the crowd to its feet with big dunk.

Clark got 18 by Brian Vayda & 17 from Mitch Renshaw in their 70-56 win over Worcester St.  Vayda had a game-high 7 boards.

MIT struggled to put away Newbury, but won 61-53.  They were led by Dickinson's 18 and Tashman went 6 of 8 from field for 15 points. Mitch Kates & Billy Bender led them on the glass with 8 & 7 respectively.

Wheaton stayed close throughout the game, but lost 64-60 to Roger Williams.  The Lyons trailed by 6 at half-time, but were never able to get the lead in the second half.  Anthony Coppola (16) and  Anthony Weeks (14) combined for half of wheaton's points. Shawn Daily grabbed 12 boards.


Tonight, Springfield has a tough matchup with the Elms and Coast Guard plays Medgar Evers.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 03, 2010, 12:30:21 PM
WPI gets the NEWMAC's first crack at Harvard.

Harvard does not seem to be missing Lin.  Listened to them beat up Fordham down here in NY the other night.  Dude named Keith Wright sounded like a monster in the paint on both ends.  WPI has no answer for that and the only chance of a close game it would seem would be serious foul trouble for Mr. Wright. 

Interesting that WPI is essentially the middle of a Harvard run against Michigan and then UCONN.  Last time WPI went to Cambridge was in 1989.  Competitive for a half and then not close in the second - both teams are better now - maybe expect about the same. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 03, 2010, 12:39:48 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on December 02, 2010, 11:17:38 PM
I agree. I think a good race this year as always. It will come down to who is playing well at tournament time.

MIT wins today in a case of not shooting well and still winning. A packed in zone by Newbury led to a plethora of open 3's that were converted at a staggering 19%.  Lucky to win as the Newbury big man Bernard was benched by his coach after a flagrant foul call following a rebound early in the first half with Newbury ahead.

Report that Hollingsworth may be back Saturday against Gordon. Any word??

I hear Hollingsworth is easing back into practice.  If he does play, I would expect it would be in a limited role, but I am not sure exactly where he is in his time table for return to game action.  It could also be later in the coming week or two.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 03, 2010, 08:53:59 PM
Springfield up on Elms by 17 at the half.  The Pride shot 55% from the field while Elms has struggled at 27%.  Matt Cavalieri has 15 and Billy Harkins 9 at halftime.  Springfield has a 13-0 advantage in points off turnovers.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 03, 2010, 10:03:57 PM
75-66 win for CGA over Medgar Evers in OT. Sowers led the team with 27 points (15-15 from the FT line).  Team was 25-28 from the FT line.

Nice broadcast by Mark Simon.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 03, 2010, 10:20:52 PM
Springfield defeats Elms 82-67 led by Cavalieri's double-double of 23 pts/11 rbs. Darvis Rankins scored 13 and Harkins finished with 11. They got a big boost from Evan Christner off the bench with 12 pts.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on December 04, 2010, 04:24:50 PM
Springfield beats Westfield St. 78-60.  Good games by Cavalieri 16 pts. 11 rebs. and Coburn 15 pts. 3 rebs. 3 blks.  Coburn also sets Springfield all-time block record (156, previously 154)  as a Junior in the game.  Thats a 4 game winning streak for Springfield after starting 0-3.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 04, 2010, 05:47:36 PM
MIT won easily against Gordon today.  They finally shot well from outside (14-25 from 3).  Hollingsworth reurned back to action, in a reserve role.  I am sure coach Anderson will slowly work him back into the starting lineup (and back into game shape).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 05, 2010, 09:12:17 PM
5 of the 7 teams in front of WPI lost at least a game last week, so there is a decent likelihood that WPI may sneak into the top 25 next week.  Its been a while since two NEWMAC teams have been ranked simultaneously (I dont think MIT cracked the top 25 when WPI was consistently ranked prior to last season, but I am not certain of that).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: FISHERMAN on December 06, 2010, 02:15:43 PM
I would post how many deflections Babson's Braithwaite has had this season......but I can't count that high.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 06, 2010, 02:28:07 PM
Quote from: FISHERMAN on December 06, 2010, 02:15:43 PM
I would post how many deflections Babson's Braithwaite has had this season......but I can't count that high.

This does not surprise me.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on December 06, 2010, 03:51:28 PM
Well said, hugenerd. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on December 06, 2010, 07:42:31 PM
Cavalieri NEWMAC player of the week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 06, 2010, 09:50:37 PM


[I would post how many deflections Babson's Braithwaite has had this season......but I can't count that high. ]

Hmmmmmmm

A. you do realize that like your previous assessment that Braithwaite would earn an honor that does not exist - There is no such thing as a count of deflections.

B. You open yourself to the most obvious of hits -> So you can count to 3?

Sorry guys, but I had to.  Son, perhaps you would do better to tell us who has shut down rather than trying over & over to invent some category you can claim he is the best at.

Anyway, Congrats to Matt Cavalieri on his Player of the week selection.  Very deserving!

WPI lines up against Harvard tomorrow night.  Defintely going to be a difficult matchup all over the court, but its a chance to get some real hard work in for the Engineers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 07, 2010, 12:15:13 AM
New polls are out, MIT picks up 34 points, yet drops a spot to #21.  There is a big dropoff in points right after MIT, from 141 at #21 (MIT), to 66 at #22 (Plattsburgh).

WPI also sneaks into the rankings at #23, with 49 points, slightly ahead of Emory with 46 and Ramapo with 45.

http://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2010-11/week2

6 NE teams in the top 25 (Williams 2, Middlebury 5, Brandeis 16, Amherst 20, MIT, 21, WPI 23) and 4 teams in the ORV (West Conn, RIC, Becker and Keene State).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 07, 2010, 08:17:26 AM
Congratulations to WPI for returning to the Top 25.

Great for the NEWMAC to get two teams, MIT & WPI, into the Top 25.  WPI has a tough week with the Harvard game tonight then RIC on Thursday. They close out this part of the season on the road at Fitchburg St. on Saturday.  MIT has a an easier route to the semester break with UMass-Boston tonight, Salem St on Thursday & Lesley on Saturday.  Hopefully we will still have both of them in the Top 25 next week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on December 07, 2010, 08:50:27 PM
Big win for Springfield tonight as they beat Trinity 62-41.  Cavalieri had 19pts/8reb, while Coburn had 13pts/11reb/5blks.  Springfield looks to continue their 5 game winning streak when they take on another NESCAC in Williams on Saturday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 07, 2010, 08:56:03 PM
MIT handles UMass Boston.  They were up 40-15 at one point in the first half, and cruised from there for a 92-68 final.

Freshman Nick Davis exploded for 29 points on 12-13 shooting (2-2 from 3) and 7 rebounds.

Hollingsworth came off the bench for 16 points in 17 minutes, as he slowly works back into the lineup after the time off due to injury.

Tashman led the team with 11 boards.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 07, 2010, 08:57:33 PM
Harvard beats WPI by 15, 69-54.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 08, 2010, 09:23:07 AM
If WPI beats RIC and Fitchburg (a big if) - do they stay in the top 25 with the loss to D1 Harvard?

Looks to be a real competitive NEWMAC season coming up - will be fun.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 08, 2010, 11:45:05 AM
Lets use last year's MIT-Harvard game as the basis for looking at this.

Last year, MIT lost by 27 to Harvard when they were ranked #22 in D3. WPI stayed in contention throught this game, trailing by no  more more than 15 at any point in the second half and got it to single digits twice.  They trailed by only 12 with 3:46 to go.  Harvard did not go deep into its bench down the stretch.  Last year's MIT-Harvard game was over at the 13 min. mark of the 2nd half.

Now, MIT was #22 on December 28th when they lost to Harvard - on January 5th going into a 12-pt win over Tufts - They were 15th.  So obviously a loss to a D1 team should not have any impact on WPI's position in the polls. (Assuming they finish the week with wins over RIC & Fitchburg St.)  As matter of fact, given they played as well as they did against a team that Sports Illustrated picked to win their conference and make the NCAA tournament should indeed enhance their position.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 08, 2010, 12:22:11 PM
Correction:

MIT was 11-0 and ranked #22 with 132 points then moved to #21 after the Harvard Loss with 144 points  and then to #15 with 236 votes.  Now due to their schedule (finals, Christmas) the only game played in that span was the Harvard Loss. Now, one also has to factor in that they were at that time unbeaten Vs D3 teams, but it is obvious that losing to Harvard had absoultely no impact on their standing in poll.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 08, 2010, 03:12:40 PM
Losses to D1 schools dont have any impact, but there are some things you are ignoring in this comparison:

1) Harvard had Jeremy Lin last season, who now plays for the Golden State Warriors.

2) MIT was down by 15 with about 4.5 minutes to play last year, which is about the same margin that there was in the WPI game last night, except the end of MIT's bench was outscored 12-0 in the final 4.5.

3) MIT was down by as little as 6 early in the second half, and the game was predominantly a single digit game the first 22 or so minutes of that game (MIT even lead by 6 early in the first).  Meanwhile WPI never led, got down by double digits 13 minutes into the game and trailed by double digits the rest of the game except for a 30 second period in which they cut it to 8.  Therefore, I dont think your "MIT game was over with 13 minutes to play" metric is valid, because MIT cut it to 15 at about the same mark WPI was down by about 12 last night.

My point is not that MIT played Harvard tougher or not, just that the games were pretty similar and that you cant read too much into a 15 point margin vs. a 27 point margin, when MIT probably could have lost by fewer than 15 if Coach Anderson had not cleared his bench with 4.5 to play.  In any case, I dont think this hurts, or particularly helps, WPI's D3 standing at all.  Lets see how MIT does this year against Harvard, in just over 3 weeks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 08, 2010, 06:28:28 PM
Hugenerd,

Not to argue – I respect your insight too much – but....

1) Harvard had Jeremy Lin last season, who now plays for the Golden State Warriors.

    -> Not ignoring that at all, but he left the game 6:45 to go and the lead was 18. While Lin was without a doubt a top end player, this year's Crimson was picked by Sports Illustrated to make the dance in March.  So it is not like this team has fallen way off with the loss of last year's star.

2) MIT was down by 15 with about 4.5 minutes to play last year, which is about the same margin that there was in the WPI game last night, except the end of MIT's bench was outscored 12-0 in the final 4.5.

    -> Not quite true, the "end of the bench" didn't enter the game for MIT until under 1:30 left in the game at which point the lead was 23.

3) MIT was down by as little as 6 early in the second half, and the game was predominantly a single digit game the first 22 or so minutes of that game (MIT even lead by 6 early in the first).  Meanwhile WPI never led, got down by double digits 13 minutes into the game and trailed by double digits the rest of the game except for a 30 second period in which they cut it to 8.  Therefore, I dont think your "MIT game was over with 13 minutes to play" metric is valid, because MIT cut it to 15 at about the same mark WPI was down by about 12 last night.

   -> Last year, the score was consistently 16-20 from roughly 13 minutes on. Except for a couple of points where is got to 15 and was bounced right back up. Your right on point that WPI did not lead and got off slowly, but after that slow start, they played the remainder of the game dead even with Harvard's best players.  4 of their starters logged 17,17, 19 & 19 minutes in the 2nd half and they were never able to put the Engineers away as one usually sees in these D1-D3 matchups.


My point is not that MIT played Harvard tougher or not, just that the games were pretty similar and that you cant read too much into a 15 point margin vs. a 27 point margin, when MIT probably could have lost by fewer than 15 if Coach Anderson had not cleared his bench with 4.5 to play.  In any case, I dont think this hurts, or particularly helps, WPI's D3 standing at all.  Lets see how MIT does this year against Harvard, in just over 3 weeks.

-> Again, the "end of the bench" didn't enter the game for MIT until Sissman(1:22), Lehto(1:02) and the other s at 0:25.  The end margin was already over the 20 mark before they entered.


This was all about comparing how a loss to a good D1 team would affect WPI's position in the polls.  Since it is the same team and both teams were ranked in the 20's before the game, it is as good a comparison as one will find. I agree that this kind of loss should be factored in, but since MIT actually gained votes, there is an effect at play.  Obviously if a ranked team beats a D1 team, they will get credit for that in the voting.  So playing a good game and losing will also have some impact even if it is not much.

Last night, WPI was consistently keeping the game a possession or two from single digits and not letting the Crimson make a run and put the game away.  True they never got it below 10 after that one point, but then again, the lead never got more than 15 and every time it did (except the last time with a minute to go) WPI answered back.  Basically from the point where Harvard got that first 13-point lead at 5:58 in the first half the game was basically even for the remaining 26 minutes.  From that point of view, WPI's level of play did not diminish as MIT's did the year before.

I agree this is in part an apples-n-oranges comparison, but heck – its fun! Since MIT did not fall in the polls at all despite the loss, one can hope that if WPI wins its other 2 games this week they should remain in top 25 and possibly move up.


I did attend the game last night, getting a couple of associates to make a night of it with dinner & the game.

I will look back at my little notes, lol, yes every  once in while I scribble something down during the game to help me recall something I notice, and post my observations.  Gotta go eat - wife is yelling for me to get off the computer!

I believe MIT will do equally as well or better than WPI did.  Having already experienced this once and playing well against Harvard last year will give them an advantage that WPI did not have.  I also believe that MIT's interior crew will have an advantage as a group.  The difference will most likely be how well MIT defends the 3 and not getting into foul difficulty.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 08, 2010, 07:37:38 PM
Whatever argument you use, to abbreviate, MIT played them pretty cloe the first 30 minutes of their game last season, and WPI played them pretty close the last 30 minutes of their game last night.  I wanted WPI to do well also, it looks good for the conference. 

Also, Coach Anderson started bring in his bench at 3.5 minutes, and brought in the entire bench over the next couple of minutes,as you stated.

Finally, the fact that Harvard was picked to win the Ivy League does not mean this years team is any better or equal to last years team.  In fact, I think they are probably significantly worse without Lin.  He did everything for them last year. How often does the Ivy league have an NBA-level player?  Not to mention all his experience.  The main reason they are the best Ivy League team is not because they got significantly better, but becaue Cornell graduated all their best players so now there is no relative "power" in the conference.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: leelowlang on December 09, 2010, 02:57:10 PM
Most Productive/Efficient NEWMAC Players Thus Far?

Using NBA Effeciency Rating:

(Pts + Rebs + Asts + Stls + Blks) - ((FGA-FGM) + (FTA-FTM) + TO) =

Total divided by GP = per game average

MIT - Tashman - 20.8
WPI - Carr - 15.3
CGA - Sowers - 17.3
Springfield - Cavalieri - 17.9
Babson - Noonan - 14.3
Clark - Vayda - 22.5
Wheaton - Coppola - 14.2
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 09, 2010, 06:54:57 PM
I have two comments on the recent threads.  Although MIT played tough the game was NEVER in doubt. Lin turned it up when needed and the bigs dominated the game for Harvard on the glass. Any time a team is up over 10 points against a team it considers much weaker the final score really doesn't matter as the effort is only blah. You get no kudos from anyone except the hardcore fans for an amost.

Using an NBA effeciency rating is not real accurate at this level as it favors the big men over the guards every time. Steals and assists are never kept that accurately while the other categories are more precise. 

MIT/Harvard - could it be a game with 3 minutes to play? Need to beat Salem tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 09, 2010, 09:05:04 PM
Both WPI and MIT escape with 1 point wins tonight.  WPI gets by RIC in OT, 60-59, and MIT gets by Salem State on the road, 76-75.  Both teams trailed going into their final possession, but both were able to get 2 for the win.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 09, 2010, 09:59:08 PM
Salem State was tough tonight as they killed MIT on the boards with 17 offensive boards and hit alot of big shots.  Tavone and Clarke were clutch all night.  With Salem State going up 2 with 19 seconds left Kates penetrated the 2-3 zone, found Tashman in the short corner for a contested jumper which bounced off the rim. Kates chased it down near the 3 point line, got fouled and knocked down 2 to seal it with 5 seconds left. Hollingsworth appears to be getting back slowly and played 25 reserve minutes. Kates had 5 treys in the first half and finished with 22.

Salem looks to be a decent group this year. They are very athletic and will give teams problems but should have been handled more easily if this is truly a national level team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 10, 2010, 12:42:11 AM
Finally getting around to posting this after having worked on reports since I got home from the game.

WPI came out with a hard fought win in OT over Rhode Island College.  I have been fortunate enough to see these last two WPI games.  On Tuesday they held their own against D1 Harvard and seemed a bit out of sorts tonight, but got some big performances from Carr, Robinson & Shannon to get the win. Other players made key plays throughout the game.  Ricardo Bonhomme came off the bench to contribute 7 points and 6 boards.  Kyle Nadeau hit a huge 3 as the shot clock expired to tie the game at 51.  Shannon struggled most of the game but his only FG was a conventional 3-pts play that tied the game with 16 seconds left in regulation.  Robinson also struggled on the evening and was held scoreless until OT where he scored all 6 of WPI's points, including the game winner.

From what I have seen this week, I think we are seeing the emergence of another quality big man in the NEWMAC.  The Engineer's junior center, Matt Carr, has played well all year, but this week he has seriously stepped it up on the defensive end and continues to improve offensively.  Earlier this week he had the primary defensive assignment on Keith Wright at Harvard as the Engineers held him well under his average.  Tonight, he held RIC's top scorer, Mike Akinrola, scoreless. Overall he had a huge game with 15 points, 9 boards, 5 blocks and 4 steals.  He made life miserable for RIC inside with the blocks and altered many other shots including Choice's final shot.

On the RIC side, Mason Choice had a double-double with 15 points on 5 of 13 shooting and 11 boards. Carl Lee also posted double figures with a game high 16 points. .Nick Manson led the Anchormen in the first half hitting a trio of 3's and finishing with 12 points.

WPI plays Fitchburg St. on Saturday which should be an easy win, but as MIT as seen twice now this year – those "easy" wins are not always so easy.  I hope WPI does not assume just walking on the court on Sat. equals a win.


In other action in the NEWMAC it looks like Clark got pummeled by Becker, 82-58. NEWMAC top scorer Brian Vayda was held to 12 points.

Babson got crushed by Amherst, 104-72. Matt Zoia led the Beavers with 22 points.

Coast Guard lost to Roger Williams, 68-61.  Jevon James led CG with 16 points. Adam Radtke & Greg Marshall booth chipped in with 13.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 10, 2010, 08:50:37 AM
Fairly rough night for NEWMAC teams - got a little love on the front page of D3hoops though ("Engineering Wins"). 

These wins (for WPI and MIT) are huge - doesn't matter at this point if they are by 12 or by 1 it seems.  Not sure if either team will be good enough in 3 months to be thinking at large (MIT may have a better shot) but piling up wins now is huge - especially since it seems like most nights in conference will be tough.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 10, 2010, 10:56:48 AM
mas-d3 - I was impressed with Carr even last season, he just wasnt getting the minutes then.  I think he is a quality player.

The players that should be putting up big numbers, though, arent doing that great:

Jeff Robinson hasnt lived up at all to his 2nd Team Preseason AA billing, scoring only 13 ppg, on 43% shooting.

Hollingsworth has also been slow to start, although some of that can be attributed to the injuries he is playing through.  He has produced pretty well when his in the game, however.  So far this season, he has only played in 5 games, starting in 2, and is playing about 20 minutes per game, which is more than 10 minutes less per game than last season (or about 50% less game action per contest).  Despite that, he is averaging 14.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 1.2 bpg. If you scale those numbers up by about 50% (just for arguments sake), you get numbers closer to what he produced last year, and what you would expect from a first team all-american: 20+ ppg, 10+ rpg, and almost 2 bpg. I think he will get it turned around soon, as Coach Anderson is slowly working him back into the lineup.

With respect to last nights game: MIT, in general, plays much better at home than on the road.  They are going to need to figure out how to play away from Rockwell if they want to make some noise on the national scene this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 10, 2010, 01:32:38 PM
Nerd,

  In some of the games I have made it to, It has looked at times like Robinson was pressing just a bit.  Another factor in the slow start, in my mind, is the substitution pattern that the Engineers have been using.  They were rotating a lot of guys in & out in short bursts.  It is really hard to get into a rhythm with kind of style.  Last year Robinson averaged over 30 minutes per game and so far this year he has only played 30 or more in 2 of the 8 games and under 20 in 3 of them.   The same is true for Ben Etten who has averaged 30 minutes a game for last 2 years is averaging 24 this season with 3 games under 20.  I am not sure why this has changed this season, but I do think it is a component to Robinson's struggles during this first 3rd of the season. Now, that being said, they did not use that same substitution pattern at Harvard or last night against RIC after the early part of the game.

The MIT/WPI match-ups this year should be yield some great basketball.  I still think the edge has to go to MIT just because of  2 factors: 1) that big front line and the commitment that Coach Anderson has made to using it & 2) Kates creates a matchup nightmare for WPI.

Good Luck to all the NEWMAC teams this weekend.  I have to pay the piper (i.e. -the wife) now for my game excursions this week. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 10, 2010, 07:50:24 PM
I noticed that minutes per game are down throughout the league.  Either the teams are deeper, there are more 20+ point games or coaches are making a concerted effort to keep the stars healthy.  There are definitely more injuries when fatigue is a factor.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 11, 2010, 12:03:42 AM
Wheaton picks up their first win.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: FISHERMAN on December 11, 2010, 04:54:25 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on December 06, 2010, 09:50:37 PM


[I would post how many deflections Babson's Braithwaite has had this season......but I can't count that high. ]

Hmmmmmmm

A. you do realize that like your previous assessment that Braithwaite would earn an honor that does not exist - There is no such thing as a count of deflections.

B. You open yourself to the most obvious of hits -> So you can count to 3?

Sorry guys, but I had to.  Son, perhaps you would do better to tell us who has shut down rather than trying over & over to invent some category you can claim he is the best at.

Anyway, Congrats to Matt Cavalieri on his Player of the week selection.  Very deserving!

WPI lines up against Harvard tomorrow night.  Defintely going to be a difficult matchup all over the court, but its a chance to get some real hard work in for the Engineers.


Condescending and incorrect, such a pleasant combo. All teams keep track of deflections. But anyway, lets try to lighten up fellas, I'm just supporting a young man with an obviously tongue and cheek comment.  And there might not be an official DPOY award, but he's the best defender in the league.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on December 11, 2010, 04:59:15 PM
Tough second half leads to Springfield losing to Williams 83-60.  Springfield led at half 35-34, and had it tied with 14:00 to go at 42-42.  Williams hit a few 3's and went on a 12-0 run which led to the gap.  Really tough game as far as referees.  Williams shot 23 free throws (22 of which they hit), compared to Springfield's 0-1 free throw in the second half.  IMO Amherst > Williams this year.  Springfield looks to bounce back against another NESCAC (Conn College) Tuesday night.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 11, 2010, 07:50:18 PM
Quote from: FISHERMAN on December 11, 2010, 04:54:25 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on December 06, 2010, 09:50:37 PM


[I would post how many deflections Babson's Braithwaite has had this season......but I can't count that high. ]

Hmmmmmmm

A. you do realize that like your previous assessment that Braithwaite would earn an honor that does not exist - There is no such thing as a count of deflections.

B. You open yourself to the most obvious of hits -> So you can count to 3?

Sorry guys, but I had to.  Son, perhaps you would do better to tell us who has shut down rather than trying over & over to invent some category you can claim he is the best at.

Anyway, Congrats to Matt Cavalieri on his Player of the week selection.  Very deserving!

WPI lines up against Harvard tomorrow night.  Defintely going to be a difficult matchup all over the court, but its a chance to get some real hard work in for the Engineers.


Condescending and incorrect, such a pleasant combo. All teams keep track of deflections. But anyway, lets try to lighten up fellas, I'm just supporting a young man with an obviously tongue and cheek comment.  And there might not be an official DPOY award, but he's the best defender in the league.
It is just not clear what you are basing this comment on.  He is a good athlete, but he is barely averaging over a steal a game, .2 bpg, and under 5 boards a game.  He is not even top 5 on his own team in minutes played per game, so if his own coach is playing 5 guys more than him, its hard to believe he is the player of the year for Babson to this point in any category, let alone the entire conference.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 11, 2010, 08:30:29 PM
[Condescending and incorrect, such a pleasant combo. All teams keep track of deflections. But anyway, lets try to lighten up fellas, I'm just supporting a young man with an obviously tongue and cheek comment.  And there might not be an official DPOY award, but he's the best defender in the league.]

Condesending would have been the appropriate response, sorry your did not understand my tongue-in-cheek reply though.

[All teams keep track of deflections.] - Care to tell us who besides yourself believes that.  Teams use the computer stats generated at the scorers table.  I have seen games where rebounds, steals, blocks, even missed shots are not properly recorded.  Overall I think the guys operating the computers at the games do a great job, but they do miss things sometimes.  I guarantee you all teams do not have some work study kid in the crowd counting 'deflections' - good try though.

As far as Braithwright being the best defender in the league... Well, I ask you again - Who has he shutdown?  Can you tell us any player that he has shutout or held seriously under their scoring average?  Rather than making up stories, stats and awards, perhaps you can provide us with some actual evidence.  Do that and your opinions may taken more seriously.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 11, 2010, 08:49:38 PM
WPI defeated Fitchburg State 78-63 behind Jeff Robinson's 18 & Jerome Stewart's 17.  Not an overly impressive win against a weak team, but in looking at the stat sheet, only Robinson & Nadeau play 20 or more minutes. 10 other players logged 10 or more minutes.

MIT beats Lesley 82-61.  Looks like Tashman had some foul trouble, but Hollinsworth plays 31 minutes off the bench going for 22 & 8.  Karraker burns the nets for 24 - all from beyond the arc (8-16).

Springfield got rocked by #2 Williams, 83-60.  Cavalieri plays 29 minutes posting 22 points/5 rebs and Coburn puts up 13 & 5 in 30 minutes.

Clark losses a close one to local rival Nichols, 63-61.  Vayda goes for another double-double with 19 and 13 in 31 minutes.  Mitch Renshaw contributed 10 points and 5 boards.

Wheaton wins the Park Lodge Tournament at Regis College defeating the hosts 73-50.  Coppola put up 20 points and Anthony Weeks added 11.  6'10" Mike Hall played 30 minutes and grabbed 11 boards.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 11, 2010, 08:53:56 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on December 11, 2010, 08:49:38 PM
WPI defeated Fitchburg State 78-63 behind Jeff Robinson's 18 & Jerome Stewart's 17.  Not an overly impressive win against a weak team, but in looking at the stat sheet, only Robinson & Nadeau play 20 or more minutes. 10 other players logged 10 or more minutes.

MIT beats Lesley 82-61.  Looks like Tashman had some foul trouble, but Hollinsworth plays 31 minutes off the bench going for 22 & 8.  Karraker burns the nets for 24 - all from beyond the arc (8-16).

Springfield got rocked by #2 Williams, 83-60.  Cavalieri plays 29 minutes posting 22 points/5 rebs and Coburn puts up 13 & 5 in 30 minutes.

Clark losses a close one to local rival Nichols, 63-61.  Vayda goes for another double-double with 19 and 13 in 31 minutes.  Mitch Renshaw contributed 10 points and 5 boards.

Wheaton wins the Park Lodge Tournament at Regis College defeating the hosts 73-50.  Coppola put up 20 points and Anthony Weeks added 11.  6'10" Mike Hall played 30 minutes and grabbed 11 boards.

I was at the MIT game, Dan McCue made a huge difference with his defense in the second half.  He played most of his minutes in the final 13 minutes of the game, when MIT was +20 in scoring during that time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 11, 2010, 08:59:40 PM
Nerd,

  Would you say Hollinsworth is fully back at this point ?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 11, 2010, 10:11:17 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on December 11, 2010, 08:59:40 PM
Nerd,

  Would you say Hollinsworth is fully back at this point ?

No, but I fully expect that he will be by the Harvard game, as they now have 3 weeks off.  He was noticeably grimacing and hobling around at certain points of the game today, but still did his work.  I am sure the coaching staff would have liked to play him a bit less, but Tashman got in foul trouble and they usually play at least Hollingsworth or Tashman, as both of their backups are freshman.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: leelowlang on December 13, 2010, 11:08:39 PM
LEC First Semester All-Conference Team
Just one basketball junkie's opinion...

Player of the Semester:
Mitchell Kates - 6'1", So., G, MIT - 14.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.3 apg, 50% FG, 33% 3FG, 75% FT, 2.6 spg

Coach of the Semester:
Larry Anderson - MIT

Newcomer of the Semester:
Kevin Sowers - 6'1", Fr., G, Coast Guard - 15.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.2 apg, 46% FG, 79% FT, 1.4 spg

First Team:
Matt Cavalieri 6'6", Sr., F, Springfield - 18.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 41% FG, 33% 3FG, 76% FT
Mitchell Kates - 6'1", So., G, MIT - 14.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.3 apg, 50% FG, 33% 3FG, 75% FT, 2.6 spg
Jeffrey Robinson - 6'3", Sr., G, WPI - 13.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 45% FG, 44% 3FG, 95% FT
Kevin Sowers - 6'1", Fr., G, Coast Guard - 15.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.2 apg, 46% FG, 79% FT, 1.4 spg
Brian Vayda - 6'5", Jr., F, Clark - 18.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 49% FG, 41% 3FG, 77% FT, 1.5 spg

Second Team:
Matt Carr - 6'7", Jr., C, WPI -
Anthony Coppola - 6'1", Sr., G, Wheaton - 18.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 44% FG, 33% 3FG, 84% FT, 2.4 spg
Ryan Coburn - 6'8", So., F/C, Springfield - 13.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 50% FG, 67% FT, 3.3 bpg
Noel Hollingsworth - 6'9", Jr., F, MIT - 15.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 49% FG, 42% 3FG, 80% FT, 1.1 bpg
Will Tashman - 6'8", So., F, MIT - 12.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 47% FG, 79% FT, 1.3 spg
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: leelowlang on December 13, 2010, 11:10:24 PM
Matt Carr - 6'7", Jr., C, WPI - 9.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 71% FG, 67% FT, 1.9 bpg, 1.6 spg
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 13, 2010, 11:25:03 PM
The players you picked look good.  I think Hollingsworth will get on the first team by the end of the season.  If you look at his stats while he was playing hurt and then after his two week hiatus, he has been performing at his All-American level since returning.

I like your pick of Kates for POY.  He may not put up the stats of some other players (still very good stats), but he is involved with everything MIT does, and as important as anyone to their success.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 14, 2010, 09:45:10 AM
WPI and MIT improved their spots in the top 25.  Nerd was correct as usual (that the Harvard loss had seemingly no effect on WPI).

Didn't check - but I assume MIT is done till after break now as well?

I will be at the WPI - WestConn game as it is right by my house in CT on Dec 28th.  Will be a tough test - especially with all the rust.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 14, 2010, 11:22:17 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 14, 2010, 09:45:10 AM
WPI and MIT improved their spots in the top 25.  Nerd was correct as usual (that the Harvard loss had seemingly no effect on WPI).

Didn't check - but I assume MIT is done till after break now as well?

I will be at the WPI - WestConn game as it is right by my house in CT on Dec 28th.  Will be a tough test - especially with all the rust.

MIT plays Harvard next, on the 31st.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on December 14, 2010, 05:27:38 PM
Not a chance Kates is POY at this point in time.
Vayda or Cavalieri is the logical selection.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on December 14, 2010, 05:36:04 PM
At least we can agree on one thing... Braithwraite DPOY and Deflection Champ for sure!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 14, 2010, 07:54:40 PM
Quote from: jabnike23 on December 14, 2010, 05:27:38 PM
Not a chance Kates is POY at this point in time.
Vayda or Cavalieri is the logical selection.

Look at the history of the award.  The winner of POY has been from a team that finished in the top 2 in the conference in the regular season for the past 9 years (this year would make it 10).  Neither of them fit that qualification and neither is that much better to have voters overlook that.  

Also, Kates is by far the best point guard in the conference, and it is hard to compare the effect of a player who is a pg to those that are forwards.  Cavalieri and Vayda may be averaging close to 19 ppg and 9 rpg, but Kates isnt far behind in scoring with 15 ppg. However, Kates is shooting better from the field than both of them (50%, 6th in the conference, Vayda is 10th, Cavalieri not ranked), he is 2nd in the conference in both assists (5.3 per game) and steals (2.6 per game), while Vayda and Cavalieri get about a third of those numbers.  Kates is also 2nd in the conference in A/TO.

Therefore, Kates may score a few less points than those two, but his role is not a scorer for MIT. Kates also has far superior numbers in all the pg categories (assists, steals, A/TO), while the other two have more rebounds.  Regardless, your comment that there is "no way" you can call Kates the NEWMAC POY to this point is very superficial and based solely on points and rebounds.  If you look at the entire resume, Kates' play compares well with anybodys in the conference.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 14, 2010, 07:58:28 PM
There is a very valid arguement for Kates.  Factor in the assists, and he is providing 19.8 pts of offense compared to Cavalieri's 20.9 and Vayda's 20.3.

Then take into account that he runs the show for MIT, a 9-1 team ranked in the top 20 in the nation, and he certainly is a very good choice as MVP at this point.

Also, Nerd is right, this award is not going to go to someone on a team the barely .500 or under unless they post out of this world numbers.  So far, Vayda & Cavalieri are performing very well, but not out of this world.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 14, 2010, 08:13:35 PM
I guess we agree then mass, I was adding that other stuff while you were posting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 14, 2010, 08:34:37 PM
Yes, at this point, Factoring it all in, Kates would get my vote.  I'd have Cavalieri 2nd & Vayda 3rd.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 14, 2010, 08:44:34 PM
By the way, Congrats to Anthony Coppola for being named NEWMAC Player of the week and leading Wheaton to the Park Lodge Tournament Title.

Congrats also to MIT & WPI for both moving up in the national poll to 19th & 22nd respectively.

As Nerd stated, MIT is off til 12/31 when they go after D1 Harvard.

WPI comes back on the 12/28 at (ORV:#27) Western Conn. & then on 12/30 with  (ORV:#31) Becker at home.

Enjoy whatever down time your coaches give you gentlemen!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on December 14, 2010, 09:46:25 PM
Springfield handles Conn College 69-57.  Cavalieri goes for 28-pts/8-rebs.  Rankins pours in 16, and Coburn has 5 rejections.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on December 14, 2010, 09:53:00 PM
And for POY

Hugenerd -  "The winner of POY has been from a team that finished in the top 2 in the conference in the regular season for the past 9 years (this year would make it 10).  Neither of them fit that qualification and neither is that much better to have voters overlook that."

Springfield finished 2nd in the NEWMAC last year.. I don't think MIT and WPI are shoe-ins for a one two punch in the regular season standings.....

I guess we'll see when league games start.  Happy holidays and winter break to all.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 14, 2010, 10:17:39 PM
Quote from: jabnike23 on December 14, 2010, 09:53:00 PM
And for POY

Hugenerd -  "The winner of POY has been from a team that finished in the top 2 in the conference in the regular season for the past 9 years (this year would make it 10).  Neither of them fit that qualification and neither is that much better to have voters overlook that."

Springfield finished 2nd in the NEWMAC last year.. I don't think MIT and WPI are shoe-ins for a one two punch in the regular season standings.....

I guess we'll see when league games start.  Happy holidays and winter break to all.

We are talking about a 1st semester award, and neither of them have the first or 2nd best record right now.

Springfield's finish last year doesnt mean anything, both Springfield and Clark lost major contributors to graduation (WPI and MIT really did not).  Also, 8 wins may not be enough for 2nd in the conference this year.  WPI is much improved, and MIT has the opportunity to be better than last year if they can get healthy.

Also, I fully expect Hollingsworth to be back to his dominant self by the start of conference play.  If you look at his last 3 games, since returning from injury, he is averaging 19 ppg and 7.5 rpg in just 24 minutes per game.  I still think he has the best shot at POY, although I think both he and Kates (and possibly Tashman) are 1st team all-conference performers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 14, 2010, 10:37:23 PM
While all 3 may be performing at that level, I do not think you will see 3 from one team make first team.  since the NEWMAC moved to a 1st & 2nd team, that has not happened - Even in the years when WPI was going 11-1
in conference play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 14, 2010, 10:40:20 PM
Its unlikely, especially for 3 players to put up huge numbers on the same team, but I think Tashman should be in the conversation.  He is definitely of that quality a player.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 14, 2010, 11:23:19 PM
Agreed
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 15, 2010, 11:02:20 AM
Anyone know what happened to Jake Nelson?  He was hyped as a super point guard out of NH - that was supposed to get significant minutes right away at the point for WPI.  I even thought I saw him on their roster early?

Sorry if I missed an earlier thread on this...................
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: CCC Talk on December 15, 2010, 12:20:24 PM
Transferring to Rivier in NH.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 15, 2010, 01:31:29 PM
Thanks
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 16, 2010, 05:29:39 PM
Great conversation. I think Will Tashman's stats are all league when Hollingsworth was out but his role changes significantly when he moves to the 4. His numbers will go down as he will not be the primary post in most offensive sets. That is a clear indication that sometimes you have to look beneath the numbers to get a true reflection of value to a team (although the numbers are super important). 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 16, 2010, 05:37:32 PM
If you run an efficiency rating on the 3 players mentioned I get Cavalieri at 31.3, Kates at 29.6 and Vayda at 28.8.  That does not take into account turnovers or missed shots just points, assists, rebounds, and steals.  Pretty close numbers over all. If you take into account the point guard responsibility I would rank them Kates, Cav, and then Vayda right now. Head to head matchups will be here soon enough. 

Heres wishing all the boys luck (and preparation) on their exams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 20, 2010, 11:52:13 AM
MIT gets a commitment from a D1-level prospect, 6'7" SG/SF Reinier Strobos from Texas.  He apparently played on the Texas D1 Ambassadors, who have sent 86 players to D1 programs since 2006. The NERR report and video are linked here:

Reinier Strobos (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/12/recruiting-in-news-reinier-strobos.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 20, 2010, 10:12:10 PM
Highlights of MIT freshman Nick Davis from last week.  He had dunks in 3 consecutive games.

Davis Dunk Highlights (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/12/nick-davis-dunk-highlights_20.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 20, 2010, 11:15:38 PM
With MIT early action decisions coming out last Thursday, it appears MIT has secured a second commitment.  Nick Prus is a 6'4" guard from Illinois, see link below for more:

Nick Prus to MIT (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/12/nick-davis-dunk-highlights.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 22, 2010, 09:41:00 PM
All area description from last year.

Nick Prus Buffalo Grove

Letting Prus get loose became a dangerous proposition as he rebounded from an injury-plagued sophomore year to lead Buffalo Grove in scoring at 13.9 points a game and hit 61 3-pointers while shooting 45 percent from the field overall. He also averaged 3 rebounds a game. "He allows us to feel we'll always be in it because he can score in bunches," said coach Ryan O'Connor. Prus twice hit a high of 28 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 23, 2010, 12:23:47 AM
Big game on 12/28. #23 WPI at #25 West Conn.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 23, 2010, 09:21:54 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on December 22, 2010, 09:41:00 PM
All area description from last year.

Nick Prus Buffalo Grove

Letting Prus get loose became a dangerous proposition as he rebounded from an injury-plagued sophomore year to lead Buffalo Grove in scoring at 13.9 points a game and hit 61 3-pointers while shooting 45 percent from the field overall. He also averaged 3 rebounds a game. "He allows us to feel we'll always be in it because he can score in bunches," said coach Ryan O'Connor. Prus twice hit a high of 28 points.

Prus went for 32 in their last game (high school games are 32 minutes).

http://palatine.patch.com/articles/fremd-vikings-ride-konopka-to-win-over-buffalo-grove
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 26, 2010, 09:05:20 PM
NERR reporting on Nick Prus to MIT.

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/1770/Kilcullen-Makes-Decision.php
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 28, 2010, 12:14:03 PM
I will be at the WPI/WestConn game tonight and will report later tonight.  I have seen Westconn once this year and WPI may have trouble with their quickness.

Also - anything is possible since neither team has had a game in 2 weeks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL Babson ???
Post by: jhawk on December 28, 2010, 02:35:19 PM
 I  had some expecations for Babson this  year  with Pallazini of Franklin  HS + returnees .

They looked pretty good against ranked Brandeis .

BUT ......

I notice Mc Dermott hasn't played  the last two games .
  The team is in  Florida   
Any insights to share  ?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 28, 2010, 09:00:16 PM
West Conn (at home) beat WPI by 15. Perez only played 4 minutes, Jerome Stewart only played 9 minutes, and Ben Etten didnt make a field goal.  Those three are the third, fourth and fifth leading scorers for WPI and they scored only 7 points combined on 1-7 shooting.  They usually average about 20 between the 3 of them.  What do you have WPI 89?

Babson lost to Lebanon Valley by 1.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 28, 2010, 09:07:23 PM
WPI goes down in Danbury.

Some random thoughts:

Way too much overall quickness for WestConn.  They have a very nice team.  Brooks is a legit player.  Quickest guard I have seen in quite a while - WPI had nobody to guard him.  Think he went for 30 - although he takes tons of shots.  A couple of really nice compliments in Jarrett, Robinson, and some interchangeable quick guards.

Robinson was tremendous in the first half (17) - slashing and dishing.  Westconn defended him in essentially a box and 1 in the second half and shut him out until a couple of nice drives after it was decided.

WPI was very good inside - Matt Carr looked smooth on offense.  Problem was that Westconn put the clamps on the WPI guards in the 2nd half and they could not get the ball inside at all.

15 was the largest margin of the game - WPI cut it to 7 with 4 minutes but never got closer after a Robinson 3 rattled in and out.  WPI lead by as many as 12 in the early going (WC looked like a team coming off of break).  Also - nice job by the fill-in coach for Westconn.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 28, 2010, 09:16:44 PM
In response to Nerd - very strange substitution pattern by Bartley - he was cranky all night and barely avoided a T in the early second half.

He just could not find a unit to guard the much quicket Colonials.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 29, 2010, 08:35:42 AM
First note a little confusing because of dueling Robinson's - sorry.  After the initial mention of WC's Robinson - I am referring to WPI's Jeff Robinson.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 29, 2010, 01:11:20 PM
Article about MIT commit Nick Prus:

BG's Prus a hot shooter at Elgin Tournament
(http://www.pioneerlocal.com/buffalogrove/sports/highschools/2989658,buffalo-grove-bgbbk-123010-s1.article)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 29, 2010, 11:02:39 PM
Congrats to Babson's Braithwaite on a career high 27 points in their win over Penn State - Harrisburg today.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 31, 2010, 07:42:21 PM
I attended the WPI-Becker game last night as WPI avenged an early season 1-pt loss by defeating the Hawks 82-66. The Engineers were led by Jeff Robinson & Matt Carr as they combined for 50 points.
Carr dominated the paint on both ends of the court and put up career highs of 24 points/12 boards.  Robinson did a great job getting the FT line and got half of his points from the stripe.  WPI got good play from others as Jerome Stewart scored 10, Ben Etten had 8 pts and 5 assists, Fernando Perez with 5pts/7rebs and Kyle Nadeau also had 5 pts.

I see Harvard took it to MIT today.  Hollinsworth did not play.  Any insights Hugenerd?
Tashman played a great game with 19pts/5 rebs before fouling out.  Harvard's Keith Wright posted a double-double in the 1st half with 13 pts/11 rebs.

Wheaton won its second tournament in a row as the Lyons beat Wesylan to win the Red & Black Classic.  Anthony Weeks led the Lyons scoring 46 points and grabbing 10 boards in the two games.  He was named tournament MVP.

Everyone have a Happy & Safe New Year's celebration.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 31, 2010, 08:43:49 PM
I attended the MIT-Harvard matchup.  MIT was undermanned, as Hollingsworth was in street clothes.  I wont go into more specifics on the injury for now.  However, MIT came out pretty strong, playing with Harvard for essentially the first 10 minutes and even took the lead about 7 minutes in.  The size of Harvard was too much to handle, though, as they absolutely got killed on the boards.  

Tashman held his own with Wright, really working hard in the post, defending him well and also playing well on the offensive end.  Unfortunately, Tashman didnt get to play as much as he should have, he picked up 2 ticky tack fouls, in addition to one legitimate foul, in the first 11 minutes of play, which cost him 10 minutes of PT in the first half.  He did a good job of playing with 4 fouls in the second, after picking another one up in the first couple minutes in the second half, but he really could have had a much better game if he werent in foul trouble the whole night.

Another bright spot was Mitch Kates, he was the best point guard on the court in my opinion.  He didnt shoot particularly well, but he only had 1 turnover in 32 minutes and was really effective in setting up the offense and hawking the Harvard guards.  In the end, however, MIT didnt have the size and quickness to compete.  The wings had a lot of shots that they would usually get off either get blocked or altered due to the longer and more athletic Harvard wings, resulting in very poor shooting overall.  The size and quickness also killed them on the boards, as previously stated.  They clearly missed Hollingsworth (Will Dickson would have played 6 minutes, not 36, if Hollingsworth were healthy), but he probably wouldnt have been enough to change the outcome of the game, MIT would have had to shoot much better and catch Harvard on a real bad day in order to have a chance at winning, neither of which happened.  Maybe next year....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 31, 2010, 09:39:30 PM
Noel Hollingsworth out for the season (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/12/mit-falls-to-harvard-hollingsworth-out.html)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on January 01, 2011, 01:31:45 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on December 31, 2010, 09:39:30 PM
Noel Hollingsworth out for the season (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/12/mit-falls-to-harvard-hollingsworth-out.html)

hugenerd,
Sorry to hear about Hollingsworth. That will certainly have major ramifications on MIT's season. Was following the game today on live stats and when he didn't play at all in the 1st half I knew something was wrong.
On a positive note, getting a medical waiver and giving him 2 more years with Kates and Tashman will certainly bode well for the future. Hopefully Hollingsworth will be granted the waiver, heal the shoulder, and come back stronger than ever. And Will Dickson is certainly going to benefit from all the extra playing time he'll see this year because of Hollingsworth's loss. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 02, 2011, 12:15:39 AM
It is definitely a big loss for this year, but you can look at it postively also.  Hollingsworth was banged up before he injured his shoulder in the season opener, and now he will have time to heal, develop his game another year, and will also be in the same class as MIT's two other strongest players, Mitch Kates and Will Tashman (as well as several other very good players).

Despite the loss, I still think MIT has a great opportunity to compete this year for the NEWMAC championship, and as has been witnessed over the last several years in the NEWMAC, any team can get hot and win the end of season tourney at the end of the year.  Whether this makes WPI the favorite or not is debatable, but WPI will definitely be much more experienced with MIT essentially starting all freshman and sophomores (and sometimes senior Eric Zuk, but he is not usually a large statistical contributor, but more an intangibles type of player, while Karraker and McCue are both listed as Jr.'s but are both in their 2nd year playing due to lost year(s) from injury), with most of the guys coming off the bench also being freshman and sophomores (only player who plays significantly who is not is junior Billy Bender). 

I wouldnt discount them from contention too early, because they have some very talented players who can carry the team to victory on any given night.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 02, 2011, 09:02:26 PM
Looking at the box score & recap, WPI blows out UNE today, 83-50.  Jeff Robinson scored his 1,000th point early in the 2nd half.  Robinson (15pts), Carr (13pts), & Perez (10pts) led the Engineers in scoring with limited minutes. Nadeau and Shannon combined for 11 of WPI's 25 assists.  Off the Bench, Ryan Kolb (7 pts/8 rebs) & Jameel Galloway (9 rebs) played well.
WPI opens conference play at home Vs. Wheaton on Wed.

Coast Guard loses to Salve Regina, 75-61. Greg Marshall led the Bears with 16 pts. Kevin Sowers (11pts) & Ed Gailor (10pts) also hit double figures. Coast Guard starts NEWMAC play on Wed. hosting Clark.

Springfield is defeated by Rutgers-Newark, 71-66, in the Hampton Inn West Springfield/Naismith Classic title game. Calavieri led the Pride with 22 pts & 8 boards.  Ryan Coburn had a double-double with 13pts/11rebs & Darvis Rankins chipped in with 11 pts. Springfield will open confernce play by hosting Babson on Wed.

MIT plays Tufts on Wed.

Hugenerd - I was very saddened to hear about Hollinsworth. I was looking forward to seeing him play. I hate to see any young athlete hurt.  Do you know if the tear will require surgery?  Whatever the the course of treatment is, I hope he follows it and doesn't force himself back prematurely.  We hear that story all too often.

It wil be interesting to see how the voters digest this in this week's poll.  I know the NCAA takes injuries into account, but not sure how the Top 25 voters will process it.  I am not one who is going to say the conference favorite is WPI because of the injury.  MIT still has a lot of depth inside and I think they present serious matchup problems for WPI in the backcourt. I also think Springfield will have a lot to say about things before its done.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 02, 2011, 10:14:18 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on January 02, 2011, 09:02:26 PM
It wil be interesting to see how the voters digest this in this week's poll.  I know the NCAA takes injuries into account, but not sure how the Top 25 voters will process it.  I am not one who is going to say the conference favorite is WPI because of the injury.  MIT still has a lot of depth inside and I think they present serious matchup problems for WPI in the backcourt. I also think Springfield will have a lot to say about things before its done.

He hasnt really played all that much the season so far, so I guess it depends on how the voters were voting.  If they were putting MIT in the top 25 with the expectation that he would be back at full strength at some point in the season, they may drop, but if it was based on the team that was out there, they may not drop too much.  He had only started in 2 games this season, making 6 appearances, and only played 143 minutes this season, which is only 35% of the team's minutes not counting the Harvard game (which includes games through the previously published poll).  Compare that to last season where he played 32 minutes per game, or 80% of all games. It may also help that there is not much consensus in the 20-25 spots in the poll.  In the Week 4 poll, for example, there was a pretty heavy decline from the number 19 spot (MIT, 187 points), to the #20 spot (116 points), and a much bigger difference between MIT and #25, who had only 39 points.  Therefore, although I think MIT may lose some votes based on the loss of Hollingsworth and the bad loss to Harvard, I doubt it will drop them from the poll altogether.  WPI, on the other hand, may drop from the poll with the double-digit loss to West Conn.  I doubt voters will take into account how MIT played against Harvard too heavily, considering it was a D1 game and the first game after which they found out Hollingsworth was out. A couple guys who play in the rotation also didnt play their usual minutes because they didnt arrive in town until the day before the game because of the storms earlier in the week in Boston and other parts of the country.  Regardless of excuses, the final result of the Harvard game wasnt going to change even if Hollingsworth or anybody else on the roster was out there (unless maybe if former NBA player and MIT assistant Paul  Grant suited up).  I think the way Tashman played was a real bright spot for MIT and shows what he should be able to do now that he is their main inside threat.  MIT just needs to focus on their D3 and conference games ahead and I think they will be fine.

By the way, I am not sure if Hollingsworth will need surgery or not, as these tears do not always require it.  However, playing with the injury was found to be making it worse, which is the reason why they shut him down for the remainder of the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 02, 2011, 11:38:51 PM
HN,

 I guess I was looking at it from the perspective that Hollinsworth was playing more since he returned.  Since the shoulder injury had been kept quiet, one would naturally assume that that voters would think he would be back close to 100%.  He was being quite productive as well - He had 40 pts, 16 rebs in 56 minutes in his last 2 games so even if he were not truly 100%, from the outside most people would have he was well on his way to it.

I do agree WPI will lose some votes, but not sure if they fall out or not. If they do, I dont thin k it should be too far.  They do have wins over teams getting votes (RIC, Becker)

Lets face it though, MIT has played what has turned out to be a really cupcake D3 schedule to this point.  The only team they have faced so far with more than 4 wins is UMass-Boston (6-4). They had the bad loss at Framingham (3-7), a last secondwin Vs Salem St (3-5) and a hard fought 10pt win over Newbury(1-8).  Their opponents combined record at this point is 29-58.  Given this, I do wonder if MIT would have had another loss or two if their schedule had included a few teams that were getting consideration for the Top 25.

WPI has played some of the same weak teams, but also has played Becker (8-2) twice, RIC(7-2) & West. Conn(9-1).  WPI's opponents combined record is 49-56.  Nothing to write home about for sure, but I think MIT's vote total in the polls had much more to do with personel and potential than a resume of quality wins.

Obviously, teams can't always plan their schedules around what might be or should be in regards to how good an opponent is.

(My appologies if i messed up any of the numbers - it has been a long couple of days here.)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 03, 2011, 08:51:33 PM
I was at the MIT game tonight, really bad second half for MIT.  Springfield found some matchups they liked and kept going to them and the MIT wings couldn't stop them. #32 for Bridgewater had 24 points in the second half, after scoring just 2 points in the first half (which came on Bridgewater's first basket); #12 for Bridgewater had 14 of his 20 points in the second half, meaning Bridgewater's wings combined for 38 points in the second half after scoring just 8 in the first half.  It didnt help that MIT had 27 turnovers.

Mitch Kates had a real nice game for MIT, scoring 24.  Will Tashman added 8 points and 14 boards. 

I guess it may take some time for MIT adjust to the new rotation.  Hopefully they will figure it out before conference play starts.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jhawk on January 03, 2011, 11:30:56 PM
WPI had a highly touted recruitung class 2010 .
The  curent roster shows only two are left . White  & Kolb  Any word on what happened to Nelson and Tsourganis to of New Hampshire's best  last year !!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 03, 2011, 11:57:32 PM
We had this conversation a while back, check the last few pages.

Quote from: CCC Talk on December 15, 2010, 12:20:24 PM
[Nelson is] Transferring to Rivier in NH.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 04, 2011, 12:06:15 AM
The top 25 is out, and we have our answer.  MIT was hardly punished for the bad loss to Harvard and losing Hollingsworth, remaining at #19 and losing only 7 votes.  I am pretty sure once their loss to Bridgewater is taken into account next week, they will definitely fall quite a bit, but at least for one more week they are in the top 25.  WPI  dropped out to ORV 29.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 04, 2011, 08:56:33 AM
Just catching up on some NEWMAC news.  Bummer about Hollingsworth.  Great to see the NCAA was actualy reasonable regarding the medical waiver though.

Glad to see WPI bounce back.

PS - saw the Westconn/Albertus Magnus score.  Watch out for that Westconn team.  They will get bored and lose a game or 2 during the season but if they make the tourney they wil be a very tough matchup for anyone.



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 04, 2011, 10:49:05 AM
MIT points total goes from 187 to 180.  Apparently the voters feel Hollinsworth's presence or non-presence was very insignificant.  Very Strange, but interesting.

It will be very, very interesting to see the effect on MIT votes next week.  WPI's point total this week went from 86 to 23 after losing by 15 to a ranked team on the road.  MIT loses for the 2nd time to a team not even getting votes -  this time at home by 12.

Top 25 aside, the #1 seed position in the NEWMAC will most likely bedecided by who comes out on top in the 4 games of head-to-head play between MIT. WPI & Spriingfield.  All 3 have the ability to beat each other.

WPI & MIT should both have resumes that get consideration for an at-large bid to the NCAAs.  I think Springfield will have to win the AQ bid to get in.

One thing is certain, both WPI & MIT must avoid the bad losses they had in conference last year. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 04, 2011, 12:58:23 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on January 04, 2011, 10:49:05 AM
MIT points total goes from 187 to 180.  Apparently the voters feel Hollinsworth's presence or non-presence was very insignificant.  Very Strange, but interesting.

It will be very, very interesting to see the effect on MIT votes next week.  WPI's point total this week went from 86 to 23 after losing by 15 to a ranked team on the road.  MIT loses for the 2nd time to a team not even getting votes -  this time at home by 12.

Top 25 aside, the #1 seed position in the NEWMAC will most likely bedecided by who comes out on top in the 4 games of head-to-head play between MIT. WPI & Spriingfield.  All 3 have the ability to beat each other.

WPI & MIT should both have resumes that get consideration for an at-large bid to the NCAAs.  I think Springfield will have to win the AQ bid to get in.

One thing is certain, both WPI & MIT must avoid the bad losses they had in conference last year. 

I disagree, I don't think MIT will have the SOS to get an at-large bid, unless they win their remaining two non-conference games and go at least 10-2 in conference.  Last year, for example, they only had 3 DIII losses on selection day (two to Wheaton and one to Clark) and they were the last team in from the NE, falling below a 7 loss Brandeis team, because of SOS.

Going 10-2 in conference will be difficult for any team to do this year because I think the teams know eachother so well and there are some really strong teams in the NEWMAC.  I wouldnt be surprised to see some tiebreakers come into play with teams tied at 9-3 or 8-4 at the top.

WPI and Springfield have stronger SOS's, but Springfield already has 5 losses, so realistically I think WPI is the only school with a shot at the at-large. If they can win their remaining non conference games and only lose 2-3 games to the top teams in the NEWMAC, they would probably be in good shape for an at-large.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 04, 2011, 09:11:41 PM
HN

Sorry, I didn't explain my assumptions further.  My thoughts on MIT having a resume worthy of consideration was based on the idea they would lose only a game or two and lose in the tourney title game.  That would give them a 21-4 or 20-5 D3 record if they were the #1 seed in the NEWMAC. It may or may not actually get a bid, but would at least be under consideration.

I do agree the SOS in not going to be in their favor since is would appear that WPI will be their only opponent this year who is getting votes for the Top 25.

You are correct about Springfield.  I do not see them going unbeaten in the conference regular season.  If they have to garner an at large bid, they will have too many losses to be considered.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 05, 2011, 09:57:23 PM
MIT comes back from 10 down with 7 to play to beat Tufts tonight.  Maybe this is the comeback they need to get rolling?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 06, 2011, 12:36:34 AM
WPI survives a slow start tonight to defeat Wheaton 77 to 58.  The Engineers were led by Jeff Robinson(18pts/9assts/6rebs),  Kyle Nadeau(13pts), Matt Carr(11pts/10rebs/3blks), David Brown(10pts/6rebs), & Ben Etten(10pts).

The Lyons got 18 from Anthony Coppola and 10 from 6'10" Mike Hall who looked much improved from what I saw last year.  Shawn Daily & Anthony Weeks both pulled down 8 boards.

The Engineers cannot afford to start next week's match-up with MIT as flat as they did tonight
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on January 06, 2011, 12:42:39 AM
Springfield beats Babson 64-59 in OT.  Springfield narrowly escaped their slow start.  Sloppy game played from both ends of the by both teams.
Title: Re: Babson V Springfield ????
Post by: jhawk on January 06, 2011, 04:56:19 PM
Tough loss .
Where is Mc Dermott if injured , when is he expected to return ? ???
Good player. I am sure  Babson misses him
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 07, 2011, 01:27:47 PM
Bartolotta playing this season in the top league in Iceland:  MIT Hoops Blog (http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2011/01/bartolotta-leads-team-in-scoring-in.html).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: gordonmann on January 07, 2011, 04:01:59 PM
QuoteMIT points total goes from 187 to 180.  Apparently the voters feel Hollinsworth's presence or non-presence was very insignificant.  Very Strange, but interesting.

I'm not sure how many voters were aware of his injury.  That type of information isn't included in the material distributed to voters.  I only knew it through these boards.  So I dropped MIT from my ballot in advance of its loss to Bridgewater State.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 07, 2011, 07:11:23 PM
Quote from: gordonmann on January 07, 2011, 04:01:59 PM
QuoteMIT points total goes from 187 to 180.  Apparently the voters feel Hollinsworth's presence or non-presence was very insignificant.  Very Strange, but interesting.

I'm not sure how many voters were aware of his injury.  That type of information isn't included in the material distributed to voters.  I only knew it through these boards.  So I dropped MIT from my ballot in advance of its loss to Bridgewater State.

Well I am sure the loss will get peoples attention. He is no longer listed on the teams roster (MITathletics.com), so that is probably official as it gets.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on January 08, 2011, 12:58:36 PM
I tend not to downgrade a team for an injury before they actually lose.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on January 08, 2011, 03:30:32 PM
Springfield beats Coast Guard 67-60.  Really chippy game, referees were poor for both sides.  Really slowed down the game and had no flow.  Billy Harkins had a great game for the Pride with 16 pts.  Darvis Rankins also chipped in with 14.  Pride now 2-0 in the NEWMAC and will face off against Wheaton on Wed.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 08, 2011, 10:51:17 PM
MIT just couldnt find the stroke today against Babson.  They had some chances to make a run in the second half, but never could knock down a couple shots in a row, and Babson made their foul shots at the end (with MIT still not making any shots) to account for the wide margin at the end.  They dont seem to have figured out their offense roles since Hollingsworth has been out.  Hopefully they will figure it out soon...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 08, 2011, 10:51:46 PM
I was planning to go to Clark today, but was under the weather so I watched the WPI/Trinity game on the net.

WPI overcomes another sluggish start to beat Trinity 69-61 in Hartford.  Fernando Perez, Matt Carr & Jeff Robinson led the way for the Engineers. Perez came off the bench to score 18, grab 6 boards and hand out 3 assists.  Carr struggled in the first half, but came up big in the 2nd posting 16 points and a game-high 11 boards.  Robinson also had a slow start but, finished strong especially at the FT line late as he put up 14 points with 5 assists. Jamie Shannon scored 8 including a big 4-pt play halfway through the 1st half.  Joe Wesoloski chipped in with 2 big 3's.

For some reason, Robinson did not start this game. WPI was really out of sync in the 1st half with Robinson & Carr going 2 -12 for 4 pts between them.  Perez kept the Engineers in it 10 1st half points.  In the final 20 minutes, Carr made some huge plays including draining a 3 from the corner as the shot clock was about expire with just under 2 minutes to go.  Perez had 2 big offensive put-backs that gave WPI the lead each time.  Robinson created well & went 5 for 5 from the line in the last 4:30 of the game.

WPI defense limited the Bantam's top scorer, Luke MacDougall to 2 points.  On the bright side for Trinity, senior Brian Ford put up a game-high 22 points & sophomore Adam Skaggs scored 10.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 09, 2011, 10:30:52 PM
WPI89 - Did you attend the Trinty-WPI game?  I know you got to the the game in Danbury, I was hoping you may ave gotten to Hartford as well and could offer some insight on the game.

Hugenerd,

what are your thoughts on the upcoming WPI-MIT game on Wednesday?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2011, 10:48:21 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on January 09, 2011, 10:30:52 PM
Hugenerd,

what are your thoughts on the upcoming WPI-MIT game on Wednesday?

Its going to be tough for MIT, they need to find their identity offensively and they are playing a deep and experienced opponent in WPI.  The two best performers from the WPI matchups from last season (both of which were won by MIT), will not be in uniform due to season ending injuries (Burke and Hollingsworth), so they are really going to need to have some players step up.  MIT also needs to raise their level defensively, something they did not do in the two losses last week.  I think the matchup of Tashman vs. Carr will be a good one to watch, as those two are probably the top two (healthy) big men in the conference right now.

I think WPI is a legit at-large NCAA team right now, so I think MIT will really have to play well to compete on the road.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 10, 2011, 09:36:12 AM
Massd3 - I did not go up to Hartford - thought about it but couldn't talk my daughter into going with me.

Trinity has been playing better as of late - so could turn out to be a decent win.

It's almost like the BCS now.  If WPI has any chance for an at large bid - they need teams like Trinity, RIC, Curry, Lassel etc.......... to win some games in their league.

I am not sure this WPI team knows their identity yet either - funny for a fairly experienced team.  Bartley doesn't seem to have a predictable sub pattern.  They are too easily influenced in style of game by their opponents.  Pretty big statement game tomorrow - with MIT's woes - will WPI step up and declare themselve the NEWMAC team to beat?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 10, 2011, 10:33:17 PM
First off,  Congrats to WPI's Matt Carr for being named the NEWMAC player of the Week.

WPI89,

  Thanks for the reply. You mean you could not convince your daughter that a Saturday afternoon with Dad at a college basketball game in Hartford would be the highlight of her week?

I do agree with you that it has been very confusing watching the lineup changes and substitution patterns this year.  I don't think anyone would have thought you would take a pre-season All-American and cut back his minutes from 31 per game to 25 and not start him in 3 games out of 14.  A number of the key players are getting less time on the court than in the past and I think this is what has led to a these very slow and out of sync starts in most of their games lately.

On another note, since you have seen them play too, I was curious if you had noticed something I have in the games I have seen so far this year. It is in regards to the Engineers offense. What is your opinion of how they use of screens to get guys open and their effectiveness with the pick & roll?



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 10, 2011, 10:44:15 PM
WPI returns to the top 25 at #23.  MIT's tough week sees them fall to ORV:#32.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 11, 2011, 09:30:20 AM
M-D3

Not really qualified to comment based on my one live game at West Conn and extended highlights at Harvard but I will say - Robinson and Carr worked 2 pick and rolls to perfection in the early part of the game in Danbury before the Westconn guards took WPI completely out of any semblance of an offense with their quickness.

Despite my latest posted comments - I am a Bartley fan - I think they do play disciplined on both sides of the ball for the most part - they certainly play hard.....I just can't put my finger on their identity.  Haven't seen them press, they are not overly quick (although I am comparing them to the only other D3 teams that I have seen live this year - Westconn and Albertus Magnus - maybe the 2 quickest teams in the Northeast).

With the development of Carr - I think they need to stay dedicated to pounding the ball inside.  Getting the offense started closer to the basket (maybe through better cuts, screens, pick and roll etc as you suggest).  Poiund it in and score or kick it out.  Nothing ground breaking - kind of basketball 101 but I do think Carr gives them a presence inside that I did not know they had.

ps - funny line about my daughter and yes you nailed it.  Hartford and WPI hoops were not top of list.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 11, 2011, 02:55:01 PM
WPI89

Thanks your input.  I brought it up because I had been noticing this year that WPI does not seems to make tight cuts off their screens.  Too many times they are leaving space for the defender to slide by.  

I am glad to hear they worked some pick & rolls well at West. Conn.  I have seen a lot of those plays missed due to the ball handler not looking at the screener when he rolls.

I have not seen them use any presses this year either.  From what I have heard about West. Conn., they have an extremely quick group of guards.  I am not sure that anyone in the NEWMAC has that kind of speed.  

I agree with you about Bartley.  He has done an amazing job at WPI and continues to reload the team with quality D3 players.  I think they are one of three teams including Wooster and someone else to register 20 win seasons in each of the past 7 years. Quite a feat for an engineering school.  From what I understand the program was a disaster when he arrived. That is something most of the top teams in the country did not do.  He does seem to be struggling this year in letting the team 'discover' itself.  I'm not sure if he is trying to gain experience for next year or what the reasons are.  It just doesn't seem to fit the pattern of the past years.

One thing is certain, they can't continue to have these slow starts.  MIT has already had one of those losses you dont want if your looking to be the top team in the conference and WPI will slip and lose one as well if they continue the current trend.

Big question is whether or not the games get played tomorrow given the forecast.
Springfield at Wheaton has already been postponed to Thursday.

Next time, you should tell your daughter you will take her to one of the malls and let her shop.   Or maybe not...LOL
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on January 11, 2011, 07:04:49 PM
The game between MIT and WPI in Worcester on Wed. the 12th has been postponed to Thursday Jan. 13th at 7 PM.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 11, 2011, 07:46:04 PM
Quote from: magicman on January 11, 2011, 07:04:49 PM
The game between MIT and WPI in Worcester on Wed. the 12th has been postponed to Thursday Jan. 13th at 7 PM.

They're expecting 18 inches tonight! (I hope MIT preschool is open)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 12, 2011, 12:28:37 AM
Went over to Clark earlier tonight and witnessed Clark defeat Tufts in a very poorly played game.  I had guessed that there had to 50 turnovers in this one, and that was confirmed when I saw the box score (Tufts-30, Clark-21).  The good news for Clark is they won the game, bad news is that they got out rebounded 37-22 and showed they are very vulnerable down low.

Brian Vayda led the Cougars with 13, but committed 6 TOs.  Also in double figures were Tucker Esborn(12) and DJ Bailey(11pts/5blks). Mitch Renshaw posted 8 points and a team-high 5 rebounds.

Everyone here in New England stay safe and ride out the storm!
Title: Re: Babson v MIT
Post by: jhawk on January 13, 2011, 08:51:48 PM
 

Good win for Bbason

They are improving
Babson wins without PG McDermott . Stats show he has only played 7 of 13 games .
Is Marcus injured any report on his return .
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 14, 2011, 12:20:24 AM
I started writing this after the game, but my neighbor had a limb fall on his garage, so after some late fun with a chain saw, I can get this posted.

I went over to WPI this evening and watched the battle of the Engineers go to WPI with a 68-53 win over MIT tonight.  Matt Carr(15),  Jeff Robinson (13) and Kyle Nadaeu(11) and Fernando Perez(9) led the scoring  for WPI.  Mitch Kates(15), Jamie Karraker(10), Tim Donegan(10) and Will Tashman(9) led the way for MIT.  Carr & Tashman shared game high honors with 7 boards.

This one was dominated by Carr early as he lit up the MIT defense for 8 early points before getting a couple of quick fouls halfway through the period.  He sat the final 10+ minutes.  WPI open up the lead to 11 twice, the first time MIT battled back to get it to 5 on buckets from Kates, McQue, Karraker & Donegan.  Perez, Shannon, Nadaeu & Robinson scored to build it back to 11 before a Donegan hoop got the game to a 30-21 halftime score.  Tashman committed his 2nd foul with under a minute in the first half, so both big guys started the 2ns half with 2..

The second half started off just like the first, Carr put a nice spin move on Tashman drawing his 3rd and upping the lead to 11.  Next, a Ben Etten offensive board and assist led to a Nadeau 3 pointer.  Following the 3rd straight MIT turnover, Carr found Nadeau in the corner for another 3 and the lead was 17points, 2 minutes into the 2nd half.  MIT cut the lead to 14 a couple of times, but most of the second half was played with WPI having a very comfortable lead.  MIT did cut it to 13 with just under 2 minutes to go, but got no closer.

WPI won the rebounding battle 34 to 26, but the big difference was on the offensive glass where Carr had as many boards(5) as the entire MIT team and Ben Etten had 4.  WPI  as a team had 15 offensive boards that led to 14 to 3 advantage in 2nd chance points. The other big advantages WPI enjoyed were in points off turnovers, 29-11 and points in the paint, 37-18.

Two unsung heroes tonight for WPI – Joe Wesloski & Jameel Galloway combined to play 29 minutes of very good defense especially when Carr was sitting.

Also another strange lineup tonight for WPI as Jeff Robinson did not start again.  He came of the bench and struggled shooting going 5 for 17 and missed 2 of 3 free throws after shooting 96% from the line in the first 14 games.  I am not sure what the reason is that he is not starting now, but one thing is certain, it is affecting his performance.  Also Jerome Stewart was in street clothes.  No visible signs of injury, so not sure if he was just under the weather or what the issue maybe as he has not played in the last two games.

There were 5 players in warm-ups on the end of the MIT bench tonight,   Obviously Hollinsworth & Burke, but Attanasio, Sather & Watkins did not look like they were there toplay.  To top  that off, MIT has bus issues and the game started 30 minutes late.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 14, 2011, 09:49:46 AM
Thanks for all the detail M-D3.  Sounds like quite an eventful post storm evening - buses and trees etc.......

Gotta wonder if Robinson is in the dog house or if Bartley is trying for the 6th man type spark?  Can't think of any other reasons.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 14, 2011, 10:09:08 AM
WPI89,

   Thanks, it was more eventful than I needed!  Fortunately, there was no major damage to my neighbor's garage.  Just a few shingles on the eaves and a few small dents & scratches on the main door.  We needed to cut it up so he could at least get his car out of the garage this morning.

   The game had some real excitement in the air as most people knew this was a big game for both teams in the conference positioning and well as their standing on the national scene.

   WPI has to keep its focus and avoid a letdown tomorrow at Coast Guard.  I believe the game audio is being broadcast on the net.

   Another thing I did notice was that Clark head coach Paul Phillips was in the upper seats scouting as they play MIT in Cambridge tomorrow & host WPI on Tuesday.

I am not sure what the situation is with Robinson not starting, but he is 18 for 50 (36%) in the games he did not start.  As a starter, he was 59 for 130 (45%).  He still playing the same number of minutes, but coming off the bench is having a real effect, and it is not a good one.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 14, 2011, 02:05:31 PM
Nerd - where are you.  I know the injuries have taken all your steam away but we'd like to hear your thoughts.............
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 14, 2011, 02:11:49 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on January 14, 2011, 12:20:24 AM
I started writing this after the game, but my neighbor had a limb fall on his garage, so after some late fun with a chain saw, I can get this posted.

I went over to WPI this evening and watched the battle of the Engineers go to WPI with a 68-53 win over MIT tonight.  Matt Carr(15),  Jeff Robinson (13) and Kyle Nadaeu(11) and Fernando Perez(9) led the scoring  for WPI.  Mitch Kates(15), Jamie Karraker(10), Tim Donegan(10) and Will Tashman(9) led the way for MIT.  Carr & Tashman shared game high honors with 7 boards.

This one was dominated by Carr early as he lit up the MIT defense for 8 early points before getting a couple of quick fouls halfway through the period.  He sat the final 10+ minutes.  WPI open up the lead to 11 twice, the first time MIT battled back to get it to 5 on buckets from Kates, McQue, Karraker & Donegan.  Perez, Shannon, Nadaeu & Robinson scored to build it back to 11 before a Donegan hoop got the game to a 30-21 halftime score.  Tashman committed his 2nd foul with under a minute in the first half, so both big guys started the 2ns half with 2..

The second half started off just like the first, Carr put a nice spin move on Tashman drawing his 3rd and upping the lead to 11.  Next, a Ben Etten offensive board and assist led to a Nadeau 3 pointer.  Following the 3rd straight MIT turnover, Carr found Nadeau in the corner for another 3 and the lead was 17points, 2 minutes into the 2nd half.  MIT cut the lead to 14 a couple of times, but most of the second half was played with WPI having a very comfortable lead.  MIT did cut it to 13 with just under 2 minutes to go, but got no closer.

WPI won the rebounding battle 34 to 26, but the big difference was on the offensive glass where Carr had as many boards(5) as the entire MIT team and Ben Etten had 4.  WPI  as a team had 15 offensive boards that led to 14 to 3 advantage in 2nd chance points. The other big advantages WPI enjoyed were in points off turnovers, 29-11 and points in the paint, 37-18.

Two unsung heroes tonight for WPI – Joe Wesloski & Jameel Galloway combined to play 29 minutes of very good defense especially when Carr was sitting.

Also another strange lineup tonight for WPI as Jeff Robinson did not start again.  He came of the bench and struggled shooting going 5 for 17 and missed 2 of 3 free throws after shooting 96% from the line in the first 14 games.  I am not sure what the reason is that he is not starting now, but one thing is certain, it is affecting his performance.  Also Jerome Stewart was in street clothes.  No visible signs of injury, so not sure if he was just under the weather or what the issue maybe as he has not played in the last two games.

There were 5 players in warm-ups on the end of the MIT bench tonight,   Obviously Hollinsworth & Burke, but Attanasio, Sather & Watkins did not look like they were there toplay.  To top  that off, MIT has bus issues and the game started 30 minutes late.



I was actually just posting when you wrote that.  Wasnt at the game so I can provide insight into the game, other than how much they miss Hollingsworth and Burke.  Those were two guys they had last year that could make their own shot and do it consistently.  Hollingsworth was their go to go (obviously), and no one else has really stepped up to be that guy.  Their outside shooters also are not getting the same looks they were with Hollingsworth spacing the floor (teams no longer need to sag in to help on him).

By the way, Watkins broke his finger badly in the first game of the season, hasnt played since.  Not sure about Sather and Attanasio.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 16, 2011, 10:11:04 PM
Seems like we all took a couple of down days from sport.  So, from the recaps & box  scores – Here a summary of Saturdays action.

WPI moves to 13-3 and 3-0 in the conference with a 78-59 win over Coast Guard.  Robinson with 29pts/6assists/5rebs off the bench. Carr with 14pts/4rebs/2blks after a slow 1st half. Nadeau puts up 13pts/5assists, Wesoloski with 7pts/5rebs and Etten posted 5pts/7rebs.

CGA was led by Ed Gailor's career high 16 pts which included 4 for 6 beyond the arc. Adam Radke had 15pts/6rebs and Kevin Sowers added 13pts/3assists. Jevon James posted 8pts/7rebs, but went 4 for 15 from the FT line.

MIT got back on track with a 77-63 victory over Clark.  The Engineers got big performances from Will Tashman (15pts/15rebs), Mitchell Kates(17pts/5assists) and Jamie Karraker(17pts). MIT dominated the Cougars on the board 39-17.

Clark was led by Drew Billington (17pts/3assists), Brian Vayda(8pts/5rebs//4assists/6steals) and Tucker Esborn(9pts).

Babson hangs on to beat Wheaton 50-49 in a low scoring game.  Alex Rudolph & Matt Florio combined for 33 pts to lead the Beavers.  Peter Foley & Joe Zavertnik gathered 15 boards between them.

Wheaton got 20 from Anthony Coppola, 10 from Brendan Degnan, 8 from Will Bayliss and 7 from Brian Johnson.

Coast Guard plays out of conference tomorrow and hosts across the street rivals, Conn. College.

On Tuesday:
WPI plays at Clark
Babson plays out of conference at Bowdoin

On Wed. :
Big game with MIT at Springfield
Wheaton at Coast Guard
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 17, 2011, 10:28:18 AM
Thanks for the weekly preview, Mass.  The whole world around here was caught up in Jets/Pats last night - fairly equal split of fans - no dog in that fight for me (pardon the expression post Vick) as I am a Dolphin fan lost in the Northeast.

Where does everyone think WPI will end up in the top 25 this week?  Should move up a few - I have not looked at who lost above them - although WestConn did lose.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 17, 2011, 11:29:02 AM
They should move up.  How much I am not sure, but I would hope their point total would increase appropriate to thier record so far.  As I pointed out in the top 25 forum, their only 2 D3 losses came to teams currently in the polls.

Here is the "how they fared" list from the top 25 Forum.

Only 4 teams from #13 to #25 did not lose!

#17 - St. Marys(MD)
#19 - Illinois Wesleyan
#21 - Hanover
#23 - WPI



How They Fared--Complete

Top 25
Rank    Pts    Team W-L    Results
#1 617 Wooster 16-0 def. Oberlin, 82-55; def. Denison, 72-64
#2 585 Virginia Wesleyan 16-0 def. Randolph, 53-50; def. Roanoke, 96-82
#3 550 Whitworth 15-0 def. George Fox, 81-57; def. Willamette, 84-70
#4 540 St. Thomas 13-0 def. Concordia-Moorhead, 69-61
#5 527 Middlebury 13-0 def. Tufts, 79-63; def. Bates, 78-65
#6 471 Williams 15-1 def. Bates, 68-50; def. Tufts, 71-52
#7 454 Wabash 14-1 def. Allegheny, 80-58
#8 443 Augustana 15-0 def. T#32 Wheaton (Ill.), 70-57; def. T#39 Carthage, 58-54
#9 434 UW-Stevens Point 13-3 def. Macalester, 82-51; LOST at UW-Platteville, 56-57; def. UW-Superior, 71-56
#10 400 Amherst 14-0 def. Connecticut College, 70-56; def. Wesleyan, 77-61
#11 375 Randolph-Macon 14-2 def. #14 Eastern Mennonite, 83-78; def. Emory and Henry, 75-48
#12 341 UW-River Falls 15-2 def. UW-La Crosse, 89-83; def. UW-Platteville, 56-53
#13 337 Brandeis 11-2 def. Bates, 53-50; LOST at Carnegie Mellon, 52-53; LOST at Case Western Reserve, 63-66
#14 311 Eastern Mennonite 12-3 LOST at #11 Randolph-Macon, 78-83; def. Guilford, 79-67
#15 288 St. Norbert 11-3 LOST at Ripon, 60-70; def. #41 Illinois College, 87-73; def. Knox, 68-59
#16 217 Western Connecticut 13-2 LOST to Keene State, 76-81; def. Mass-Boston, 87-72
#17 215 St. Mary's (Md.) 12-3 def. Mary Washington, 91-65; def. Frostburg State, 88-60
#18 212 Franklin and Marshall 11-4 LOST at McDaniel, 53-61; LOST at Muhlenberg, 67-71; def. Washington College, 84-71
#19 114 Illinois Wesleyan 12-3 def. Millikin, 75-56; def. Elmhurst, 75-55
#20 76 Ithaca 11-3 LOST at Utica, 81-85
#21 74 Hanover 12-2 def. Franklin, 82-56; def. T#36 Anderson, 57-54
#22 73 Ferrum 14-2 def. Greensboro, 69-61; LOST at Christopher Newport, 67-80
#23 71 WPI 13-3 def. T#32 MIT, 68-53; def. Coast Guard, 78-59
#24 70 Chapman 13-3 def. UC Santa Cruz, 69-62; LOST at Menlo, 52-54
#25 69 New York University 11-3 def. Hunter, 85-59; LOST at Case Western Reserve, 76-80; LOST at Carnegie Mellon, 70-76

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Others receiving votes
Rank    Pts    Team W-L    Results
#26 61 Ramapo 14-3 def. Montclair State, 75-66; def. Rutgers-Newark, 80-74; def. Rutgers-Camden, 72-57
#27 53 Marietta 14-2 LOST to Capital, 74-82; def. #35 John Carroll, 101-90
#28 35 Becker 13-2 def. Elms, 81-71; def. Newbury, 82-58; def. Daniel Webster, 61-52
T#29 22 Mary Hardin-Baylor 12-3 def. Concordia (Texas), 107-100; def. Schreiner, 67-57; LOST at Texas Lutheran, 53-56
T#29 22 Washington and Lee 11-4 LOST to Roanoke, 59-73; def. Lynchburg, 80-73
#31 16 Plattsburgh State 8-5 def. Cortland State, 69-57; LOST at Oswego State, 65-72
T#32 12 MIT 11-5 LOST at #23 WPI, 53-68; def. Clark, 77-63
T#32 12 Wheaton (Ill.) 11-4 LOST at #8 Augustana, 57-70; def. North Park, 80-76
#34 6 Manhattanville 11-3 def. FDU-Florham, 61-44; LOST at Misericordia, 58-72
#35 5 John Carroll 10-5 def. Muskingum, 76-62; LOST at #27 Marietta, 90-101
T#36 4 Anderson 10-5 def. Rose-Hulman, 69-54; LOST at #21 Hanover, 54-57
T#36 4 Lewis and Clark 12-3 def. Pacific Lutheran, 77-66; def. Pacific, 73-54
T#36 4 Rhode Island College 9-5 LOST at Southern Maine, 88-95; LOST at Colby, 58-69; def. Plymouth State, 73-56
T#39 2 Carthage 9-6 def. Elmhurst, 73-63; LOST to #8 Augustana, 54-58
T#39 2 Centre 11-3 def. Hendrix, 68-56; def. Millsaps, 77-51
#41 1 Illinois College 10-3 def. Grinnell, 104-92; LOST to #15 St. Norbert, 73-87; def. Ripon, 97-94



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 17, 2011, 07:12:04 PM
Congratulations to WPI's Jeff Robinson for being named the NEWMAC player of the Week.

http://wpi.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/releases/20110117mj21zp


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 18, 2011, 02:43:15 PM
Congratulations to WPI moving up to #18 in this weeks poll.

MIT still receiving a little love in the Other Receiving Votes.


Tonight's NEWMAC action:

WPI-Clark postponed until tomorrow night.

Babson-Bowdoin cancelled.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 19, 2011, 08:00:52 PM
WPI held Clark to only 5 points in the first ~17 minutes of the game.  They are up 26-10 at the half.

MIT up on Springfield 45-34 with 12 to play. Karraker going off from deep, 5-7 so far.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 19, 2011, 08:28:53 PM
MIT picks up a solid conference win at Springfield, 60-50.  Jamie Karraker led MIT in scoring with 18 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on January 19, 2011, 10:11:36 PM
Springfield played a very poor game offensively vs. MIT tonight.  MIT did an excellent job of maintaining long possessions and executing offensively.  Both MIT and Springfield's most productive players all had poor games.  Cavalieri went 3-12 from the field and only had 8 pts., however he did have 9 rebs.  Mitch Kates went 1-9 from the floor for 4 pts. 2 rebs. 5 asts. 2 to's.  Tashman also shot poorly going 1-7, and finished with 6 pts. an 4 rebs.  As for players that played well, for MIT, Karraker torched the pride putting up 18 pts. on 6-9 shooting and 5-7 from range.  For SC, Coburn had a decent game with 10 pts. 8 rebs. and 6 blocks.  The game got close at 54-50 with two minutes left, until a intentional foul really put the dagger in the Pride.  Springfield travels to WPI on Saturday, while MIT travels to Wheaton.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 19, 2011, 10:30:54 PM
Tough shooting night for some. Good to see others step up. MIT freshman Donegan had a solid night with 6-10 shooting, 6 boards and 3 blocks. With experience he will become a big factor moving forward. After WPI the NEWMAC looks wide open.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 20, 2011, 09:02:19 AM
Good Morning Fellow Posters

I went to Clark last night to watch the Cougars play WPI.  This was not a pretty game, if you are in love with offensive execution.  If you are a defensive enthusiast then you would have loved this one.

WPI was led by Jeff Robinson's 27 points/7 rebounds and Matt Carr's double-double of 15 points & 15 rebounds to go with 3 assists. Jamie Shannon chipped in with 7 points and Kyle Nadaeu added 4 assists.

Brian Vayda was the only Cougar to hit double-digits with 12 points/7rebounds, but he was defended very well all evening by the combo of Carr & Joe Wesoloski.  His first points did not come until under 2 minutes in the first half.  Drew Billington contributed 9 points and 3 assists.  Jeff Tagger came off the bench with 5 points/4 rebounds.

To give you an idea of how this one went the first points of the game were scored by Jonathan Phillips of Clark at 14:44.  Jerome Stewart scored on a pass from Carr at 11:50 to put WPI up 6-5 and triggered a 17-0 run.  Robinson had 6 during the run.  The half ended at 26-10, with according to this morning's paper, the worst half of basketball played by Clark during Paul Phillips time as coach. Clark shot 12% from the field and 44% from line in the first 20 minutes.  Each team committed 11 turnovers in the first half.

The second half saw Clark cut the lead to 12 with a couple of quick buckets, but a technical foul and a nice lay-up by Stewart and the Engineers were up by 15.  Clark would get as close as 13 a few times, but WPI answered each time.  Robinson & Carr combined for 25 of the Engineers' 34 2nd-half points on 9 of 14 from the field and 5 for 5 from the line.

WPI out rebounded Clark 48-35 and outscored the Cougars 24-9 in 2nd chance points & 20-13 in points off turnovers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 20, 2011, 10:53:38 AM
The other games in the conference last night:

MIT-Springfield

Seems Hugenerd,Jabnike23 & toooldtoplay have already gone over this one.  Gentleme, anyone know why Tashman only played 20 minutes?  I hope it was not injury related.

Coast Guard-Wheaton

The Bears handled the Lyons 90-77.  Jevon James had big night with a double-double of 25 points, 15 boards and he added 6 blocks.  Coast Guard also got big performances from Devonte Weems (21 points/6 rebounds/5 assists), Kevin Sowers(18 points/4 boards/6 assists), Adam Radtke(14points/4 rebounds), and Jimmy Knudsen(8points/7 boards).  The bears shot 52.5% from the field.  Anyone have any insight onto the status of Greg Marshall?  He has not played since playing 9 minutes against Babson.

Wheaton was led by Anthony Coppola's 22 points.  Freshman guard Will Bayliss put up 19 points and dished out 5 assists. Brendan Degnan posted 15 points, 7 boards and 4 assists.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 20, 2011, 07:38:17 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on January 20, 2011, 10:53:38 AM
Seems Hugenerd,Jabnike23 & toooldtoplay have already gone over this one.  Gentleme, anyone know why Tashman only played 20 minutes?  I hope it was not injury related.

Probably a combination of Donegan playing well and the fact that Clark doesnt play anyone too significantly thats taller than 6'5", so they could go small.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 20, 2011, 08:31:46 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on January 20, 2011, 07:38:17 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on January 20, 2011, 10:53:38 AM
Seems Hugenerd,Jabnike23 & toooldtoplay have already gone over this one.  Gentleme, anyone know why Tashman only played 20 minutes?  I hope it was not injury related.

Probably a combination of Donegan playing well and the fact that Clark doesnt play anyone too significantly thats taller than 6'5", so they could go small.

While I agree with your assessment of Clark, MIT was playing Springfield with Coburn & Cavalieri.  Just seemed strange to see a box score where Tashman was playing only 20 minutes and not in foul trouble. (He actually did play 38 min. against Clark.)

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on January 20, 2011, 09:02:12 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on January 20, 2011, 10:53:38 AM
MIT-Springfield...anyone know why Tashman only played 20 minutes? 

After opening the game in their usual Man defense for almost 10 minutes, MIT went to a smaller, quicker line up up front, a long backcourt, and played a 2-3 zone.  They had Karraker and McCue up top, and Zuk, Donegan and Bender up front.  It got them into the lead.  They played about 10:00 of the second half the same way.  Not sure why they made Tashman and the zone mutually exclusive, but it was an effective change up that Springfield never solved.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 20, 2011, 11:48:39 PM
Yes,  It seemed to work for awhile but a very strange substitution pattern.  Tashman and Kates go to the bench at the 11 minute mark and never come back. McCue looks exhausted at the end of the half - I think it is by far the most minutes he has played one stretch in several years. Must be hard to play when you never know what to expect. Seemed to work out in the end this time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 22, 2011, 05:53:20 PM
MIT beat up on Wheaton, winning on the road 79-61.  Mitch Kates had 34 points on 11-15 shooting (4-6 from 3) and 5 assists.

WPI also won at home over Springfield.

Babson won at Clark.

WPI first in the conference at 5-0. MIT, Babson, and CGA are all tied next at 3-2.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 22, 2011, 09:40:21 PM
Fellow NEWMAC posters

I just got home from a nice evening out with friends after watching WPI & Springfield battle this afternoon.

The Engineers lit up the Pride for 89 points in an 89-74 win.  WPI was led by Kyle Nadeau's hot shooting early as he put up 15 of his 18 points in the first half going 5 for 7 from outside the arc.  After struggling with his shot early on, Matt Carr had a big game with game-highs of 23 points, 8 boards, and 3 blocks to go with 4 assists. Jeff Robinson struggled early but put up 13 in the 2nd half and finished with 17 points and 4 assists.
Jamie Shannon stepped up with 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting. Freshman Ryan Kolb played some very good minutes and chipped in with 5 points.  Joe Wesoloski did not score, but played some great defense during his 17 minutes.

Springfield's Billy Harkins posted a career-high 20 points and a game-high 5 assists.  Matt Cavalieri struggled to get good looks, but got to the line(7 of 10) and put put 17 points to go with 4 rebounds.  Evan Christner played good all around game with 9 points, 6 boards and 2 blocks.  Ryan Coburn gave the Pride 8 points and 5 rebounds.

It was a good performance by the Engineers who were playing in front of the basketball alumni that included their 84-85 Elite 8 team and the 04-05 Sweet Sixteen squad.  The game was close until the final 6 minutes of the first half.  WPI went on a 17-8 run that created a 44-27 lead at the half.

The second took off were the first had ended.  Springfield looked confused and lost their composure a few times as the Engineers upped the lead to 26 (60-34) with just over 10 minutes left.  The Pride chipped away at it and at 5minutes it was a 17 pt game (82-65).  That was when Harrington Auditorium went silent as Carr went to floor grabbing his ankle.  He limped off and when the game resumed, it was the Engineers who looked confused.  Over the next 3 minutes, the only points they would put up were two Jerome Stewart free throws.  The Pride took advantage of the ice cold shooting and turnovers to cut the lead to 11 at 84-73.  Carr re-entered after being worked on by the trainer and helped to shutdown any further comeback by the Pride with two blocks and steal in that final couple of minutes.

As Hugenerd pointed out, Mitchell Kates had the biggest offensive performance of the day in MIT's 79-61 win over Wheaton. Will Tashman posted 14 points and 7 rebounds. No upset of the Engineers this time around.  The Lyons were led by Anthony Coppola (25 pts) and Brendan Degnan (12 pts).

Clark continues to struggle to find offense as no one went for double figures in a 49-41 loss to Babson.  The Beavers got 15 points and 4 boards from Russell Braithwaite, 11 points and 5 rebounds from Kris Noonan and 9 points& 5 rebounds from Matt Florio.
The Cougars got a near double-double from Brian Vayda (9 pts/10 rebs).  Both teams shot well under 40% from the field.


Bad news though -> More Bad Weather is being  predicted-> yet another fun snow storm for the middle of the upcoming week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 24, 2011, 08:53:00 PM
Congatulations to Coast Guard's Jevon James on being named NEWMAC Player of the Week.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2010-2011/mbkbweekly012411

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 25, 2011, 10:51:16 AM
The NEWMAC continues to have two teams getting on the ballots for the top 25.

WPI moves up to #14 and MIT sits at ORV:#38.

Weather permitting three conference games on the slate tomorrow:

Springfield travels to Clark
WPI hosts Babson
Coast Guard heads north to MIT

Wheaton plays 2 non-conference games.  The Lyons are at Tufts tonight and host Worcester St. on Thursday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on January 26, 2011, 06:18:55 PM
MIT lands another big kid for next year:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/1805/Commitment-Catch-Up.php

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on January 26, 2011, 06:58:21 PM
Springfield beats Clark 75-72.  Point Guard Billy Harkins has an awesome game with 17 points, 8 assists, 7 steals, 5 rebounds, and only 1 turnover.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 27, 2011, 09:37:29 AM
Looked pretty easy last night for WPI over Babson (after a sluggish start at least).  Glad they got the game in before the heavy snow.  Any details out there?  Mass-D3?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 27, 2011, 11:31:44 AM
WPI89

Yes, my wife and I went to the games last night.  We stayed and watched the WPI women's team beat Smith College and go to 14-3 (10-1 in the NEWMAC) on the year.

The Engineers pulled away in the second half for a 67-47 win.  Robinson (off the bench again) had 24 points (21 in the 2nd half), to go with an assist and a steal. Carr had another strong all-around performance with 17 points, 9 boards, 4 blocked shots and 2 steals.  Fernando Perez gave WPI a good lift off the bench with 8 points and 6 rebounds.  Nadeau, Etten & Shannon combined for 10 assists. Robinson, Carr & Perez shot a combined 21 for 29 for the evening.

Babson was led by Alex Rudolph (12 pts), Matt Zoia (10 pts) and Marcus McDermott (7 pts.  Kris Noonan added 6 points and 9 rebounds and Matt Florio contributed 6 points and 4 assists.  Babson was held to 32% from the field.  I was looking forward to see Russell Brathwaite play and see the improvement in his game from last year.  Unfortunately, he got 2 fouls in the first 8 minutes and sat the rest of the half.  He got his 3rd 4 ½ minutes into the second half and was limited to single FG attempt in 15 minutes on the night.

It was indeed another slow start for the Engineers.  They committed 8 turnovers in the first half and sluggish would indeed be a good description for their play.  The Beavers did not play great, but played good enough to stay with WPI.  They had a 22-20 lead with under 5 minutes in the half.  Carr got a couple of inside hoops and freshman David White hit a three to cap a 9-0 run that gave WPI a 29-22 lead with just under 2 minutes to go.  Rudolph drained a jumper and went 1 for 2 at the line to make it 29-25 at the half.

I am guessing that Coach Bartley had some choice words for his team during the break.  Robinson heated up quickly hitting 3 consecutive 3-pointers.  A conventional 3-point play by Carr pushed the lead into double digits for the first time with 15 minutes to go. The lead see-sawed from 13 to 17 until a Matt Florio 3-point play cut it to 12.  Robinson's 5th three of the half immediately pushed it back to 15.  Two layups by Perez and a Carr dunk made it a 23 pt game and the benches emptied after that.

The Engineers are indeed a Jeckle and Hyde team at times.  When they are playing well, they do indeed look like a team worthy of their national ranking.  This pattern of slow starts though could cost them a game if they are not careful.  They need to start to put together games where they get that flow going and maintain it.  Something I have brought up before, I think could help them avoid these lulls they seem to go through on the offensive end.

 Screens... I really believe that they must do much better with this if they intend to make any kind of post-season run.  They had a couple of plays last night, but for a college team, they are terrible at actually running their man to the screen and making that textbook tight cut off the screener as well as looking at the screener afterwards.  This is really stuff you would figure players at this level would do automatically.  Strangely though, the Engineers seem content to cut wide on screens and on many plays the ball handler never even looks in the direction of the player who just set the screen.  I think if they would do better with this on both off & on-ball screens, they could avoid these backfires in their offense.  When they do execute these things correctly, they get a lot of open looks – both at the rim and on the perimeter.  It just a shame they are not better at executing this.  I spent a couple months on business in Utah years ago and got to watch a dozen or so Jazz games from upclose.  John Stockton and Karl Malone shredded NBA teams with the simple beauty of the pick & roll play. Others obviously have had great careers in the game using it as well, but I got to see these two first-hand over a number of games.  It is such a great play, because even when you know they are going to do it, it is still very hard to defend it if it is executing correctly. After watching that, I have always wondered why every team does not make the execution of it a basic staple of their offensive system. We here in New England are now privileged to watch one the NBA's best ever at using the off-ball screen to get open – Ray Allen.  He just keeps going, running his defender into one, two, sometimes 3 screens to create an open look for himself.  I think WPI's perimeter group would get more good looks if they ran those off-ball screens more tightly.   LOL, - ok time for me to step down from the soap box!

MIT and Coast Guard play tonight and then MIT & WPI will battle on Saturday in Cambridge.  Also on Sat., Coast Guard will host Babson and Wheaton travels west to Springfield.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 27, 2011, 09:45:57 PM
MIT handles CGA at home, 85-66.  Tashman and Kates were dominant tonight. Tashman went for 26 points (10-13 shooting), 11 boards, and 2 steals in 34 minutes, dominating the matchup with last week's NEWMAC POY Jevon James.  Not to be outdone, Kates went for 27 points (9-14 FG, 3-5 from 3), including 6 assists and only 1 turnover.  Jamie Karraker player extremely efficiently, scoring 17 points on 6-8 shooting (5-6 from 3) in 28 minutes.  Billy Bender had 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench. Pretty solid contributions all around.

Looks like MIT has figured out how to score again. After averaging just 61 ppg in the first 5 games after officially losing Hollinsgworth for the season (they went 1-4 in those games), they have averaged 75 ppg in the last 4 (all conference wins, including 82 ppg in the last 2).  MIT is now alone in 2nd place in the NEWMAC.

This sets up a 1 vs. 2 matchup as they host WPI on Saturday. A win for MIT would draw MIT within 1 game of WPI in the conference.  A win by WPI would all but guarantee them the regular season crown in the NEWMAC, as they would have a 3 game lead on everyone and own the tiebreaker vs. MIT, with 5 games to play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 27, 2011, 11:52:21 PM
Good effort tonight especially on the defensive side in the second half. Hopefully the coaches can get the defense sorted out and be able to guard penetration and the 3 point line. I liked the rotation tonight with Bender and McCue getting a few of Karrakers minutes. The defense improves noticeably and Karraker stays fresher as evidenced by the solid shooting.  Liked Tashmans last few games and he will be tested against WPI.  Can't see MIT winning this one unless they rebound far better than they have this year. It will take a near perfect game all around or an off night by the "other" engineers.

Congrats to Harkins who appears to really be putting it together as a senior.  His all around play is keeping Springfield in the hunt.

If WPI can run out the string I think they may end up in the top ten.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 28, 2011, 02:34:07 AM
I dont think it will take a "near perfect game" for MIT to win at home.  They played poorly in the first game, which WPI clearly had something to do with, but they have been playing much better in the last 4 since that matchup.  They just have to do slightly better in 3 areas:

1) Shoot better from 3.  For the season they are shooting 41% from 3, last time they met WPI, they shot 31%.  They took nearly 20 3s in that game, so if they shoot 10% better (their season average), thats 6 points right there (shoot 30% better, like they did tonight, and obviously you have a whole different ball game).  Karraker, specifically, shot nearly 30% below his season average (2-10, he is 47% for the season) in that first contest.  In the four games since WPI, Karraker has shot 17-26, or 65%, from 3.  You have to believe he will do better than the first meeting on Saturday.

2) Rebounds the defensive glass.  WPI had 15 offensive boards in the first meeting, leading to 14 2nd chance points, 11 of which were in the 2nd half.  Guards need to do a better job boxing out as many of those were from WPIs guards, obviously if the MIT bigs can put a body on Carr that helps also.

3) Take care of the ball.  MIT had 21 turnovers in the first meeting, 11 more than WPI.  That led to 29 points off of turnovers for WPI (WPI was +18 in that category). Clearly way too many, and a lot of those appeared to be caused by forcing it into the post.  Look for MIT to mix it up next game and do something different.

You also cant undermine the fact that MIT seems to have figured out how to score again in the last few games.  They will obviously be tested by the WPI defense, but they have played them once now and will be at home, so they should have a better idea of what to expect.

WPI is still clearly the favorite, but I dont think there is as big a difference between the two teams as you make it sound.  It took them a few games to get going after Hollingsworth was ruled out for the season, but I think they are back on track now and hopefully will play to their potential on Saturday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 28, 2011, 08:43:43 AM
Thanks all for the updates........

I do not think WPI is a good as all this and thus - I beleive it sets up perfectly for an MIT win on Saturday - simply the Karma card and Oh yeah - the fact that MIT seems maybe to have figured out it is time to play with the group they have now.

I do believe a win on Saturday would get WPI an at large bid  - unless they completely collapse (which their remaining schedule should prevent).

They could drop 2 conferenc games (again not likely with their remaining schedule) after MIT and still get to 20 before the NEWMAC semis.

A win Sat keeps them rolling in the polls etc.........at that point, even a loss to say MIT in the conference semis would likely be OK.

Just my opinion............
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 28, 2011, 09:05:51 AM
WPI has no bad losses to date (both D3 losses are to top 26 teams on the road). Therefore, I agree that they could lose a couple of games down the stretch and still get strong consideration for an at-large.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 28, 2011, 10:49:49 AM
Gentlemen...

I tend to agree somewhat with WPI89.  The Worcester-based Engineers must prove they can play a solid game from tip-off to final buzzer.  The games I have seen this year, they have tended to have slow starts and struggled to find offensive rhythm.  They have had some explosive 2nd halves, but they need to develop a more consistent offensive flow throughout the game.

In the first half of the first game, Robinson went 1 for 9 & while Carr put up 8 pts, he only played 9 minutes due to a couple of fouls.  They need both of them to play 30 minutes and put up the numbers they have been lately.  These two have combined for 40 or more points in each of the four games since the MIT game.  WPI also needs Ben Etten to give them some offense punch as well. He only had 2 pts in the first game.  Perez gave WPI 9pts/6rebs first time around and Nadeau played a good all-around game. They both need to give that kind of performance again.  Shannon & David Brown will have to play some solid D against the MIT guards and handle the ball well.  I think if both avoid foul trouble, Tashman & Carr will pretty much cancel each other out at games end.  A big key will be how WPI's rotation of Carr, Wesoloski, Perez, Galloway & Stewart work on defense against Tashman, Dickinson & Donegan.  Stewart did not play in the first meeting, but has been getting some minutes in the last 3 games.

I also agree with HN that MIT must shoot the three better than they did in Worcester.  WPI has been one of the hardest teams in the country to shoot 3's against.  The NEWMAC stats show they are holding teams to 28% from outside the arc and 38% overall.  MIT is at 35% & 43% respectively.

This game is certainly not a make or break game for WPI, but it is a very good test on the road.  I do think they are the favorite in the game, but not a strong one.  An MIT victory would not surprise me and I do not believe a loss in this one will be looked at as a bad loss for either team.  How the game is won or lost and how each team responds to the outcome as the season winds down is the more important thing to take from this one.  I do feel they will meet a third time at the end of February and there is still a possibility (given recent history of the #1 seed in the NEWMCA tournament) of getting two teams into the NCAAs.

With the NCAA regional rankings coming out next week, I would think a WPI win would make a good case for them being ranked 4th in the Northeast behind the NESCAC big 3.  An MIT win would place them up there in fight for positions just under the top 5 or so.   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 28, 2011, 11:04:14 AM
I had never really looked at the Massey ratings very much, but noticed on the NESCAC forum that someone was referencing Massey Predictions.

http://www.masseyratings.com/pred.php?dt=20110129&days=1&s=101140&sub=11620

This system, for what it is worth, is predicting a 74-63 win for WPI.  If I understand it correctly, it give WPI an 84% chance of winning.

HN – do you have any insight on how accurate these predictions have been?  Just curiosity on my part, I am not a big believer that we can predict these kinds of things very well with algorithms and especially with young men these ages and conference rivalry factored in.  Am I wrong ?   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 28, 2011, 12:17:01 PM

Massey gets more and more accurate as the season goes along.  The more data the better the results.  There's also no way for him to take into account injuries and other factors not related to straight numbers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 28, 2011, 01:08:43 PM
Like any predictive tool, the Massey predictions assign a likelihood to the final score based on each teams results to this point. I would assume they do pretty well, but when you are talking about a sample size of one (Saturdays game), anything can happen. MIT has also played a relatively weak schedule to this point, which hurts their power ratings and gives them less of a chance to win from the computers perspective.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 31, 2011, 01:03:19 AM
Good evening fellow posters,

Wanted to get this up before I head to bed. Sorry it took me so long, but getting my wife to agree to go Cambridge yesterday for a college basketball game came at a high price (oops - "compromise"):  Dinner out after the game & today spent at the Outlet shops in Wrentham.  Perhaps not a fair trade for the $5 to park - LOL.

Anyway, what a battle the two Engineer squads put on. WPI came out on top 62-50 with another strong defensive effort.  This was the 12th game this season that they have held an opponent under 60 points.  This game was closer than the one in Worcester, but there were some common threads to the story.  MIT shot 43.6% from the field & 38.9 from 3-pt land in game 1, but they were held to 37.2% & 29.6% respectively on Saturday.

Both teams played tough gritty defense, many possessions wound the shot clock down under 10 before a shot was attempted.  Quite a few times both teams forced up bad shots to beat the shot clock. WPI carved out an early lead and got it up to 11 with 7:20 in the half, behind 9 by Robinson. MIT cut it to 6, a Carr dunk off a nice entry pass from Brown pushed the lead back up, but MIT sliced it 3 before a Robinson layup made the margin 5 at the half.  Kates & Karraker combined for 13 of their 21 first half points.  Karraker's 2 threes early on kept MIT close.

MIT stormed out in the 2nd half to take the lead 17:21.  The game went back & forth over the next 8 minutes with 3 lead changes and 4 ties.  Many players on both teams were making great plays on both ends of the court. WPI took the lead for good at 8:43 on a nice inside move by Carr.  A Kates three cut the lead to 1 but was offset by a conventional 3pt play by Jamie Shannon.  That was followed up by a 3ptr by Ben Etten off a Robinson assist and WPI was up by 7 with 5 ½ minutes to go. Kates canned a couple of FTs to get back to 5.  Robinson drained a jumper and Carr found Nadeau for a big 3-ptr.  Karraker drilled a 3 and Robinson responded with a slashing layup. Tashman got a putback hoop for MIT's final points and then Shannon hit a ft and Carr went 4-4 from the line to finish the scoring.

Robinson finished the game with 20 points and, with all due respect to Matt Cavalieri of Springfield and Kates, put one hand on the NEWMAC Player of the Year award.  Kyle Nadeau had a big game with 15 pts and 3 steals.  Ben Etten was all over the court on the defensive end and chipped in with 5 points and Shannon had 4.

Mitchell Kates led MIT with 17 and 4 assists before fouling out with a minute to go.  Jamie Karraker played well and posted 14 to go with 2 boards and 2 steals. Eric Zuk contributed 4 points and 3 boards before fouling out early in the 2nd half.

The Tashman/Carr matchup was a great battle, but they effectively cancelled each other out.  Carr put up 12 points and 4 boards and Tashman tallied 10 points and 6 rebounds.  They each had 3 turnovers and neither had any blocks.  The only real separator was that Carr had a game high 4 steals.

I have a suspicion that these two teams will probably meet a 3rd time.  Springfield may have something to say about that, in either case, I think we are in for some great games in the tournament again.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 31, 2011, 08:57:35 AM
Your the man Mass D3 - thanks for the update.  Really glad to hear that the game was played at a high level - I feared slow and sloppy given the point totals!

Nice weekend compromise - hope your wife got a new purse out of the deal!  Hope you made it home for the Celts!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 31, 2011, 09:34:51 AM
Lets just say there were a few bags in the back seat on the way home.  No I did not get home to see the Celtics, but I saw the highlights.  Hopefully the Lakers will keep playing "Kobe-ball" if these two meet in the finals again!

The game did get sloppy at times, but it was more from the defensive intensity by both teams than just bad play.

Have not seen anything here yet from HN, I am not sure if he was there.  The crowd was pretty small.  I will give credit to the one student who kept standing up and reading loudly from a textbook everytime WPI went to the line.  It didn't really affect Robinson, Carr, Nadeau & Shannon as they went 14 of 18 at the stripe.  Still, Gotta love college ball & they way the students get into it!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 31, 2011, 11:28:35 AM
One of the problems I had not heard mentioned in the WPI/MIT game was some of the discrepancy of calls.  I do not believe any team can win when their opponent gets the benefit of 30 foul calls.  This is not to make an excuse for MIT because there continues to be some poor defense played, but I believe Robinson and some others had the benefit of some quick whistles.  I wonder when the last NEWMAC home game had a 12-30 foul call ratio or when the home team had 18 more foul calls than the visitors.  Again, I am not blaming the officials, but there definitely was no home court advantage.

I agree that Robinson is the Player of the Year candidate so far and it is perplexing why he is not starting.  Then again, you can never underestimate the value of a great 6th man off the bench.

I believe MIT's changing offense away from the post plays (although still incorporating them) has helped.  If they continue to improve their rebounding and defense along with reducing turnovers (all of which HN mentioned), then MIT has a decent chance in the NEWMAC tournament.  The one turnover on an ill advised pass immediately after a timeout hurt MIT's momentum.  WPI and MIT will most likely meet in the finals and it should be a heck of a game again.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 31, 2011, 11:39:52 AM
BBallers,

I wonder when the last NEWMAC home game had a 12-30 foul call ratio or when the home team had 18 more foul calls than the visitors.

You seem to have your facts off a bit.  WPI had 15 fouls and MIT had 26.  four of those MIT fouls came at the end when they had to foul.  Both teams had 9 fouls at halftime. The fouls stayed even through the first 5 minutes in the 2nd half.  WPI got to the bonus at 13:13 to go.  

The game was not officiated very well, but there were calls going badly for each team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 31, 2011, 11:54:02 AM
BBallers,

  My appologies - I see you meant Free Throw attempts.  That discrepancy comes when you take 63% (27 of 43) of your shots from beyond the arc!

WPI only took 38% of their FGs out there.  I do not recall anyone on either team going to the line after being fouled on a 3.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 31, 2011, 01:28:32 PM
I was at the game, didnt post because I didnt have anything particularly positive to say about the game.

I thought the game was hard fought, but still sloppy.  It was not a pleasant game to watch in my opinion.

Responses to previously made comments:

FT discrepency/Officiating:  The reason that WPI had a FT advantage is simple, they had several guys attacking the basket, while MIT only had 1 player doing so (Kates).  During the game, I never thought to myself, "Wow the refs are really in favor of team _____", it was more likely, "Wow these officials are horrible."  Seriously, the officiating was terrible.  No consistency, sometimes they let players get away with tons of contact, only to call ticky-tack fouls all-too-often in the post.  I dont think this helped game flow at all, because when you are inconsistent in your calls, players cant adjust and it leads to alot of uncertainty for both teams.

Robinson: He played well, but I did not like how MIT did not adjust to guarding him.  A lot of the game, MIT had Sather on him (Sather played 16 minutes, Robinson played 21, I think Sather guarded him most of his 21 minutes), who is just getting back from injury.  In my opinion, Robinson was getting by him too easily, especially near the end of the first half when Robinson beat him 3 times in a row (bailed out one time by a teammate who took a charge).  When Robinson got a step on him, he wasnt tall enough, long enough, or able to jump high enough to effect Robinson's shot.  I am not convinced Robinson is POY, but he is averaging 17.5 ppg on the best team.  Therefore, he has as good a shot as anyone at winning.  I think he probably wins it, despite not being the best player in the league, just like Antoine Coleman and Ryan Cain won it Bartolotta's junior and sophomore seasons, because they were on the best team by far.

MIT's offensive woes: You have to give a lot of credit to WPI for playing very physical man defense.  However, a lot of times I was puzzled by the lineups MIT had out there.  For a chunk of the second half, MIT had McCue, their backup point guard, at the 4 (he was guarding Jameel Galloway at one point).  On top of that, nobody looked comfortable on offense besides Kates and Karraker.  However, Karraker, although a great player, is dependent on ball movement, inside-out looks, and Kates setting him up to get his shots.  He just isnt a player who is going to make his own shot.  Therefore, I felt like the entire burden of winning the game was on Kates' shoulders, and he played like he knew it.  His shooting percentage didnt turn out great, but he played better than anyone in my opinion.  He setup his teammates, made big shots, and competed extremely hard. Unfortunately, WPI was collectively better than his and the rest of MITs performance.  Tash had some good post moves, but as pointed out, he and Carr essentially canceled eachother out.  MIT needs to find some scoring production out of their 3 and 4 (anyone outside of Kates, Karraker, and Tashman) if they are going to compete for a NEWMAC tourney championship.  If not, teams are going to feel all too comfortable helping off those guys to try to shut down MITs top 3 scorers.  MIT has some freshman who have had big offensive outputs out of the 3, 4, and 5 spot, such as Davis, Dickson, and Donegan, so maybe those guys will turn out to be the key.  In any case, it is really hard winning a game with 0 production out of 2/5 players on the court for large stretches of the game.  The combined output of everyone besides Kates, Karraker, and Tashman was 3-11, 9 points, 8 TOs, 1 steal, and 14 fouls in 98 minutes of game action (essentially 50% of MITs minutes).  I am not sure what the PER is on that, but it certainly isnt good. Hopefully things get figured out soon, as there are only 5 games left.

One last note, just to remind everyone, only 5 teams make the NEWMAC tourney this year.  There is a 4/5 play-in to see who meets the 1-seed in the semis, with the 1, 2, and 3 teams automatically in the semis.  This was done as a cost-cutting measure (on the women's side, only 6/10 make the tourney).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on January 31, 2011, 02:09:21 PM
Saturday Springfield dominated Wheaton 86-71.  The game wasn't even as close as 15 points as the Springfield bench was cleared at the 6:00 min. mark when Springfield was up 30...(76-46).  Congratulations to Senior Matt Cavalieri who hit the 1,000 point mark for Springfield.  He needed only 15 and had 21 going into the half.  Cavalieri ended up with 28 pts on 11-15 shooting.  Jordan Rote had a great game for the Pride off the bench with 16 pts.  Rote locked down Coppola and frustrated him the entire game it wasn't until after the 6:00 mark where Rote came out and Coppola took advantage of the Pride's bench to end up with 17 on the game.  As for Wheaton, Grossman stroked it from range going 5-6 from 3, and ended up with 17 pts.  Wheaton travels to Clark on Wed., while Springfield travels to Coast Guard.  Also Congrats to Cavalieri for NEWMAC player of the week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 31, 2011, 02:10:29 PM
HN

Your assessment of the officiating is right on target.  LOL, I was attempting to be kind about it.  I do agree that it made it difficult for all the players to understand exactly how the game was going to be called.

Very often in the span of a couple of possessions, a call would be made on one end of the floor, then completely ignored on the other.  This occurred to both teams.  Tick-tack calls followed up by obvious contact fouls under the basket that went as no-calls.  Inconsistency on the travel call throughout the game as well.  I do think Shannon got away with a couple before being called on one.  His reaction was old palms up to sky.  Understandable since they made no call on the same move on the previous two possesions.

My comment on Robinson & the POY was just that I think he has the inside track on it as of today.  While his scoring numbers are now getting up there where one would have expected, he is also doing a little of everything on the team that is now 3 games up on the field.  As we have discussed in the past, the NEWMAC voting tends to favor the top two teams in terms of this award.  If WPI remains unbeaten in the conference and he continues to put up the numbers he has in conference play, I would think he would have very good odds at winning it.  He is averaging 21.1 in conference play, second only to Coppola's 21.6. Robinson's numbers are up since conference play started as are Kates', Cavalieri's & Vayda's have slipped some.  In my mind those are the top 4 contenders for it at this moment.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 31, 2011, 03:08:55 PM
Nerd - thanks for the NEWMAC tourney tid-bit - I had no idea they changed the format - allowing only 5 teams to participate.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 31, 2011, 05:00:02 PM
MD3, my bad.  I meant to say FT attempts vs. fouls.  I just do not want to watch a college team shoot 30 free throws, even the team I'm rooting for.  I like to watch teams play.  You are also correct in 3-point shots taken will never draw fouls.  No question WPI deserved to win the game and I do not want to use officiating as an excuse.

HN, agree with your assessment.  WPI played good defense (as usual for them), but it seemed that WPI new the MIT plays before they occurred.  Maybe WPI did a great scouting and coaching job, but I agree with you that some offensive changes in driving to the hole would be warranted.  The top 3 scorers you mentioned, Mitch, Will & Jamie played more than half the minutes, but I agree that there needs to be more diversity in scoring.  I believe Coach Anderson will figure it out and come more prepared for the next meeting, if there is a next meeting.  I also believe he will have a better matchup against Robinson, as MIT typically holds him below his averages.

I also agree with everyone's comments about the inconsistent officiating.  To me, it most high school referees do a better job.  Appreciate everyone's comments and input as I enjoy and always learn new things.  Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 31, 2011, 08:24:38 PM
Great thread on the 2 engineers. The game had great energy and both teams played very hard. I didn't see a big issue with the refs but was watching on webcast so it is hard to form an opinion either way. Too many fouls is never very good for the game.  I did not see the first game but this was basically a neck and neck affair. Looking forward to another meeting.

POY is a 2 horse race at this point with about 2 furlongs to go. Has any player that doesn't consistently start ever won a POY?  Robinson does lead his team in minutes and scoring so that is a coaches decision. He also leads the league in several shooting categories. Kates is top 10 in just about everything except blocks and rebounds but also does so much more for his team. Does it come down to the tournament final. I think so. 

POY Robinson
MVP Kates
All league Vayda, Cavallieri, Tashman, Carr
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 31, 2011, 08:42:34 PM
New poll out, MIT drops completely out of voting, WPI up to # 13.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on January 31, 2011, 09:37:25 PM
toooldtoplay,

I agree with you POY has come down to a 2 horse race... But its Cavalieri and Robinson, not Robinson and Kates.  It would be difficult for Kates to win POY when he isn't even the best PG in the NEWMAC
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 31, 2011, 10:01:18 PM
No way Harkins makes even 1st team all-conference over Kates.  Harkins may be averaging .47 more assists and .9 more steals per game, but Kates is killing him in all the other important categories.  Kates is averaging 7 more ppg (16.1 ppg to Harkins 9.3 ppg, 5th in conference, 17.9 ppg in conference games alone, 3rd), shooting 50.2% from the field (5th in conference), and also ranked top 10 in 3FG% abd 3FGM.  Also, in conference only, Kates is ranked top 20 in rebounds and 1st in assists (ahead of Harkins), as well as top 10 in essentially every other category and ranked ahead of Harkins in A/TO.  Harkins is a good player, but when you take into account Kates' offensive skills, doesn't compare.  With respect to Cavalieri, his numbers have dipped significantly in conference games.  Springfield also probably has the hardest schedule of anyone in the conference remaining, with games at CGA, Babson, and MIT, in addition to WPI at home.   Lets see where they are at the end of the season, but if Cavalieri wants to be a POY candidate, they need to win 4 of their last 5 games to finish #2.  I dont see it happening. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on February 01, 2011, 12:12:08 AM
I'm not sure where you are getting your facts...

A/TO - AKA the most important PG stat
Harkins - 1.74 - NEWMAC LEADER
Kates - 1.67

Steals
Harkins - 3.05 s/g - NEWMAC LEADER
Kates - 2.15 s/g

Assists
Harkins 5.32 p/g - 101 on the year - NEWMAC LEADER
Kates 4.85 p/g - 97 on the year

Rebounds
Kates 3.3 p/g
Harkins 2.8 p/g

FG %
Harkins - 54%
Kates - 50%

FT%
Harkins 78%
Kates 76%

3 point %
Kates 38%
Harkins 30%

Meanwhile when they met head to head, Harkins locked down Kates.  Kates looked lost on the court going 1-9 from the field and 2-4 from the line for a total of 4 points.  In addition, MIT REQUIRES Kates to be the main scorer where Springfield does not need Harkins as a main scorer in their system.  Also, since conference play has started Harkins has been dominating every PG in the NEWMAC.  Harkins is averaging 13.7 ppg in the NEWMAC.  Does it occur to you that MIT plays the worst out of conference schedule in the league, while Springfield has a difficult out of conference schedule filled with NESCAC's.  When it comes down to it, yes Kates is a better scorer, however he is not a better and more complete point guard than Harkins.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 01:29:40 AM
I get my stats from the same place you do, but they dont take into account all games when voting for conference awards, therefore conference only stats are relevent to this discussion.  I referred to both stats in my previous posts, so do your due diligence before questioning my analysis.

Also, Harkins numbers are generally down in conference. Conference awards are typically based on conference only numbers.  In conference stats for Kates vs. Harkins:

Conference rank in parentheses

StatKatesHarkins
Points17.9 (3rd)13.7 (7th)
Rebounds3.7 (19th)2.8 (NR)
FG%51.9% (7th)59.5% (2nd)
Assists4.71 (1st)4.57 (2nd)
FT%80% (8th)80% (8th)
Steals1.15 (NR)3.57 (1st)
3FG%48.1% (4th)30.8% (NR)
3FGM1.86 (5th)0.28 (NR)
A/TO1.65 (3rd)1.28 (6th)
Minutes33.43 (5th)32.29 (9th)

There is really no point in arguing, numbers speak for themselves.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 01, 2011, 10:05:55 AM
jabnike23

There is another aspect you are not taking into account that is not based on Harkin's or Kate's numbers.  When you construct a defense against Springfield, Harkins is your 3rd or sometimes 4th concern, not your first.  With Hollinsworth out, Kates is your primary concern when defending against MIT.  The numbers do tell a big part of the story, but not all of it.  Harkins has done a good job elevating his game, but would he have these numbers if say Matt Cavalieri was out for the year?

I saw him play in Worcester Vs. WPI.  He played very well, but the focus of the defense was to limit Cavalieri & Coburn.  Now I did not see the game with MIT, but even with a horrible shooting performance Kates still handed out 5 assists with only 2 turnovers.  In the same number of minutes Harkins had 2 assists and 5 turnovers and his team lost the game.  If you are going to claim he is the best PG, he has to raise his team up to win that game.  If your a Springfield supporter you know you need to win the MIT & WPI games (especially on your own floor) to get on top in the conference.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: lefrakenstein on February 01, 2011, 10:12:12 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 01:29:40 AM
I get my stats from the same place you do, but they dont take into account all games when voting for conference awards, therefore conference only stats are relevent to this discussion.  I referred to both stats in my previous posts, so do your due diligence before questioning my analysis.

Also, Harkins numbers are generally down in conference. Conference awards are typically based on conference only numbers.  In conference stats for Kates vs. Harkins:

Conference rank in parentheses

StatKatesHarkins
Points17.9 (3rd)13.7 (7th)
Rebounds3.7 (19th)2.8 (NR)
FG%51.9% (7th)59.5% (2nd)
Assists4.71 (1st)4.57 (2nd)
FT%80% (8th)80% (8th)
Steals1.15 (NR)3.57 (1st)
3FG%48.1% (4th)30.8% (NR)
3FGM1.86 (5th)0.28 (NR)
A/TO1.65 (3rd)1.28 (6th)
Minutes33.43 (5th)32.29 (9th)

There is really no point in arguing, numbers speak for themselves.

Hugenerd,

1) Let me just say that i'm impressed that you figured out how to use the table tool in your posts. That has always confounded me.

2) I think this comes down to the age-old "better stats" vs "the better team" argument. I pretty much never post on this board, but on the NESCAC board that argument seems to come up all the time.

There are two basic points, both valid. The first, made in favor of the player on the better team, is that he doesn't need to put up monster stats for his team to win. His team's record, in short, should indicate the effectiveness of his play and make up for the statistical shortfall.

The second, made in favor of the player with the better stats, is that he manages to get his superior numbers despite often being the lone offensive threat on his squad. Surely, producing superior numbers while having an opposing coach specifically focus on stopping him should carry the day,

Personally, I think a balance has to be struck. Certainly the better player isn't necessarily the one on the better team, but putting up great stats shouldn't really mean much if it doesn't seem to be helping your team win. MIT certainly isn't a bottom of the barrel team though, and Kates definitely has the better stats as you pointed out in your last post. Sounds like a pretty close debate.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 10:35:57 AM
Quote from: lefrakenstein on February 01, 2011, 10:12:12 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 01:29:40 AM
I get my stats from the same place you do, but they dont take into account all games when voting for conference awards, therefore conference only stats are relevent to this discussion.  I referred to both stats in my previous posts, so do your due diligence before questioning my analysis.

Also, Harkins numbers are generally down in conference. Conference awards are typically based on conference only numbers.  In conference stats for Kates vs. Harkins:

Conference rank in parentheses

StatKatesHarkins
Points17.9 (3rd)13.7 (7th)
Rebounds3.7 (19th)2.8 (NR)
FG%51.9% (7th)59.5% (2nd)
Assists4.71 (1st)4.57 (2nd)
FT%80% (8th)80% (8th)
Steals1.15 (NR)3.57 (1st)
3FG%48.1% (4th)30.8% (NR)
3FGM1.86 (5th)0.28 (NR)
A/TO1.65 (3rd)1.28 (6th)
Minutes33.43 (5th)32.29 (9th)

There is really no point in arguing, numbers speak for themselves.

Hugenerd,

1) Let me just say that i'm impressed that you figured out how to use the table tool in your posts. That has always confounded me.

2) I think this comes down to the age-old "better stats" vs "the better team" argument. I pretty much never post on this board, but on the NESCAC board that argument seems to come up all the time.

There are two basic points, both valid. The first, made in favor of the player on the better team, is that he doesn't need to put up monster stats for his team to win. His team's record, in short, should indicate the effectiveness of his play and make up for the statistical shortfall.

The second, made in favor of the player with the better stats, is that he manages to get his superior numbers despite often being the lone offensive threat on his squad. Surely, producing superior numbers while having an opposing coach specifically focus on stopping him should carry the day,

Personally, I think a balance has to be struck. Certainly the better player isn't necessarily the one on the better team, but putting up great stats shouldn't really mean much if it doesn't seem to be helping your team win. MIT certainly isn't a bottom of the barrel team though, and Kates definitely has the better stats as you pointed out in your last post. Sounds like a pretty close debate.

L-
Just wanted to point out that Harkins is on Springfield, so Kates is on the better team also in this comparison. Your points are all valid, though, if I was comparing Kates and Robinson. The comparison between Kates and Robinson would be pretty different, however. Robinson has more ppg, but Kates probably has him in every other category. Ill post these numbers later when I get to a computer. TheHarkins vs. Kates debate was sparked when jabnike contended that Kates was not the best pg in the conference, which is completely false.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on February 01, 2011, 10:57:12 AM
Massd3,

When you said do I think Harkins numbers would be like this if Cavalieri was out?  I actually think they would be higher.  Harkins knows he doesn't have to be a main scorer so he focuses on finding Coburn, Cavalieri, Rankins.  If Cavalieri was out he would know he would have to be a main scorer.  He can score.... clearly you saw that 2nd half of the WPI game if you were there.  I was there.  Springfield couldn't get a call to save their lives.  So second half Springfield didn't even run offense.  Harkins took over.  Also the MIT game, it wasn't like Kates was penetrating the defense and making great assists, he was swinging the ball to Karraker who was on fire, that how he had 5 assists.  His 1-9 shooting came because he couldn't get by or get space from Harkins.

Hugenerd,
Your acting like I don't think Kates is a good player.  Of course he is a good player but you give him too much credit sometimes.  IMO the players the best three players in this league are Robinson, Cavalieri, and Vayda.  Obviously Clarks record diminishes Vayda's chances of winning POY, but I still think he is an excellent player, and top 3 in the league no matter what team he is on.  In your first argument for Kates you were bouncing around between conf. stats and non-conf. stats so it was a bit confusing.  It comes down to this Harkins is a better passer, ball-handler, and defensive player,  Kates is a better scorer and shooter... IMO Harkins is a better point guard.  Everyones got there opinion.. Feb 19th we'll see how it plays out.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: lefrakenstein on February 01, 2011, 11:29:48 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 10:35:57 AM

L-
Just wanted to point out that Harkins is on Springfield, so Kates is on the better team also in this comparison.

Whoops, thought Harkins was on WPI. As I said, I'm really not very familiar with the NEWMAC. Had actually stopped by the NEWMAC board to see if anyone had a take on the the legitimacy of WPI as a regional contender. Some posters seem dubious in the NE regional rankings thread. Seems to me though that the NEWMAC teams are getting better every year. Between the NEWMAC and the LEC, the NE seems to have a gotten a ton deeper in the last few years. I'm sure there will be some non-NESCAC teams in the final four very soon.

Anyway, jabnike23, I would say that in all-conference voting, performance in major statistical categories like the ones hugenerd laid out, especially ppg, seem to pretty much always determine the winner, especially between players from teams with relatively similar records. I'm not saying that your observations of Harkins outplaying Kates aren't valid, or that they shouldn't be important in determining awards, i'm just saying that's the way it typically goes. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 12:23:49 PM
Quote from: jabnike23 on February 01, 2011, 10:57:12 AM
Massd3,

When you said do I think Harkins numbers would be like this if Cavalieri was out?  I actually think they would be higher.  Harkins knows he doesn't have to be a main scorer so he focuses on finding Coburn, Cavalieri, Rankins.  If Cavalieri was out he would know he would have to be a main scorer.  He can score.... clearly you saw that 2nd half of the WPI game if you were there.  I was there.  Springfield couldn't get a call to save their lives.  So second half Springfield didn't even run offense.  Harkins took over.  Also the MIT game, it wasn't like Kates was penetrating the defense and making great assists, he was swinging the ball to Karraker who was on fire, that how he had 5 assists.  His 1-9 shooting came because he couldn't get by or get space from Harkins.

Hugenerd,
Your acting like I don't think Kates is a good player.  Of course he is a good player but you give him too much credit sometimes.  IMO the players the best three players in this league are Robinson, Cavalieri, and Vayda.  Obviously Clarks record diminishes Vayda's chances of winning POY, but I still think he is an excellent player, and top 3 in the league no matter what team he is on.  In your first argument for Kates you were bouncing around between conf. stats and non-conf. stats so it was a bit confusing.  It comes down to this Harkins is a better passer, ball-handler, and defensive player,  Kates is a better scorer and shooter... IMO Harkins is a better point guard.  Everyones got there opinion.. Feb 19th we'll see how it plays out.


Against similar opponents (conference games), the numbers do not agree with the statement that Harkins is a better passer or ball-handler, Kates has a much higher A/TO ratio in conference than Harkins (ball-handling) and Kates also has more assists per game (passing), despite losing his main target for the season (Hollingsworth).  Harkins clearly has more steals, so I'll give him defense, but I dont think that makes him a better PG.

Also, how do you put Vayda in the top 3 conversation?  Tashman is a better player than Vayda.  When they played eachother, Tashman completely shut down Vayda to the tune of 3-10 shooting, 8 points, and 5 rebounds. Tashman had 15 and 15 in that game. In my opinion, Vayda only makes second team all-conference this year.  First team will likely be: Robinson, Kates, Cavalieri, Tashman, Carr.  Coppola may have a fight for a guard spot, but as with Vayda, team success will hurt him.  Second team likely will be: Harkins, Coppola, Rudolph (Babson), James (CGA), with that last spot up for grabs between Karraker, Sowers, Degnan, Nadeau, and Coburn.

Kates and Robinson are definitely the two best guards in the league, with Cavilieri the best wing, and Carr and Tashman the best post players.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on February 01, 2011, 12:53:27 PM
I'm sorry I do not agree with you that Tashman is a better player than Vayda.  Harkins shut down Kates when they met up the first time.. so do you agree with me that Harkins is a better PG than Kates?  Granted Tashman had a fantastic game 15 and 15 against Vayda.  I've seen Vayda over the course of the year.. he is a near-complete player.. He can shoot the 3, muscle you in the post, a fantastic rebounder, great from the FT line.  Tashman is strictly a post player who also is a very good rebounder, however he lacks the shooting abilities of Vayda.  Cavalieri and Vayda have had trouble scoring in the NEWMAC because they are seeing double teams against every opponent.  Springfield and Clark rely on Cavalieri and Vayda to score and teams know that so pretty much every game i've seen of each player some sort of double team scheme has been in effect for a duration during the game.  That is why their out of conf. scoring is much higher because if you play them single coverage, they will torch you.  I do think Kates will make first team over Harkins because the voters look so heavily on scoring, however i still disagree that he is a better PG.

IMO
First team - Kates, Robinson, Cavalieri POY, Vayda, Carr
Second - Harkins, Coppola, Tashman, Coburn... (James, Sowers, Nadeau last spot) 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 01:16:57 PM
Quote from: jabnike23 on February 01, 2011, 12:53:27 PM
I'm sorry I do not agree with you that Tashman is a better player than Vayda.  Harkins shut down Kates when they met up the first time.. so do you agree with me that Harkins is a better PG than Kates?  Granted Tashman had a fantastic game 15 and 15 against Vayda.  I've seen Vayda over the course of the year.. he is a near-complete player.. He can shoot the 3, muscle you in the post, a fantastic rebounder, great from the FT line.  Tashman is strictly a post player who also is a very good rebounder, however he lacks the shooting abilities of Vayda.  Cavalieri and Vayda have had trouble scoring in the NEWMAC because they are seeing double teams against every opponent.  Springfield and Clark rely on Cavalieri and Vayda to score and teams know that so pretty much every game i've seen of each player some sort of double team scheme has been in effect for a duration during the game.  That is why their out of conf. scoring is much higher because if you play them single coverage, they will torch you.  I do think Kates will make first team over Harkins because the voters look so heavily on scoring, however i still disagree that he is a better PG.

IMO
First team - Kates, Robinson, Cavalieri POY, Vayda, Carr
Second - Harkins, Coppola, Tashman, Coburn... (James, Sowers, Nadeau last spot) 

Tashman and Vayda have similar numbers overall, thats why I brought in the head-to-head comparison.  Obviously you cant use one game to judge everything, but I think it is very pretinent. In terms of the comparison between Kates and Harkins from the first meeting, Harkins did score 6 more points than Kates, but that is Kates only poor offensive performance in conference.  Even counting that game he is averaging 17.9 ppg in conference (in the other 6 conference games to-date he is averaging over 20 per game). Also, if you go by the "point guard stats" for the head-to-head between Harkins and Kates, Harkins only had 2 assists and 5 turnovers (0.4 A/TO), while Kates had 5 assists and 2 turnovers (2.5 A/TO), and each had 2 steals.  Therefore, while Harkins may have slowed Kates offensively, Kates may have forced Harkins to be a scorer rather than the distributor you say he wants to be.  Therefore, it could be argued that Kates shut him out of what he wanted to do (create for other players, not commit turnovers), which probably had a lot to do with MIT's win.  Therefore, I would not say that head-to-head is conclusively in favor of either player, because although Kates did score less than usual, he played well as a facilitator and seems to have given Harkins problems in doing the same. Additionally, Kates' team won.  This is in stark contrast to the Tashman/Vayda matchup, where Tashman dominated Vayda statistically in every category except steals and Tashman's team won the game in a blowout.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 01, 2011, 02:27:37 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 01:29:40 AM
I get my stats from the same place you do, but they dont take into account all games when voting for conference awards, therefore conference only stats are relevent to this discussion. 

Actually, I'm not sure too many coaches rely so much on "conference-only stats" vs. "overall stats" when voting for All-Conference anyway. I'm sure they rely on "what I've seen" because "I've seen them play at least once in person and a lot on tape."
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 02:55:23 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 01, 2011, 02:27:37 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 01:29:40 AM
I get my stats from the same place you do, but they dont take into account all games when voting for conference awards, therefore conference only stats are relevent to this discussion.
Actually, I'm not sure too many coaches rely so much on "conference-only stats" vs. "overall stats" when voting for All-Conference anyway. I'm sure they rely on "what I've seen" because "I've seen them play at least once in person and a lot on tape."

I think conference stats give a good sample set of data against similar opponents.  Otherwise its sometimes like comparing bananas and oranges, with respect to the statistics.  Harkins had 7 steals in a game against Johnson State.  Does that really tell you how he stacks up against other NEWMAC guards? Yes, if someone plays really well against other good competition, thats one thing, but I think performance in conference is more important than out-of-conference, for conference awards.  There is obviously a subjective element, but I am sure everyone knows Kates and Harkins, at this point, in the NEWMAC.  

With respect to Kates, he has established himself even beyond the conference.  He was NE Rookie of the year last year (in addition to NEWMAC ROY), so its pretty well established he is a top-level guard in more than just this conference.  Harkins, on the other hand, may have more to prove in terms of individual recognition, as he is often overshadowed by the better players on his own team, despite being a more seasoned player.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 01, 2011, 07:39:14 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 02:55:23 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 01, 2011, 02:27:37 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 01:29:40 AM
I get my stats from the same place you do, but they dont take into account all games when voting for conference awards, therefore conference only stats are relevent to this discussion.
Actually, I'm not sure too many coaches rely so much on "conference-only stats" vs. "overall stats" when voting for All-Conference anyway. I'm sure they rely on "what I've seen" because "I've seen them play at least once in person and a lot on tape."

I think conference stats give a good sample set of data against similar opponents.  Otherwise its sometimes like comparing bananas and oranges, with respect to the statistics.  Harkins had 7 steals in a game against Johnson State.  Does that really tell you how he stacks up against other NEWMAC guards? Yes, if someone plays really well against other good competition, thats one thing, but I think performance in conference is more important than out-of-conference, for conference awards.  There is obviously a subjective element, but I am sure everyone knows Kates and Harkins, at this point, in the NEWMAC.  

I just don't think the coaches sit down with a calculator, whether pocket size or hugenerd size, when voting. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 01, 2011, 08:39:20 PM
Quote from: jabnike23 on February 01, 2011, 10:57:12 AM
Massd3,

When you said do I think Harkins numbers would be like this if Cavalieri was out?  I actually think they would be higher.  Harkins knows he doesn't have to be a main scorer so he focuses on finding Coburn, Cavalieri, Rankins.  If Cavalieri was out he would know he would have to be a main scorer.  He can score.... clearly you saw that 2nd half of the WPI game if you were there.  I was there.  Springfield couldn't get a call to save their lives.  So second half Springfield didn't even run offense.  Harkins took over.  Also the MIT game, it wasn't like Kates was penetrating the defense and making great assists, he was swinging the ball to Karraker who was on fire, that how he had 5 assists.  His 1-9 shooting came because he couldn't get by or get space from Harkins.

Hugenerd,
Your acting like I don't think Kates is a good player.  Of course he is a good player but you give him too much credit sometimes.  IMO the players the best three players in this league are Robinson, Cavalieri, and Vayda.  Obviously Clarks record diminishes Vayda's chances of winning POY, but I still think he is an excellent player, and top 3 in the league no matter what team he is on.  In your first argument for Kates you were bouncing around between conf. stats and non-conf. stats so it was a bit confusing.  It comes down to this Harkins is a better passer, ball-handler, and defensive player,  Kates is a better scorer and shooter... IMO Harkins is a better point guard.  Everyones got there opinion.. Feb 19th we'll see how it plays out.


Yes, I was at the first Springfield/WPI game (see my summary back a couple of pages).  I do not recall Springfield "not getting a call to save their lives" and certainly the statistics do not back that up.  Fouls were pretty equal (10 each in the first half, 16 on the Pride and 14 on WPI n the 2nd) as were turnovers (Springfield  8 & 5  for 13, WPI 2 & 9 for 11)

Springfield simply did not play well and WPI's defense had them confused and frustrated. Cavalieri & Coburn did not see many open looks at all.  Most every shot was contested. Harkins did indeed put up 14 in the second half - most of it while WPI's lead was bouncing just over & under 20 points.  That game was effectively over until Carr got hurt with 5 minutes to go and the Engineers became unsettled (While he was out they did not even make a FG).  The lead went from 17 to 11 as the Pride took advantage of it.  Carr came back around 2 minutes to go and WPI regrouped and won by 15.

"Springfield and Clark rely on Cavalieri and Vayda to score and teams know that so pretty much every game i've seen of each player some sort of double team scheme has been in effect for a duration during the game."

Not in the WPI game.  Wesoloski and Carr were the primary defenders on him and played him man-to-man other than a few under the bucket OB plays where they went zone.  Same thing when WPI played at Clark, they did not double Vayda.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 01, 2011, 09:34:09 PM
Quote from: lefrakenstein on February 01, 2011, 11:29:48 AM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 10:35:57 AM

L-
Just wanted to point out that Harkins is on Springfield, so Kates is on the better team also in this comparison.

Whoops, thought Harkins was on WPI. As I said, I'm really not very familiar with the NEWMAC. Had actually stopped by the NEWMAC board to see if anyone had a take on the the legitimacy of WPI as a regional contender. Some posters seem dubious in the NE regional rankings thread. Seems to me though that the NEWMAC teams are getting better every year. Between the NEWMAC and the LEC, the NE seems to have a gotten a ton deeper in the last few years. I'm sure there will be some non-NESCAC teams in the final four very soon.

Anyway, jabnike23, I would say that in all-conference voting, performance in major statistical categories like the ones hugenerd laid out, especially ppg, seem to pretty much always determine the winner, especially between players from teams with relatively similar records. I'm not saying that your observations of Harkins outplaying Kates aren't valid, or that they shouldn't be important in determining awards, i'm just saying that's the way it typically goes.  


Hopefully you will check back here and bring some NESCAC insight to the discussion.

I think there is no doubt about top 3 in the region.  WPI and Western Conn. are still a a couple of steps below those 3 NESCAC teams.  Realistically, right now here is no one (in-region) who is going to beat those 3 teams without playing a near perfect game in conjunction with a low-end effort from the opponent.  Anything is possible, but it certainly be considered a major upset if it came down to those 3 and either WPI or West. Conn. In a regional final 4 – with the Engineers or the Colonials getting a win.  I guess the question becomes how the selection committee constructs the bracket.  Do they keep all three teams here?  If so, do they make it so they each have a path to the Sweet 16 without bumping into one or another?(one would think that is most likely).

Two years ago, the Engineers got an at large bid and hosted the first two rounds of the tournament.  They won in the opening round over Husson and lost to UMass-Dartmouth in the 2nd.  This team is a better defensive team and more balanced on offense. The prospects of getting to that second week are much better for this team.

Right now, I am sure the Engineers are much more focused on finishing strong and winning the NEWMAC tournament.  Recent history has shown no matter how good the #1 seed is, it does not mean capturing the AQ bid.  
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 09:58:37 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 01, 2011, 07:39:14 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 02:55:23 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 01, 2011, 02:27:37 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 01, 2011, 01:29:40 AM
I get my stats from the same place you do, but they dont take into account all games when voting for conference awards, therefore conference only stats are relevent to this discussion.
Actually, I'm not sure too many coaches rely so much on "conference-only stats" vs. "overall stats" when voting for All-Conference anyway. I'm sure they rely on "what I've seen" because "I've seen them play at least once in person and a lot on tape."

I think conference stats give a good sample set of data against similar opponents.  Otherwise its sometimes like comparing bananas and oranges, with respect to the statistics.  Harkins had 7 steals in a game against Johnson State.  Does that really tell you how he stacks up against other NEWMAC guards? Yes, if someone plays really well against other good competition, thats one thing, but I think performance in conference is more important than out-of-conference, for conference awards.  There is obviously a subjective element, but I am sure everyone knows Kates and Harkins, at this point, in the NEWMAC.  

I just don't think the coaches sit down with a calculator, whether pocket size or hugenerd size, when voting. :)

I agree, but its not like I calculated an efficiency rating or anything. All the numbers I reported are compiled by the NEWMAC, so no calculator required!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on February 02, 2011, 01:15:05 AM
Massd3,
Everytime Cavalieri got the ball in the post in the WPI game the near-side guard dropped and digged for a double... on the perimeter they played him one on one, and he still managed to get 17... It doesn't matter what the score was in the second half.. Harkins could not be stopped/contained.  He got to the basket every play, they didn't even run offense.  As for fouls, if you don't recall the refs being terrible, you were not watching the same game.  First of all Harkins should have been tossed for putting Ettens head into the floor about 3 times.  Second, Springfield was getting hacked.. the refs were clueless, inconistant.. no excuse for Sprignfields poor execution and play in the first half.. but still the refs were horrendous.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 02, 2011, 02:21:24 AM
Hmmm, not sure what game you watched, but they certainly did not double Cavalieri every time he got it low.  There were 3 or 4 times in the first half when he got it low and settled for jumpers.  No double team was there. They tried to get him the ball down low to start the second half, the first time he tried to get off a shot, Carr blocked it and and took it away.  Again - no double team.  I do recall a couple of times when Springfield's spacing was very poor and there was a second defender near.  You may be mistaking that for a double-team attempt. Your making a claim that it was their defensive strategy everytime he got it low - it was not.  This was the exact same defensive plan they used on Vayda.  In the game before the Springfield game. It resulted in a 5 of 13 shooting performance for Vayda & Calalieri ended up 5 for 14.  Matt did get to the line for 10 FTAs.

As far as refs go, I did not say the game was called well.  I took issue with your claim that Springfield could not get a call - clearly they got plenty. 33 Free Throw attempts for the game also indicates this.

I assume your talking about the play in front of the bench as far as Etten was concerned.  On that play he was guarding Cavalieri and beat Matt to the spot on a pass.  As they went for the ball, Cavalieri went through Etten and they ended up on the floor along the sideline in front of the Pride's bench.  Harkins dove on top of them.  At that point, all the players surrounded the area and from my seat, I could not see what the 3 players did until it broke up. Since Harkins was given a T, I assumed he did something.  If he did what you said, he is fortunate not to have been thrown out.

In regards to the hacking, both teams were allowed to be over-aggressive and then there were some tick-tack fouls called.  The refs were not consistiently calling the game, but that has been true of all the games I have seen this year, including a couple of Clark's games.  This is not going to change, and the good teams find a way to adjust to it. As HN & I both stated, the game at MIT this weekend was worse than some high school games I have seen.  The only thing that made it tolerable to me was watching the battle between Tashman & Carr down low.  I am a big time believer in the low post game and it how it sets up the perimeter game. It is one of things I focus on the most when I watch a game.  This is why I know WPI was not double teaming Cavalieri down low in the way you suggest.

As far as Harkins going off, I have not seen too many teams ever continue to keep playing as hard on the defensive end when they are up 20 Vs a game where the lead is single digits. Substitution patterns change as well.

In regards to him "dominating" every other PG, Nadeau had 18 and was the key in the early going in that game.  Jaime Shannon put up 14 in only 14 minutes.  As I said, my focus tends to be under the bucket, so I am not sure who Harkins primary defensive responsibility was, but 4 players from WPI scored 14 or more, and he surely would have been assigned to one of them other than Carr.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 02, 2011, 03:11:48 PM
First Regional Rankings: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2011/02/02/ncaas-mens-regional-rankings/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on February 02, 2011, 07:35:13 PM
I included the MIT @ Babson game on the slate of the National Pick Ems contest.  I see it has been postponed, but the NEWMAC site said nothing about when it has been re-scheduled.  Does anyone here know?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 02, 2011, 08:09:19 PM
Tomorrow
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on February 02, 2011, 08:16:51 PM
Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 03, 2011, 09:45:53 PM
MIT pulls it out 63-60 over Babson.  They led by as many as 16, but after their starting 4 and 5 fouled out, combined cold shooting (including missed FTs) and increased inside penetration by Babson made the game close at the end.  The difference in this game was balanced scoring for MIT.  As I mentioned previously, MIT only had 9 points total out of everyone besides Karraker, Kates and Tashman last game.  Tonight, Nick Davis had 7 points off the bench in 12 first half minutes.  In the second, Will Dickson picked up where he left off, scoring a total of 10 points.  In all, the supporting cast scored 28 points (everyone outside of Karraker, Kates, and Tashman), much better than last game.

Tashman led MIT in scoring and on the boards, with 18 (7-10 shooting) and 8.  Kates played well from the point, scoring 11 and dishing out 8 assists.  Karraker was limited to just 2 shots, but he made both form deep.

MIT now tied for 2nd in the NEWMAC with Springfield, who beat CGA tonight, but MIT has the tiebreaker currently with the head to head win.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on February 03, 2011, 11:07:00 PM
Springfield took care of business against Coast Guard.  The game was over in the first few minutes as Springfield started on a 19-0 run.  Cavalieri led the way with 20 pts, Coburn had a nice rebounding night with 12, and Harkins added 6 steals.  Nobody on CG scored in double figures.  Springfield travels to Babson Saturday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 03, 2011, 11:13:38 PM
Thanks for the updates guys!

I stopped by WPI and watched the womens game on Pink Zone night.

Looks like Clark finally got a conference win tonight beating Wheaton 68-55.  Vayda (18 pts/5 rebs/5 assists) got some help tonight.  Jeff Tagger contributed 10 and Jake Gubitose had 11 points.

Wheaton was led by Will Bayliss who had a career night with 25 points, 4 assists and 3 steals.  Coppola fouled out with 15 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 03, 2011, 11:28:05 PM
When  I got home, I was looking for the writeup on the womens game and I saw some very nice news on the athletics web site.  I followed up on it and discovered that:

We have some MAJOR congratulations to hand out to some players from here in the NEWMAC.

Four student-athletes in the NEWMAC were honored today by being named to the Co-SIDA Academic ALL-District team.

Jeff Robinson of WPI & Brian Vayda of Clark were named to the second team.

Matt Carr & Lauren Hannmann of WPI were named to the Men's & Women's first team respectively.  They will both be on the ballot for the Academic All-American teams.  Extremely impressive for these two (in my mind anyway), since both are Chemical Engineering majors with GPA's to envy.  Hannmann has a 3.82 and Carr is at 3.96.

Again, Congrats to all four & Good Luck to Hannmann & Carr in the All-American voting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 06, 2011, 12:25:29 AM
Saturday's Games:

WPI crushed Wheaton 78-46 with an incredible 10 for 11 3-point shooting in the first 9 minutes and stifling defense throughout the game.  Kyle Nadeau led the way for the Engineers with 16, (all in the first half) on 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, and 2 assists.  Robinson put up 10 and a couple of assists.  Etten (6 pts/4 rebs/2 assists) got in on the 3-ptr parade going 2 for 3. Carr only scored 8, but had a game-high 6 boards, to go with 2 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 steals. Jerome Stewart (7 pts/5 rebs), David White (7 pts) & Perez led a big bench effort of 45 points.  WPI converted 21 Lyon turnovers into 39 points. The regulars were pretty much done for the day with 14 minutes left.  12 of 15 players logged 10 or more minutes.  The Engineer's defense held Wheaton to 31% from the field.

The Lyons were led by Brendan Degnan's 13 points and 2 steals & Will Bayliss added 12 and 3 assists.  Anthony Coppola became Wheaton's 2nd leading all-time scorer with 11 points.  Brian Grossman led the bench effort for Wheaton with 3 points and a team-high 5 rebounds.

Springfield moved a half a game ahead of idle MIT for 2nd place in the conference with a 73-63 win over Babson.  Jordan Rote had a big game with 20 points, 4 boards & 4 steals. Harkins had 15 points & 4 rebounds to go with a game-high 5 assists. Darvis Rankins also tallied 15 pts and 4 boards.  Ryan Coburn chipped in with 7 pts, 5 rebs and 4 blocks. Matt Cavalieri was held to 6 points, but grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds.  The Pride went 28 for 37 from the free throw line.

Babson had four players score in double-digits with Alex Rudolph leading the way with 14 pts, 4 rebs & 3 assists. Russell Braithwaite (12 pts/ 6 rbs/ 2 stls), Matt Floria (10 pts/3 assists/3 stls) & Matt Zioa (10 pts/2 assists/1 stl) were the others.  Kris Noonan chipped in with 6 points, 3 assists & a game-high 10 rebounds.

Clark won its 2nd straight conference game with a 61-49 win over Coast Guard on senior day for the Cougars.  Brain Vayda led 4 cougars in double figures with 14 points, 2 assists & game-highs of 7 rebounds & 5 steals.  DJ Bailey had a career high 13 to go with 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. Travis Curley and Mitch Renshaw each added 11 points.

Coast Guard was led by Jevon James' double-double of 21 points and 14 boards.  Kevin Sowers posted 11 points and 3 steals, but the Bears only had 3 other players dent the scoring column.

The scramble is on for the last two playoff spots:

Babson= = = => 4-5
Coast Guard  => 3-6
Clark = = = = => 2-6
Wheaton = = => 2-7


Enjoy Super Sunday Everyone!


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 07, 2011, 08:33:58 AM
Thanks for the recap Mass!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 07, 2011, 07:38:58 PM
Congratulations to Clark's Brian Vayda for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/awards/weekly/2010-2011/mbkbweekly020711

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: leelowlang on February 07, 2011, 11:14:07 PM
Curious of the posters thoughts of who is the league's best:

Best Team:

Best Coach:

Best Player:

Best Point Guard:

Best Low-Post Scorer:

Best Shooter:

Best Dunker:

Best Defender:
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 09, 2011, 09:11:54 AM
Quote from: leelowlang on February 07, 2011, 11:14:07 PM
Curious of the posters thoughts of who is the league's best:

Best Team:  WPI

Best Coach:  Bartley

Best Player:  Robinson (Jefff)

Best Point Guard:  Kates

Best Low-Post Scorer:  Carr

Best Shooter:  Kates

Best Dunker:  Vayda

Best Defender:
Kates?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 09, 2011, 06:02:22 PM
Here are my admittedly biased choices (my choices reflect only currently active players):

Best Team: WPI (given current rosters, my choice would be different if Hollingsworth was healthy)

Best Coach: Anderson

Best Player: Mitch Kates

Best Point Guard: Mitch Kates

Best Low-Post Scorer: Matt Carr

Best Shooter: Jamie Karraker

Best Dunker: Nick Davis (I havent seen anyone else besides Carr dunk in a game this season), the MIT Hoops Blog has some highlights

Best Defender:  (G) Billy Harkins, (P) Will Tashman, Matt Carr
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 09, 2011, 10:27:57 PM
Best Team: WPI

Best Coach: Tie - WPI – Chris Bartley & MIT – Larry Anderson
                   
Best Player: 3-way tie - Springfield – Matt Cavalieri
-   WPI – Jeff Robinson
-   MIT – Mitchell Kates  

Best Point Guard: MIT – Mitchell Kates

Best Low-Post Scorer: WPI – Matt Carr

Best Shooter: MIT - Jamie Karraker

Best Dunker: WPI – Matt Carr

Best Defender: Front Court – Tie - WPI – Matt Carr
                                                MIT – Will Tashman
                        Back Court – Tie - Springfield – Billy Harkins
                                                MIT – Mitchell Kates


Coach : Bartley for returning his team to the top of the conference & back into the national rankings – best ranking of his tenure I believe.  Anderson for overcoming a slew of injuries, including the conference's best player, and still keeping MIT in contention (ranked 11th in the Northeast).

Best Player: for various reasons, these 3 are in a virtual tie.

Dunker:  Sorry to disagree with you WPI89, but Vayda has not had a dunk this year.  This one is no contest, I took some time last night and looked through the box scores (Thank God there are only 7 teams!)

Here are the dunk totals (including tonight):

M. Carr (WPI) – 14 with 1 miss
R. Braithwaite (BAB) – 7
M. Hall (BAB) - 7 with 1 miss
J. James (CGA) – 6
J. Galloway (WPI) – 3 with 1 miss
DJ Bailey (CLK) – 3
R. Coburn (SPR) – 2 with 2 misses
C. Desravines (WHE) – 2
N. Davis (MIT) – 2
M. Renshaw (CLK) – 1
B. Johnson (WHE) – 1
J. Rote (SPR) - 1

Best defenders: Combination of stats and what I have seen.  You really do need to separate that into the 2 categories of front & back court for the obvious reasons.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 09, 2011, 11:33:50 PM
Sorry it took me a bit to get this up, I got caught up in the Duke-N. Carolina game.  Great Game!

WPI defeats Coast Guard tonight 60-47.  Not a particularly impressive performance, but a win nonetheless.   The Engineers were led by Matt Carr's 6th double-double of the season of 10 points and 12 boards.  Freshman Ryan Kolb had a career high 11 points and Jerome Stewart also posted 11 points to go with 5 rebounds. Fernando Perez came off the bench to add 8 points and 4 boards. Ben Etten chipped in with 7 boards to help WPI to a 43-29 advantage on the glass.  Jamie Shannon handed out 4 assists.

Coast Guard got 11 from both Kevin Sowers and Ed Gailor. Adam Radtke tallied 10 points and 4 rebounds.  Jevon James had a team-high 8 boards.

In a total reversal from their last game, the Engineers shot 25% (4-16) from 3-pt land tonight.  The first half was a primarily a defensive battle.  WPI held the Bears to 22% from the field, but shot only 31% themselves.  Stewart's 8 points powered them to a 21-15 halftime lead.  The second half was a series of runs.  WPI opened up a 29-19 lead, then the Bears cut it to 4.  The Engineers surged out with a 24-7 run to hold a 55-34 lead with 6 minutes to go.  Play got a bit sloppy with the reserves, and the Bears sliced it to as low as 11 with less than a minute to go.

The interior game took a while to get going, but the frontcourt guys shot a combined 17 for 30 on their way to a 34-21 points in the paint advantage.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 10, 2011, 09:14:02 AM
The rest of the action last night in the NEWMAC:

MIT wins over Clark, 69-58.  Mitchell Kates led the way with 21 points, 5 assists, 4 steals and 4 boards.  Will Tashman posted 16 points and 7 rebounds, Jamie Karraker had 17  points, Will Dickinson added 9 points and 7 boards and grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds to go with 5 points.

Clark got 14 points and 6 rebounds from Brian Vayda, 11 points from Jake Gubitose, 6 points and 7 boards from Tucker Esborn.and 8 points from Travis Curley.

This was another low scoring first half (MIT led 25-19) with both teams shooting poorly. MIT was 11 for 30 (37%) and Clark went 6 for 20 (30%). The second half saw MIT get to the free throw line 20 times and shoot 55% from the field.  The game was back and forth throughout the half and Vayda tied it at 44 with a 3-ptr at 5:33. MIT then went on a game-deciding 12-0 run over the next 2 minutes.

The game of the night went down in Norton as Babson & Wheaton combined for 190 points.  The Beavers won 99-91 in 3 overtimes.  Marcus McDermott went 10 for 13 tallying 29 points.  Alex Rudolph put up 18 points, 6 boards & 4 assists. Russell Braithwaite contributed 17 points with 5 rebounds and Kris Noonan added 11 points and 7 boards. Guards Matt Florio (10 pts/8 assists) & Matt Zioa (10 points) rounded out 6 double-figure scorers for the Beavers.   

Wheaton got a game-high 30 points from Anthony Coppola. Freshman Brian Grossman posted a career-high 18 points and 8 rebounds to go with 4 assists.  Will Bayliss chipped in with 12, Brendan Degnan posted 11 points & 5 boards and Shawn Dailey recorded 8 blocked shots, which tied the school single game record.

Three players (Bayliss, Florio & Zioa) played 50 or more minutes.

Babson held a 9-pt lead with 7 and a half minutes left in regulation, but Wheaton went on a 13-4 run to force OT.  The first overtime went back & forth as neither team could take control and a McDermott jump shot forced OT #2.  Babson looked like they would pull out a 2-pt win, but Bayliss hit a layup with one second to go and the game went to a third OT.  The game continued to see-saw until a Rudolph 3-ptr and two FTs by Braithwaite opend up a 7 point lead with 1:33 to go.


WPI can clinch the #1 seed with a win at Babson on Saturday.  MIT & Springfield pretty much have the #2/#3 slots locked up and the higher seed will most likely be decided in their meeting on the last day of the regular season.  Babson looks like it has a good hold on the fourth seed.  The battle over the final week and a half for the last post-season spot has:

Coast Guard at 3-7 (Split with Clark, 1-0 Vs Wheaton)
Clark at 2-7  (Split with Coast Guard & Wheaton)
Wheaton at 2-8 (Slpit with Clark, 0-1 Vs Coast Guard)


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 10, 2011, 10:50:24 AM
With tail slighlty between my legs - I have not ever seen Vayda play for Clark (although I will next Saturday - the 19th) - my buddy lives in Southbridge and I saw Vayda come in there his senior year (I think for Sturbridge?) and he had 3 dunks - so I took a shot!

Thanks for the Coast Guard update.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 10, 2011, 12:52:54 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 09, 2011, 10:27:57 PM
Best Team: WPI

Best Coach: Tie - WPI – Chris Bartley & MIT – Larry Anderson
                   
Best Player: 3-way tie - Springfield – Matt Cavalieri
-   WPI – Jeff Robinson
-   MIT – Mitchell Kates  

Best Point Guard: MIT – Mitchell Kates

Best Low-Post Scorer: WPI – Matt Carr

Best Shooter: MIT - Jamie Karraker

Best Dunker: WPI – Matt Carr

Best Defender: Front Court – Tie - WPI – Matt Carr
                                                MIT – Will Tashman
                        Back Court – Tie - Springfield – Billy Harkins
                                                MIT – Mitchell Kates


Coach : Bartley for returning his team to the top of the conference & back into the national rankings – best ranking of his tenure I believe.  Anderson for overcoming a slew of injuries, including the conference's best player, and still keeping MIT in contention (ranked 11th in the Northeast).

Best Player: for various reasons, these 3 are in a virtual tie.

Dunker:  Sorry to disagree with you WPI89, but Vayda has not had a dunk this year.  This one is no contest, I took some time last night and looked through the box scores (Thank God there are only 7 teams!)

Here are the dunk totals (including tonight):

M. Carr (WPI) – 14 with 1 miss
R. Braithwaite (BAB) – 7
M. Hall (BAB) - 7 with 1 miss
J. James (CGA) – 6
J. Galloway (WPI) – 3 with 1 miss
DJ Bailey (CLK) – 3
R. Coburn (SPR) – 2 with 2 misses
C. Desravines (WHE) – 2
N. Davis (MIT) – 2
M. Renshaw (CLK) – 1
B. Johnson (WHE) – 1
J. Rote (SPR) - 1

Best defenders: Combination of stats and what I have seen.  You really do need to separate that into the 2 categories of front & back court for the obvious reasons.



I think the defeinition of "best dunker" is subjective.  I can see players like Carr and Hall having a lot of dunks because they are tall and get some easy dunks around the basket.  I think other factors go into it like the type of dunks, dunks over opponents, etc.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 10, 2011, 03:08:39 PM
HN,

I agree with you, and thats why I said it was no contest.  In my view the best dunker must have quantity AND quality.  One or two a season is not good enough. Would anyone think Blake Griffin was a great dunker if he only had one of those highlight dunks every 3 months? If you're talking about the best dunker, you actually have to have some dunks. I have been fortunate to see Carr do various types in the games I have been to, from the easier ones to the ones in traffic to dunking on guys.  He had 3 here in Worcester against Babson including one off a rebound. 

Another aspect of a low-post player getting the so-called "easy" dunks is the work he does before the dunk.  Good position, footwork & hands create that "easy" one.  If my memory serves, the dunk Carr had at MIT was like that.  The real easy ones are the break-away with no-one around.  Those are the ones most "non-bigs" get at this level of ball.

If one wants to create a separate Best Dunk category, then there would be a good debate I'm sure.

Personally, I do not buy into the argument that you discount a taller players dunks just because he is tall.  Is Dwight Howard less of a dunker than Dwayne Wade because he is 7 feet tall. Is a 3-pt specialist less of a shooter because he takes most of his shots beyond the arc? OR is he taking advantage of something he can do better than others? It would be like discounting a quick point guard's abilities just because he is quick.  Height is an asset and dunking is one of the best ways to maximize it in this game. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 13, 2011, 01:08:59 AM
Gentlemen,

   I got to see the WPI/Babson game today as it was a mini-reunion day for my wife and some of her friends.  Before we get to the men's game, I got to see the Babson women's team play today.  Each and every men's team in the conference should take a day or two and watch film of this Babson team.  Extremely impressive talent and even more impressive execution!

It was Pink Zone day at Babson Park.  My wife wanted me to urge everyone to give whatever they can afford to any breast cancer fund raiser that is local to you.

Onto the men's game...  WPI won its 13th in a row, 69-55, and locked up the #1 seed for the NEWMAC tournament.  The victory also gave WPI its 7th consecutive season with 20 or more wins(topped only by Woosters 15).  The Engineers were led by Matt Carr's team-high 16 points and 6 rebounds & Jeff Robinson's 14 points and 4 boards. Fernando Perez came off the bench with his best game in over a month with 14 to go with 3 boards.  Ben Etten & Kyle Nadeau each added 7 points and 4 rebounds to the cause.

Russell Braithwaite played a very good game for the Beavers with a game-high 19 points and 6 boards. Alex Rudolph came of the bench to contribute 13 points.  Kris Noonan chipped in with 9 points and Peter Foley had a game-high 7 rebounds.

This game had the only four players in the NEWMAC shooting over 50% from the field for the season and they all shot very well.  Carr & Perez went a combined 12 for 15 and Noonan & Braithwaite hit 9 of their 11 shots.

It looked like this was going to be a blowout early.  Carr scored 8 of the Engineers first 10 points and made a nice pass to Wesoloski for the other bucket.  It was 10-2 after 6 minutes.  A 3-pt play by Braithwaite triggered a small run that saw the Babson close it to 14-10 halfway through the first half.  During that stretch, WPI missed 4 threes. The Engineers then went on an 8-0 run as 4 different players hit lay-ups.  Babson responded with a 9-0 run that ended with a Rudolph 3-ptr and it was 22-21 with 2 and a half minutes left.  WPI had the final run of the half as a Robinson jumper and a free throw from Wesoloski were sandwiched around 4 pts from Carr to yield a 29-21 halftime score.

The second half continued the pattern of runs.  WPI opened the half with a 12-6 run to grab a 41-27 lead with 15 minutes to go.  It stayed a double-digit lead until a Braithwaite FT started a small run that got the Beavers within 6 at 9:14.  The lead stayed in between 6 & 8 until Carr drained a 12 footer that put WPI up 56-46 with just under 6 minutes to play.  The Engineers put the game away with a Perez put-back hoop, a Nadeau three pointer and a Carr dunk of a Shannon miss.

This was another tough day for Engineers from beyond the arc.  They went 2 for 14, including 0-9 in the first half.  Since the hot first half (11 of 18) last Sat. at Wheaton, WPI has shot a combined 8 for 37 (21.6%) from beyond the arc. On the positive side, they have continued to be one of the toughest teams in the country to shoot threes against.  Over that same stretch, they have only allowed 8 of 36 threes (22.2%). For the season, WPI is only allowing 27.5% of threes.

After our mini-discussion on the "best dunker" this week, I would I saw the best two in this game.  Both Braithwaite & Carr had two very good dunks today.  I still say Carr is the best, but I will say Braithwaite is definitely second and not as far behind as I thought earlier this week (My other view of him was limited as he was in foul trouble in Worcester).

I see the other games in the conference were rather surprising with Clark upsetting Springfield and Coast Guard surprising MIT.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 14, 2011, 09:24:08 AM
Thanks again Mass - I have just seen there impressive scores - do you think Babson's women are "win the whole thing" good?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 14, 2011, 02:43:13 PM
TOP 10?

Not sure if they will make up enough points but I just noticed the 3 teams in front of WPI (9, 10, 11) all lost last week.  Was the team a few years back (with Cain) ever in the top 10?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 14, 2011, 09:04:23 PM
WPI89,

I am not sure if the Babson women can win it all, but I do think they are a legit final 4 contender. They went to the Elite 8 last year and lost only 1 senior who only played 6 minutes a game.  They are very talented and experienced with NCAA tournament play. I would not be surprised at all if they reach the final game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 14, 2011, 09:13:12 PM
Congratulations to WPI's Matt Carr for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week. He joins Springfield's Matt Cavalieri as the only multiple winners of the award this season.

Also – Congrats to the entire WPI team for cracking the top 10 in this week's national poll.  The Engineers are ranked 10th.

WPI89,

I from what I can tell, this is the 2nd highest ranking ever for WPI.  They were ranked 9th in the '05-'06 season (Cain's junior year).

Here is a link to something I found on the Worcester Telegram site.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20101215/COLUMN11/12150441/1009/SPORTS


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 15, 2011, 09:00:19 AM
Well I actually don't feel great about the game at Springfield - but if they can beat them and then Clark at home - maybe they can finish up the regular season poll ahead of their number 9 all time ranking.  Not only did they move up this week, but they tightened the points in the rankings.

Hopefully they beat Springfield - I will be at the home game next Saturday and the momentum would be fun.

Does anybody know if they still draw well for the Clark games - even in the middle of a Saturday afternoon?

Back in the day - they were the only games we played to a packed gym...................the semi-funny chants would rain back and forth............."we got girls"................."we got jobs"................
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 15, 2011, 11:26:01 AM
I have not seen the gym packed, but last year the Clark game was Senior Day for WPI as it is this year.  It was a big crowd and the game went down to the last seconds.

I would expect there will be a big crowd on Sat. as well.

On the topic of the Babson women - They are still ranked 5th and one of 4 unbeatens left on the women's side of D3.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 16, 2011, 03:27:44 PM
Week 3 Regional Rankings are out: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2011/02/16/ncaa-2011-regional-rankings-week-3/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 17, 2011, 09:08:42 AM
Wow - probably silly that Becker (and WPI for that matter) are ranked above Amherst but I guess it is all about when you lose.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 17, 2011, 09:21:01 AM
Wow - just saw last nights scores!  Which was a worse loss - WPI to Springfield or MIT to Wheaton?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 17, 2011, 10:38:00 AM
WPI89,

Your fears were well founded.  I had been in Albany on business and stopped in to see the game on my way home.  Not pretty.  A bad performance all around from the bench to the court.  This is something I have been fearing  - they have not played good 1st halves lately but have been able to rev it up in the 2nd half.  Not in this one.

Before I get in to the Engineers problems, let's give credit were credit is due.  Cavalieri and Harkins played great in their final home game.  The Pride made plays when they needed to, and WPI did not. Cavalieri had game-highs of 21 points and 11 boards.  Harkins posted 18 with 7 assists and 4 steals. Darvis Rankins added 11 points and Jordan Rote continued his good play of the bench with 8 points and 6 boards.

For WPI, Robinson led the way with 14 points and 7 rebounds; Etten tossed in 13 to go with 7 boards and 3 assists, Jerome Stewart came off the bench with 11 points and 5 boards.  Kyle Nadeau put up 9, Jamie Shannon 7 and Carr was held to 4 with 9 rebounds.

Hopefully, WPI will get back to the style of play they had been playing.  They got completely away from the inside game in this one and continued the trend of the past few games of bad perimeter shooting.  The WPI shooting stats were almost identical to the same game (next to last regular season game) last year. Last night 21 for 64 overall and 8 for 29 from beyond the arc – Last year – 17 for 62 from the field and 8-28 on threes.  Same end result – A Springfield win.

Besides the poor shooting, WPI looked lost offense.  On thing that was very disappointing was the fact they could not even solve a simple 2-3 zone.  There was no on court recognition or any adjustments by the coaching staff.  Also I think Springfield did a great job of playing up tight when they were in man-to-man.  The Engineer's lack of cutting off screens tightly allowed those tight defenders to stay in touch.  Springfield did a good job of doubling down low when WPI did manage to get the ball down there, but the Engineer's helped them by not having good spacing and actually presenting a double-team possibility by putting an additional defender close to the ball.  Springfield's defense was very quick and lively.  WPI was lethargic on offense and that combination led to 10 turnovers and 12 points for the Pride in the first half.

If Cavalieri has another performance like last night this weekend in Cambridge, I think he takes the player of the year.

I see that MIT fell, 80-72, to Wheaton behind a huge night from Coppola (41 pts).  Tashman had a double-double of 24 points and 13 boards.

Clark won over Babson 76-62.  Brian Vayda's double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Big battle for those last spots as we go into the last games this weekend.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 17, 2011, 11:09:32 AM
If WPI beats Clark and Wheaton beats CG - all 3 will be tied for the last playoff spot.  All 3 would be 1-1 against each other.  Anybody know the second tie-breaker?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 17, 2011, 10:18:03 PM
First tiebreaker would be record against eachother (record among tied teams). These records are currently

CGA is 1-1 vs. Clark and 1-0 vs. Wheaton
Clark is 1-1 vs. CGA and 1-1 vs. Wheaton
Wheaton is 0-1 vs. CGA and 1-1 vs. Clark

If Wheaton beats CGA, all teams will have split.  Therefore it would go to the next tiebreaker, which is record against the top ranked teams, sequentially.  Since all teams lost to WPI twice, it would depend on who the #2 team is.  If MIT wins on Saturday they would be the #2 team, if Springfield would be #3, or vice versa if Springfield wins.

If MIT is #2, Clark would be eliminated, as they were swept by MIT, but CGA and Wheaton split with them. The tiebreaker between those two teams would then be record against #3 team Springfield.  Since CGA was swept by Springfield, and Wheaton split with them, Wheaton would win the tiebreaker.

If Springfield is #2, CGA would be eliminated because they were swept by Springfield, and the other two teams split.  The tiebreaker between Clark and Wheaton would then go to record vs. MIT, since Clark was swept by Wheaton, Wheaton would again win the tiebreaker.

Therefore, long story short, if Wheaton wins they get the #5 seed and make the tourney, they lose and they are out (that is, if Clark also loses to WPI).

If Clark loses and CGA wins, CGA makes the tourney.

If Clark and CGA win, then Clark gets the #5 seed as they would have the same record as CGA, while also splitting the two matchups, but by virtue of their win over WPI, they would win the tiebreaker.

Therefore, Clark holds their destiny in their own hands, although they have the toughest matchup.  If Clark loses, the winner of the CGA/Wheaton game makes the tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 18, 2011, 08:37:27 AM
WOW - HN - I could have spent 2 hours with 5 calculators and not figured that out - thanks for the help!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 18, 2011, 10:53:56 AM
WPI89

None better than the 'Nerd to piece these kinds of things together!

HN

What are your thoughts on MIT-Springfield?  I am curious how you see tomorrow's game playing out and more importantly how playing back to back  will factor into next week's really critical game.

WPI needs to get refocused and make a statement with a good performance on Sat.  vs Clark.

I think Wheaton beats CGA.  Coppola carried the Lyons in Cambridge, I have a feeling he will do the same in his final home game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 18, 2011, 01:03:05 PM
Another thought - clearly a Friday at lunch and I do not feel like working..........

If Clark wins and CG wins - they will be tied with Babson (3 team for the last 2 slots).

Using H-Nerds methods (likely incorrectly) - I think it ends up with Babson and CG in and Clark on the outside looking in - based on their 2 losses to MIT.

If you have a minute NERD - can you check?

All based on MIT (not Springfield in second place). 

Clark is the only one to beat Springfield.

If Springfield gets second - then Clark would be in and I think you need to go to differential equations to figure out the Babson/CG tie-breaker.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2011, 05:26:00 PM
You are slightly off.  If CGA and Clark both win, both are tied with Babson for #4.  They all split against eachother.  However, for Clark to win they would have to beat WPI; therefore, Clark is into the tourney with a win tomorrow, regardless of the other games.  Therefore CGA or Babson would be odd man out.  Since Babson and CGA both split with MIT, both were swept by Springfield, and both split with Clark, it would go to record against Wheaton.  However, for CGA to be in this tie, they must beat Wheaton, meaning both teams would have swept Wheaton.  Therefore, those teams would also be in a tie for this tiebreaker.  It would go to the next tiebreaker.  I am not sure if they look at home or away conference record, or if they just do a coin toss after the first 3? I hope it doesnt come to that.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 19, 2011, 05:58:41 PM
Was able to watch the second half of the MIT-Springfield matchup this afternoon.  MIT pretty much destroyed them in every facet of the game.  Coburn did not play for Springfield, but I do not know the reason.

Harkins took a cheap shot at Kates in the second half, throwing him to the floor well after play was over, but the officials some how didnt see it.  I wonder if the NEWMAC office will review it this week, as it could have consequences to next week's rematch.

The WPI/Clark game worked out as expected, so no extreme tiebreaking scenarios are necessary.  I honestly dont know if Babson or CGA is #4, because they split and have beaten exactly the same teams as one another (MIT, Clark, Wheaton x2).  Maybe a coin flip will decide home court in the play-in?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 19, 2011, 07:46:12 PM
Hugenerd. I am of the understanding that the next tiebreaker is common opponents. They had one common non-league opponent: Gordon. Babson won, Coast Guard lost. Babson is 4, CGA is 5.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 19, 2011, 08:10:26 PM
Well that is settled then.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on February 19, 2011, 11:54:45 PM
hugenerd,

you forgot to mention the blatant elbow Kates threw at Harkins before he got thrown to the floor
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 19, 2011, 11:57:06 PM
Gentlemen,

After yet another slow start, WPI cranked it up in the last 2 minutes of the first half and then in the second to run away from Clark, 69-52 on Senior Day.  The Engineers spread the wealth with players scoring in double digits. Ben Etten put up 12 points, 5 rebounds & 2 steals and  Jeff Robinson tossed in 12 points. Kyle Nadeau  had 11 points and 2 steals & Matt Carr posted 11 points, 8 boards, 3 blocked shots and 2 steals.  Jerome Stewart grabbed 8 rebounds to share the game-high with Carr. Jamie Shannon dished out a game-high 4 assists.

Clark was led by Brian Vayda's 12 points and 7 rebounds. DJ Bailey and Travis Curley each put up 10 points.  Bailey added 6 boards and 2 blocks and Curley had 3 assists. Jeff Tagger chipped in with 7 points and Jake Gubitose added 6.

This one was a repeat of recent slow and out-of-sync starts for WPI until late in the first half.  With 1:42 to go, Jameel Galloway's lone basket gave the Engineers their first lead, 24-23, since 14:13 left.  DJ Bailey tied it going 1for 2 at the line.  Two Carr free throws gave WPI the lead for good and a nice reverse lay-up by Nadeau made it 28-24 at the half.  Before that, Clark outplayed the Engineers and had their biggest lead at 15-7 after a Vayda 3-ptr.

The second half started out with 2 steals by Carr leading to 5 points by Robinson sandwiched around 5 By Etten. A 3-ptr by Nadeau followed and pushed the lead to 12.  Clark would get as close as 10 with 5:15 to go, but two free throws by Shannon and a 3-ptr by Etten thwarted that comeback attempt.  Carr put the exclamation point on the win with the 2nd of two monster dunks over Bailey.

WPI honored their four seniors before the game: Ben Etten, Jeff Robinson, Kyle Nadeau & Ryan Stock.


As Hugenerd noted, MIT destroyed Springfield.  I was expecting a better performance from the Pride after their upset of WPI.  Not sure if they tanked this one or not – I'll defer to NH on that.  After the win over WPI, I had Cavalieri in position to take POY, but after a 4 pt performance, and his team falling to 3rd place, that race for that award is open again.  I was also surprised that Harkins had such a bad performance scoring just a single point.  Good News for Springfield was the on-going good play by Jordan Rote off the bench.  He posted a team-high 18 points.

Anyone have any insight into why Coburn did not play?  Injury?  Illness? Discipline? He looked fine on Wed.


Coast Guard won a close one over Wheaton, 68-65.  Jevon James led the Bears with a double-double of 15 points and 12 boards. Kevin Sowers had a game-high 19 points and Devonte Weems went for 12.

Wheaton said good-bye to senior Anthony Coppola as he posted 10 points with 8 boards and finished his career as the Lyon's 2nd all-time scorer. Bruno Naylor led Wheaton with 12 points and Brendan Degnan added 11.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2011, 03:48:48 PM
Quote from: jabnike23 on February 19, 2011, 11:54:45 PM
hugenerd,

you forgot to mention the blatant elbow Kates threw at Harkins before he got thrown to the floor

Yeah, but the elbow was part of the game.  Harkins was playing Kates tight and Kates swung the ball through strong and caught Harkins with the elbow.  It was part of game action and he was called for an offensive foul (as he should have).  However, Harkins cheap shot came at least 10 seconds after the play had ended, during a dead ball situation.  What Kates did happens quite often in game action and he was given the appropriate punishment (a foul, he may have even been assessed an intentional, as I think any elbow is now considered an intentional by the NCAA (new rule this year)), Harkins hitting Kates was well after the play was over and is more the type of action that warrants further review, and could lead to suspension.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on February 20, 2011, 04:36:00 PM
I'm just making sure the other readers know the situation what led up to the shove.  Kates leaned in with an intentional elbow and then the players chested up with each other.. some words were exchanged, and Harkins pushed him.  I'm just trying to make sure the readers get the whole story.. not the partial hugenerd story
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 20, 2011, 05:45:13 PM
Sounds like the same play that happened between Coburn & Perez last year, except there was no foul called and it escalated to a fight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2011, 06:30:49 PM
It was nothing like that.  Jabnike is simply skewing the facts to make Harkins not look bad.  The elbow was clearly unintentional by Kates.  He actually brought the ball over Harkins head to try to avoid contact, but I guess he made some minor contact (debatable).  Harkins proceeded to roll around on the ground for 10 seconds, after which Kates clearly came over with his hand extended, to apologize, and Harkins hit him in the chest (which Kates did not expect and was thrown to the floor).  I personally think hitting any player that far after a play should warrant a suspension, and I hope the NEWMAC looks at it, but I obviously dont make the decisions.  Harkins didnt even get a T on that play, because the refs somehow missed it, when he probably should have been ejected.  If he had been ejected, I think that would have been a suitable punishment, but since he was not, I think the NEWMAC needs to do something.

You can see for yourself at the link below (the clip starts with Harkins bricking a 3, followed by the play in question):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsaNl57iFV0

"I'm just trying to make sure the readers get the whole story"
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on February 20, 2011, 07:39:50 PM
Not once did I say that what Harkins did "wasnt bad".  Sure he should have got a T, probably not thrown out.  And for your little video.. its pretty much how i described it.  Kates throws an elbow, the players chest up, a few comments were said (im sure none of which were nice, you think Kates is going to give him a hand.. If Kates is giving him a hand and apologizing there is no reason Harkins reacts like that), then Harkins pushes him.  Relax hugenerd, it was an elbow by one player, a shove by another, get over it.

"Im just trying to make sure the readers get the whole story"
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2011, 07:56:41 PM
Quote from: jabnike23 on February 20, 2011, 07:39:50 PM
Not once did I say that what Harkins did "wasnt bad".  Sure he should have got a T, probably not thrown out.  And for your little video.. its pretty much how i described it.  Kates throws an elbow, the players chest up, a few comments were said (im sure none of which were nice, you think Kates is going to give him a hand.. If Kates is giving him a hand and apologizing there is no reason Harkins reacts like that), then Harkins pushes him.  Relax hugenerd, it was an elbow by one player, a shove by another, get over it.

"Im just trying to make sure the readers get the whole story"

You described Kates elbow as deliberate, trying to up-play what Kates did and downplay what Harkins did.  Tell me what in that video looks deliberate to you? If any, there was very minimal, unitentional contact from Kates.  Then, Kates clearly extends his hand to give him a high-five to apologize.  We do agreee on one thing, that there is no reason for Harkins to react like that, thats why I think he should have been ejected.  I didnt see Kates hit anyone, even if there were words exchanged, so obviously Harkins responded to the situation poorly.  You honestly believe that if you hitting someone that long after a play doesnt deserve an ejection? What if Kates had done the same thing to Harkins? I bet you would have been singing a different tune right now.  Its too bad for Harkins the officials didnt see it, because I cant see that going without punishment.

By the way, I dont think either of needs to help the readers get the whole story any longer, because neither of us were involved, and therefore the video can tell the story for itself.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2011, 08:37:39 PM
Further, one of the core values of the NEWMAC is (directly from the NEWMAC website): "Integrity - We act with mutual trust and respect for all and place emphasis on sportsmanship and ethical conduct."

Also, according to the NCAA rule book, any flagrant foul is grounds for automatic ejection from a game.  A flagrant foul is defined as "A flagrant contact technical foul occurs when the ball is dead and the contact is severe (serious, deliberate) or extreme (applied to the greatest degree" (Rule 4, Article 3, Section f, which is on page 73 of the NCAA rulebook http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/BR11.pdf).

I think we can clearly agree that the contact Harkins made was deliberate.  This is the same type of technicality by which Kates was given a technical foul on the same play (his elbow was not deliberate, but by the letter of the law it was a technical; however, it was during live play).  Since Harkins was not ejected from that game, his punishment should be likewise in the next contest.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on February 20, 2011, 08:44:24 PM
I understand where you're coming from, but Kates does lean in with the elbow.  From the video you cannot tell how much of the elbow landed or maybe did Harkins push Kates that hard or was Kates selling that too?  Those are things we cant tell.   Also words were exchanged.. obviously something was said to trigger a shove.  Either way its a push... not a punch.. a push.  If Kates did it to Harkins or Harkins did it to Kates I think it is a T.  That's all.. it happens all the time in college ball, one player pushes another and gets awarded a T.  

My main issue is that didn't like is that all you described it as was a "cheap shot".  I dont know where you're from, but where im from a "cheap shot" is like a punch to the back of the head, doing something where they clearly arent looking, or a third person jumping in on a fight.  They were clearly face to face and therefore I dont think it is a cheap shot.  It was just an altercation.

Hopefully we get a good semi-final game Saturday.. It should be interesting to see how the teams react.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2011, 08:47:32 PM
Quote from: jabnike23 on February 20, 2011, 08:44:24 PM
I understand where you're coming from, but Kates does lean in with the elbow.  From the video you cannot tell how much of the elbow landed or maybe did Harkins push Kates that hard or was Kates selling that too?  Those are things we cant tell.   Also words were exchanged.. obviously something was said to trigger a shove.  Either way its a push... not a punch.. a push.  If Kates did it to Harkins or Harkins did it to Kates I think it is a T.  That's all.. it happens all the time in college ball, one player pushes another and gets awarded a T.  

My main issue is that didn't like is that all you described it as was a "cheap shot".  I dont know where you're from, but where im from a "cheap shot" is like a punch to the back of the head, doing something where they clearly arent looking, or a third person jumping in on a fight.  They were clearly face to face and therefore I dont think it is a cheap shot.  It was just an altercation.

Hopefully we get a good semi-final game Saturday.. It should be interesting to see how the teams react.

The reason I continued the argument was because I didnt like the tone of your previous posts (as I said, I felt you were inflating what Kates did and downplayed what Harkins did).  I think the main difference is still that one act was in play and the other was during a dead ball, in addition to Harkins actions being deliberate. I also dont agree that Kates foul is in any way mitigating to Harkins actions.  You can get upset because someone sets a very hard, legal pick, but that doesnt give you the right to turn around and hit them after the play is order.  Also, the NCAA does not differentiate between punches, shoves, or kicks.  It is either deliberate contact or non-deliberate contact.  The only distinction is if there is actually a fight, in which case there is mandatory suspensions. Harkins deliberate contact was clearly intended to make physical contact with Kates in an aggressive manner.  The reason I called it a cheapshot was because it looked to me like Kates was coming over to apologize, after which Harkins hit him.  If I felt that Kates was confronting him, obviously it wouldnt be a cheapshot, but thats where I was coming from.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: jabnike23 on February 20, 2011, 08:49:31 PM
My tone... what are you my mother

Severe and Extreme are aimed towards a punch, not a shove... Get your eyes out of the rulebook and your calculator and watch a basketball game for once.  If every shove after a play ended in an ejection.. there would be a lot more ejections not technicals.  Just play basketball and stop contributing to the pussification of America.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2011, 08:58:58 PM
Quote from: jabnike23 on February 20, 2011, 08:49:31 PM
My tone... what are you my mother

Severe and Extreme are aimed towards a punch, not a shove... Get your eyes out of the rulebook and your calculator and watch a basketball game for once.  If every shove after a play ended in an ejection.. there would be a lot more ejections not technicals.  Just play basketball and stop contributing to the pussification of America.

I played 4 years in the UAA and coached as an assistant 1 year in the NEWMAC, so my knowledge of basketball is not in question.  Regardless of what you say, you cant hit a player after the ball is dead. As I said previously, the word "punch" is not in the NCAA rulebook.  It is deliberate contact, which is what Harkins did.

Just because I dont make up words like "pussification" and I am able to read texts longer than text messages does not make your argument any more valid.  I would argue the inverse actually.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 20, 2011, 11:03:08 PM
jabnike

1.  The initial elbow from Kates is NOT, repeat NOT intentional!  He steps back, Harkins crowds him, as Kates moves the ball up over his head, his elbow does indeed appear to make contact with Harkins.  This play happens a lot under these circumstances.  It is not intentional.  The official called Kates for a foul.  End of play - period!

2. Harkins was way out of line with the shove and should have been T'ed and quite possibly ejected.  Nothing was called because for some reason, there were 3 bone-headed officials not paying any attention,.  The outside official who called the foul is out of frame, he is going to be going to the scorer's table to report the foul.  The baseline official gets the ball from Kates.  The 3rd guy is one closest to us seem totally indifferent to the fact he has a player down on the court.  After Harkins got to his feet, these guys decided it was conference time and were not paying attention to the players.

Nerd is right, this was not an immediate emotional reaction to something. You could have claimed that if Harkins got up and went after Kates, he didn't.  Tremendous lack of sportsmanship and poise on Harkins part.  It is not first time for him – You do remember your own post about him from the first WPI/Springfield game don't you?

'First of all Harkins should have been tossed for putting Ettens head into the floor about 3 times.'

So....which player obviously has an issue controlling himself when things are not going his way?


Also, After seeing this video, I called a couple of people who I know who were at that semi-final game last year.  They looked at this video and both told me the elbow portion of this play is virtually identical to the Coburn/Perez incident.  Both Perez and Harkins crowded the offensive player and took elbow contact to the head.  Last year, no call – a retaliatory push from Perez, a push from Coburn and then both players started throwing punches.  The officials in that game never even reacted until fists were flying.

You may think that just allowing the shoving to go is no big deal, I assure you that when the officials refuse to control the game, the players do it on their own – and it often leads to things like that fight last year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2011, 11:24:30 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 20, 2011, 11:03:08 PM
You may think that just allowing the shoving to go is no big deal, I assure you that when the officials refuse to control the game, the players do it on their own – and it often leads to things like that fight last year.

Mass makes a good point.  I was thinking about what restraint the MIT players had while I was at the game.  Even though they all shot up off their seats after Harkins hit Kates, not one MIT player on the bench came onto the court, even though it happened right in front of their bench.  Also, Tashman ran in to defend his teammate, but he simply put himself between Kates and the Springfield players, never raising a hand or trying to retaliate.  
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on February 21, 2011, 08:27:51 AM
As someone with no rooting interest in either team, I watched the video, and the initial play from Kates looked totally fine to me, it didn't look even remotely intentional or even really a dangerous motion in normal circumstances, and if you get that close when you guard someone occasionally contact will be the natural consequence (and really, the contact didn't even seem that bad).   On the other hand, the shove from Harkins was totally bush league.  The two plays aren't remotely comparable.  Harkins should have been assessed with a T and tossed.  

Nice video quality by the way! 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 21, 2011, 09:24:12 AM
Nerd - you are awesome to have the video.  I like Janbike's passion - but he has clearly posted some of the most "biased" material on this board.  I am sure he is posting what he is "seeing" through the eyes of a fan - which is what makes this whole thing fun - but the video is clear and decisive.  Not sure the push should result in a suspension but it was clearly bush and deserved a T.

Only thing I will add to MassD3's post of the WPI/Clark game is that Carr's second dunk was the nastiest D3 dunk I have ever seen.  Elbow over the rim and with some "mean-ness" that I had never seen from him before!

Playoff time - boys!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 21, 2011, 09:43:03 AM
I agree that the Kates elbow was unintential and I am a little old school in my belief that an offensive player is allowed their space.  However, there was contact and the foul called was in accordance with the rules.  The Harkins push was bad, but is not uncommon in the heat of a battle.  I definitely believe it warranted a technical foul, but not a suspension from the next game.  The three stooges in stripes should have paid more attention.  The matchup between Harkins and Kates should be interesting this Saturday as neither player played up to their standards.  Here's hoping that the referees don't take their eyes off of Harkins.

Getting back to the game itself, it appeared that Springfield came out in a triangle-and-two defense with the man defense on Kates and Jamie.  Not a bad thought, but I was happy other MIT players stepped up and knocked down their open looks.  I was worried initially after Will got 2 quick fouls and MIT only lead because it appeared Springfield missed some easy shots.  MIT's 2-3 zone defense appeared to improve and I didn't see any Springfield player who could shoot consistently enough to break it (in both games against them).  I expect to see MIT's zone often in the next matchup.  Offensively, it was good to see MIT run its plays successfully with Kates on the bench.  I am a Kates fan and believe he is the best point guard in the conference, but often times it appears he doesn't follow through on the plays and does too much on his own.  On the other hand, I am a fan of beating opponents off the dribble and driving to the hole because it creates layups, openings for shooters and foul calls.  I hope MIT brings a similar effort on offense and defense on Saturday after their lopsided win.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 21, 2011, 11:19:20 AM
So what's up with Coburn?

HN, was he at the game on Sat?  if so, in unifrom or in street clothes?

Jabnike, any insight on why he did not play?  Will he play this weekend?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 21, 2011, 11:50:53 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 21, 2011, 11:19:20 AM
So what's up with Coburn?

HN, was he at the game on Sat?  if so, in unifrom or in street clothes?

Jabnike, any insight on why he did not play?  Will he play this weekend?

I didn't pay attention to whether he was there or not, maybe jab knows.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 21, 2011, 12:53:35 PM
Also, just as a final point of clarification, I do not think Harkins actions warrant a suspension taken by themselves.  If the referees had handled the situation properly and assessed a technical or flagrant foul (flagrants carry automatic ejection, which I have defined previously), this issue would be resolved.  However, with the emphasis the NEWMAC puts on sportsmanship and clean play, coupled with the fact that these two teams play eachother next week and Harkins has a bit of a reputation, I just cannot see such a blatantly unsportsmanlike and deliberate physical action aimed toward an opponent have absolutely no consequences.  That is the only reason I think that he may get some sort of punishment.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 21, 2011, 01:23:11 PM
Hugenerd,

To change the subject a bit....

Am I wrong in assumng the voting for the conference honors takes place now?  I would think they would want to base it on the regular season, especially this year with 2 teams no longer playing.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 21, 2011, 01:23:51 PM
I believe they vote tomorrow.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 21, 2011, 01:29:10 PM
LOL, should we start another round fireworks by taking a shot at predicting it?  or just wait for next week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 21, 2011, 01:39:16 PM
Actually, on second thought, I am not sure if the vote is this week or next week.  I agree with you about the top 5 teams having an advantage if they wait until next week, but maybe they deserve it for being the top 5 teams?

To your second question, my opinions havent changed since we last spoke about it.  I do think Robinson likely wins POY.  I think it will definitely be him or Carr, I cant see anyone else winning it with the team records taken into account.

Who are the top rookie of the year candidates?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 21, 2011, 01:39:55 PM
WPI89,

Yes, both of those dunks were great, both just beating the shot clock.  I agree the 2nd one was one of those you go to a game hoping to see.  That was the biggest crowd reaction to a dunk in that building that I have seen in the past few years.  I was hoping they would put those up on their youtube site, but they haven't posted anything there since the RIC game.

He needs to attack the rim with kind of aggresiveness more often.  When he does, WPI is a completely different team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 21, 2011, 01:43:00 PM
Rookie?  Well, off the top of my head without going back to look in depth at it yet - The first name out my mind would be Will Bayliss of Wheaton.  There may be someone else, but I would start with him.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 22, 2011, 02:49:45 PM
After doing a little checking here at lunch, I would indeed change my ROY selection to Kevin Sowers of Goast Guard.  I forgot he was freshman.

Congratulations to Coast Guards Jevon James for his 2nd Player of the Week Award.

Also, nice to see WPI only falls 2 spots to #12 in this week's D3Hoops poll.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 23, 2011, 10:31:34 AM
Predictions everyone?

Babson/Coast Guard?

MIT/Springfield?

WPI/Babson-CG?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2011, 11:19:58 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 23, 2011, 10:31:34 AM
Predictions everyone?

Babson/Coast Guard?

MIT/Springfield?

WPI/Babson-CG?

I take CGA tonight.
Title: Playoff broadcasts
Post by: atn alum on February 23, 2011, 02:14:37 PM
Options for following tonight's game

Audio
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/coast-guard-sports

Video
http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/babson.portal#

LIVE STATS
http://www3.babson.edu/livestats/mens_basketball/main.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 23, 2011, 03:27:15 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 23, 2011, 10:31:34 AM
Predictions everyone?

Babson/Coast Guard?

MIT/Springfield?

WPI/Babson-CG?



Babson tonight
MIT & WPI on Saturday
WPI on Sunday to save a Pool C spot.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 23, 2011, 03:51:31 PM
Final Regional Rankings are out before Selection Sunday: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/category/ncaa-stuff/regional-rankings/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 23, 2011, 04:00:27 PM
Thanks Dave.  Glad WPI stayed 3rd.

With the loaded Northeast - will WPI host a mini bracket in the big tourney if they win the NEWMAC tourney?

I like CG tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 23, 2011, 04:04:02 PM
There is a chance... HOWEVER there is also a chance that they will move them a bit south or eastward to break up the teams in the Northeast.

That being said... they may do that with one or two NESCAC teams as well... leaving WPI in place... but WPI has to win out to make sure that #3 stays firm and they may move up to #2 as a result (since Williams and Middlebury are guaranteed to have one of them lose if not both by the end of the week).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 23, 2011, 06:25:17 PM
I'll take Babson and the home court advantage tonite.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2011, 08:41:53 PM
Babson has not been playing well of late, they fall at home to CGA, 62-53.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 23, 2011, 09:50:52 PM
HN,

you were right, but I had a feeling they would play better.  They got off to a good start. Noonan scored the first points of the game.  They bulit a 14 pt lead, but then  played horrifically.  Terrible shooting & turnovers.

Matt Zoia was the only Babson player double figures with 19.  Noonan had only 1 FG after the great early start.

Give CGA Credit.  They played good enough to win. James had a big game with 20 pts, 8 boards & 3 blocks.  Greg Marshall is back contributing as he had 8 points. Kevin Sowers posted 15 points, including 9 for 11 from the free throw line, and 6 boards.

On Sat. I believe WPI will win & I am not sure about the MIT/Springfield matchup.  If Coburn is not playing - MIT will blow them out again.  MIT will have a number of bodies to throw at Cavalieri.  If Coburn plays, close game and Cavalieri may get some favorable matchups.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2011, 09:58:23 PM
Without Coburn, Tashman can shut down Cavalieri like he did last week. No need to throw a bunch of bodies at him.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 23, 2011, 10:23:35 PM
Does Tashman primarily play Coburn if both he and Cavalieri are in the game?

The "bodies" thing was more that MIT would really only have to contend with one big if Coburn does not play.  Even if Tashman got into foul trouble, they could still put capable defenders on Cavalieri.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 23, 2011, 10:32:21 PM
I was just looking at the WPI site for info on this weekend, and saw this.

http://wpi.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/releases/20110222scz9ac

Tremendous Honor for WPI's Matt Carr - CoSIDA 2nd Team Academic All-American.

According to the WPI release, he is only the 3rd Player in the history of the Men's Basketball Program to be named Academic All-American.

and he is majoring in Chem. Engineering!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2011, 10:56:52 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 23, 2011, 10:32:21 PM
I was just looking at the WPI site for info on this weekend, and saw this.

http://wpi.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/releases/20110222scz9ac

Tremendous Honor for WPI's Matt Carr - CoSIDA 2nd Team Academic All-American.

According to the WPI release, he is only the 3rd Player in the history of the Men's Basketball Program to be named Academic All-American.

and he is majoring in Chem. Engineering!

Good major, I'm a ChemE as well.

With regards to Tashman, as long as he doesnt get in foul trouble he usually guards the other teams best big and usually quite successfully.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 23, 2011, 11:13:07 PM
All I can say to you and young Mr. Carr is....

I am not worthy, I am not worthy!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 24, 2011, 08:43:16 AM
Congrats to CG, Matt Carr and to HugeNerd :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 25, 2011, 10:49:12 AM
NEWMAC MEN'S BASKETBALL BROADCAST LINKS

ALL GAMES WILL BE WEBCAST

Saturday
Coast Guard vs WPI, 1 ET
Springfield vs MIT, 3 ET

Sunday
Championship, 1 ET

VIDEO/AUDIO LINK
http://wpi.prestosports.com/video/live

AUDIO ONLY LINK
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/coast-guard-sports

LIVE STATS
http://livestats.prestosports.com/wpi/


E-MAIL THE BROADCAST BOOTH AT CGBEARS2008@AOL.COM
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 26, 2011, 03:52:16 PM
WPI wins the first game behind some solid play from Carr and some friendly home court officiating.  Carr went down in the second half and apparently he is doubtful for tomorrow, based on what Bartley said after the game.

Kates is dominating the first half of the 2nd Semi.  He has 18 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, and 2 steals (only 1 turnover)...in one half.  Harkins, for comparison, has 0 points (hasnt even gotten a shot off), 1 board, 1 assist, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 13 minutes.  Kates looks like he came to play today and Harkins has had problems staying with him.

MIT leads at the half 39-28.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 26, 2011, 06:09:37 PM
MIT pretty much cruised in the second half.  Leading by 20 points with 5 minutes to play, before Springfield went on a little run, when it didnt matter, to make the final score respectable. I was glad to see a relatively clean game (the refs made sure of that, calling a combined 55 fouls, but I felt they were consistent; I am sure they were aware of last week).

Big lines for Kates and Tashman.  Kates had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and a block. Tashman had 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

Cavalieri played hard and put in 15 points.  Rankins led them with 16 and Coburn played, scoring 10 points with 5 boards. Harkins was saddled with some foul trouble, playing 28 minutes before fouling out.  He was ineffective this afternoon, just like last weeekend, only scoring 6 points, while committing 5 turnovers, with only 2 assists and a steal.

In their 3 head-to-head matchups, Harkins has averaged 5.7 points, 2.7 assists, 4.3 turnovers (0.61 A/TO), 2.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 28.3 minutes.  In the same games, Kates has averaged 10.3 points, 4.7 assists, 2.7 turnovers (1.8 A/TO), 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals in 27.3 minutes.

MIT and WPI will face off tomorrow for the automatic bid.  WPI may be without Carr, who went down with an ankle injury today.  In a similar situation, MIT backup forward Tim Donegan went down, and looks doubtful for tomorrow.  Obviously the loss of Carr hurts WPI more than the loss of Donegan for MIT, if either cant go tomorrow.  If you're WPI, do you take a chance playing Carr and more seriously injuring his ankle tomorrow when you pretty much have a Pool C bid locked up, or do you try to get the AQ?  Fernando Perez also didnt play today, so if both are out tomorrow that would give MIT a big edge inside with Tashman and Dickson. Should be a good game either way.

On another note, I think Carr should win POY, but I am not sure he was nominated (each team can only nominate 1 player, and Robinson may have been their nomination).  If I had to rank players for POY, I would say Carr, Kates, Robinson, Tashman, and Cavalieri.  I dont think any players on any teams out of those 3 gets consideration, because of team records.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 27, 2011, 01:29:05 PM
Don't think Carr is playing for WPI today, but if he is he's playing sparring minutes, currently not on the court (24-14 MIT 5:04 left in half).  MIT can steal a pool C bid since WPI is more then likely getting an NCAA bid regardless.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2011, 02:33:33 PM
Carr is playing (25 minutes or so), but ineffectively.


MIT up 15 with 1: 43 to play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on February 27, 2011, 02:46:08 PM
Congratulations to MIT on a well played win.  The Engineers have a bright future ahead of them, only losing one senior.  It was my first time seeing Kates play since he was at Exeter.  He's the real deal.  If he was in the NESCAC they would be gushing about him along with the great guards at Williams, Middlebury and Amherst.  He's the equal if not better than any of them, with a ton of court savvy and a great handle and ability to get to the hoop. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 27, 2011, 03:01:29 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 27, 2011, 02:33:33 PM
Carr is playing (25 minutes or so), but ineffectively.


MIT up 15 with 1: 43 to play.



WPI closed the first half on a huge run, 14-2 to cut a 24-14 deficit to a 28-26 halftime lead, I thought that would carry over to the second half.  Congrats to MIT, but that drops another team into pool C that West Conn has to deal with.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: beaner11 on February 27, 2011, 04:15:57 PM
WPI should get an at large bid right?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 27, 2011, 04:39:29 PM
Quote from: beaner11 on February 27, 2011, 04:15:57 PM
WPI should get an at large bid right?

Yes, they have good numbers.  They'll either be the second or 3rd northeast team selected after Williams and possibly after Amherst.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2011, 09:02:59 PM
Good Evening Fellow Posters

Im back online here at home after some delays with an electrical contractor here.

First - Congratulations to MIT for winning the NEWMAC Tournament. On this weekend, the better team won the day.  Also Congrats to Will Tashman for two great games & the Tournament MVP.

Second - Hats Off to WPI's Matt Carr who looked for sure like that was no way he would be on the court today.  Most everyone around the arena assumed he was out for this one and looking back your post from last HN, I would have agreed with you.  He looked pretty good considering the way he was after yesterday's game.  He did not play up to his usual level, but it's hard for a big to do that when you're not seeing the ball. (I'll post more on this later).

I am pretty sure WPI gets Pool C bid, I guess the real question is where do they end up?  Two years ago they lost in the NEWMAC semis and still hosted.  Middlebury & RIC were the other NE hosts that year.


HN, TY for pointing out I had put this in the wrong forum.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2011, 11:00:46 PM
The Saturday games provided some excitement and drama.

WPI/Coast Guard.  This one was shaping up a great back & forth between Jevon James amd Matt Carr.  In the first half Carr had 11 and James 8 even though he was limited to 7 minutes with 2 fouls.  Carr & Wesoloski combined for 18 of the Engineers 27 in the first half.  Carr turned his ankle on his 2nd FG of this 2nd half.  At that point he had 15 and James had 10.  WPI was up by 6 at point.  They extended it to 9 on a Ryan Kolb bucket with 10 minutes to go. A James FG followed by 5 straight points by Greg Marshall and a jumper by Jimmy Knudsen made it a 2 point game.  The teams traded baskets and a James lay-up made it a 2 point game (48-46) again with 6 and half minutes to go. A Robinson jumper and a putback hoop by Wesoloski opened the lead back up to 6.  WPI closed out the game at the free throw line.

For Coast Guard, James finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Greg Marshall also had 19.  Only 3 other Bears scored.

WPI was led by Carr's 15 and 6 rebounds, Robinson had 12 points, all in the 2nd half, Wesoloski posted 11 to go with a game-high 8 boards and Ben Etten had 10 points and 5 rebounds.

I was in and out of the MIT/Springfield game handling calls with my electrician, but MIT handled them quite easily actually.  Springfield made a run near the end of the first half and got the lead down to 6, but Kates hit a 3 and then made a lay-up off a steal to give MIT an 11 point lead at the half.  Springfield never really challenged again. Cavalieri was off, shooting just 5 for 13. Kates made Harkins a zero factor and ended the debate about who the best PG. 

For those you who were there or watched on-line, what did you all think of the play at the scorer's table?  Very lucky the MIT player was not seriously injured and I was amazed that no foul was called.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 28, 2011, 12:48:00 AM
A few observations of the games this weekend.  Congrats to MIT on getting a bid to the dance. Congrats to WPI on a great season as well.

1. Tashman has improved tremedously over the past year and dominated the paint this weekend. His scoring and rebounding were the difference and he well deserved the MVP for the tournament.

2. Robinson was defended better than in previous meetings and most of his 16 shots were contested or forced leading to a 4-16 showing.

3. Although both teams ran 3 defenders at Kates full court the entire game he dominated his position as he has throughout the year. Both starting points fouled out after ineffective games trying to guard him.  He handles all the pressure and decision making extremely efficiently and his first half against Springfield was as good as it gets.

4. The play at the scorers table with Tashman crashing into the table appeared to be a foul but maybe the ball went out of bounds first. Luckily noone injured.

5. Carr sucked it up and played in alot of obvious pain. Great effort by him.

6. Bush move by the WPI athletic director making the MIT fans sit down during the game.  They were allowed to stand in the Springfield game but not against the home team??  The excuse is that fans behind could not see but with 1000 empty seats that is no excuse.  Every high school and college team in America has students standing and cheering.  Designate a student section for such activities and let the adults go somewhere else.

7. The WPI band and crowd were great making a tremendous atmosphere for the game.

8. Second time that MIT has captured the NEWMAC at WPI.  I remember a huge MIT student section at that game. Not nearly as many this time but very vocal (while sitting).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 28, 2011, 01:15:02 AM
The MIT/WPI title game was an amazing contrast in on-court poise and decision making.  WPI played like a panic-stricken team for most of the game.  They completely abandoned what got them to this point.  Most amazing stats -> MIT had only 31 FG attempts for the game.  They went 17 for 31, including 8 for 15 from 3.  WPI had 6 assists on its 21 FGs in the game, while MIT had 13 assists on 17 FGs.  A rather telling stat! The outside shooting got them off to a good start as 15 of their 26 1st half points came from outside the arc. Their 24 to 9 free throw advantage was skewed a bit as 13 of those attempts came in the last 3 minutes.

MIT was led by Tashman's 2nd double-double of the weekend with 17 points and 10 rebounds to go with 3 assists.  Mitchell Kates posted 13 points and 5 assists and Billy Bender also scored 13 to go with 5 boards and 2 assists. Kates did a great job of running his teams offense and defended very well too.

WPI got 12 from Robinson, 9 from Etten to go with a team-high 5 rebounds and 8 from Shannon. Coming down the stretch, Robinson has seems to really be struggling & pressing and had a bad weekend shooting the ball. He was 3 for 11 on Sat. and 4 for 16 against MIT.  In his last 4 games he is a combined 16 for 56 (28.6%). with 4 assists and 12 turnovers.  To top that off, he had a really bad gash opened up on his head at the end of the game.  it was not a pretty sight. I am pretty sure that is going to have required a few stitches.  Hopefully it will not hinder him come this weekend.

MIT did a great job of getting Tashman fully involved in their offense, where WPI seemed to think Carr was not on the court (He went 2 for 3 in 24 minutes).  It was shame when you think what a risk it was to have him play in the first place.  I talked to a lot of people at half-time and to a man they were wondering why they were not getting him the ball if they were going to send him out there. I got to the game early enough to watch the warm-ups and he looked quite good especially considering he needed help to go through the handshake line on Saturday. The only thing I noticed that was really different from what I have seen in the other games was he was struggling some with getting around Tashman and Dickinson.  He had been probably the best big in the conference with his feet at being able to get from defending in back to fronting and denying the ball.  Other than that, he got up down the court well and had no problem getting position inside, his teammates just did not get him the ball.  Tashman did a good job of keeping him off the boards at times, but some of WPI's shot selection negated his ability on the offensive glass as well.

I will confess I just do not get it when you see this team play well as they were early this month, working their inside game and having it provide open looks for the perimeter game they are very, very good.  Then they have games like this one where they just abandon it completely and decide to bomb away or drive into the lane into double and even triple teams without kicking it to an open player. There has to come a point where the numbers have to hit home with the WPI staff.  This team is simply not a good enough perimeter shooting team to rely on it the way they have been. In the Coast guard game, Carr & Wesoloski went a combined 12 for 17 (70.5%) and even if you add in Stewart & Kolb it is still 13 for 26 (50.0%).  The rest of the team goes 8 for 33 (24.2%). In the final, Carr and Wesoloski go 3 for 4, add in Perez, Stewart, Kolb & Galloway and the bigs were 5 for 10.  The remainder of the team went 16 for 48 (33.3%).

I was thinking that the title game would be a potential breakout game for Wesoloski after his performance on Sat.  Unfortunaelty, he only got off one shot and played only 13 minutes.

Its one thing to believe you can win more with outside shooting than the interior game, but you at some point actually have to make those shots.  You also have to have enough awareness to realize when it is not working and make adjustments.  WPI does not do that very well. As a team, since going 11 for 18 in the first half of the Wheaton game, they are a combined 22 for 104 from 3-pt territory. I understand the "shooter's mentality" is I always believe I will make the next one, but why would anyone want their team to keep shooting a shot they are only hitting 21% of the time over a number of games?  Now maybe I'm ranting a bit because I am a huge believer in establishing your inside game as a way of creating open looks for your perimeter shooters.

To be very honest, if this continues next week, the Engineers will be one and done.  You really have to wonder how long the staff believes that this "style" is going to be successful at this time of the year.  Poor decision making and terrible shot selection had them looking like a team praying for entry into the ECACs instead of a top 25 team looking to get a seed in the NCAAs.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 28, 2011, 01:24:33 AM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on February 28, 2011, 12:48:00 AM
A few observations of the games this weekend.  Congrats to MIT on getting a bid to the dance. Congrats to WPI on a great season as well.

1. Tashman has improved tremedously over the past year and dominated the paint this weekend. His scoring and rebounding were the difference and he well deserved the MVP for the tournament.

2. Robinson was defended better than in previous meetings and most of his 16 shots were contested or forced leading to a 4-16 showing.

3. Although both teams ran 3 defenders at Kates full court the entire game he dominated his position as he has throughout the year. Both starting points fouled out after ineffective games trying to guard him.  He handles all the pressure and decision making extremely efficiently and his first half against Springfield was as good as it gets.

4. The play at the scorers table with Tashman crashing into the table appeared to be a foul but maybe the ball went out of bounds first. Luckily noone injured.

5. Carr sucked it up and played in alot of obvious pain. Great effort by him.

6. Bush move by the WPI athletic director making the MIT fans sit down during the game.  They were allowed to stand in the Springfield game but not against the home team??  The excuse is that fans behind could not see but with 1000 empty seats that is no excuse.  Every high school and college team in America has students standing and cheering.  Designate a student section for such activities and let the adults go somewhere else.

7. The WPI band and crowd were great making a tremendous atmosphere for the game.

8. Second time that MIT has captured the NEWMAC at WPI.  I remember a huge MIT student section at that game. Not nearly as many this time but very vocal (while sitting).

on #4 - From my vantage point (opposite side from the scorer's table, it looked like the Springfiled player wrapped his arm around Tashman's waist and pushed him into the table.  Where the ball is should not matter .  The play where Harkins did his pile-on move on Etten was after the ball was out-of-bounds as well.  Very, very fortunate that there was not a serious injury on that play.

on #6 - I agree with you - they should have provided a section for the MIT students to stand if they wish.  They were a joy to watch and should remind us all of what is great about college sports.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 28, 2011, 02:07:17 AM
Time to head to bed, but I did get the D3hoops projected bracket.
They have WPI hosting Becker, Husson & Salve Regina.  Hopefully it will work out like that.  Husson was one of the teams who played in Worcester 2 years ago.

They also gave one of the byes to Middlebury.  They get the winner of West. Conn hosting Elms. 

Williams would play host to RIC, Kean & Wells.

Their bracket sends MIT to Oswego State.

Now we wait til 1 PM.  Good luck to all the NE teams especially MIT & WPI.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 28, 2011, 09:22:53 AM
In the WPI/MIT game, Tashman played great defense, but I agree that WPI should have gone to Carr more often.  Here's hoping his ankle improves before the first round of the NCAA's.  It would be great for the NEWMAC if both teams went far in the playoffs.

I believe the referees were about as good as I have seen this season, i.e., they were consistent in their calls.  This made the tournament that much better.  MIT's defense has been getting better in the later part of the season in both man and zone, but especially the zone.  WPI had a very poor shooting percentage that makes the point about Carr even more compelling.  MIT had way too many turnovers and the WPI points on turnovers were significant.  MIT usually plays good defense against Robinson, who is a great player and I hope he has a great NCAA showing.  I am glad that 2 NEWMAC teams are in the NCAA games again and looking forward to seeing the brackets.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2011, 09:30:25 AM
I personally felt that they were better off playing someone healthy than utilizing Carr the way they did. He was completely ineffective and I am sure his ankle swelled up a ton after the game.

It would have been nice if they had named Tashman and Kates Co-MVPs, they both deserved it.  Tashman has really improved offensively this season. Next year they will have a dominant tandem  with him and Hollingsworth.

Hopefully they continue to play well and make some noise this post-season also.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2011, 09:41:28 AM
WPI does not deserve it but here is to the D3hoops bracket being right on!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 28, 2011, 11:05:55 AM
Not sure I would say he was completely ineffective, diminshed some absolutely.  He did not play badly on the defensive end and was open a lot underneath.  I would agree with you on completely ineffective if he had handled the ball as much as he had been all year and shot say 2 for 12.  He hit a baseline jumper (over Tashman I think)  with around 5 minutes to go in the game to make it 48-42 (WPI did not score again until 1:30 to go) and was not favoring the ankle at all on that play.  There were times you could tell he was feeling it.  No surprise there.  Just can't understand why you bother to play him with out really finding out how much he could give you down low.

I tend to agree with you though, I think they would have been better sitting him and letting him have the benefit of time to recover for this weekend.  Also, as I said, they made no effort to utilze Wesoloski either.  He should have come into the title game feeling very confident after his best collegiate game on Saturday. Tashman played very well, but WPI never really made him have to defend anyone inside with the ball.

Your point about next year is another reason for my earlier comments.  One can expect that Carr will have a very good senior year, but WPI will need more than him to beat MIT.  In the two earlier meetings this year, the Tashman/Carr matchup was a close one.

Carr ------ 27 pts, 11 rebs, 2 assts, 4 TOs, 1 blk, 6 stls
Tashman- 19 pts, 13 rebs, 3 assts, 8 TOs, 1 blk, 1 stls

The way Carr was playing on Sat. before the injury, we could have expected a great battle in this 3rd matchup.  Personally I was looking forward to seeing that, but that is just an old-school inside guy's view of the game...LOL.

Next year Carr will most likely have to matchup on Hollinsworth and Wesoloski (best guess at this time) on Tashman.  Even if WPI manages to basically make these matchups a wash (which would be the best of outcomes in my opinion), WPI has no one capable of matching up with Kates and the other MIT back court players and perimeter shooters.

Anyway, lets hope both teams play well and make a run starting this weekend.



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2011, 11:36:37 AM
MIT will also get Jimmy Burke back next year, who you may remember as the guy who put away WPI at the end of both games last year (the first game was a blow out, but WPI made a late run to cut it to 11, which was ended by three consecutive posessions in which Burke scored a combined 8 points; In game 2, at WPI, he scored 9 of his 15 points in about the last 10 minutes to help close out the game).  He is another guy (in addition to Kates) who has a good handle and can create his own shot, in addition to shooting close to 50% from 3 when he is healthy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 28, 2011, 11:52:12 AM
HN

Yes, I do remember.  Right now I am not sure what WPI will look like.  Certainly Shannon will get the most minutes at point.  He has improved this year, but tends to get a lot of fouls.  It will be interesting to see who moves into Robinson & Etten's roles.  I just do not see where they have anyone capable of matching up with the personel MIT will have.  I have not heard anything about recruits at WPI so I am not sure if they have anything coming that can jump in in a similar fashion to Kates & Tashman last year.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2011, 01:17:51 PM
WPI is in and will host!  Waiting on MIT's matchup.  Break it down fellas.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2011, 01:23:24 PM
MIT at Ithica - bummer they have to play on someone's homecourt.  Look forward to your Ithaca breakdown, Nerd!

They sure made Westconn sweat!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2011, 03:43:29 PM
Quote from: newmacbball on February 28, 2011, 02:31:37 PM
#3 from WPI did a good job on Kates all three games, I wouldnt say they dont have anyone to match up with him.

He is talking about next year, Robinson, Nadeau, Etten, and Stock are all seniors and wont be around.  They also did a good job on him by doubling in most situations (not to mention holding him, #3).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2011, 03:55:04 PM
Easy HN - you won - you can be a little more gracious - you are starting to sound like Jabnike.........where did he go anyway?

I do look forward to your Ithaca breakdown - their record at least does not seem too imposing?

Bridgewater has been up and down - lots of NEWMAC matchups to look at.  If Carr is healthy, WPI needs to win......no more paper tiger.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: leelowlang on February 28, 2011, 04:18:19 PM
Bridgewater is a very dangerous matchup for WPI I feel. Seniors that have been through the grind in Motta and Jackson; really like those two.  Experience getting it done two years ago at Middlebury, the poor taste in last year's 'upset' to Farmington, and they are probably playing their best of ball of the year now. 

WPI's Carr is banged up?  Nature of the injury?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2011, 05:19:40 PM
Ankle - hurt himself in the NEWMAC semi against CG.  Depending upon who you talk to, the severity differs.  He did play a mostly ineffective 25 minutes against MIT.

I am sure MassD3 or the Nerd will fill you in with more detail.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2011, 06:10:54 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 28, 2011, 03:55:04 PM
Easy HN - you won - you can be a little more gracious - you are starting to sound like Jabnike.........where did he go anyway?

I do look forward to your Ithaca breakdown - their record at least does not seem too imposing?

Bridgewater has been up and down - lots of NEWMAC matchups to look at.  If Carr is healthy, WPI needs to win......no more paper tiger.

If you look at that posters email address, I think my post will make more sense.  I was joking around with my comment in parentheses, it was based on who I thought was making the comment.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 28, 2011, 07:21:04 PM
For what it's worth, my favorite observation from championship weekend was the MIT kid reading aloud from a neuroscience textbook whenever a kid from Springfield went to the free throw line.

"The cerebral cortex is located ... The cerebellum is...."

Thought it was hillarious. Applaud the creativity. Bring that with you to Ithaca this weekend.

Good luck to both WPI and MIT.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 28, 2011, 07:32:35 PM
LOL, I loved it.  It is so much better than the usual "distraction" techniques.  Certainly better than Spike Lee in the front row running his mouth!

Big time Style Points for creativiy!  LOL
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2011, 07:37:09 PM
Quote from: newmacbball on February 28, 2011, 06:46:21 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 28, 2011, 03:43:29 PM
Quote from: newmacbball on February 28, 2011, 02:31:37 PM
#3 from WPI did a good job on Kates all three games, I wouldnt say they dont have anyone to match up with him.

He is talking about next year, Robinson, Nadeau, Etten, and Stock are all seniors and wont be around.  They also did a good job on him by doubling in most situations (not to mention holding him, #3).
The kid played good defense (without holding) and I understand what he is saying about the seniors leaving but they do have guys that can guard Kates as they showed yesterday seeing as how he had 7 turnovers and 5 the first game they played as well.

He was holding and they were called that way in the 2nd half.  Harkins was doing the same thing on Kates in the semis and he fouled out doing so. Either way, I am happy, they won, no need to argue.  I thought for the game, the refs were very very good.  I actually liked the way #3 played defense, he was playing really hard, but from my perspective as an MIT fan, its holding.

Regardless of what you say, WPI is graduating a lot of minutes at the guard position, so even if they have suitable replacements, we definitely have not seen it.  MIT will have a very deep, experienced team.  The core of their team is all sophomores, so they are in good shape for the next few years.  Also, regardless of who WPIs guards are, I think we all agree the team will be built around Carr.  He is a great player when healthy.

Good luck to both MIT and WPI, I hope its an all NEWMAC championship game!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 28, 2011, 08:21:46 PM
newmacbball

My point was not just about who could defend Kates.  Matchup means both offensively & defensively. Kates plays 32 minutes a game, averages 15 pts, 5 assists and 2 steals per game. To be honest, no one currently on the WPI roster is going to put up those kind of numbers next year.  It is not a knock on those players, its just a fact.  If that kind of player was there now, they would be putting up numbers to that effect.

You are right, Kates did have 7 TOs, but he also had 13 points (more than anyone on WPI put up) and 5 assists.  WPI as a team only had 6.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2011, 08:23:09 PM
In tournament news, I really like WPI's draw.  If they can lock down 2 wins at home (Amherst will obviously be a challenge, but they are capable of beating them), they have a great chance of making it to the Elite 8.

With regards to MIT, I think they are peaking at the right time.  They just won two games away from home this past weekend, so they know what they need to do this weekend at Ithaca.

Looking at Ithaca's stats, they look pretty balanced, 5 players scoring double-digits per game and another scoring about 8-9 ppg.  They play only one guy over 6'3" more than 6 minutes per game (the other is 6'6" and their leading scorer at 17 ppg) and average 28 3s a game.  So they seem to really like to heave it from deep.  However, they also dont seem to be a really high-pressure team, as they only turn opponents over about 10 times a game (they also only turn it over themselves about 10 times a game).  

I like Tashman's chances guarding their leading scorer, although I have never seen him play.  Therefore, it is going to come down to: a) Kates limiting their point guard, who has a 4:1 A/TO ratio (253 vs. 74); if he can limit him setting up the rest of the team for 3s, that will clearly limit what they like to do, 2) guarding perimeter shooting, if MIT can close out and force Ithaca into guarded 3s, they will greatly increase their chances of winning, 3) rebounding, plain and simple, with that many 3s, guards and everyone else needs to hit the boards; MIT should have the advantage with size so no excuses on boxing out, 4) dominating the interior, I would go right at their one big man with Tashman and Dickson, see if he is used to guarding big, physical post men (maybe get him in foul trouble), and 5) limiting turnovers, they cant hand the ball over like they did yesterday and expect to shoot 70% in the second half to win every game.  I think MIT is fully capable of winning this pod, they just need to play their game.  I fully expect two NEWMAC teams in the sweet 16.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 28, 2011, 10:21:27 PM
Nice positive thinking Hugenerd.  Rochester should be a challenge for MIT.  WPI will have it's hands full with Amherst, even at home and with Carr starting.  Carr has to block out Kassia and be able to run with him.  Then he has to also keep up with and board with Holmes.  It will be a long night down low for the WPI front court.   Then WPI will have to contend with Amherst guards that can take WPI's guards to the block and shoot over them from outside ...as well as rebound with WPI's forwards.    But we are ahead of our selfs, I think.  Amherst must focus first on Skidmore.  Carr will have an extra day to recover.  Oh yes, did I mention Amherst quickness in the front court and back court and their experience guarding quick guards?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2011, 10:33:40 PM
Quote from: amh63 on February 28, 2011, 10:21:27 PM
Nice positive thinking Hugenerd.  Rochester should be a challenge for MIT.  WPI will have it's hands full with Amherst, even at home and with Carr starting.  Carr has to block out Kassia and be able to run with him.  Then he has to also keep up with and board with Holmes.  It will be a long night dow low for the WPI front court.   Then WPI will have to contend with Amherst guards that can take WPI's guards to the block and shoot over them outside and rebound with WPI's forwards.    But we are ahead of our selfs, I think.  Amherst must focus first on Husson.

Amherst will need to guard Carr and Robinson also.  Both are very good players and WPI plays very good team defense.  WPI has very quick guards (Shannon, Brown, etc.) who are good defenders and they tend to be a tough team to beat at home.  I think they will hold their own.  I hope Carr is at 100% so they can represent the NEWMAC well.  I am sure they wont overlook Bridgewater and focus their efforts there first.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 28, 2011, 10:49:21 PM
amh63

I do think HN is being a bit optimistic, but thats a good thing.  Amherst is indeed loaded with talent.  I think it may be more important to win the first round game first

I am pretty sure Skidmore will be very happy if Amherst wants to focus on Husson.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 28, 2011, 10:51:28 PM
Nice retort Hugenerd.  Must point out that I have made some corrections to my initial post.  Several in fact.  Amherst's first opponent is Skidmore.  Other corrections was in spelling and the points wrt quickness.  I do respect quick guards such as S. Brown of Conn. and Wang of Williams and Amherst has made adjustments.  However, as you know, size does matter.  Amherst has both size and quickness with skill at the 3, 4 and 5 positions plus depth.  There are also talent and depth at the 1 and 2 positions.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2011, 10:59:41 PM
Quote from: amh63 on February 28, 2011, 10:51:28 PM
Nice retort Hugenerd.  Must point out that I have made some corrections to my initial post.  Several in fact.  Amherst's first opponent is Skidmore.  Other corrections was in spelling and the points wrt quickness.  I do respect quick guards such as S. Brown of Conn. and Wang of Williams and Amherst has made adjustments.  However, as you know, size does matter.  Amherst has both size and quickness with skill at the 3, 4 and 5 positions plus depth.  There are also talent and depth at the 1 and 2 positions.

I'm surprised they haven't won every game then.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 28, 2011, 11:37:14 PM
I expect Carr to be at almost full strength a week after the ankle sprain.  He was pretty good the day after which is a good sign.   Love to see the WPI vs. Amherst matchup.  We don't see enough crossover of the Newmac and Nescac. I am not sure why.  I would hope that next year they would match up in early season action a bit. 

Williams looks like they have a pretty smooth road to the elite 8. 




Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on March 01, 2011, 07:08:31 AM
Toooldtoplay, I wish that was the case, but Williams, if they make the Sweet 16, would have to play either Franklin & Marshall (a pre-season top 5 team who has a lot of size and veteran talent), or Virginia Wesleyan (a very athletic, very talented, top 10 caliber team that has some very impressive wins on its resume).  They should be at home, which does help.  But either would give the Ephs a very tough game, and I am particularly fearful of VWU, who while not huge has more athleticism than anyone Williams has played this year ... and a coach who knows what it takes to win in the NCAAs (much lik F&M's coach).  Despite being on the road, I think that Amherst has a much easier path, although WPI could certainly give them a game at home.  But then again, WPI is a team that always seems to flame out in the NCAA tournament, despite gaudy regular season records. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2011, 09:09:26 AM
A fun read all.  If I had to place a dime on which NEWMAC team could win 2 games this weekend - I would put it on MIT.

If Carr is Carr - I repeat WPI needs to beat Bridgewater - no excuses and the score does not matter - just win.  They are gaining a rep as a tourney paper tiger (my nephew plays for Dickinson - who lost to F&M in their conference finals_ and he even commented to me last night - something about the regular season is over - I see WPI lost to MIT etc..........)

Will talk about Amherst when the time comes - the only sliver of hope I have is that they do seem to be a monster at home and maybe (maybe) vulnerable on the road?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 01, 2011, 09:19:03 AM
mass_d3fan.......nice dig on my Skidmore and Husson mixup.  Amherst WBB team is hosting Husson on Friday.  The men's Husson team has the pleasure of meeting Williams.   Just too much info as I scanned the brackets and make projections, etc. in my mind.  The games will be played by teams with players that often do not play up to our "fantasy" standards.  That is what makes this time of the year exciting and tense.  
To hugenerd...I will wave the white flag.  We both are passionate about our teams and to our conferences and try to be cool and clear in our outlook at the games ahead.  For me, too often it is not easy to be objective with respect to a sport that has too many variables.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 01, 2011, 09:59:17 AM
amh63

Glad to see you took it in the jestful mood it was intended!  It is very easy to get information overload this time of year.

It is all good when we understand we all want to support the teams we like.  

WPI89's point is well taken.  I am less worried about any round 2 matchup as I am seeing the team get back to playing the game the way they were a couple of weeks back.  I try to marry what I see with my eyes on the court with the numbers that result from those performances.  We will never know if they would have won on Sunday if they had worked it inside more.  We do know they didn't and they did not shoot well at all from the perimeter.  Part of that gets credited to MIT's defense.

For better or worse, WPI does have the rep for fading out this time of year. They need to win Friday and getting to the Sweet 16 would go a long, long way to changing that rep. I do think they will be an underdog in a mathchup with Amherst, but they can't get caught up in looking to that game. 100% of their focus must be placed on a playing a full 40 minutes of solid ball against Bridgewater St.  If they do that Friday, then they can look to continuing that on Sat.  If they repeat this past Sunday's performance, the rep will only grow.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2011, 01:32:36 PM
All-Conference teams announced:

http://newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2010-11/news/awards11

Robinson POY

Bartley COY

Sowers ROY

In a surprise move, only one guard was selected to the First Team, bumping Kates to the 2nd.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2011, 01:46:09 PM
HN - that is suprising.  I really only know Kates from his numbers and your reports.  Seems deserving - they should not have,  but maybe they considered that he has more years to come? 

Curious - who would you bump off the first team if they went with him as the second guard?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2011, 01:54:58 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 01, 2011, 01:46:09 PM
HN - that is suprising.  I really only know Kates from his numbers and your reports.  Seems deserving - they should not have,  but maybe they considered that he has more years to come?  

Curious - who would you bump off the first team if they went with him as the second guard?

Probably Vayda. Then again, he is a returning first teamer who put up good numbers. I guess sometimes there are just more 1st team caliber players than spots.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 01, 2011, 02:23:22 PM
Congrats to those honored on both first & second team as well as POY, COY & ROY.

HN - I would say it is just the way the vote turns out.  They make no effort from what I can tell (historically speaking I mean) to to this by position.  I looked back at the previous years.  In '05 they must have a tie, because they had 6 first teamers and only 4 on second team.  The First team had 5 guards of the 6 named and of the 10 spots overall, 8 were guards.

The following year had 4 guards on first team and 7 out of 10 overall.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Bombers798891 on March 01, 2011, 02:27:37 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on February 28, 2011, 08:23:09 PM

With regards to MIT, I think they are peaking at the right time.  They just won two games away from home this past weekend, so they know what they need to do this weekend at Ithaca.

Looking at Ithaca's stats, they look pretty balanced, 5 players scoring double-digits per game and another scoring about 8-9 ppg.  They play only one guy over 6'3" more than 6 minutes per game (the other is 6'6" and their leading scorer at 17 ppg) and average 28 3s a game.  So they seem to really like to heave it from deep.  However, they also dont seem to be a really high-pressure team, as they only turn opponents over about 10 times a game (they also only turn it over themselves about 10 times a game).  

I like Tashman's chances guarding their leading scorer, although I have never seen him play.  Therefore, it is going to come down to: a) Kates limiting their point guard, who has a 4:1 A/TO ratio (253 vs. 74); if he can limit him setting up the rest of the team for 3s, that will clearly limit what they like to do, 2) guarding perimeter shooting, if MIT can close out and force Ithaca into guarded 3s, they will greatly increase their chances of winning, 3) rebounding, plain and simple, with that many 3s, guards and everyone else needs to hit the boards; MIT should have the advantage with size so no excuses on boxing out, 4) dominating the interior, I would go right at their one big man with Tashman and Dickson, see if he is used to guarding big, physical post men (maybe get him in foul trouble), and 5) limiting turnovers, they cant hand the ball over like they did yesterday and expect to shoot 70% in the second half to win every game.  I think MIT is fully capable of winning this pod, they just need to play their game.  I fully expect two NEWMAC teams in the sweet 16.

One correction: The Bombers play two players over 6'3' significantly, Oztemel and Barera.

And if you think MIT can't expect to shoot 70% from the floor, well, clearly, you haven't seen our defense. ;)

I was curious, what kind of style do they play? It doesn't seem like they take a lot of shots, but that seems like it's partly a result of turnovers and some more trips to the line. Defensively, seems like they get a lot of steals. Do they press? Gamble? Are they athletic enough to get back on defense and run with a fast-paced team?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 01, 2011, 02:59:11 PM
Bombers798891,

MIT has not pushed the ball up on offense in the last 2 years.  They are half court offense and generally use a lot of the shot clock.

They can field a big, strong, power frontcourt (Tashman and Dickson) or a quicker more athletic defensive-oriented line up (rotation of McCue, Bender, Zuk, Watkins) which they used to defeat WPI & Springfield.  Kates, Tashman, and Karraker generally play no matter what.

As for covering quick teams, if Ithaca has 1 or 2 rockets, MIT can cover them.  If IC has 5 or more rockets, then that will be trouble.  MIT has used more zone this year than in the past.  If IC is really good at pressing, that might give MIT trouble, but they've also been relying more on their experienced players in tournament time..
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2011, 03:16:22 PM
My bad on failing to mention Oztemel, from what I hear he is more of an outside scorer anyway (scored 76% of his points from behind the arc this year, most 3 FGA on team, shoots only about 2 FTs per game in 26+ minutes).

I wouldnt say MIT is a running team, but they will run when its there, and they are also very comfortable controlling the tempo of the game and going into their sets in the half-court. As T990 stated, MIT can go about 10-deep (They have 9 guys who average 10+ mpg, plus Watkins recently came back from injury, and has been starting lately despite his overall low minute averages), so depending on which lineup they put in, they can be a very different team. 

Should be interesting to see what happens.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Bombers798891 on March 01, 2011, 03:26:06 PM
Quote from: T990 on March 01, 2011, 02:59:11 PM
Bombers798891,

MIT has not pushed the ball up on offense in the last 2 years.  They are half court offense and generally use a lot of the shot clock.

They can field a big, strong, power frontcourt (Tashman and Dickson) or a quicker more athletic defensive-oriented line up (rotation of McCue, Bender, Zuk, Watkins) which they used to defeat WPI & Springfield.  Kates, Tashman, and Karraker generally play no matter what.

As for covering quick teams, if Ithaca has 1 or 2 rockets, MIT can cover them.  If IC has 5 or more rockets, then that will be trouble.  MIT has used more zone this year than in the past.  If IC is really good at pressing, that might give MIT trouble, but they've also been relying more on their experienced players in tournament time..

Very interesting. IC has a number of guys who can run. I would count four guys as "Rockets" and three will start (Cruz-Rivas, Grier and Rossi--although Grier will spit time with Oztemel) But Barera and Marcus can get up and down the floor too. Turnovers will hurt because IC will immediately turn on the jets. An assistant told me once they run their kids in practice like they're training for track.

IC doesn't press often--they have the players to do it, but a seven-man rotation means fouls can be an issue.

If MIT can execute in the half-court, they will frustrate the Bombers. I think the size will be an advantage for you guys, especially on the offensive end. Oztemel is not especially adept at defense.

But I think IC can get some transition points with their guys. Do MIT's bigger guys play out on defense or do they stay near the basket?

This game looks really interesting to me: Two contrasting styles. Any of you guys going to make the trip?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 01, 2011, 04:32:28 PM
Tashman (6'8") is very athletic, he often guards 3s when its the opposing teams best player (such as the case with Springfield's Cavalieri), but also the main interior defender when the other team has a strong big man (like on Carr for WPI).  MIT also have five 6'5" - 6'6" forwards that are all mobile and all are in the 10 man rotation.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 02, 2011, 12:40:33 PM
Here are the Men's Post-Season awards for the NEWMAC – Congratulations to All !

2011 NEWMAC Men's Basketball Awards

NEWMAC Athlete of the Year
Jeffrey Robinson, WPI

NEWMAC Rookie of the Year
Kevin Sowers, Coast Guard

NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Will Tashman, MIT

NEWMAC Coach of the Year
Chris Bartley, WPI

NEWMAC Sportsmanship Award
Coast Guard

First Team All-Conference
Brian Vayda, Clark
Will Tashman, MIT
Matt Cavalieri, Springfield
Matt Carr, WPI
Jeffrey Robinson, WPI

Second Team All-Conference
Russell Braithwaite, Babson
Jevon James, Coast Guard
Mitchell Kates, MIT
Billy Harkins, Springfield
Anthony Coppola, Wheaton

The 2010-11 NEWMAC Men's Basketball Academic All-Conference Team

Jon Karas               2013   Clark
David Opp              2011   Clark
Billy Bender            2012   MIT
Jamie Karraker        2012   MIT
Arni Lehto              2012   MIT
Nick Sather            2013   MIT
George Adams         2013   Springfield
Ben Etten               2011   WPI
Jeffrey Robinson      2011   WPI
Matt Carr               2012   WPI
Craig Melillo            2013   WPI
Joe Wesoloski         2013   WPI

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 02, 2011, 12:48:49 PM
In a morning chat with my married daughter, an Amherst grad., who lives near Ithaca and works in Ithaca, I mentioned the upcoming MBB battle between MIT and Ithaca on Friday.  Thought it may interest her and her family who all are sports fans.  She "attended" MIT's day care center for several years when we were in Cambridge...and may have some passing loyalties..just kidding here.  I did mention that I still make donations to MIT and that she did make a wooden outline of the school that I proudly display.  If the weather is OK, she will think about it.    
Oh yes, the weather in the Ithaca area can be tricky, so be careful.. all who are making the trip.  NY does take care of their roads, but the city of Ithaca often does not.  Ithaca College is high on a hill.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on March 03, 2011, 01:47:32 AM
Good luck to Coach Anderson and MIT at Ithaca.  I believe MIT may surprise a few along the road in the NCAA's...they seem to have learned to play without a couple of key guys who were lost for the season...so even if they are eliminated early this year the near term future looks very bright with the return of Hollingsworth, Burke and whomever they have recruited...growth of Tashman as a player has been fun to watch...and finally, how the hell was Kates not included on 1st Team All-Conference....that is ridiculous
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 04, 2011, 11:03:18 AM
OK - Prediction Time.................

Bridgewater at WPI?
MIT at Ithica?

I like WPI to struggle early but pick it up and win by 9ish.
The Ithaca posters have scared me but I also think a hot MIT team controls the boards and the paint enough to win on the road in a very close one.

Go NEWMAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2011, 11:28:06 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 04, 2011, 11:03:18 AM
OK - Prediction Time.................

Bridgewater at WPI?
MIT at Ithica?

I like WPI to struggle early but pick it up and win by 9ish.
The Ithaca posters have scared me but I also think a hot MIT team controls the boards and the paint enough to win on the road in a very close one.

Go NEWMAC!

If you go to the multi-regional boards and look at the "Fantasy team" page, you will see that I too am rooting for the NEWMAC schools (I picked Kates, Tashman, Robinson, and Carr as 4 of my 6 players).

Unfortunately, there is apparently no video for tonight's MIT game, but there will be audio and live stats.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 04, 2011, 11:50:24 AM
No Video ???  Sorry but if a school is not going to provide video, they should not be allowed to host.  At least thier conference should be made to help out in that regard.  There is no excuse to not have internet video nowadays for the NCAAs!

You have any insight on Carr's ankle ?  Guessing you might if your taking him in the fantasy league.  If he is good to go, I'm confident WPI wins.  I have a feeling the seniors will step it up tonight.

I also believe MIT will prevail.  I think Tashman has a big night.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on March 04, 2011, 12:42:55 PM
WPI should beat Bridgewater with or without Carr, its Saturday they may need worry about but they should be fine this evening.

I'll take Ithaca over MIT, either way I have Rochester winning the pod regardless of who wins this game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 04, 2011, 12:51:54 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 04, 2011, 11:50:24 AM
No Video ???  Sorry but if a school is not going to provide video, they should not be allowed to host.  At least thier conference should be made to help out in that regard.  There is no excuse to not have internet video nowadays for the NCAAs!

It might not be the school's fault. Turner took over the broadcast rights from CBS this year and they have made the process much more difficult than in the past to secure video rights. I know we are working with a couple of schools to help them provide video and what used to be a two-paragraph email with a link is now a long form, the broadcast must have multiple cameras and they will only approve single-camera or non-HD broadcasts on a case-by-case basis.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 04, 2011, 01:05:05 PM
My appolgies - to a certain extent anyway.

WPI has not done video broadcasts until the very end of this season.  They then did the NEWMAC semis & finals and are doing their pod tonight & tommorrow.

I guess my point is the NCAA should have been more involved directly with Turner or anyone involved in the broadcast rights to clear the way to make sure all these games could be seen.  It is a true shame that a school like MIT, who had broadcasted all their home games this season, ends up in place that is not providing video.  It is not like D3 is doing to provide Turner or in the past CBS with any sum of money that it is significant by the standards of the D1 tournament.

Actually quite the opposite indeed, for the many families & friends scattered across the country, this maybe the only way they see someone they know play in an NCAA tournament game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2011, 03:38:23 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 04, 2011, 01:05:05 PM
My appolgies - to a certain extent anyway.

WPI has not done video broadcasts until the very end of this season.  They then did the NEWMAC semis & finals and are doing their pod tonight & tommorrow.

I guess my point is the NCAA should have been more involved directly with Turner or anyone involved in the broadcast rights to clear the way to make sure all these games could be seen.  It is a true shame that a school like MIT, who had broadcasted all their home games this season, ends up in place that is not providing video.  It is not like D3 is doing to provide Turner or in the past CBS with any sum of money that it is significant by the standards of the D1 tournament.

Actually quite the opposite indeed, for the many families & friends scattered across the country, this maybe the only way they see someone they know play in an NCAA tournament game.

MIT charges for the regular season, but provided video for the NEWMAC free last year and I am sure it would have been the same for NCAAs (if they hosted last year, they had no chance this year because of their regional rank).  In other words, I think most schools dont make any money off the broadcast.  Maybe Pat can correct me on that.  It is odd because Ithaca usually does have video broadcasts, but they do not this weekend.  There is even a TV station link on their website, but no video for tonights games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2011, 09:17:42 PM
WPI WINS!  Robinson hit the game winner (a 3) with about 15 seconds left

MIT up 1 with 20 seconds to play, with ball.

Kates hits 2 FTs, MIT up 3 with 10 s left.

MIT fouled with 3s, smart play.  Front end made, MIT up 2.  Ithaca just called timeout.  Lets see how they try to miss this.

MIT up 2, 1.8 seconds left, Bender shooting 1 and 1.

BENDER HITS BOTH. MIT WINS!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2011, 10:01:58 PM
Kates had 25 points (3 3s), 7 assists (only 2 TOs), 4 steals, and 4 boards.

Tashman had 16 points, 10 boards, 5 assists, a steal, a block, and only 1 TO. Tashman held E8 player of the year, Phil Barera, to 8 points and 6 boards (he averaged 17 and 9 this season).

I think both should be All-Region and All-American candidates (obviously not just based on this game).

Jamke Karraker scored 25 points, mostly on 5 3s.

The Super Sophomores scored 66 of the teams 82 points.  Billy Bender also played very well, with 12 points and 8 boards.

MIT had a season low 5 turnovers (they forced 12), shot 93% from the FT line (14-15), and shot 42% from 3.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Bombers798891 on March 04, 2011, 10:07:38 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 04, 2011, 10:01:58 PM
Kates had 25 points (3 3s), 7 assists (only 2 TOs), 4 steals, and 4 boards.

Tashman had 16 points, 10 boards, 5 assists, a steal, a block, and only 1 TO. Tashman held E8 player of the year, Phil Barera, to 8 points and 6 boards (he averaged 17 and 9 this season).

I think both should be All-Region and All-American candidates (obviously not just based on this game).

Jamke Karraker scored 25 points, mostly on 5 3s.

The Super Sophomores scored 66 of the teams 82 points.  Billy Bender also played very well, with 12 points and 8 boards.

MIT had a season low 5 turnovers (they forced 12), shot 93% from the FT line (14-15), and shot 42% from 3.

Congrats to MIT on a great game. They deserved to win

Yes, Tashman did a good job on Barera, but MIT's interior defense was horrid. The Bombers hit layups all night. Miles Grier was 14-of-18 and couldn't be stopped. IC also won on the boards (+5)

Surprisingly, MIT won it from behind the arc, normally a Bomber stronghold. Ithaca was only 5-of-10 from three, while MIT was 10-of 24.

End of the day, MIT was better and got a well-deserved win. Congrats again. Good luck against Rochester
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2011, 10:15:02 PM
Quote from: Bombers798891 on March 04, 2011, 10:07:38 PM
Quote from: hugenerd on March 04, 2011, 10:01:58 PM
Kates had 25 points (3 3s), 7 assists (only 2 TOs), 4 steals, and 4 boards.

Tashman had 16 points, 10 boards, 5 assists, a steal, a block, and only 1 TO. Tashman held E8 player of the year, Phil Barera, to 8 points and 6 boards (he averaged 17 and 9 this season).

I think both should be All-Region and All-American candidates (obviously not just based on this game).

Jamke Karraker scored 25 points, mostly on 5 3s.

The Super Sophomores scored 66 of the teams 82 points.  Billy Bender also played very well, with 12 points and 8 boards.

MIT had a season low 5 turnovers (they forced 12), shot 93% from the FT line (14-15), and shot 42% from 3.

Congrats to MIT on a great game. They deserved to win

Yes, Tashman did a good job on Barera, but MIT's interior defense was horrid. The Bombers hit layups all night. Miles Grier was 14-of-18 and couldn't be stopped. IC also won on the boards (+5)

Surprisingly, MIT won it from behind the arc, normally a Bomber stronghold. Ithaca was only 5-of-10 from three, while MIT was 10-of 24.

End of the day, MIT was better and got a well-deserved win. Congrats again. Good luck against Rochester

It really isnt the interior defense, its as someone else previously pointed out before the game, MIT can have trouble with very quick, athletic wing players and I think thats what happened with Grier. 

MIT shot over 38% for the year from 3 and our leading deep shooter, Karraker, was at his season clip of 44% (5-11).  Therefore, I am not surprised about MITs deep shooting.  Ithaca just could not stop MITs sophomores (Kates, Tashman, and Karraker), that was the difference. MIT was also +7 on turnovers, they only turned it over 5 times despite Ithaca pressing most of the game (MIT averages 17 a year, big difference).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 05, 2011, 01:28:56 AM
Interesting night here in Worcester. 

Amherst blew Skidmore right out of the building.  Game was over during a 21-9 run over final 10 minutes of the 1st half.  Skidmore shot 26% from the field for the game.  Amherst guards were too quick and Skidmore has zero size and got doubled up on the boards, 56-28.

WPI tried hard to crash & burn.  A Robinson 3 with 14 seconds left pulled out a 1 pt win, 58-57. Exciting, but this game never should have been this close. Robinson scored 23 to go with 3 assists.  Carr had 10, a game-high 8 boards and 3 blocks.  Perez and Stewart each posted 8 points to go with 3 and 4 rebounds respectively. Shannon had 7 and 3 assists.

Another slow start after it looked like they were going to get back to what got them into the tournament.  In the first five minutes, Carr got 2 touches down low and scored on a layup and then 'posterized' Nick Motta with a big slam.  After that, for the final 15 minutes of the half – Nothing. They shot 9 for 30 (30%) in the first half including 1 for 9 from beyond the arc. Bridgewater held a 28-26 lead behind 10 from Judah Jackson and 7 from Motta.

Same thing in the 2nd half – in the first 5 1/2 minutes they got a layup by Carr, then one by Robinson, a Carr jump hook, layups by Shannon and Robinson to build a 36-30 lead.  It looked like they would grab control of the game.  Instead, turnovers, poor decisions,etc opened the door for Bridgewater.  Over the final 12 minutes the lead never got greater than 3 for either team.  The game see-sawed back and forth with neither team able to wrestle control of the game from the other.

At 2:06 WPI finally got the ball to Carr and he drained a nice jump hook to tie the game at 53.A Samuel Johnson layup was answered by 2 Robinson FTs.  Judah Jackson went 1 for 2 and the free throw line to give Bridgewater a lead with 1:06 to go.  Shawn yard did the same and that set the scene for Robinson's game winner.

How can such a talented team keep ignoring a clear matchup advantage? Bridgewater had no one who stop Carr.  He went 5 for 6 on the night with his only miss coming on a tip-in attempt of a missed Perez free throw.  They should have kept feeding him and put this team away, but they reverted to the same style that cost them the MIT NEWMAC title game.  They did get some decent production from Perez & Stewart, but they have to get Carr more than 6 FGA's

If they play like this (24 turnovers, bad decisions, etc) against Amherst, the Lord Jeffs will win at least 35.

Sounds like Williams had a very close shave with the upset minded Husson team.

Congratulations to Both MIT & Becker for also securing wins!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2011, 08:09:02 AM
Wow - where to begin?  I watched the WPI game and "watched" the MIT live stats.  The whole time I wished I could switch. MIT game seemed like it was played on a VERY high level.

I will title my thoughts under 1 word - BARTLEY..........
There are things that this team does that drive me absolutely crazy.  Don't get me wrong, it would not even be fair to say that Coach Bartley has brought the program back to prominence....because he has taken it far beyond where it has ever been on a consistent basis (with apologies to the Bailey/Fiddes Engineers of the mid 80's).

Besides many of the fundamental flaws that MASSD3 consistently points out, last night I saw something for the first time in my 40+ years of watching/playing/coaching basketball.  WPI was playing zone, the ball goes OOB under the Bridgewater basket - Bridgewater ball.  WPI actually switched to man-to-man?  Result - an easy layup.  This team gives up more points on OOB's set plays then I have ever seen!  That should be the easy stuff.  It certainly isn't from lack of effort - this team plays hard..........can't figure it out.

WPI goes back up 3 with 5 and change minutes last night.  Coach decides Robinson needs a rest?  He did not look winded and of course Bridgewater scores 6 quick points, Robinson is back in with no rest and it is assured this game is coming to the wire.  At that point Robinson had played about 24 minutes.  I don't understand.  20 years old, great shape - let him play.  During the season it was almost like Bartley was saying that he needed to get underclassmen (guards) some key minutes for the future - he could not possibly be thinking that last night, could he?

Lastly, GET THE BALL INSIDE - holy crap - GET THE BALL INSIDE!

Maybe it is an X's and O's thing.  I give Bartley the following grades as a coach:

Recruiter:  A-
Practice (game preparer): B
Game time decisions:  C

Well - I will go have a bowl of Cinnamon toast crunch and calm down.  Great night for Northeast D3 hoops!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on March 05, 2011, 11:51:01 AM
Wow, way back on November 20, Babson beat Rochester 84-75 in Rochester.

http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2010-11/contrib/20101120z12e8x

http://www.uaa.rochester.edu/Basketball/2010-11_MBB_Stats/urm-babs.htm
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 05, 2011, 11:53:49 AM
Quote from: T990 on March 05, 2011, 11:51:01 AM
Wow, way back on November 20, Babson beat Rochester 84-75 in Rochester.

http://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2010-11/contrib/20101120z12e8x

http://www.uaa.rochester.edu/Basketball/2010-11_MBB_Stats/urm-babs.htm

Rochester's best player and UAA player of the year, John DiBartolomeo, did not play in that game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2011, 08:51:43 PM
Wiped out - time to jump on the NESCAC bandwagon - not sure if I can?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2011, 08:56:50 PM
I never saved my bracket that I entered - anyone know how to check on it?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on March 05, 2011, 09:05:59 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 05, 2011, 08:56:50 PM
I never saved my bracket that I entered - anyone know how to check on it?

Go to d3photography.com.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 05, 2011, 11:57:13 PM
Not much to say about the game tonight other than the best team won.  Congratulations to Amherst and good luck to them in the Sweet 16.

Also congratualtions to Ben Etten, Jeff Robinson, Kyle Nadeau & Ryan Stock on a wonderful four years of great college basketball.  Etten Nadeau & Stock played 4 years for Coach Bartley winning 3 NEWMAC regular season titles, and going to the NCAA's 3 years.  Best of wishes to these young men as they enter the next phase of their lives.

Tonight, WPI was led by Robinson's game-high 21 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds.  Kyle Nadeau added 14 points.  Carr scored 6 to go with a team-high 9 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 2 steals.  Perez chipped in with 6 points, 4 boards & a steal and David Brown added 6 points with an assist and a steal.

WPI finishes with a 23-6 record.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2011, 07:36:16 PM
Nerd - please don't cut us off like that.  We need some type of season ending recapp or at least some smack about how good next year's MIT squad will be - 1 more post, please?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 08, 2011, 11:30:18 AM
Hugenerd......maybe busy with studies about this time.  His "defense" of his degree/topic/field is in the Spring.....though I am never clear if the academic "spring" is the same as the "Spring"  that starts March. 21
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 08, 2011, 01:52:58 PM
Funny Amh - I see you still have some "spring" in your step.  At least I picked you guys to win the whole thing in my bracket - so I am an adopted Lord Jeff fan for now. 

I think Nerd is just looking for enough of us to beg him for one more missive.............
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Argylebballer on March 08, 2011, 02:11:20 PM
If people want to hear more about all the Northeast games tune in to Sports Flash on WXIN in Providence Thursday from 4-6pm.  The Head Coaches from WPI, Williams, RIC, Amherst, Middlebury, and Pat Coleman will all be on.  With a few other guest as well.  You can listen online at www.ricradio.org. And call in at 401-456-8787 if you want to talk basketball.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 08, 2011, 02:27:04 PM
Nice - thanks Argyl
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 08, 2011, 02:31:26 PM
No Coach Anderson from MIT?

It will be interesting to here the season ending thoughts from Coach Bartley and possibly some insight into next years squad.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Argylebballer on March 08, 2011, 02:45:42 PM
Bartley will be on at 4:20 eastern time
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 08, 2011, 03:53:32 PM
I also wish to thank the RIC poster.  Wonder if the broadcast will be blended/interfaced with Hoopsville on Thursday.
Welcome aboard WPI!  I hope you are correct.  In anycase....you are offically invited to Amherst's Homecoming in Oct.  Let me know and there should be free food and drinks at my tent and/or after the game in the "Cage".  There should be no charge for the game.  Also check out the college website in the Fall.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 08, 2011, 09:12:50 PM
Sorry, I have been working hard on papers/finishing up research/preparing for thesis defense/faculty interviews/newborn and 4 year-old.

With regards to the game, I thought MIT was tired, which especially showed in the 2nd half.  It didnt help that the rotation got really short for the tourney, but I guess you have to play the guys you feel give you the best chance when it counts most.  I still thought they should have won the game, but when your starting backcourt has an off not shooting, its always tough to get the W.

They look to be really strong next year, with everyone except Zuk returning, and Hollingsworth and Burke back.  On top of that they have a few really high-level recruits coming in, and a couple more they are still going after.  The next two years look promising, but unfortunately I will be moving so I will have to watch from afar.  I wish them the best going forward.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 09, 2011, 07:46:33 AM
Massd3 - I do hope Bartley talks some about next year but I bet it is all about his opinions on remaining tourney teams.

Nerd - thanks for the effort - good luck and get some rest.  MIT will certainly be preseason NEWMAC favorites big time next year.

Amh63 - I may just zip up 91 next October and find you - good luck the next 2 weeks!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 09, 2011, 08:41:15 AM
HN

Best of luck in your defense! and your job search!

My wife & I wish you and your wife all the best in the world as you move forward on the most rewarding years of your life!  Enjoy every moment - It is going to fly by much faster than you can imagine.

I hope you end up somewhere you can get some D3 games and we can all enjoy your insight.  If not, I will look forward to your ongoing evaluations of MIT from afar.

WPI89 - You are probably right, but hopefully the hosts will at least ask him about next year.  The reply may be a stock answer, but they should at least ask.

amh63 - I have read some of the posts on the NESCAC & LEC borads.  IF Amherst plays anywhere near what I saw this past weekend, they will handle RIC with ease.  People are kidding themselves if they think RIC can play inside with the Jeffs.

As far as Akinrola's injury being nothing major - I do not buy that at all.  What injury that is not 'major' keeps you out of a NCAA tournament game that is not an expected easy win?  I can understand it if his issue was an illness (100+ fever, etc) but if it was an injury, obviously it was major. Have you heard anything about what the injury was?

I did not see Middlebury or Williams play, so I cant really comment much on them.  However, I liked what I saw from Amherst this weekend. Great Executuion.  Sharp cuts off screens (WPI should keep playing the video of that game throught their pre-season next year emphasize that this is how you should run at and cut off a screen). When the ball went down low, it was delivered properly and ON-TIME.  No hesitation.  That was true if they were going to a big, OR if it were to a guard or small forward with a mis-match.  The ball handlers, Meehan especially, did a great job of seeing mis-matches and immediately taking advantage of it.  Always a mark of a great team.  They were thwe best team I saw this year and I wish them success as they drive to get to Salem!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 09, 2011, 08:47:40 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 08, 2011, 02:31:26 PM
No Coach Anderson from MIT?
I agree he should be invited and deserving since he has participated in the last three years in the NCAA tournament.  MIT may have the lowest admittance rate of any D3 NCAA school and does not offer any merit scholarships.  IOW's, MIT's basketball recruits that get admitted into MIT are sacrificing merit scholarship money at many other good D3 schools.  My point is only that Coach Anderson has had great success despite these competitive limitations.

Quote from: hugenerd on March 08, 2011, 09:12:50 PM
With regards to the game, I thought MIT was tired, which especially showed in the 2nd half.  It didnt help that the rotation got really short for the tourney, but I guess you have to play the guys you feel give you the best chance when it counts most.  I still thought they should have won the game, but when your starting backcourt has an off not shooting, its always tough to get the W.

They look to be really strong next year, with everyone except Zuk returning, and Hollingsworth and Burke back.  On top of that they have a few really high-level recruits coming in, and a couple more they are still going after.  The next two years look promising, but unfortunately I will be moving so I will have to watch from afar.  I wish them the best going forward.
I agree with MIT being tired and their poor shooting percentage may have been a partial result of tired legs.  MIT's defense has improved a lot near the end of the year, but 40 second half points is a lot to give up.  I also believe there were too many unforced turnovers.  Despite this, they were still in the game.  I believe Jamie may have come close to some school records for total number of 3 pointers and % of 3 pointers.

I agree that next year may be the best year in MIT history (at least on paper).  It just depends on how well there chemistry comes together because there are a lot of scorers on the team.  IMHO, in the frequent times where MIT's offense would be stagnant, Hollingsworth should almost always be able to get off a decent shot.  Burke's shot is always of value to a team.  I look forward to reading more about the MIT recruits.  HN, I hope you will still post frequently even though you may only see the games through your computer.  Best of luck in your next location.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 09, 2011, 08:55:47 AM
WPI189.......please do....leave a note on the board....or the football board to me  as the game with Weselyan approaches and I can discuss the details/particulars wrt tailgate tent, etc.  I will be coming up from D.C.
Hugenerd...best wishes.  I know what you are going thru.  My oldest son was born at Mt. Auburn Hospital in the early Spring as I was wrapping up things at MIT.   Another era though.  Noticed that you spelled defence the British way.
Mass_3fan.....I was so taken with your post on the NESCAC board on the Amherst game that I referred it to the Amherst SID to let the players /coaches know.  The SID say he would and noted the team players often read the posts on these boards.  Not to neglect you, let me know if you wish to join the event this October.  The college picks up the charges for the game and refreshment after the game and for old folks like me, the refreshments during the game...i.e. people that are approaching big reunion events and therefore big gifts.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 09, 2011, 09:38:26 AM
amh63 - Ty for for kind words and the invite.  If things work out that I can get up there for that, I'll let you know.

While it is obvious that I have been a big WPI backer, I feel you have to be honest about a team's drawbacks and not just post about the good times.  I was impressed by the Lord Jeffs athletes and even more with their on-court execution and thier conduct towards complete strangers after the game.

I sincerely hope they go much further than the Sweet 16.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Argylebballer on March 09, 2011, 10:14:02 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 09, 2011, 08:41:15 AM
As far as Akinrola's injury being nothing major - I do not buy that at all.  What injury that is not 'major' keeps you out of a NCAA tournament game that is not an expected easy win?  I can understand it if his issue was an illness (100+ fever, etc) but if it was an injury, obviously it was major. Have you heard anything about what the injury was?

Akinrola has been confirmed to be fine and 100% ready to play this weekend.  That is all I know.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2011, 10:19:23 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 09, 2011, 08:47:40 AM
I believe Jamie may have come close to some school records for total number of 3 pointers and % of 3 pointers.

He finished 2nd in both.  He was 1 three pointer shy of tying the made 3s single season record, and he went into saturday's game ahead in the single-season 3%, but his poor effort that day dropped him below Bartolotta's mark from 08-09.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 09, 2011, 04:56:01 PM
Loose ends Comments.
Hugenerd....my comment wrt  the spelling  of "defence" was my being curious.  I saw it and thought my spelling was in error and went back to my post to correct it...ergo the modification note.  I asked my wife to check the spelling when my computer reacted to using a "c" vice a "s".  My wife after checking in a dictionary stated that both ways were correct and that the UK  goes with your spelling  I often do not spell correctly...to many years of having someone proof my writings and becoming mentally lazy.
To WPI189 and Mass_d3fan, my invite includes any family members...who may enjoy D3 football at its "finest?".  It may provide an opportunity for touching base with Amherst BB players wandering around with "recruiting prospects"..etc. or enjoying school before the start of allowed practices.  Can give you a tour of our facilities..if you want.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2011, 08:13:44 PM
Quote from: amh63 on March 09, 2011, 04:56:01 PM
Loose ends Comments.
Hugenerd....my comment wrt  the spelling  of "defence" was my being curious.  I saw it and thought my spelling was in error and went back to my post to correct it...ergo the modification note.  I asked my wife to check the spelling when my computer reacted to using a "c" vice a "s".  My wife after checking in a dictionary stated that both ways were correct and that the UK  goes with your spelling  I often do not spell correctly...to many years of having someone proof my writings and becoming mentally lazy.

I have written a couple of articles for journals published in the UK, which require British English (in addition to many more to US journals), sometimes when typing fast either one can make an appearance.  I dont have any other British ties.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 11, 2011, 03:56:18 PM
Don't forget to root for the Babson women tonight.  Can at least still root for the W part of NEWMAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: walzy31 on March 12, 2011, 12:32:51 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 09, 2011, 09:38:26 AM
While it is obvious that I have been a big WPI backer, I feel you have to be honest about a team's drawbacks and not just post about the good times.  I was impressed by the Lord Jeffs athletes and even more with their on-court execution and thier conduct towards complete strangers after the game.

I sincerely hope they go much further than the Sweet 16.

The team would appreciate those words. Thank you!
WPI played their hearts out last weekend and stayed classy from the jump to the final buzzer. Jeff Robinson is obviously a talent, and Matt Carr is a strong interior presence who will only improve.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on April 06, 2011, 12:25:06 AM
According to the Boston Herald, Marco Coppola (younger brother of Wheaton's Anthony Coppola) has committed to play at WPI next year.

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/high_school/?p=3633&srvc=blogs&position=recent_bullet


Like his brother, Marco is a scoring guard.  He averaged 26 points/game for Watertown last season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on April 28, 2011, 12:56:39 PM
Thanks MASS - certainly some guard minutes available - maybe a replacement for Robinson?
Title: Re:Another WPI Committment seelink
Post by: jhawk on May 04, 2011, 12:20:47 PM
 See link
http://mass-nh-highschoolbasketballreport.blogspot.com/

  Like Coppola ,Longwell is a Boston Herald all-star and 2x DCL all-star .
Title: NEWMAC Committment updates
Post by: jhawk on May 07, 2011, 02:53:11 PM
 see link for updates

WPI  and other committment update
http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/1960/Commitment-CatchUp.php
Title: Re: More commitment all-star news Updates
Post by: jhawk on May 13, 2011, 09:24:07 AM
 See link
http://www.beantownhoops.com/13.html

WPI commitment Coppola garners all star status .
Title: Re: Wheaton Committment Morales of Central Catholic
Post by: jhawk on May 17, 2011, 04:53:31 PM
 Wheaton picks up a solid guard  see link

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/high_school/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 26, 2011, 01:53:08 PM
Former MIT standout Willard Johnson is playing professionally in Costa Rica.  You can follow here:

www.willardballinonabudget.blogspot.com (http://www.willardballinonabudget.blogspot.com)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on August 09, 2011, 08:05:48 AM
According to NERR, MIT has picked up a pretty nice recruit in Dennis Levene.  NERR had him listed as the #23 best recruit in this years Connecticut high school class, with DI and DII offers, and recently had him listed as one of their "best available" bigs in the northeast, but it appears MIT has now received a commitment:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/rankings/connecticut.php

NERR has the following to say about Levene:

"Dennis Levene, Choate – He's added twenty-five pounds of muscle and scholarship offers from division I and II schools in the last twelve months.  A face-up four who shoots a consistent ball from three, has deceptive athleticism, and a developing nasty streak in the paint, Levene is also a great passer and screener who thrives in structure."
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on August 19, 2011, 02:21:29 PM
Dr. Hugenerd....like your "new" title!  Are you still located in the NE area....so as to catch some conference games?
Anyway, it seems that MIT has added an new assistant on its BB program....as reported on HoopDirt.com on the 18th.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Charles on August 20, 2011, 08:43:58 PM
Quote from: Dr. Hugenerd on August 09, 2011, 08:05:48 AM
According to NERR, MIT has picked up a pretty nice recruit in Dennis Levene.  NERR had him listed as the #23 best recruit in this years Connecticut high school class, with DI and DII offers, and recently had him listed as one of their "best available" bigs in the northeast, but it appears MIT has now received a commitment:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/rankings/connecticut.php

NERR has the following to say about Levene:

"Dennis Levene, Choate – He's added twenty-five pounds of muscle and scholarship offers from division I and II schools in the last twelve months.  A face-up four who shoots a consistent ball from three, has deceptive athleticism, and a developing nasty streak in the paint, Levene is also a great passer and screener who thrives in structure."
Remember Dr. Hugenard, the NERR website is written by the Choate Coach, anything he writes is to the better of his program and the players he gets to pay the Choate tuition.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on August 23, 2011, 10:19:53 AM
Quote from: amh63 on August 19, 2011, 02:21:29 PM
Dr. Hugenerd....like your "new" title!  Are you still located in the NE area....so as to catch some conference games?
Anyway, it seems that MIT has added an new assistant on its BB program....as reported on HoopDirt.com on the 18th.

No, I'm out of the region now, closer to my undergrad alma mater (CMU).  I am not familiar with the new MIT assistant coach, nor can I confirm if it is true or not, but MIT has lost 3 assistants in the last couple of years (Gunnar Hagstrom, Brian Phillips, and Willard Johnson), and only added 1 new assistant (Rob D.), so it is possible they added him. I know Coach Anderson is always interested in adding talent to the program in any way that he can, both with respect to players and coaches.

Quote from: Charles on August 20, 2011, 08:43:58 PM
Quote from: Dr. Hugenerd on August 09, 2011, 08:05:48 AM
According to NERR, MIT has picked up a pretty nice recruit in Dennis Levene.  NERR had him listed as the #23 best recruit in this years Connecticut high school class, with DI and DII offers, and recently had him listed as one of their "best available" bigs in the northeast, but it appears MIT has now received a commitment:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/rankings/connecticut.php

NERR has the following to say about Levene:

"Dennis Levene, Choate – He’s added twenty-five pounds of muscle and scholarship offers from division I and II schools in the last twelve months.  A face-up four who shoots a consistent ball from three, has deceptive athleticism, and a developing nasty streak in the paint, Levene is also a great passer and screener who thrives in structure."
Remember Dr. Hugenard, the NERR website is written by the Choate Coach, anything he writes is to the better of his program and the players he gets to pay the Choate tuition.

I know MIT has recruited him for a while, even prior to him going to prep school, so he is still a strong get for them.  I know he was getting some looks from Ivy teams and he had a desire to go in that direction (the reason for the prep year), but he will definitely be a better fit at MIT in terms of his contribution to the program. He will provide some depth at the forward position for the Engineers even as a freshman, and may even compete for a starting spot if he can play the small forward (I dont see him beating out Hollingsworth or Tashman at the 4 or 5).  Off guard and small forward play will be big for the engineers next year in determining how good they are.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on September 25, 2011, 10:00:14 PM
The 2011-2012 schedules are up, and I am very very surprised at the incredibly weak schedule put forth by MIT(tossing the Harvard game out, since it is not 'supposed' to count as it were).  I realize that there are many factors involved, but when you look at their D3 out of conference schedule, its is extraordinarily weak when you consider the overall level of teams in the NE region.

NEWMAC TEAMS : NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULES

MIT - 12 games:  1- 20 win team, 9 sub .500 teams, 5 teams with less than 10 wins (only 2 teams with more than more 13 wins.)  Combined Opposition Record - 124-165.

WPI - 12 games: 7 - 20 win teams,   3 sub .500 teams, 2 teams with less than 10 wins. Combined Opposition Record - 199-124.

Springfield - 13 games: 6 - 20 win teams, 4 sub .500 teams, 2 teams with less than 10 wins, Combined Opposition Record - 218-143 (Pride taking on Amherst & Elms on back-to-back nights then playing Trinity & Williams back-to-back 7 days later!)

Clark -12 games: 2 - 20 win teams, 3 sub .500 teams, 2 teams with less than 10 wins. Combined Opposition Record - 180-139.

Babson - 13 games: 2 -20 win teams,  7 sub .500 teams, 3 teams with less than 10 wins. Combined Opposition Record - 163-171

Wheaton - 12 games: 1 - 20 win team, 6 sub .500 teams, 4 teams with less than 10 wins. Combined Opposition Record - 143-174.

Coast Guard - 10 games: 1 -20 win team, 4 sub .500 teams, 2 teams with less than 10 wins. Combined Opposition Record - 131-140

(I am sure I made a few mistakes with this, but just wanted to give you all a look how the teams were scheduling.)

All things being equal, MIT will be the top team with WPI & Springfield battling for the 2 slot. It wil be very interesting to see how MIT's schedule is percieved by the voters when its time for the polls and by the NCAA when regional rankings come out.  Salem State and maybe RPI are the only teams that they should have any issues with outside of the conference(aside from Harvard of course).

As I was looking at the WPI schedule, I was thinking this might be one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. I mean half your non-conference games against 20 win teams, then I saw Springfield's.  6 20 win teams too, but playing 3 of them in back-to-back situations, including Amherst & Williams.  I was very disappointed to see that MIT did not step it up in regards to the level of competition outside the conference.  Maybe no-one wanted to play them, I do not know - I can only comment on the schedule as it is presented, and it is very weak.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on September 26, 2011, 09:19:28 AM

I'm guessing MIT is having a bit of a harder time scheduling top tier in-regions teams these days than they did five years ago.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 04, 2011, 11:42:47 AM
MassFan - thanks for the breakdown.  I am excited to see some new names on WPI's schedule.

Someone would need to explain to me why MIT would have trouble scheduling?  I get that their program is now really strong and the class of the NEWMAC but..............?

That being said, I am also not sure that scheduling the toughest opponents is the way to get into the NCAA's - in fact - I may be of the opinion that the opposite holds true.  But it doesn't leave any margin for error - MIT has to win 20 and basically has to win the regular season NEWMAC if they were to lose in the conference tourney and get a bid.  Whereas if they were to schedule and beat a couple of regional top 10 types - then there is some margin for a few slip- ups.

Will be fun to follow from afar in any case.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on October 07, 2011, 05:28:51 PM
When does the start of formal practices get underway?  It is Nov. 1 in the NESCAC
The chatter on the NESCAC board is just starting to pick up.  Amherst is expecting around 24 players to compete for spots.  There is now a rumor from a valid source that a 6'10" prospect may try to "walk-on".  If so he is probably a long term prospect.  The interesting area is in the point guard position.  Another FY prospect that is now on the football team hopes to join the fray.  A solid player is having a great year on the soccer team and I think he will be late for practice again if the soccer team goes into the post season.
Anyway, for the posters here that I had invited to Amherst's Homecoming on the 22 of October...WPI89 and Mass_d3fan, a reminder that the invites are still open....since I have survived the storms and earthquake in the MD/D.C. area.  Let me know here or on the football NESCAC board.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: leelowlang on October 08, 2011, 12:33:12 AM
NEWMAC

2010-11 Final Standings

1.  WPI – 23-6, 11-1 NEWMAC
2.  MIT – 20-9, 7-5 NEWMAC
3.  Springfield – 15-11, 7-5 NEWMAC
4.  Coast Guard – 11-14, 5-7 NEWMAC
5.  Babson – 10-15, 5-7 NEWMAC
6.  Clark – 10-15, 4-8 NEWMAC
7.  Wheaton (Mass.) – 8-16, 3-9 NEWMAC

2010-11 Conference Championship
o   MIT 63, WPI 52

NCAA Performance
o   MIT 82, Ithaca 78 (1st Round)
o   Rochester 60, MIT 52 (2nd Round)
o   WPI 58, Bridgewater State 57 (1st Round)
o   Amherst 92, WPI 70 (2nd Round)

RETURNING LEADERS
•   Scoring
o   Brian Vayda – Clark – 6'5", Sr., F – 17.6 ppg
o   Mitchell Kates – MIT – 6'1", Jr., G – 15.6 ppg
o   Will Tashman – MIT – 6'8", Jr., F – 14.1 ppg
o   Kevin Sowers – Coast Guard – 6'1", So., G – 13.4 ppg
o   Jamie Karraker – MIT – 6'4", Sr., G – 12.7 ppg
•   Rebounding
o   Will Tashman – MIT – 6'8", Jr., F – 8.9 rpg
o   Brian Vayda – Clark – 6'5", Sr., F – 8 rpg
o   Matt Carr – WPI – 6'7", Sr., F – 7 rpg
•   Assists
o   Mitchell Kates – MIT – 6'1", Jr., G – 5.0 apg
o   Kevin Sowers – Coast Guard – 6'1", So, G – 3.2 apg
o   Will Bayliss – Wheaton – 5'11", So., G – 2.8 apg
•   Steals
o   Mitchell Kates – MIT – 6'1", Jr., G – 2.24 spg
•   Blocks
o   Ryan Coburn – Springfield – 6'8", Sr., F/C – 2.92 bpg
•   FG %
o   Kris Noonan – Babson – 6'6", Sr., C - .605 FG%
•   3-pt FG %
o   Jamie Karraker – MIT – 6'4", Sr., G - .431 3FG%
•   3FG Made
o   Jamie Karraker – MIT – 6'4", Sr., G – 97 3FGM
•   FT %
o   Brian Vayda – Clark – 6'5", Sr., F - .814 FT%
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 08, 2011, 11:49:42 PM
Just a note, MIT's Karraker and Hollingsworth are both juniors with respect to eligibility (2 years left).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 11, 2011, 12:06:34 PM
AMH63 - thanks for following up on the invite! 

I had not forgotten and even talked to my twin Sophomore (in HS) daughters about the opportunity to see a great College atmosphere.  Unfortunately, I will be in Florida at a conference and unable to attend.

I have great memories of playing ball (hoops) up at Amherst in the mid 80's (when WPI/Amherst played every year).  Was one of the few games we played in front of a packed house, along with Williams, and our games with rival Clark.

Thanks again for the invite and I hope you have a nice weather and a great day.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on October 11, 2011, 01:35:34 PM
WPI89.....There is always next year...Homecoming will be in early Nov. with Williams.  The weather maybe dicey but there will be a packed house with about 8-10 thousand in attendance.  MBB practices will have started and you may get to see some practices if you arrive early.  Your twin daughters will be more interested in the college atmosphere being juniors then.  Maybe we will meet when Amherst meets WPI in the post season this year.  Amherst should have a team capable of going into the post season.  Will WPI have such a team this year?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 12, 2011, 01:42:59 PM
Thanks again A-63

Unfortunately I think we may have to meet up at an Amherst/MIT post season game this year.  If MIT can manage to stay healthy - they may be the strongest NEWMAC representative in quite a while.  WPI likely will be a year a way from competing at the highest levels again.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on October 13, 2011, 10:01:30 PM
amh63

I too will have to take a rain check this year on football.  My wife and I are spending most of our feww time getting some long overdue repair work done to this house. I am hopeful we will be done by the time basketball gets going. Outside at least.

While I agree MIT should be the top team in the NEWMAC, I do think WPI can have another top level season and they should have a shot at NCAAs if they put it all together.  We can have fun making some predictions over the next few weeks.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 18, 2011, 02:47:18 PM
Doctor Nerd, Massd3 et al - you should check out the new thread on the board about recruiting and commitments - it has a good start to it but needs some NEWMAC specific thoughts. 

PS - looks like WPI added some size - MD# - can you add anything about he new frosh?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 18, 2011, 03:00:27 PM
Im not as plugged in as I used to because I moved, but MITs new roster is up:

http://mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/roster

There appears to be some attrition of last year's freshman class (only 2 sophomores return).  In addition, a recruit from this year, Reinier Strobos is not listed.  I heard this may be due to lingering injury issues with his knees.  They are very solid and experienced in their top ~6 or so players, but are very young and/or inexperienced after that.  They do have some talent coming in with this class, though.  Dennis Levene was on a lot of Ivy radars and Nick Prus, from the Chicago area, is a solid outside scorer. I dont know much about the other freshman, but they are bringing in another class of 7, so its possible there is a standout in that crowd.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 21, 2011, 07:32:19 AM
Hollingsworth made 1st Team Preseason All-American.

Also, I found out that Burke is still out this season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 24, 2011, 12:39:01 PM
MIT cracks the Top 10 rankings in the Preseason Poll.  Thats their highest preseason ranking ever!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 24, 2011, 03:03:56 PM
Hopefully MIT does not stumble early - will be fun to see how high they can climb.  WPI just on the outside - I think around 29.  I do not see them winning both their first 2 games so it will likely be a tough job for them to crack the top 25 at any point this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on October 25, 2011, 11:48:45 PM
Just got back from a long business trip yesterday, so let me try to play catch up here.  An old business friend who is an alumnus of Franklin & Marshall mailed me a copy of the DIII News to give me a dig since they put F&M 2nd in their preseason poll and had Georgio Milligan as their POY.  It also had some interesting NEWMAC news.  It was nice to see a very strong showing by the Northeast region in all the preseason analysis.

Anyway Congratulations should go out to the preseason honors garnered by the NEWMAC. 

MIT – #10 Preseason Ranking by D3 Hoops, others to watch in the Sporting News

WPI - #29 (ORV) Preseason Ranking by D3 Hoops

Noel Hollingsworth (MIT) – 1st Team Preseason All-America by D3 Hoops & Sporting News

Matt Carr (WPI) – Honorable Mention Preseason All-America by DIII News

I am not sure of any other media outlets that do any preseason awards or Top 25...anyone else ?

I had not seen much about the DIII News awards, but they obviously liked what they saw in Carr & WPI as they also picked him as the NEWMAC POY and WPI to win the conference. I am not sure I agree with all of that, but that is what the preseason is all about, laying out differing opinions on the season to come. The conference should be proud of both teams and both these talented and bright young men.

Personally, I think Hollingsworth will probably put up better numbers than Carr. Also, I think Mitchell Kates is going to have a lot of support for POY this year. (I believe it was HN last year that informed us that each team can only put up one player for the POY – Coach Anderson may have a very tough choice to make.)

I am hopeful both teams will once again be dancing in March.

My take on the conference at this point in time...

1. MIT
2. WPI
3. Springfield
4. Clark
5. Wheaton
6. Babson
7. Coast Guard

Best of Luck to ALL the players on each team.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on October 26, 2011, 04:24:38 PM
Great Posts and thanks for the updates.  WPI SID must have done a nice job selling Matt Carr to get him on that list.  He is a good player but I dont know about nationally.  I would think B. Vayda would have been put ahead of him just from the NEWMAC...Owell, I guess the only lists that matter are at the end of the season and last year WPI and MIT were the last 2 standing so it makes sense for them to have players getting recognized.  I want to support Clark U on the board this year as they get know one rooting for them on here.  Do not know a whole lot about the Cougars this year and I am excited for the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 26, 2011, 04:58:23 PM
Nice recognition for both MIT and WPI.  I'm personally not sold on DIII News. The year Bartolotta won D3Hoops and NABC POY and the Jostens, I think D3News had him on the third or fourth team. Seems they are using a different set of metrics up in the northwest where they publish out of (they are also in a geographically odd area to cover D3 in general).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on October 27, 2011, 01:13:35 AM
NEWMACJACK

Welcome to the fun!

I do have to disagree with you however.  You have to look not only at numbers, but at the impact on both ends of floor.  Carr was the only real difference in the WPI lineup last year from the previous season. 2 years ago they did not crack the top 25 at all.  Last year they spent all but 2 weeks in the top 25 and making the top 10 for only the 2nd time ever. While Vayda is a better overall offensive threat than Carr, you have to factor in that he does not have the impact on a game on the defensive end that the WPI center does.

HN

I didn't really know that much about DIII News, but I did a little (well given the hour more than a little...LOL) web research tonight and exchanged a couple of emails with my old F&M friend tonight. He did still have last year's preseason copy around.

Actually you are wrong, they had JB as #6 in the nation in the first slot on the 2nd team. (I just did a quick net search and found this)
<http://www.smallcollegehoops.com/SmallCollegeHoops/Home_files/D3NAATeam09.pdf>
Their POY was Kent Raymond who was second to JB on the D3 Hoops list.

You can't base the validity of source off you think did or did not give JB his due.

In 06-07, Both DIII News & D3 Hoops had Josten's winner Ryan Cain of WPI as #11 in the first slot on the 3rd team.
<http://www.smallcollegehoops.com/SmallCollegeHoops/DIII%20News_files/D3NewsAATeam07.pdf>
They also gave Hollingsworth an AA Honorable Mention after the 09-10 season.
<http://www.defianceathletics.com/PDF/2009-2010/Men's%20Basketball/SmallCollegeHoops_AllAmerica.pdf>

DIII News preseason AA list has them selecting 3 from each region and then a bunch of Honorable Mentions.  Last year, they had DaQuan Brooks, James Wang & Ray Askew as the 3 from the Northeast and Hollinsworth was on their Honorable mention list with Sam Herrick, Nicholas Motta, Lance Spatling, Josh Jones and Antone Gray from the Northeast
.
They also picked Steve Djurickovic as their POY and he was a D3 Hoops All-American first teamer.  They picked MIT as the conference winner and Hollinsworth as the POY.  This year's picks for conference winners & contenders in the northeast is pretty solid as well.   

As I said, I think Hollingsworth or Kates will most likely get the NEWMAC POY, but certainly Carr will be a strong contender for it as well.

On a sad side note, what is the problem with Burke?  Lingering problems from last year, or something new?

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 27, 2011, 08:52:40 AM
Regardless of your hour of research, I still am not a big fan of DIII News (based on observations over the past ~10 years).  You can look at some old discussions on the multi-regional boards, if you have spare time, for a bunch of other reasons why DIII News is not a favorite of many D3 followers.  There have been instances where they have left off players completely, who were first-teamers on NABC and D3Hoops.  Bartolotta was just the one that came to mind (2nd team is still low for his senior year in my opinion, he averaged 28 ppg among other ridiculous statistics, and led his team to its first NCAA tourney appearance and win ever).

Burke is being held out for precautionary reasons.  Without going into too many specifics, I'll just say he's in a similar situation as Sidney Crosby in the NHL. MIT has some really solid guards in their freshman class, though, so hopefully they will have more depth behind Kates this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on October 27, 2011, 11:06:43 PM
DIII News is run by a guy whose background is in another division. Their D-II publication might be better.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: high flyer 21 on October 28, 2011, 10:55:07 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on October 26, 2011, 04:58:23 PM
Nice recognition for both MIT and WPI.  I'm personally not sold on DIII News. The year Bartolotta won D3Hoops and NABC POY and the Jostens, I think D3News had him on the third or fourth team. Seems they are using a different set of metrics up in the northwest where they publish out of (they are also in a geographically odd area to cover D3 in general).

Kent Raymond won the DIII News POY that year.  A lot of people felt that Raymond deserved the D3Hoops POY over Bartolotta too. Not saying that they're necessarily right, but Raymond was equally as unguardable as Bartolotta was and did it constantly against the best teams in the country.  Even here in New England I heard a fan taunting that to Bartolotta when he froze down the stretch in MIT's loss to Farmingdale State in the NCAA tourament that year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 30, 2011, 12:30:03 AM
First of all, my critique was not based on him not being named POY, it was because he wasn't even named to the first team by D3News. Secondly, Bartolotta played the last 10 games of that season on 1 ankle, suffering a pretty bad injury late in the season but played through it. Third, I wouldn't talk too much about freezing up down the stretch if I were trying to support Raymond. Raymond shot 8-19, including 4-11 in the second half of their loss to WashU that season. Lets also not forget that he turned the ball over when they were down by 1 with 2.5 minutes to play in that game, and missed two potential game-tying 3s down the stretch. Finally, you make a comment about Raymond going against the best teams in the country, which may be true, but you aren't giving Bartolotta enough credit  because: a) Raymond also had a better supporting class, which made it easier for him to get single coverage (Bartolotta was  consistently double and triple teamed his last few years), and b) Bartolotta played some really good teams in his career, including Amherst a couple times, RIC, WPI, Yale, etc, and he always brought his best in those games. I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. No need to come on this board and spark stuff based on some anecdotal comment based on what a road fan may or may not have said.

He has also done pretty well for himself in his pro career, playing one year in Italy's Serie A and starring in the Super  League the past 2 years, averaging 25 plus.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: high flyer 21 on October 30, 2011, 09:16:47 PM
All the points you're making are mirrored in Raymond's defense.  Raymond had a severe ankle injury as well, missing 3 starts, yet Wheaton was 21-1 WITH him as a starter.  That's right 21-1 with the only loss coming to eventual national champion Wash U deep in the NCAA tournmanent.  Yes, Raymond froze, but it obviously wasn't any worse than Bartolotta's final game in Providence.  Bartolotta could not knock down ANY shots for the last several minutes of the game when it was on the line.  Reality is is that shining on the #1 ranked team in the country with a better supporting cast against top competition is much more impressive than averaging 28 points per game against small New England colleges, regardless of coverage style.  I know you are a MIT apologist, which is completely fine, but everyone knows that Kent Raymond deserved the D3 Hoops POY that year.  And yes, Jimmy deserved to First-Team All-American on D3 News.  And by the way, what I said was not worthy of dropping me down to -1 karma.  All I did was speak the truth.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 30, 2011, 10:09:47 PM
Quote from: high flyer 21 on October 30, 2011, 09:16:47 PM
All the points you're making are mirrored in Raymond's defense.  Raymond had a severe ankle injury as well, missing 3 starts, yet Wheaton was 21-1 WITH him as a starter.  That's right 21-1 with the only loss coming to eventual national champion Wash U deep in the NCAA tournmanent.  Yes, Raymond froze, but it obviously wasn't any worse than Bartolotta's final game in Providence.  Bartolotta could not knock down ANY shots for the last several minutes of the game when it was on the line.  Reality is is that shining on the #1 ranked team in the country with a better supporting cast against top competition is much more impressive than averaging 28 points per game against small New England colleges, regardless of coverage style.  I know you are a MIT apologist, which is completely fine, but everyone knows that Kent Raymond deserved the D3 Hoops POY that year.  And yes, Jimmy deserved to First-Team All-American on D3 News.  And by the way, what I said was not worthy of dropping me down to -1 karma.  All I did was speak the truth.

"Everyone" seems a bit of a stretch considering the people who count most voted for Bartolotta (NABC, D3Hoops, Jostens, you know, people who actually saw both players play).

Also, I can only knock your karma once a day, so I wasnt the only one that dinged you. And it wasn't for "speaking the truth", but rather for drudging up a dead argument based on some hearsay of a road fan.  My comment was completely, relevant to the current conversation, which is the credibility of D3News, and I didn't go to a board I don't frequent to start an argument either. If you want to come to this board to make an intelligent comment, that's one thing, but coming on here to say that you heard second or third hand that a road fan three years ago said Bartolotta choked isn't going to get you greeted with open arms.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on October 31, 2011, 07:16:02 AM
I have not yet had time to back and check the previous discussions about DIII News, but from what I have seen, I think they are not all that far off the mark.  Year in and year out in all sports there are those who feel "their guys" did not get credit they deserve or the honors the feel they earned.  Perhaps Pat can offer up just how close the D3 Hoops votes were between Raymond & JB that year.  Also we see Sporting News put together an entire page for D3, do we seriously think they put any of their top basketball guys on evaluating the 400 D3 schools?  Or that who ever they put on it takes more than a cursory look at D3?

It would be rather foolish to think every publication is going to pick its honorees exactly as all the others have.  Any player who gets a nod should be honored that there are knowledgeable people out there taking notice of their contributions to their teams.  It is unlikely that any of us have ever seen all those who should be considered.  We are all "tainted" by what we see with own eyes versus what we hear or read from other sources.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 31, 2011, 08:28:13 AM
I dont really take the Sporting News very seriously either.  The reason I take D3Hoops and NABC the most seriously is because: a) D3Hoops does the best job of covering this level of bsaketball on a consistent basis (ie, they dont just have a monthly or preseason/season ending issue, they cover day in and day out), and b) NABC is voted on by the coaches, so they typically scout players in their region and talk to other coaches that have seen players play in person, so they have more knowledge on the topic than the average observer (with that said, NABC does set some restrictions regarding number of awardees per region, which doesnt necessarily mean the top players make the first team, but it does mean that the top player in each region makes the first team and the 2nd best makes the 2nd team). Also, there have been times when I have strongly disagreed with the D3Hoops teams, but for the vast majority of times, D3Hoops does the best job of all the outlets.  In other words, you are much more likely to find several head scratchers each year in the D3News rankings than in the D3Hoops or NABC.  To go along with the amount of time D3News spends on their rankings, or lack thereof, there have been multiple instances where they have even misspelled players names, which goes to show they didnt even take the time to double-check the players they were picking and weren't that familiar with the players in the first place.

Its also a lot easier to watch the top players play nowadays that a lot of games are broadcast via the web.  For example, I saw Raymond play 4-5 games via that route his senior year. 

Finally, Pat has already discussed and defended his choice of POY from a few years ago at length.  I dont think there is any reason to rehash this.  If you are interested, the discussion is on the multiregional boards, All-Americans thread, from about 2.5 years ago.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: high flyer 21 on October 31, 2011, 09:05:12 AM
Quote from: high flyer 21 on October 30, 2011, 09:16:47 PM
All the points you're making are mirrored in Raymond's defense.  Raymond had a severe ankle injury as well, missing 3 starts, yet Wheaton was 21-1 WITH him as a starter.  That's right 21-1 with the only loss coming to eventual national champion Wash U deep in the NCAA tournmanent. 

Forgive me for being so childish, Wheaton with Raymond starting was 25-1, not simply 21-1.  MIT under Bartolotta that year was 21-9 with losses to middle-of-pack Gordon, Salem State, Babson and Coast Guard scattered throughout the year to name a handful.  D3Hoops took into account the rarity of a player of Bartolotta's caliber coming out of a school like MIT, NOT his sheer basketball ability.  The Josten's Trophy and First Team All-American would have done Jimmy justice.  I'm glad DIII News was there to offer the more accurate insight into national POY that year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 31, 2011, 10:04:49 AM
Quote from: high flyer 21 on October 31, 2011, 09:05:12 AM
Quote from: high flyer 21 on October 30, 2011, 09:16:47 PM
All the points you're making are mirrored in Raymond's defense.  Raymond had a severe ankle injury as well, missing 3 starts, yet Wheaton was 21-1 WITH him as a starter.  That's right 21-1 with the only loss coming to eventual national champion Wash U deep in the NCAA tournmanent. 

Forgive me for being so childish, Wheaton with Raymond starting was 25-1, not simply 21-1.  MIT under Bartolotta that year was 21-9 with losses to middle-of-pack Gordon, Salem State, Babson and Coast Guard scattered throughout the year to name a handful.  D3Hoops took into account the rarity of a player of Bartolotta's caliber coming out of a school like MIT, NOT his sheer basketball ability.  The Josten's Trophy and First Team All-American would have done Jimmy justice.  I'm glad DIII News was there to offer the more accurate insight into national POY that year.

If he is such a superior basketball player, why is Bartolotta still playing in top level European basketball divisions (Italy's Serie A his first season and the Super League the last 2 seasons) and Raymond only played one season in Spain's 4th (regional) division? Any conspiracy theories to explain that?

Raymond was a great player, I saw him play on several occasions, but your arguments that he is better than Bartolotta based on team success are not compelling to me.  Raymond was definitely on a better team that year, but that was because he had other AA-level players in his supporting class.  MIT literally had 7-8 guys suiting up most games, and none of them were near the level of an AA. In fact, I bet a lot of those guys wouldn't have even made Wheaton's roster that year. Restating team records is great, but I am sure Pat had that information available to him when he made the final decision, so I am fairly certain more went into it than that.  If the only metric was team success, then the best player on the national champion would win the award each year (why didnt Aaron Thompson win it that year?), but thats not how the decision is made.  Team success is definitely a factor, but above some level of team success, you have to look at the individual also.  Both players were very deserving, but I disagree that Bartolotta was any less deserving than Raymond or won for any reason other than his basketball talent.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: high flyer 21 on October 31, 2011, 02:35:43 PM
Wikipedia says Bartolotta is currently playing in Iceland.  From what I know about Raymond, basketball is not of upmost importance to him so I wouldn't be suprised if he's pursuing other professional interests.  Raymond did very well during his time in Spain's LEB League, which although is marginally below Spain's ACB league (the best league in the world behind the NBA) is extemely competitive and probably on par with the Italian league Bartolotta played in.

Let me end by saying that Gregory Sager, who has seen countless Division III games across the nation AND seen several POY's play in person for over his 30+ years affiliated with this level, upholds Raymond over Bartolotta for 2009's D3Hoops POY.  He noted very profoundly that the only other two people besides Raymond to be the CCIW's Most Outstanding Player three times (IWU's Jack Sickma and North Park's Michael Harper) both excelled in the NBA.  Sager, an archrival of Wheaton, states that "I would never glorify a Wheaton student-athlete unnecessarily just to tout the CCIW as a whole" but "Of all of those thousands of players, I would count Kent Raymond -- whom I saw play about 25-30 times over the course of his career -- among the five best D3 players I have ever seen." [stated March 26, 2009 in the Multi-Regional All-American board].  Bartolotta was an exceptional player as well, but he simply was not as special of a player as Kent Raymond was.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on October 31, 2011, 02:38:49 PM
I'll just say I was a Raymond guy from the beginning.  I think his explosion onto the scene as a freshman was pretty spectacular.  He maintained a very high level of play throughout.  He was incredibly talented.  I was on his bandwagon until I finally got to see Bartolotta play a few times.

Raymond might even be the better teammate, but based on individually ability, Bartolotta was the better player that year.

One of the intriguing things about d3 is that, although there are a lot of guys who play at an incredibly high level, there are, from time to time, guys who are clearly a level beyond d3.  Players for whom the pace and style of the d3 game are just too easy.  This is not to degrade any of the great, great d3 players out there, but it's the only way I can explain it.  Bartolotta was one of those guys.  That doesn't make him "better" necessarily or even more valuable (in fact, most players I put into this category actually don't reach their potential and struggle to give their team everything it needs because of the disparity) - it just means he was the superior player that year in my mind.  Hands down.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 31, 2011, 04:17:51 PM
Quote from: high flyer 21 on October 31, 2011, 02:35:43 PM
Wikipedia says Bartolotta is currently playing in Iceland.  From what I know about Raymond, basketball is not of upmost importance to him so I wouldn't be suprised if he's pursuing other professional interests.  Raymond did very well during his time in Spain's LEB League, which although is marginally below Spain's ACB league (the best league in the world behind the NBA) is extemely competitive and probably on par with the Italian league Bartolotta played in.

Let me end by saying that Gregory Sager, who has seen countless Division III games across the nation AND seen several POY's play in person for over his 30+ years affiliated with this level, upholds Raymond over Bartolotta for 2009's D3Hoops POY.  He noted very profoundly that the only other two people besides Raymond to be the CCIW's Most Outstanding Player three times (IWU's Jack Sickma and North Park's Michael Harper) both excelled in the NBA.  Sager, an archrival of Wheaton, states that "I would never glorify a Wheaton student-athlete unnecessarily just to tout the CCIW as a whole" but "Of all of those thousands of players, I would count Kent Raymond -- whom I saw play about 25-30 times over the course of his career -- among the five best D3 players I have ever seen." [stated March 26, 2009 in the Multi-Regional All-American board].  Bartolotta was an exceptional player as well, but he simply was not as special of a player as Kent Raymond was.

I am not going to argue anymore, because the fact that Bartolotta won the 4 major national POY awards (D3hoops, Cosida/ESPN, NABC and Jostens) speaks for itself.  There are a ton of very knowledgeable people voting for those awards, and the fact that Bartolotta did not win a one off award from a guy who publishes in Oregon does not diminish that.

I will have to correct you on one thing, though. Raymond did NOT play in the LEB (the original Wheaton release that he played in the LEB silver (Spanish third division) is wrong).  He played at L'Hospitalet for 1 year, which is in the Spanish 4th division (the EBA division). 

From Eurobasket: http://www.eurobasket.com/team.asp?Cntry=esp&Team=1352

Note the "Spain-EBA" designation below the team.  Then look to the tab on the left and find "EBA" listed as the 4th division from the top, and click to see the full list of teams in the EBA.

There are 75 EBA teams, which are regional teams, that compete in 6 different groups.  Above the EBA are the LEB Silver, LEB Gold, and the ACB leagues, meaning there are at least 49 teams better than any team in the EBA in Spain.  In that same season, Bartolotta played on Air Avellino, which is in the Italian 1st division (Serie A).  The Italian first division is ranked in the top 3 European leagues, including the Spanish ACB and the Greek top Leagues.  Therefore, even if you tried to argue that Raymond played in the Spanish 2nd division, which he didnt, it still would not be as prestigious as the Italian first league. Bartolotta's teammates that season were DeMarcus Nelson (college: Duke), Dee Brown (college: Illinois), Chevy Troutman (College: Pitt), and Cenk Akyol (Turkish national team), among others. In order to get more playing time, he went to the Iceland Superleague where he has averaged almost 30 ppg the last two seasons. Including taking his team from second to last place in the league when he came in half way through last season, to the playoffs by the end of the season.

I am done with this argument, Bartolotta won all four major awards.  If Raymond would have gotten at least one of those, from a recognized source, this could be a great debate, but he didnt.  (D3Hoops is recognized by the NCAA, they even use their poll; NABC is voted on by the NCAA coaches; ESPN/CoSida is published in ESPN; and Jostens is recognized by pretty much everyone as the most prestigious student-athlete award in D3.  The only person that recognizes DIII News as the source for D3 basketball is, well, DIII News.)  Bartolotta was the better player that season, and was rightfully recognized for it, by multiple prestigious outlets.  Raymond may have had a better career, I dont know, but this wasnt a career award, it was for a single season.  I am not sure why this had to be dredged up when no one on this board mentioned Raymond or the DIII News POY from 3 years ago (I originally only mentioned the DIII News first team, which had nothing to do with Raymond).  Therefore, unless you have some argument based on facts that are actually accurate, let us please drop the subject.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on October 31, 2011, 08:03:52 PM
You present a pretty good argument in JB's favor. Plus k!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on October 31, 2011, 10:31:41 PM
My apologies - I did not realize this was going to turn into such a big deal.

HN - I responded the way I did because you stated:

"I'm personally not sold on DIII News. The year Bartolotta won D3Hoops and NABC POY and the Jostens, I think D3News had him on the third or fourth team."

I did not realize there had been criticism of DIII News some years ago.  I went solely based on your response that you were not sold on them because they had him on the 3rd/4th team. 

My whole point here was to simply acknowledge that a publication that followed D3 basketball had given an honor to another NEWMAC player.  We do not have to agree with everything they do, but it is also foolish to think every publication is going to pick the same 25 (or 50+ preseason) people or place them in the same order.

Take a look at any award and you are going to find people who disagree on who deserves it.  From the Heisman Trophy to the MVP in any sport.  Hell, it took until last year for the first time for a unanimous vote for the NFL MVP and only once has there been a unanimous NBA MVP.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on October 31, 2011, 11:44:53 PM
Quote from: high flyer 21 on October 31, 2011, 09:05:12 AM
D3Hoops took into account the rarity of a player of Bartolotta's caliber coming out of a school like MIT, NOT his sheer basketball ability. 

Pretty sure this isn't true. I can tell you for sure that wasn't even discussed once.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: CCC Talk on November 01, 2011, 12:48:59 AM
I can't wait to read HugeNerd's upcoming thesis about how Jimmy B controls both space and time.

My favorite Jimmy B story was when he went and played in the Reese's all star game at the final4 on a team coached by Nolan Richardson and reportedly Nolan asked him if he was hurt and when he responded in the negetive Nolan then asked "then why are you moving so slow"

The kid had an unreal career, and through lucky ancestry was able to play overseas while not counting as an American. Can't fault the kid for that. What's more he was a nice kid who was fun to watch play. In the grand scheme of things does anyone other than the followers of this board and the parents of those involved really care who was the national D3 player of the year in a given year...probably not.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 01, 2011, 01:02:08 AM
And the teams and coaches and ... well, you get the idea.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 01, 2011, 08:16:45 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on October 31, 2011, 10:31:41 PM
My apologies - I did not realize this was going to turn into such a big deal.

HN - I responded the way I did because you stated:

"I'm personally not sold on DIII News. The year Bartolotta won D3Hoops and NABC POY and the Jostens, I think D3News had him on the third or fourth team."

I did not realize there had been criticism of DIII News some years ago.  I went solely based on your response that you were not sold on them because they had him on the 3rd/4th team. 

My whole point here was to simply acknowledge that a publication that followed D3 basketball had given an honor to another NEWMAC player.  We do not have to agree with everything they do, but it is also foolish to think every publication is going to pick the same 25 (or 50+ preseason) people or place them in the same order.

Take a look at any award and you are going to find people who disagree on who deserves it.  From the Heisman Trophy to the MVP in any sport.  Hell, it took until last year for the first time for a unanimous vote for the NFL MVP and only once has there been a unanimous NBA MVP.

Mass - had no problem with what you said, I agree that Carr is a good player and it is great for him to get recognition.  When he and Hollingsworth were both healthy 2 years ago, they had some nice head-to-head matchups.  I just happen to hold a different opinion about that publication.  My opinion of the publication does not mean that those players are not great players, just that I don't think that publication follows this division thoroughly enough to make the most educated decisions about who the best players in the division are (similar to Sporting News).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 01, 2011, 08:22:47 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on November 01, 2011, 12:48:59 AM
I can't wait to read HugeNerd's upcoming thesis about how Jimmy B controls both space and time.

My favorite Jimmy B story was when he went and played in the Reese's all star game at the final4 on a team coached by Nolan Richardson and reportedly Nolan asked him if he was hurt and when he responded in the negetive Nolan then asked "then why are you moving so slow"

The kid had an unreal career, and through lucky ancestry was able to play overseas while not counting as an American. Can't fault the kid for that. What's more he was a nice kid who was fun to watch play. In the grand scheme of things does anyone other than the followers of this board and the parents of those involved really care who was the national D3 player of the year in a given year...probably not.

Until I am done with that, the Institute of Physics in London wrote a piece on Bartolotta earlier this year which you can read:

http://www.iop.org/careers/workinglife/profiles/page_51715.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Titan Q on November 01, 2011, 10:07:24 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 01, 2011, 08:23:49 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on November 01, 2011, 12:48:59 AM
In the grand scheme of things does anyone other than the followers of this board and the parents of those involved really care who was the national D3 player of the year in a given year...probably not.

Apparently the Wheaton faithful still do.

I've read this thread very quickly, so I apologize if I have missed something, but...

1) Are you sure the poster advocating for Kent Raymond (high flyer 21) is a Wheaton fan?  I'm not sure he/she has ever posted in the CCIW room.

2) Even if high flyer 21 is a Wheaton fan, is it fair to single out "the Wheaton faithful" on this?  It's just one poster, right?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 01, 2011, 11:19:59 AM
Quote from: Titan Q on November 01, 2011, 10:07:24 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 01, 2011, 08:23:49 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on November 01, 2011, 12:48:59 AM
In the grand scheme of things does anyone other than the followers of this board and the parents of those involved really care who was the national D3 player of the year in a given year...probably not.

Apparently the Wheaton faithful still do.

I've read this thread very quickly, so I apologize if I have missed something, but...

1) Are you sure the poster advocating for Kent Raymond (high flyer 21) is a Wheaton fan?  I'm not sure he/she has ever posted in the CCIW room.

2) Even if high flyer 21 is a Wheaton fan, is it fair to single out "the Wheaton faithful" on this?  It's just one poster, right?

True, looks like high flyer 21 has posted on this topic, and has posted extensively in the CCC conversation, but little elsewhere and not in the CCIW at all.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 01, 2011, 12:01:40 PM
Quote from: Titan Q on November 01, 2011, 10:07:24 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 01, 2011, 08:23:49 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on November 01, 2011, 12:48:59 AM
In the grand scheme of things does anyone other than the followers of this board and the parents of those involved really care who was the national D3 player of the year in a given year...probably not.

Apparently the Wheaton faithful still do.

I've read this thread very quickly, so I apologize if I have missed something, but...

1) Are you sure the poster advocating for Kent Raymond (high flyer 21) is a Wheaton fan?  I'm not sure he/she has ever posted in the CCIW room.

2) Even if high flyer 21 is a Wheaton fan, is it fair to single out "the Wheaton faithful" on this?  It's just one poster, right?

Agreed, didnt mean to offend anyone.  I agree that one shouldnt make an assumption about a population from just ones person's opinion, and I just assumed that one opinion was from a Wheaton fan. My apologies.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on November 01, 2011, 01:37:38 PM
Enough with Jimmy and Raymond.  Both very good players and they have moved on.  The argument can go back and forth.  I support Jimmy in this race but  know very little about Ray.  Probably true for most besides Pat C. who may have watched both players and teams.  Jimmy is a top 5 NEWMACer of all time....any comments who may be the other 4 or the best team NEWMAC team ever...hey its the NEWMAC board isn't it??
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 02, 2011, 09:05:27 AM
NEWMAC is historically a guard heavy league, so most of these players are guards.

Jimmy Bartolotta - MIT
Michael Parker - Springfield
Sean Fleming - Clark
Derek Yvon - Springfield
Noel Hollingsworth - MIT

I know that many people would have Ryan Cain (WPI) on there, he would probably be my 6th or 7th man based on the awards he won.  His numbers were never hugely impressive, in my opinion, and he wasnt a guy who would really take over a game, but he was solid, but up good numbers, and led his team to some great seasons.  I added one true big man for posterity (Hollingsworth).  I know its pretty early in his career (he only played one full season) to put him on, but in terms of his talent and impact, he will be there when its all said and done.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on November 02, 2011, 09:25:12 AM
Hassan Robinson and Donta Johnson from Springfield in the 1990's were REALLY tough, but I am not sure if Springfield was in NEWMAC by then (they transititioned in the mid 1990's from D-II to D-III but I am not sure of the exact timeline).  I am pretty sure Robinson played when Springfield was still D-II, otherwise he would easily be the best player (and probably best overall athlete, a baseball superstar as well) in NEWMAC history.  But Johnson was really tough too.  I'd put him in over Parker or Yvon. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 02, 2011, 09:58:29 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 02, 2011, 09:25:12 AM
Hassan Robinson and Donta Johnson from Springfield in the 1990's were REALLY tough, but I am not sure if Springfield was in NEWMAC by then (they transititioned in the mid 1990's from D-II to D-III but I am not sure of the exact timeline).  I am pretty sure Robinson played when Springfield was still D-II, otherwise he would easily be the best player (and probably best overall athlete, a baseball superstar as well) in NEWMAC history.  But Johnson was really tough too.  I'd put him in over Parker or Yvon.

There was no NEWMAC until 1999.  So there is only a 12 year history to the conference.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 03, 2011, 10:49:05 AM
HN

Your list might work if you interpret the question as what is the best starting five you could put out there for 1 game.  But if it is about achievements - stats, awards, wins (really any criteria) - it would almost invalidate your list to include Hollingsworth.  Granted I have seen him play a grand total of once in person and a couple of times on video..........but using your own arguments about awards (from your Jimmy B diatribe)  - you would start the all time team with Jimmy and Cain and then build from there.  Heck - you would have to put Matt Carr (which I wouldn't) on the team before Hollingsworth at this point.

Hoops soon fellas - then we can stop speculating and start breaking down games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on November 03, 2011, 11:25:09 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 02, 2011, 09:05:27 AM
NEWMAC is historically a guard heavy league, so most of these players are guards.

Jimmy Bartolotta - MIT
Michael Parker - Springfield
Sean Fleming - Clark
Derek Yvon - Springfield
Noel Hollingsworth - MIT

I know that many people would have Ryan Cain (WPI) on there, he would probably be my 6th or 7th man based on the awards he won.  His numbers were never hugely impressive, in my opinion, and he wasnt a guy who would really take over a game, but he was solid, but up good numbers, and led his team to some great seasons.  I added one true big man for posterity (Hollingsworth).  I know its pretty early in his career (he only played one full season) to put him on, but in terms of his talent and impact, he will be there when its all said and done.

Very good list to start the discussion....I would disagree with Hollingsworth being on there as he has only played 20 games in NEWMAC play....while the others are 4 year players...In my opinion the best player would  be Bartalotta and the Sean Fleming would be the best player on the best NEWMAC teams...(Clark 2001 and 2002)  Cain was very good and deserves to be on the list regardless of position...he was better and led his team further than Yvon....no knock on Derek as he was phenomenal but I am just looking for the top 5.....i respect your opinion and think your list is very good ...i just have a different view....other names to throw out there would be Babson, Hines, Colleli.  Coast Guard, Sowers, Prebeck, C Johnson. Clark U, K. Smith, Walker, McNamara, Ginnity, Alexander, Dutille. Wheaton, Coppolla, Vega, Kowski, the big guy who transferred from  Bentley, Springfield, Alexander, Parker, Gleason, MIT, IDK besides JB although Coach Anderson may be the best coach???  WPI, Coleman,

Any thoughts...and please excuse me if i forgot anyone worthy.....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 03, 2011, 01:32:41 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 03, 2011, 10:49:05 AM
HN

Your list might work if you interpret the question as what is the best starting five you could put out there for 1 game.  But if it is about achievements - stats, awards, wins (really any criteria) - it would almost invalidate your list to include Hollingsworth.  Granted I have seen him play a grand total of once in person and a couple of times on video..........but using your own arguments about awards (from your Jimmy B diatribe)  - you would start the all time team with Jimmy and Cain and then build from there.  Heck - you would have to put Matt Carr (which I wouldn't) on the team before Hollingsworth at this point.

Hoops soon fellas - then we can stop speculating and start breaking down games.

I would disagree with your statement about Carr.  Based on your metric (number of awards) Hollinsworth was POY his one full year in the NEWMAC, and also has more national recognition.  I was not using awards, however, in my selections.

I see you missed the point of my "diatribe."  It was not about who had more awards or the better career.  It was about who had a better 2008-2009 season, and therefore deserved all those awards (specifically, the National POY for that year).  I never stated the inverse, which would be saying Bartolotta is better because he won all those awards.  I was saying he was more impressive that season, which resulted in many knowledgeable people picking him for those awards.  Same thing goes for Hollingsworth in this case.  He is better than any big man in my memory in the NEWMAC, which is why I would select him for this team.  I was not using other awards as a metric for my top 5. 

If I was going with 5 guards/wings, then Cain would get more consideration based on his career, but again, for me personally, he never blew me away with his court presence (he wasn't a guy you really felt you HAD to double and I was on a coaching staff against him twice, so I have some insight there.  Then again, that may be why I am biased, I only saw him play his last two years, and in those 5 games against MIT he didnt even average double-figures).  He definitively put up strong numbers for his career, though, and his most impressive stat is really WPI's record over that time (they won at least 20 games each year, and he lost only a total of 20 games for his career).  I am not trying to put down his career and he is definitely a deserving candidate, but my opinion is solely based on my personal observation.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 10, 2011, 12:42:14 PM
I will make sure I check with you next time before I can understand when it is proper to use awards as part of the discussion and when it is not.

Maybe dumb it down for us WPI grads and I might have a chance.  What's a diatribe anyway? 

Cain was the best player on the best team - that is really all that matters.

Well WPI gets going next week - have not checked when MIT plays there first cupcake but it will be fun to have games to talk about.  As I mentioned to AM63 - I fear WPI going 0-2 out of the gate - hope I am wrong.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on November 10, 2011, 01:24:07 PM
WPI's roster is listed and it does not include 2 players who contributed off the bench last year--freshman guard David White and junior forward Jerome Stewart.  Did White transfer? Hopefully Stewart is still at WPI finishing up his senior year and focusing on life after basketball.  I always admired his perseverance.  The past 2 seasons he seemed to get into Coach Bartley's doghouse early in the season and rarely played until late January each year, when he was able to gradually work his way back into a 10-15 minute per game rotation in February and in the playoffs. 

On the positive side, WPI has added 6-7 soph Chad LaBove, a transfer from Wesleyan, who returns to the area where he played high school ball at St. John's HS in Shrewsbury.  His older brother plays for Dartmouth.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 10, 2011, 01:30:39 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 10, 2011, 12:42:14 PM
I will make sure I check with you next time before I can understand when it is proper to use awards as part of the discussion and when it is not.

Maybe dumb it down for us WPI grads and I might have a chance.  What's a diatribe anyway? 

Cain was the best player on the best team - that is really all that matters.

Well WPI gets going next week - have not checked when MIT plays there first cupcake but it will be fun to have games to talk about.  As I mentioned to AM63 - I fear WPI going 0-2 out of the gate - hope I am wrong.

MIT plays Harvard on Friday, so you'll have to save the cupcake talk for next week.

As for Cain, Marois and Kirkland always impressed me more in the games I saw.  Maybe he just didnt play that well in those matchups, but I can only go by what I saw in person and on tape. I defer to stats when I have to, but when I have seen those guys play in person, I trust those observations more.  Cain had a great career, but if I had to pick my 5 best players in the NEWMAC of all time, he wouldnt make it.  If I was choosing the 5 most decorated careers (in terms of awards), he would.  That just goes to show you how important team success is in winning these awards, but you have to acknowledge the teams he was on were loaded.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 10, 2011, 02:28:47 PM
This year's MIT team actually has some similarities to the Cain WPI teams?  Hope they are ready and represent against Harvard - could be really interesting if they play well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 10, 2011, 03:21:47 PM
I agree MIT has more depth, but Harvard has a ton of talent and athleticism.  MIT will have to shoot lights out to be close, and then it still may be tough.  Harvard is getting votes in the DI AP Poll.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 10, 2011, 05:05:13 PM
Yeah - I went and looked up Harvard after your post - they are the pre-season pick to win the Ivy for the first time ever!

You never know but at this point it would likely take a real strong year for an MIT (or WPI) and a down year for Harvard to actually win the game.

Always a fun game though - we played Harvard to a first half tie in 1986 or 87 - then their size just wore us down and it wasn't close in the end.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 10, 2011, 05:34:51 PM
What guys, you are more interested in a BB game between MIT and Harvard?  The game to watch on Friday is the one on an aircraft carrier with our President on board...between the pre-season No. 1 UNC and somebody else.
Will the MIT vs Harvard game be on-line or telecasted?  I do have a connection with MIT and my older brother is a Harvard grad.  Basically, my school's conference just started practice on Nov. 1, and have not yet posted a roster.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 11, 2011, 08:12:03 AM
Livestats and Video links here:

http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/Schedule
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on November 11, 2011, 09:43:06 AM
With all due respect to Cain and WPI I do not have him in my top 10.  If you are talking about best players on the best teams then you would have to judge on who made it the farthest in the NCAA's.  That would be CGA Elite Eight and Clark's 2 Elite Eights.  CGA had A. Sowers, Prebeck, and the Johnsons.  One or 2 of them would have to be in the top 10.  Both Clark Elite Eight teams would have to have 2-3 top 10ers.  Fleming, Walker, Mcnamara.  Thats 5 right there.  This is fun....

Top 5 NEWMAC Teams
1.2000-2001 Clark U.
2. 2001-2002 Clark U.
3. 2007-2008 CGA
4. 2002-2003 Babson
5. 2005-2005 WPI, 1999-2000 Springfield

There has to be arguments to this list....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 11, 2011, 10:23:42 AM
Jack

I do not have the breadth of knowledge to really have an educated reply.  However, I will say that winning 1,2, or maybe even 3 games in the tourney can have just as much to do with match-ups as with how good you really are on a national level.  For the most part, I think Bartley squeezed everything out of most of the 20+ win WPI teams the last 10 years and they had relatively little chance of winning more than 1-2 games int he big dance.  That being said - I thought the 2006-7 team with Cain, Coleman, Kirkland that had a terrible loss to Stevens in the first round, was every bit as good as the 05' WPI team.

Amherst - the "carrier game" is a much watch tonight.

And on 11/11/11 - thanks VERY much to any veterans that may be scanning the boards today!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 16, 2011, 12:22:58 AM
opening night!  Here is how the NEWMAC teams did.

MIT escapes with a win at Curry, 71-66

Hollingsworth - 23 pts, 10 boards
Tashman - 14 pts, 10 boards
Karracker - 18 points 6-11 from 3pt land


Springfield beats Castleton St in a game with zero defense, 132 to 112.

13 players score in double digits and the teams combined for 182 field goal attempts.

Rossi - 23 pts, 8 rebs
Burke - 22 pts, 9 rebs
Berthiaume - 21 pts, 12 assts
Sienkiewicz - 17 pts
Adams - 17pts, 8 rebs
Rote - 14 pts 8 rebs
Christner - 12 pts, 6 rebs

Also, Senior center Ryan Coburn did not play.  Not sure if he is injured or possibly sick.


Wheaton defeats Salve regina, 84-65

Degnan - 27pts, 6 rebs
Weeks - 13pts
Daily - 9 rebs


Babson opens with a victory over Gordon, 59-38

McDermott - 10pts
Braithwaite - 9pts
Foley - 7pts, 8rebs


Coast Guard loses to Albertus Magnus, 86 to 75

David Anderson - 15 pts, 8 rebs
Knudsen - 11pts, 8 rebs
Marshall - 14pts, 5 rebs
Sowers - 13pts, 6 assts
weems - 11pts


Clark defeated by RIc, 70-52

Vayda - 18pts, 6 rebs
Billington - 10pts, 5 assts


WPI opens with Husson tomorrow.



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 16, 2011, 05:52:45 PM
MIT did struggle a bit in their opener, although they were able to build a 15 point lead in the second half before a late Curry flurry accounted for the final score. I hope they play, and shoot, better tomorrow at home. I didn't see the game, but I'm curious if Hollingsworth's 8 offensive boards were all off his 8 missed shots (11-19)?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 16, 2011, 08:14:01 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 16, 2011, 05:52:45 PM
MIT did struggle a bit in their opener...

They get to play Gordon tomorrow, who has no seniors, only one guy with any real experience and who only scored 38 points in their opener (at home) against St. Joe's of Vermont.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 17, 2011, 08:49:20 AM
WPI puts a hurting on Husson.  Boy was I wrong - thought WPI would really struggle with their first 2 games.  I know winning breeds winning but I am starting to think Bartley can sell ice to Eskimos.  He is not really leaving Mass with his recruiting efforts but he seems to reload every few years as needed.  Serious contributions from multiple freshman! Not sure I will ever be convinced that he is a top tier bench coach but he seems to be a great motivator and a terrific talent evaluator.

Trying not to get too exited but all signs point to Husson being at least decent - I was pleasantly surprised by the win and stunned by the score.  Internet issues at home prevented me from watching the video so just going on box and recap.

Mass3 - you watch - any comments?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 17, 2011, 12:07:26 PM
Saw the first half on-line.  Surprised to see the "blow-out" final score.  Was watching to get my eyes adjusted to watching college BB again while awaiting the start of Amherst's first game this Friday.  Anyway, here is my two cents on the first half.  WPi seems to have a solid team that wants to pass the ball around....mostly on the outside at this time.  WPI's big man Carr has a good inside game and rebounds well. Most of the offense was generated by outside shots....several good shooters who are not afraid to take 3's.  Husson, on the other hand, was bigger inside, and was sloppy with the ball.  Seems their first 3-4 possessions ended up with a turnover....leading to WPI'S 8-12 point lead for most of the first half.  Husson.s bigger players are not very good around the basket.  Husson did cut the lead down to about 6, but WPI built the lead back up as the first half ended.  Alot of subsitution by WPI in the first half.  WPI may need to develop an inside game to use.  Didn't have enough time to determine the defensive play of either team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 17, 2011, 12:56:31 PM
Thanks
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 18, 2011, 08:39:25 PM
Big win for Springfield tonight over ODAC squad EMU.  EMU received votes in the preseason poll.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 19, 2011, 01:08:02 AM
WPI89 & amh63

Yes, I did attend the game.  I will say I was expecting a much closer game.  WPI played good on the defensive end.  Husson looked very rusty and out of sync. Carr led the way with 15 pts & 10 boards and Ryan Kolb gave the team a big boost off the bench with 8 points and 8 rebs.  Jameel Galloway got a start and played well. The young guards, Coppola & Longwell both hit in double-digits with 10 & 13 respectively.

Offensively though, I hope what I saw is not a sign of things to come for the Engineers.  They got Zaharchuk, Husson's 6-10 center, into foul trouble early, but never really pounded the ball inside after that.  As you know, I completely believe a consistent outside game develops as a consequence of establishing your inside game.  WPI opened up a lead, but then let Husson back into the game.  This was at a time with Zaharchuk on the bench and Carr had a big advantage down low.  The Engineers did not do a good job of exploiting that advantage, and a 13 point lead got shaved down to 4.  Just as an example, I would point to MIT's first game, how many FGA's did Hollingsworth have? – 19.  How many other touches do we think he had? – a lot I'm sure.  On one of WPI's first possessions, Carr dished it out from the post and Coppola drained a 3.  I think that kind of ball movement works better then just perimeter shell passing than amh63 is referring to.  I am hopeful this was just a first game thing and they will need their big guy to get the ball much more if they expect to compete with the top teams in the region.

I believe they can find a good balance between their inside game and outside shooting.  It gets really dangerous to get caught up in basing your offense on bombing away from the outside.  We saw that last year after they had that hot game at Wheaton from beyond the arc.

HN

Yes, a good win for Springfield and Coburn did play.  MIT & WPI better not look past the Pride.  By the time conference play comes along, they will be very battle tested with the schedule they have.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 20, 2011, 08:52:47 PM
Good Evening fellow posters

Good Weekend for the NEWMAC.

Babson wins the 2011 Courtyard by Marriott Tip-Off Championship beating RWU by 20.
Tournament MVP Marcus McDermott put up 13 pts,6 rebs, 3 assts
Matt Florio posted 8 pts and also made the all-tournament team.
The Beavers are now 4-0.

Springfield wins the Marymount Invitational over Marymount, 63-45
Alex Berthiume was the tournament MVP with 17pts & 4 rebs.
Ryan Coburn was also named to the all-tournament team.
Springfield is now 3-0.

MIT (3-0) - 104, RPI 75

Hollinsworth - 28 pts, 15 rebs
Tashman - 23pts, 10 rebs
Bender- 24 pts, 5 assts
Kates - 6 pts, 9 assts

WPI (2-0) - 100, Castleton 81

Carr-20 pts,11 rebs,3 assts
Coppola-18 pts, 6 assts
Kolb-9 pts,9 rebs
Longwell-11 pts
Brown-4 pts, 7 assts

coast Guard won 2 games at the 20th Annual Equinox Classic.
Greg Marshall & David Anderson were named to the all-turnament team
Marshall had 28 pts in CGA's win on Friday, anderson posted 16 pts and 8 rebs on S
Ricky Rodriguez put up 20 off the bench to key the win on saturday.
The Bears are now 2-1.

Wheaton (2-1) - 61, Wheelock - 59
Brendan Degnan - 18 pts, 5 rebs
Brian Grossman, Cliften Desravines, & Shawn Daily each had 8 pts

Clark lost the title of the Hamilton Tip-Off Tournament to the hosts, 60-58.
Brian vayda(24pts) and Tucker Esborn (19pts/7rebs) were named to the all-tournament team
The Cougars are now 1-2.






Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 21, 2011, 10:14:42 AM
Thanks for the great summary MASSD3!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 21, 2011, 08:09:59 PM
Congrats to Noel Hollingsworth for being named NEWMAC Player of the week for this first week of the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 22, 2011, 09:42:43 PM
Undefeated night for NEWMAC tonight, with all teams in action. The league is a combined 24-4 so far this year (about 1/3 of the way into the non conference schedule), with 4 of 7 teams still undefeated, 2 with only one loss, and no teams under .500.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 23, 2011, 08:32:53 AM
Wow - will make for quite the conference season!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 23, 2011, 08:38:31 AM
Looking froward to WPI-Salem State to finish up the Holiday weekend on Sunday.  Salem State seems to be really solid.  On paper they seem more well rounded - they aren't playing up in the low hundreds like some of their teams in the past and have some decent wins already this year.  They already have a win at Williams.  Williams is banged up beyond comprehension early - but a win at Williams is a great win even if they aren't playing their usual starters.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 23, 2011, 02:24:19 PM
Does anyone know when the first "in-season" top 25 comes out?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 23, 2011, 03:29:47 PM
Next Monday. (Sometimes the first one might be late because of the holiday, but we aim for Monday night.)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 26, 2011, 11:36:09 PM
MIT handles Suffolk today, 81-59.  Kates scored 22, Karraker had 16 points and 6 steals, Tashman 14 points, 13 boards and 4 assists & Hollingsworth posted 10 points.

HN - Did you see the game?  Looking at the box score & play-by-play, it appears Hollingsworth only played 19 minutes and did not play at all in the final 14 minutes.  Also he had zero rebounds in the 19 minutes he did play.  Was he sick or injured today ?I hope it was just an off day for him.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 27, 2011, 09:39:21 PM
I attended the WPI/Salem St game today, WPI came out with big win, 105-80.  This was a great display of team basketball by the Engineers.  I was pleased to see the ball moving inside & out with assists coming from 8 players.  27 assists on 43 field goals, Most assists I remember seeing this team put up - and only 11 turnovers.  Marco Coppola played a great game, dishing out a game high 11 assists, Jamime Shannon & Matt Carr each had 4 and David Brown handed out 3.  6 Engineers posted double figures in points: Carr(19), Coppola(14), Brown(14), Shannon(12), Ryan Kolb(11) & Jameel Galloway(10).  Kolb hauled down 7 boards, Carr had 6, Galloway & Domenick Mastascusa each had 5 to lead WPI to a 42-31 advantage on the glass. The Engineers shot 58% from the field.

Salem State had a 12 point lead (42-30) at 4:08 left in the first half, but the Engineers exploded behind Coppola, Carr & Mastascusa who combined for 13 points.  The run was highlighted by an alley-oop dunk by Carr on a great pass from Coppola.  He also found Carr for a nice reverse lay-up at the buzzer as WPI took a 47-46 halftime lead.  Galloway came out on fire at the start of the 2nd half hitting a 3 and bringing the crowd to their feet with a monster two-hand dunk. He also had a big block on Brian Clark.  Ryan Kolb gave the Engineers a boost during that stretch as well with two big 3s.  What had been a close game was had turned into a 15 pt lead for WPI after a Mastascusa lay-up at 15:52.  The Vikings cut to 10 one other time, but WPI opened the lead back up and Salem State never threatened again.

The battle of two pre-season All-Americans was pretty one-sided as Carr outplayed the Vikings Bryan Clark.  Clark was virtually shutdown by Carr & Galloway.  He had 7 pts on 3 of 10 from the field, 3 boards and no assists after coming into the game averaging 20 pts & 6 rebs in the Vikings' first 4 games.

Salem St. was led by Andrew White (18pts), Justin Nieves(16pts), Dan Clark(12pts) & Apollos Wade(10pts).  Nate Simpson tied Kolb for game-high honors with 7 rebounds.

WPI moves to 4-0 and I would expect them to be in the Top 25 this week.  The Vikings fall to 4-1.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 28, 2011, 06:53:28 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on November 26, 2011, 11:36:09 PM
MIT handles Suffolk today, 81-59.  Kates scored 22, Karraker had 16 points and 6 steals, Tashman 14 points, 13 boards and 4 assists & Hollingsworth posted 10 points.

HN - Did you see the game?  Looking at the box score & play-by-play, it appears Hollingsworth only played 19 minutes and did not play at all in the final 14 minutes.  Also he had zero rebounds in the 19 minutes he did play.  Was he sick or injured today ?I hope it was just an off day for him.

I won't be at any games this year, as I graduated and moved from the area. I haven't heard of an injury, but he could be banged up. He is getting double and triple teamed, though, which is opening things up for his teammates. As long as they keep winning...

Good win for WPI, especially after what Salem did to Williams. NEWMAC still only has 4 combined losses.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 28, 2011, 08:36:16 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on November 26, 2011, 11:36:09 PM
MIT handles Suffolk today, 81-59.  Kates scored 22, Karraker had 16 points and 6 steals, Tashman 14 points, 13 boards and 4 assists & Hollingsworth posted 10 points.

HN - Did you see the game?  Looking at the box score & play-by-play, it appears Hollingsworth only played 19 minutes and did not play at all in the final 14 minutes.  Also he had zero rebounds in the 19 minutes he did play.  Was he sick or injured today ?I hope it was just an off day for him.
Suffolk had a good guard and a good big.   Hollingsworth got blocked on a couple of shots by their big that got him out of his rhythm, but basically he had an off game.  Their guard made some unbelievable shots.  I would guess that Suffolk gave it their best shot while playing as an underdog against the #10 ranked team.  Mitch played good.  I won't discuss the referees, but there were some awful calls going both ways (of course I noticed the ones going against MIT).  I am disappointed about the quality of MIT's opponents, but am extremely excited about the conference.  What a fantastic start.  I hope that the NEWMAC will get 2 invites to the NCAA's this year again.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 28, 2011, 03:15:24 PM
Lost track but there are at least 4 teams ranked between 11-25 pre-season with 1 or more losses - hopefully enough for WPI to make a significant jump into the poll.  Doesn't mean much in November - besides being fun!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 28, 2011, 05:12:11 PM
Seems WPI is doing well.  Developing its rotation and "character".  Amherst is still evaluating its large roster and will need to make some tough roster reduction soon.  On Tuesday, Amherst resumes it's play at Lasell.  I hope to catch it online to see how Amherst handles a quick smaller team.  It is interesting that WPI plays Lasell away later in the week.  Hope to catch it on-line too.  May give me a early season look on how both WPI and Amherst handle a common opponent. Plan to post my comments on both games here and looking forward to reading comments from WPI posters.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 28, 2011, 09:27:34 PM
Congratulations to WPI's Marco Coppola for being selected as NEWMAC Player of the Week.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW112811
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 28, 2011, 10:45:00 PM
Babson moves to 6-0 with a 70-60 win over Curry.

Russell Braithwaite posted a double-double scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Marcus McDermott socred 19 points and dished out five assists, Matt Palazini scored 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc & John Wickey  put up 8 boards and 6 pts.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 28, 2011, 10:46:18 PM
The NEWMAC is a combined 23-2 in their last 25 games (27-4 for the season).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 28, 2011, 11:59:53 PM
MIT gains 148 points, but only moves up 1 spot to 9 in the polls. WPI debuts at #18, after their undefeated start. No votes yet for Babson and Springfield, but Springfield has 4 of their next 5 against ranked or ORV teams, including #3 and #7, and Babson has upcoming match ups against one ranked and one ORV team, so both teams will have multiple opportunities to make a strong case. Hopefully the conference can demonstrate some strength on the national stage this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 29, 2011, 09:14:30 PM
Perfect night again for the NEWMAC. Biggest wins were for Springfield and Clark. Didn't think I would see the current last place team in the conference destroy a top 3 UAA team by 19, who was preseason ORV #26 in the polls, but really glad they won. Springfield also beat an ORV team in Keene State. MIT, CGA, and Wheaton also won.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 29, 2011, 09:57:04 PM
The promised report on the Amherst vs. Lasell game will have to wait until I see the boxscore.  The video feed was late and good for awhile.  When it was on, it was a clear picture.  Amherst did not start its big center P. Kaasila.  When I caught the last 8 minutes of the first half, the pg was Kalema who had a hard time bringing up the ball.  Workman, a 6'6" guard, brought it up and scored whenever he wanted.  It was a ragged game as time was stopped to mop up the wet floor.....many players were slipping under the basket where players had fallen.  Amherst was ahead by 12 at the half....44-32, I think.  The video feed was on during the half but went out a few minutes into the 2nd half.  Did see A. Toomey in the game.  Oh yes, Amherst's big center entered the game in the last minute of the first half.....so he is not hurt.
Hope the video feel is better for the WPI game.   The live stats was not working.  It had the Amherst seal but only gave the women's game results that was played earlier.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on November 30, 2011, 10:07:54 AM
Congratulations to MIT and WPI on the #9 and #18 ranking. It appears the only competition this year for MIT will come from Salem State and the league schedule. I am impressed with the start all the teams have had. Billy Bender is playing the best basketball of his career right now and he appears to be the X factor at this time. 6 for 7 from 3 is not shabby.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 30, 2011, 02:25:04 PM
This is heady stuff fellow NEWMAC fans!  You think we could line up against NESCAC and not get blown out - team for team?

They still certainly have the most dominant top 3 in the nation but maybe the gap isn't as far apart as I would have thought.............getting ahead of myself I am sure -  but sure would be fun going into the tourney this year with a real chance to win a couple of games +.   

Looking forward to heading up to Worcester twice in December to see the boys play Fitchburg and then West Conn.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on November 30, 2011, 03:50:00 PM
Looking forward to heading up to Worcester twice in December to see the boys play Fitchburg and then West Conn.
-----------------------------------

I'll be up there as well.  Not expecting a good ride back to Danbury.  WPI has a big one next Thursday down in Providence @ RIC.  If West Conn wasn't playing at the same time I'd definitely take the drive out there.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 30, 2011, 06:10:48 PM
Back again.  Seems that Amherst's big man Kaasilla and even star pg was under the weather a little and had to be rested.  Lasell players did cause some early problems with a full court press...until Amherst figured it out and made Lasell pay for it with easy baskets.  Holmes,  the reserve big man, played 24 minutes and had 21 points and 9 boards.  Barrise, Amherst's 3-point shooter (he had five 3's against WPI last year) had a double-double....led the team with 12 boards!  SID write-up provides the particulars...on the Amherst website.
It should be interesting this Friday as Amherst will face undefeated Springfield at Springfield.
Oh yes, congrats to RIC and WPI and the rise of MIT into the top ten.   Amherst plays RIC later in the season....at an interesting time since RIC usually gets better as the season progresses......as others have pointed out.   If all goes well, Amherst may yet meet WPI again and even MIT in the post season.  Got my fingers crossed for that to happen.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 30, 2011, 08:30:44 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 30, 2011, 02:25:04 PM
This is heady stuff fellow NEWMAC fans!  You think we could line up against NESCAC and not get blown out - team for team?

They still certainly have the most dominant top 3 in the nation but maybe the gap isn't as far apart as I would have thought.............getting ahead of myself I am sure -  but sure would be fun going into the tourney this year with a real chance to win a couple of games +.   

Looking forward to heading up to Worcester twice in December to see the boys play Fitchburg and then West Conn.

Rankings done by one of the seasoned posters on the multiregion boards has the NEWMAC as the 3rd strongest conference in the country so far this season, ahead of the NESCAC and just behind the CCIW and WIAC:

https://sites.google.com/site/d3basketballindex/conference-ratings
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 01, 2011, 10:55:39 AM
Pretty cool Nerd - thanks for sharing!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 01, 2011, 11:09:53 AM
Ditto from here.  Nerd, I copied the web site over onto the LEC thread giving you and James Eddy a credit.

Thanks again!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 01, 2011, 02:19:15 PM
Nerd et al - on the same site is a ranking of individual teams nationwide - not sure what the criteria are - maybe Pat C can chime in?  Amherst is 2 in the country followed by none other than WPI - must be a "strength of victory" thing? 

https://sites.google.com/site/d3basketballindex/top-75
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 01, 2011, 02:23:20 PM
Here is actually the link to the explanation of the rankings:  https://sites.google.com/site/d3basketballindex/explanation-of-ranking-system

Don't have time now but will read later........
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2011, 03:49:01 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 01, 2011, 02:19:15 PM
Nerd et al - on the same site is a ranking of individual teams nationwide - not sure what the criteria are - maybe Pat C can chime in?  Amherst is 2 in the country followed by none other than WPI - must be a "strength of victory" thing? 

https://sites.google.com/site/d3basketballindex/top-75

This is simply an RPI-type ranking, like the computer polls in the BCS.  Based on their record, strength of schedule, and margin of victory in those matchups, WPI has the 3rd highest RPI in the country right now. I'm sure there are some small deviations from a true RPI, and other computer polls, but thats pretty much what it is.

They also have predictions:

https://sites.google.com/site/d3basketballindex/dec-1-2011-predictions

MIT is favored by 20 tonight (at Newbury), WPI is favored by 23 (at Lasell), Babson is favored by 22 (at Emerson), Clark is favored by 7 (at Worcester State), and Wheaton is a 2 point underdog (hosting Tufts).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: augie_superfan on December 01, 2011, 06:10:52 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 01, 2011, 02:19:15 PM
Nerd et al - on the same site is a ranking of individual teams nationwide - not sure what the criteria are - maybe Pat C can chime in?  Amherst is 2 in the country followed by none other than WPI - must be a "strength of victory" thing? 

https://sites.google.com/site/d3basketballindex/top-75

Glad to see there are people visiting the site.  Just to be clear, this isn't affliated with D3Boards of D3Hoops in any way, just a little project of my own that I decided to share.

As Hugenerd said, it is similar to the various computer models that are out there....the Massey ratings, Jeff Sagarin's ratings, etc.  The main idea being that it looks at who you play, where you play them and what the outcome of the game was in both win vs. loss and also scoring margin.  By using only this input, I am then able to create predictions for future games and also give a prediction of the scoring margin.

Keep checking the website often as I try to at least put out predictions for the current day's games everyday.  If I have a few extra minutes I try to update the webpage with the updated rankings also.  Otherwise, I try to update everything on there about every other day with the new rankings.

I'm a Midwest guy (Augustana alum) so it's nice for me to be able to look at the rankings and get an idea for how comparable teams from across the country are and I think this system does a decent job at that.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2011, 09:43:02 PM
MIT beats Newbury tonight, 93-50. Newbury didn't seem that bad coming in, they were 3-2 and only lost to Tufts by 6, but MIT gets the blowout. Speaking of Tufts, they beat Wheaton by 17 tonight. WPI, Babson, and Clark all had blowout wins.  The NEWMAC is now a collective 36-5 on the year.

By the way, just saw a boxscore of the MIT game. Hollingsworth had 33 on 14-21 shooting, 14 boards, and 2 blocks. Tasman had another double-double with 12 and 10. Kates led the team with 8 assists and Karraker made 5 3s for 15 points. MIT was +26 on the boards.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 02, 2011, 12:35:38 PM
Augie - really fun site - should stir some great debate throughout the season - I am sure Nerd is thrilled right now that WPI would be favored by 8 (neutral site) over MIT currently......................

Thanks for creating/maintaining and giving D3 basketball some love.................................

I know this is now the instant information age but I wonder if any of the players on these teams look at any of this - would have been fun a million tears ago when I was playing to have these types of sites - of course a lot less enjoyable when we were losing!

Clearly the D1 athletes are inundated with info and images daily - fun for our guys to get some publicity - even if it is only the same 50 people on these sites consistently!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 02, 2011, 01:16:56 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 02, 2011, 12:35:38 PM
Augie - really fun site - should stir some great debate throughout the season - I am sure Nerd is thrilled right now that WPI would be favored by 8 (neutral site) over MIT currently......................

Thanks for creating/maintaining and giving D3 basketball some love.................................

I know this is now the instant information age but I wonder if any of the players on these teams look at any of this - would have been fun a million tears ago when I was playing to have these types of sites - of course a lot less enjoyable when we were losing!

Clearly the D1 athletes are inundated with info and images daily - fun for our guys to get some publicity - even if it is only the same 50 people on these sites consistently!

I am cheering for all the NEWMAC squads right now.  The better the conference does as a whole out-of-conference, the better it is for every team in the conference.  I hope WPI wins all their non-conference games by 30 points and is ranked #1 in the RPI poll, that will only help MITs SOS and their RPI rating as well.  MIT and WPI will have 2-3 matchups this year to sort out who is the better team on the court, so I'm not worried about who would be a favorite on paper.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 02, 2011, 05:18:16 PM
As previously posted, did watch the WPI vs Lasell game last night for a length.  The video feed was clear and on during the time, I watched.  Several comments are now provided.  I did not feel at any time that WPI would not win.  It was a question of by how much.  Lasell did not have any players to counter WPI'S big players inside and or on the boards.  Lasell did play with heart and intensity and caused turnovers/steals and at times fought hard on the boards. When Lasell's outside game went South, they went inside and for the most part was stopped by the bigger WPI players.   WPI seems to have added another big man into the rotation...#55.  He brings alot of energy into the game but his inside game needs more time to develop, IMO.
I do believe that WPI will give many of the NESCAC teams a good game, if not a whipping.  However,.....I found something that, though interesting, would bother me as a WPI supporter.  In the second half, WPI wanted to run up and down the court with Lasell.  Why would they do that....to allow Lasell, IMO, dictate the pace and play of the game.  Was it to see if WPI can play that type of game?  WPI was successful last night because they had the bigger players.  When Lasell raced down the court and drove to the basket, their shots were blocked and the rebounds lost.  When WPI ran the court and dished off to the big men, no one could prevent the baskets. WPI did execute the dish off play well at times, but I believe it will not be an effective offense against the top teams in the NESCAC.  Amherst, Midd., Williams and maybe Bowdoin and even Hamilton have the inside big men to counter.
If any of the WPI posters who watched the game think otherwise....please post.  At least give me an opinion on why WPI's coach would play Lasell's game.....other than a learning experience and to see if they could.  I believe that the stronger better team should control the game and style of play at all times.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 02, 2011, 05:37:30 PM
WPI typically plays a lot of players and tries to run.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 03, 2011, 12:50:32 AM
Amh63

I too watched the game online, when the feed wasn't freezing up.  Wish I could give you some deep insight into the mind of Coach Bartley, but alas, not sure anyone can.  HN is right that he seems to love to want to throw a lot of bodies out there and run.  Personally, I have no problem at all with running when the opportunity is there, but I believe you build your offense from the inside out, especially when you have your best player on the inside. We are beginning to see the blending of a combination similar to Robinson & Carr last year.  Coppola is off to a great start and is probably the best penetrator Engineers have.  He is going to have a ton of assists if he keeps driving and looking for Carr and the other bigs.  The big question mark on him is more on defensive end, especially when WPI begins to play teams with better guards.

As far as style of play goes, I am not sure Bartley has had a center like Carr before.  His teams have mostly been dominated by shooting guards and small forwards.  Those guys normally played more minutes than they seem to want to play Carr.  06-07, Cain (36.2 and Coleman(31.2) played big minutes.  I would want him in game as much as possible to be ready to play teams like RIC, West,Conn, MIT, Springfield, etc. I would want to make the bigs of these teams have to defend him and see if he can get them into foul difficulties.  He is a very good passer and already has more than half the number assists he had all last year in just 5 games this season.  Past WPI centers barely played 20 mpg and were never really a factor in the offensive scheme.

There is no doubt that Coppola is the heir-apparent to the Flynn, Cain, Kirkland & Robinson line of scoring guards. Ryan Kolb is developing into a very good power forward with a good 3 pt shot. David Brown is very good defender and sets up his teammates very well. #55 is Jameel Galloway who has stepped his play up in a big way this season. He does need to improve his inside skills and learn to stay down more defensively, but he does bring high energy when he is in there.  If the Engineers figure out  a rotation that keeps their best players on the court for more minutes, they will much better prepared to get back to the NEWMAC title game and perhaps make a deeper run into the NCAAs than last season.

WPI needs to stay focused tomorrow and Tuesday and not look ahead at that RIC game.  I hope to get to Becker tomorrow.  I want to see how they are looking this year too.

I see Springfield pushed Amherst tonight.  One thing is certain, the conference play this year is going to be something to see.  No games can taken for granted.  Should be great matchups every game night in January & February!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 03, 2011, 01:06:12 PM
Not a good night for the NEWMAC as they go 0-2. Springfield, despite playing not their best, was able to stay with Amherst and had some opportunities when they were within 1-2 possessions late in the 2nd half. Hopefully they get it done in their other tough games over the next week.

Lots of conference teams in action today.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 03, 2011, 05:13:59 PM
MIT gets a 92-52 blowout win this afternoon over Lesley.  Mitch Kates had nearly a perfect game, going 10-10 from the field, 2-2 from 3, and 6-6 from the FT line for 28 points, in addition to 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals.  Noel Hollingsworth added 17 points, Jamie Karraker had 14 (including 4 3s), Billy Bender had 10 points and 12 boards, and Will Tashman nearly outrebounded Lesley himself with 15 boards (MIT held the advantage in that category 50-19).

Babson picked up their first loss today Tufts, Wheaton overcame a 3-15 early deficit to win by 1, and WPI struggled, but pulled out a 5 point win at Becker.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 05, 2011, 12:14:45 AM
Even with the recent losses by Springfield and Babson, the NEWMAC moved to the #2 spot in the rankings of the strongest conferences in D3 by the D3basketball Index:

https://sites.google.com/site/d3basketballindex/conference-ratings

NEWMAC now only trails the WIAC in the rankings.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 05, 2011, 12:15:40 AM
I did manage to get to Leicester to see the WPI/Becker game Saturday.  This was a classic case of a team looking ahead.  WPI played sloppy, undisciplined and with a big lack of focus.  Players were dropping passes & rebounds, blowing east shots, not paying attention to the shot clock, etc. Much of the game offensively they were out of sync, players not seeing open teammates, players only half-heartedly executing plays, etc.

Jamie Shannon recovered from a lousy 1st half (5 turnovers) to post 13 pts in the 2nd and help lead the Engineers to the win.  Coppola put up 15 and Carr had 11.  Carr was off all day, eve missing a break away dunk early in the first half.  He did play big defensively down the stretch and finished with 8 boards, but looked gassed with about 10 minutes left in the game.  He played 37 minutes, Coppola & Shannon each went 38 and they all looked beat at the end.  This is the flaw I was worried about when I saw how the playing time was being dispensed in some of these early games.  None of these guys had been consistently pushing past the 30 minute mark and its hard to jump from 25/26 a game to 37/38 at the snap of a finger.  These kinds of City rivalry games are always played tighter than the teams records show, but this was the kind of 'trap game' I feared could happen for WPI.
It had the same feeling as the game these two teams played at Becker last season when the Hawks upset the Engineers.

This was my first time seeing Becker this year and I liked what I saw.  They played with a lot of heart and pushed the Engineers to the brink.  Their young 6'8" center, Jerome Cohen, at times outplayed Carr and their guards made the WPI backcourt look foolish at times as well. Cohen got to the free throw line more times than the entire WPI team. He finished the game with 16 pts & 8 rebs.  He also did a great job setting screens for the guards.  Becker did a great job of running their defenders into the screens, a huge contrast from the Engineers who still appear to have issues executing that simple fundamental.  A couple of Becker supporters that I sat near also noticed this.  Becker did a good job of getting the ball to a screener on pick & rolls too.

Terrance Favors & Rajai Leggett, the Hawks only seniors, both had bad days going a combined 2 for 17 from the field. They each had 5 turnovers.  Becker got good play from Moody Doherty (16 pts) & Tyler Robertson (11 pts).  Another freshman big, Yahmad Roundtree played well in limited minutes.  Becker has reloaded pretty well, but will need Favors & Leggett to play better if they want to make serious noise in the NECC.

WPI has Colby-Sawyer on Tuesday & then RIC on Thursday.  They need to take the lessons and the big time wake up call from yesterday and apply them this week. They need Carr to return to the level of play he has been giving them all year.  The guards need to see the court better and make crisper passes and recognize what the defense is doing.  And not to beat a dead horse, but this team seriously need to understand how a pick & roll works. They have a group of talented guys setting screens, but the guy with ball hardly ever looks at the roll guy, let alone passes it to him.  This is a simple bread & butter play for most teams, and it can help you get your offense moving when things are not going well.

I'm hoping to get over to Clark this week and see how they look.

It will be interesting to see where in the poll this week MIT & WPI end up.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 05, 2011, 12:18:34 AM
HN

Thanks for the info, great news for conference as a whole!  I really think this years regular season is going to be very different from the past few years, no one is going to be able to take any game for granted.  Any team that does not bring their A game is risking defeat.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 05, 2011, 01:49:23 PM
Hollingsworth is named POW for the second time in 3 weeks:

http://newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW120511
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 06, 2011, 06:34:08 AM
MIT up to their highest ever ranking of #7. WPI also moves up to 15.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 06, 2011, 02:37:01 PM
I apologize Hugenerd.  Notice your round about dig with the Div.1 ranking of Harvard on the NESCAC board.  I too picked up the #24 Harvard ranking.  I have noticed that many of the Ivy teams are winning against opponents in "stronger" leagues this year.  This of interest to me in that there are a number of players that go to the Ivy teams that are "recruited" by Amherst and the other "CAC schools.  Many of the players may have thought of MIT also but MIT's reputation for acad. rigor tends to scare them away...so to speak.
Congrats to the rise of WPI and MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 06, 2011, 09:27:36 PM
Quote from: amh63 on December 06, 2011, 02:37:01 PM
I apologize Hugenerd.  Notice your round about dig with the Div.1 ranking of Harvard on the NESCAC board.  I too picked up the #24 Harvard ranking.  I have noticed that many of the Ivy teams are winning against opponents in "stronger" leagues this year.  This of interest to me in that there are a number of players that go to the Ivy teams that are "recruited" by Amherst and the other "CAC schools.  Many of the players may have thought of MIT also but MIT's reputation for acad. rigor tends to scare them away...so to speak.
Congrats to the rise of WPI and MIT.

MIT actually has players on their roster who did, our could have played Ivy. Noel Hollingsworth transferred from Brown, and Mitch Kates chose MIT over Cornell so he could play right away.

With regards to tonights game against UMB, MIT was not challenged.  They surged out to a 42-8 lead, en route to a 90-47 win. Jamie Karraker set a single game record with 9 three pointers. 

MIT plays their next two games against ORV opponents, Salem State and Tufts, this Thursday and Saturday. Should be fun to see how they perform against some stronger competition.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 06, 2011, 10:16:08 PM
Ivy teams routinely beat teams from stronger leagues on the boys and girls side.  Harvard deserves the ranking based on play so far.  MIT is winning by an average of 31 points per game with the starters averaging only 27 minutes per game. The improved depth that is being developed as well as the decreased minutes should help during league play but especially during tournament time.  This has always been an MIT weakness but might be a strength this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 06, 2011, 10:25:53 PM
Tufts lost to Plymouth State who got crushed by Amherst and got beat pretty well by Salem State. Tufts beat Salem State and a good Babson team which proves that on any given day.................  Good tests this week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on December 06, 2011, 10:31:22 PM
MIT vs. Salem state & WPI vs. RIC...2 good tests for the top 2 in the conference this coming Thursday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 07, 2011, 12:06:31 AM
NEWMAC goes 3-1 tonight with MIT, WPI & Clark winning and Wheaton going down to defeat.  I was looking at the box scores and noticed that Bryan Vayda did not play tonight for Clark. I looked back and saw he has now missed two games.  Anyone out there know if this is injury related or perhaps an illness?  I was hoping to attend the game there tonight, but work prevented that.  Clark is now 5-2 and has won these last two games without Vayda present.  Hopefully this not injury realated.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on December 07, 2011, 10:28:11 AM
I believe Vayda is hurt but could be back anyday.  Clark can is use this time to learn to play without him.  Maybe a good thing for the team.  Tough Becker team up next so I hope Vayda will be back for that.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on December 07, 2011, 12:45:02 PM
I notice MIT and WPI do not travel out of region at all to face stiffer competition during the early season.  Is there a reason for that?  Just curious.  I know they try to schedule a fairly hard schedule in region early on but why not test outside other than for obvious reasons.  At least WPI tries to schedule some tough opponents but MIT?  Maybe academic reasons I would say?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 07, 2011, 01:50:55 PM
Hughnerd......Thanks for the "data input".  Amherst, about 7-8 years ago, also had a Brown transfer that played well his first year at Brown.  However, with his talent and size he never was a consistent contributor to the Amherst team.  Chemistry, desire, etc.....who really knows.  Of course, you know that at MIT, a talented player who plays well one year, may not go out for the team in another year...due to school demands.  MIT should feel lucky that their starters have decided to play for multi years and that the transfers have meshed well in school and on the team.
Tooldtoplay.....My reference to stronger conferences.....refer to conferences like the Big East and mid-level div1 BB schools.  To use a football analogy...somewhat out of date......the Ivy schools are in the IAA whereas BC is IA.  Schools like the Patriot League with scholarship players are this year not only being pushed by the Ivy schools but beaten by them. To clear the air on any ill feelings, I am a dues paying graduate of MIT....two graduate degrees from MIT and a yearly donor to the Alumni Fund.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 07, 2011, 02:58:36 PM
NEWMACKJACK

There are plenty of very, very good teams to play in the NE Region.  It is the biggest region by # of teams and you can find great competition here.  Not really sure what MITs overall strategies are when it comes to scheduling.  It's obvious they have a great team and are not scheduling like they are a great team.  While Salem St & Tufts are good teams, MIT should really have no major issue with them.  I would like to see MIT add in games vs RIC, West. Conn, etc.  Who would not love to see MIT/Amherst, MIT/Middlebury or MIT/Williams?  I wish WPI had also picked up a game against one of those upper tier NESCAC teams.  Springfield decided to take on 2 of them inside a week!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 07, 2011, 03:02:27 PM
Here is a link to an article in the Worcester Telegram today on WPI's Matt Carr

http://www.telegram.com/article/20111207/COLUMN11/112079894/1009/sports

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 07, 2011, 04:35:32 PM
Thanks Mass

What are everyone thoughts on the MIT and WPI games tomorrow?  I don't see Salem giving MIT too much trouble - would likely be good for MIT if it was competitive into the 2nd half.

WPI at RIC is close to pick em' if you ask me?  Our D3 "RPI" makes WPI basically a 4 point favorite which I guess is about right.

Fun test for both and would go a huge way toward giving WPI some wiggle room the rest of the way.

Predictions:

MIT 90  Salem State  71
WPI 73  RIC 72
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 07, 2011, 04:41:49 PM
Quote from: amh63 on December 07, 2011, 01:50:55 PM
Hughnerd......Thanks for the "data input".  Amherst, about 7-8 years ago, also had a Brown transfer that played well his first year at Brown.  However, with his talent and size he never was a consistent contributor to the Amherst team.  Chemistry, desire, etc.....who really knows.  Of course, you know that at MIT, a talented player who plays well one year, may not go out for the team in another year...due to school demands.  MIT should feel lucky that their starters have decided to play for multi years and that the transfers have meshed well in school and on the team.
Tooldtoplay.....My reference to stronger conferences.....refer to conferences like the Big East and mid-level div1 BB schools.  To use a football analogy...somewhat out of date......the Ivy schools are in the IAA whereas BC is IA.  Schools like the Patriot League with scholarship players are this year not only being pushed by the Ivy schools but beaten by them. To clear the air on any ill feelings, I am a dues paying graduate of MIT....two graduate degrees from MIT and a yearly donor to the Alumni Fund.

No ill feelings at all.  About the MIT players and academics, though, I don't know when you were last around the program, but I was a grad assistant 6 years ago and was close to the program since that time until I defended my thesis earlier this year, and I never saw anyone leave the program because of the academics. There clearly have been players that have left, but the vast majority of the time that occurs because players dont truly love the game and would rather do other things. As you know. MIT does not make concessions in admissions for its athletes, and therefore the players that are accepted are well equipped to handle the academic rigors. However, not everyone that has come to play in the past has loved the game, and since basketball is a large time commitment, they decide to do other things. The more recent group of guys are really dedicated to the game and the program, in addition to being very talented, which has translated into unprecedented success at MIT. I know that Coach Anderson and the rest of his staff continue to go after these kinds of players, which will only grow the program going forward.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on December 07, 2011, 04:48:13 PM
I think MIT and WPI roll to easy victories....go NEWMAC
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on December 07, 2011, 05:06:05 PM
MIT 89 Salem state 71
WPI 70 RIC 74....but that's more of a homer pick than anything else.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 07, 2011, 05:59:27 PM
Hate to say this, but I think RIC wins it 68-60. Akinrola/Carr will effectively be a wash and I think the difference will be the experience for RIC over the younger Engineers.  For most of them, this will be their first taste of a top opponent on the road.  Win or lose, it will be a learning experience for the whole team that should only help as the season moves on.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 07, 2011, 10:59:41 PM
Quote from: amh63 on December 07, 2011, 01:50:55 PM
Hughnerd......Thanks for the "data input".  Amherst, about 7-8 years ago, also had a Brown transfer that played well his first year at Brown.  However, with his talent and size he never was a consistent contributor to the Amherst team.  Chemistry, desire, etc.....who really knows.  Of course, you know that at MIT, a talented player who plays well one year, may not go out for the team in another year...due to school demands.  MIT should feel lucky that their starters have decided to play for multi years and that the transfers have meshed well in school and on the team.
Tooldtoplay.....My reference to stronger conferences.....refer to conferences like the Big East and mid-level div1 BB schools.  To use a football analogy...somewhat out of date......the Ivy schools are in the IAA whereas BC is IA.  Schools like the Patriot League with scholarship players are this year not only being pushed by the Ivy schools but beaten by them. To clear the air on any ill feelings, I am a dues paying graduate of MIT....two graduate degrees from MIT and a yearly donor to the Alumni Fund.


Ivy league Princeton just knocked off Big East Rutgers by 2 tonight, something that they used to routinely do. They have played every year for nearly a century. Great rivalry. Never take an instate opponent lightly. New coach at Rutgers finding out its just not that easy.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 08, 2011, 03:16:49 PM
Tooldtoplay.....I must bow to a more knowledgeable poster.
It is interesting to note that Harvard plays UConn tonight on ESPN around 7 PM, I believe. To provide complete disclosure here, my wife is an UConn grad. and my older brother is a multi-degree Harvard grad.  Should never have opened the can of worms about the Harvard vs. MIT game that started Hugenerd to post on the NESCAC board.....though he is most welcome to continue.
I will be watching the Amherst vs. Babson game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 08, 2011, 08:50:17 PM
Connecticut 67 Harvard 53
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 08, 2011, 08:57:08 PM
MIT had a relatively comfortable win against Salem State this evening, leading by double-figures the final 28 minutes of the game, a lead which got to as high as 28 points, with the final margin of 78-66.  For the second game in a row, MIT was led by Jamie Karraker, who had 28 points behind 7-16 shooting from 3.  Noel Hollingsworth had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 2 steals. Will Tashman had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, in addition to 6 assists. Mitch Kates was key in guiding the offense, as usual, with 8 assists to go along with 14 points and 6 boards.

MIT improves to 10-0 and will travel to Tufts this Saturday for their second-to-last game of the non-conference slate.

Not a good night for the rest of the NEWMAC, unfortunately.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 08, 2011, 10:40:19 PM
Very poor showing for WPI at RIC tonight.  Akinrola dominated Carr inside and RIC's defense harassed Coppola into a 4 for 16 evening.  Lone bright spots for the Engineers were David Brown who led them with 13 pts, Domenick Mastascusa had 9 and Chad LaBove played very well inside in relief of Carr.

RIC held the engineers to 34% from the field. RIC will certainly be up in the Top 25 next week.  Not sure how far WPI will fall.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 09, 2011, 12:02:37 AM

The Cave strikes again.  I've never been in a gym with a better home court advantage.  The place was so dark, even in the middle of the afternoon.  It's also got strange dimensions (the space itself, not the court).

It obviously doesn't explain everything, but it is a distinct advantage for RIC and they definitely feed off it as a team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 09, 2011, 04:40:05 PM
Salem State ran into a buzz saw in MIT. That is the best first half of basketball they have played in the last few years. I thought Salem State played great and still was down 15 at the half. They hit their shots, pressured the ball and battled hard. MIT was just executing like a machine. It is the first game the starters were asked to play hard minutes (all played 35+) and it showed middle of the second half with a defensive letdown and some sloppy play.

Next up is very good Tufts team on Saturday with a different style. They also beat Salem State by 12. Great matchup.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 10, 2011, 03:56:10 PM
MIT pulls it out. Wasnt pretty, and MIT shot poorly and Tashman was in foul trouble, but Hollingsworth showed why he is an AA and Mitch Kates also showed why he is the leader of the team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on December 10, 2011, 06:49:52 PM
Anyone get any info on Clark this year??  Western gets them on Monday night in a game I think was added pretty late because when our originally schedule game out (early September) the game wasn't on there.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 10, 2011, 07:15:19 PM
They are a much better team with All-NEWMAC forward Brian Vayda in the lineup. He has missed the last few games, although I am unsure of the cause.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 10, 2011, 11:55:01 PM
WPI bounces back with a 100-80 in over Fitchburg St. 

Carr – 26 pts, 6 rebs
Coppola – 22 pts, 5 assts
Galloway – 10pts, 4 rebs
Mastascusa – 10pts, 5 rebs
Brown 9 pts, 4 assts
Shannon – 5 pts, 7 assts
Kolb – 9pts, 3 rebs

Carr & Galloway combined to go 5 for 5 from beyond the arc.

Merry Christmas To All !!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 11, 2011, 11:19:08 PM
MIT-Tufts highlights:

http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2011/12/7-mit-wins-thriller-at-tufts.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 12, 2011, 01:19:01 PM
Congrats to Jamie Karraker for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week! 

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 12, 2011, 07:22:56 PM
New rankings are out, MIT climbs to #4, WPI drops to #20.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 13, 2011, 03:06:44 PM
#4 is pretty cool.  I could see an ESPN segment coming soon.  Congrats to those Engineers.  Tough to win every night but their main obstacles may be the 2 games against WPI!

Assuming they are done till break - I have not looked?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 13, 2011, 03:22:06 PM
They play their last non-conference game against Wheelock tomorrow and then are off until January.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 13, 2011, 03:26:58 PM
There is a D3hoops front page story that Wheelock has replaced its head coach....the only one it ever had.  Should be interesting to see how the team reacts to the change of coaches in the upcoming game against MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 13, 2011, 03:34:07 PM
Quote from: amh63 on December 13, 2011, 03:26:58 PM
There is a D3hoops front page story that Wheelock has replaced its head coach....the only one it ever had.  Should be interesting to see how the team reacts to the change of coaches in the upcoming game against MIT.

They already played 2 games since the resignation, including last night against Mt. Ida, which they won. Their coach now is the AD, without any assistants, who used to be the Curry women's coach.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 17, 2011, 09:40:31 PM
MIT gets an early commitment, 6'8" Miles Nolting from Florida:

http://www.pinecrest.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=123277&rc=0

Video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arXJcGGuWVc
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on December 18, 2011, 12:09:14 AM
Interesting. Has a hook shot a bit like Hollingsworth. Next center in training next year??

From source hoops scouting service:

Miles Nolting, 6'9 center, Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest: No player, and I mean no player, surprised us the way Nolting did.  He looks like your average tall, plodding post player that can't jump over the daily paper.  Once the ball went up, those thoughts went out the window.  Nolting scored on jump hooks inside, connected on a baseline drive after using a ball-fake to lift the defender out of position, knocked down an eighteen footer and dunked home a couple of offensive rebounds.  He has good touch around the rim for putbacks, passes well from both the high and low post areas and plays very hard.  No, he isn't a great athlete but his performance will certainly put more letters in his mailbox.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 18, 2011, 10:19:13 PM
Article about Bartolotta overseas this season:

http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2011/12/bartolotta-continues-dominance-overseas.html?m=0
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 28, 2011, 11:04:35 PM
Tough loss for WPI today against Western Conn.

Carr played very well, even with foul issues.  He posted a double-double with 22 points and 11 boards and kept the Colonials from doing much of anything inside.  Offensively, Coppola had 24 and Jamie Shannon put up 17.

Brooks scored 40 and got the line for almost twice as many attempts as the entire WPI team - although 11 of them came in the final 1:18 of the game. He also had a game-high 9 assists.

As I posted earlier on the LEC forum, the difference in this game was WCSU's ability to hit the open 3s (14 for 25) that WPI seemed to keep gift wrapping for them.  The Engineers were defending the interior fine (No surprise, we all knew Western was not going to win this game by going inside anyway), but they kept coming off the Colonials perimeter shooters anyway.  Brooks had 6 assists in the first half, all of them leading to 3's, including a 4-pt play by Ryan Pelletier to close out the half.  The Engineers never adjusted to the fact they could not keep sliding off to help where help was not required.  Coach Campbell did a great job managing Brooks and keeping him focused.

Good win for the Colonials on the road. 

Not quite sure what to make of this, but apparently senior Fernando Perez and junior Ricardo Bonhomme are no longer on the team.  They were not listed on today's program and tonight when I looked at the stats page, they are listed now as not active.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 28, 2011, 11:12:43 PM
Clark wins easily over Southern Maine, 82-62.  Vayda did not play again.

Travis Curley (23pts), Mitch Renshaw(15pts), DJ Bailey(13), Tucker Esborn(10pts) and Drew Billington(7assts) led the Cougars.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 29, 2011, 01:42:02 PM
Nice article on Marco Coppola as part of the write of the game Vs WCSU.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20111229/NEWS/112299881/1009/sports

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on December 30, 2011, 10:19:06 PM
Clark loses to #22 Birmingham Southern by one, 58-57, tonight in New Orleans in the Big Easy tournament.  The game was close throughout--nine ties and ten lead changes an neither team having a lead of more than 7.  The key stat might have been Clark going 5-19 from three point land.  The Cougars do not seem to have a guard like WPIs Coppola who can shoot them back into the game when the regular offense is sputtering.

Clark again played without leading scorer Brian Vadya, whose last game was on Nov. 29th.  Clark is a senior laden team that has come together nicely in Vadya's absence and will be a tough out when league play begins next week even without Vadya.  If Vadya can return (and I don't know what his injury is) they are deep enough and experienced enough to win the league tournament notwithstanding their current 7-5 record. Except for a season opening 18 point loss to RIC, they've been in every game and their losses have been by 2,3,3 and 1 to good teams (Hamilton, Becker, Western CT and B'ham Southern), 3 of which occured during Vadya's absence.  Notwithstanding their record, this is one of Coach Phillips' best coaching jobs, and if Vadya returns I would not want to face them in the league tournament.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 31, 2011, 03:05:30 PM
Watching WPI/St Joes game.
Nice Video quality on the WPI site!!!  Best I have seen!

WPI 54 St Joes 40
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 31, 2011, 08:54:01 PM
WPI defeats St. Joes(ME) 68-58.  Better defensive effort today from the Engineers. Offensively David Brown led WPI with a career high 18 points, going 5 for 7 from 3-pt land.  Matt Carr posted 16 points, 7 boards and 2 blocks. Marco Coppola had 11points and 7 assists. Sam Longwell came off the bench with 4 points and 6 rebounds.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 01, 2012, 08:49:36 PM
Springfield loses to Eastern Conn., 59-46.  Eastern completely shutdown the Pride today holding them to 31% from the field and forcing Springfield's top scorer Alex Berthiaume to and 0 for 13 and only 3 pts on the day.  Jordan rote was the lone starter to score more than 5 pts as he finished with 10.  Pat Rossi came off the bench to score 10.  Ryan Coburn grabbed 6 boards, but was held to 3 pts.

The Pride have to regroup quickly as they travel to Cambridge on Wednesday to play #4 MIT in the conference opener for both teams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 02, 2012, 01:42:51 PM
Congratulations to Matt Carr of WPI for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW010212

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 03, 2012, 04:42:04 PM
MIT receives a vote for #1 in this week's poll!  Looks like the comparative performance against Salem State won someone over.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 04, 2012, 12:35:06 PM
I think the WPI women's score (if you had the Lady Engineers +69 in Vegas against Amherst, you lost) was so bad, it actually dropped the men's team a couple of spots in the polls (kidding.........mostly).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 05, 2012, 12:00:04 AM
MIT survives against Springfield, 67-59

MIT:

Tashman - 18 pts, 6 rbs, 2 assts
Hollingsworth - 14 pts, 7 rbs, 2 assts, 2 blks
Karraker - 11 pts, 2 stls
Kates - 8 pts, 5 assts
Bender - 7 pts, 8 rbs

Springfield:

Berthiaume - 16 pts, 5 assts, 2 stls
Sienkiewicz - 9 pts, 3 rbs
Rote - 9 pts, 1 stl, 1 blk
Coburn - 8 pts, 5 rbs, 1 blk


WPI beats Coast Guard, 64-53

WPI:

Carr - 12 pts, 8 rbs, 2 blks, 2 assts
Copolla - 12 pts, 5 rbs, 4 assts, 4 stls
Kolb - 9 pts, 3 rbs
Brown - 7 pts, 6 rbs
Shannnon - 4 pts, 6 assts, 3 blks


Coast Guard:

Weems - 15 pts, 3 rbs, 3 stls
Knudsen - 14 pts, 6 rbs, 4 stls
Marshall - 9 pts, 4 rbs
Fernandez - 7 rbs



Babson defeats Clark, 71-64

Palazini - 20 pts, 1 stl
Rudolph - 14 pts, 3 rbs, 3 assts
Mack - 9 pts, 5 rbs
Florio - 8 pts, 8 assts
Wickey - 6 pts, 5 rebs, 1 blk
Braithwaite - 4 pts, 7 rbs

Clark:

Bailey - 14 pts, 4 rbs, 2 assts, 1 blk
Curley - 11 pts, 2 rbs
Esborn - 9 pts, 4 rbs
Renshaw - 9 pts, 9 rbs, 2 assts
Gubitose - 8 pts, 2 rbs

Still No Brian Vayda for Clark - Anyone know what the issue is with him ?






Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 07, 2012, 04:00:15 PM
MIT crushes Wheaton today by 33. No player for Wheaton scored over 8 points or had more than 3 rebounds.  Starters played limited minutes because of the blowout. Karraker hit 8 3s to lead MIT, Kates had 15 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2012, 02:25:40 PM
MIT's Jamie Karraker win's POW for the 2nd time this season, 4th time an MIT player has won out of 6 total weeks the award has been given out:

http://newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW010912

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 09, 2012, 04:14:21 PM
Hugenerd......It would seem that MIT should move up in the standings this week, given the lost by the 3rd ranked team last week.  Maybe even get points to crowd Virginia Wes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2012, 09:18:52 PM
Quote from: amh63 on January 09, 2012, 04:14:21 PM
Hugenerd......It would seem that MIT should move up in the standings this week, given the lost by the 3rd ranked team last week.  Maybe even get points to crowd Virginia Wes.

MIT indeed moves up to 3 in the country, 21 points behind VA Wesleyan and 17 ahead of Emory (both about an average of 1 place in the poll). 

MIT has their first 2 conference road games this week, but it appears they shook the rust off in the NEWMAC opener, and played pretty well against Wheaton.  Hopefully they keep it rolling this week. A win on Wednesday ties MITs all-time consecutive wins mark (15).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 10, 2012, 07:17:45 AM
Congrats to MIT for moving up to #3 and to WPI for returning to the Top 25 at #24.

Congratulations also to Jamie Karraker for his 2nd POW award. 

MIT has a couple of road games, but should have no issues with Coast Guard & Babson.  WPI has 2 home games this week including Wednesday against a 9-4 Trinity squad.  Springfield has Babson at home & Wheaton on the road.  Clark has two home games with Wheaton & Coast Guard.

Still No info on Brian Vayda's status. I haven't heard anything here. I'm starting to wonder if Clark has tried to get a medical red-shirt for him if he may be back next year for a grad year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 10, 2012, 08:54:52 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on January 10, 2012, 07:17:45 AM
Still No info on Brian Vayda's status. I haven't heard anything here. I'm starting to wonder if Clark has tried to get a medical red-shirt for him if he may be back next year for a grad year.

Noel Hollingsworth did the same thing last year, after going down 6 games into the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on January 11, 2012, 02:48:58 PM
MIT vs Coast Guard at 7 ET

Broadcast link
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/coast-guard-sports

Feel free to tune in. (e-mail us during broadcast at cgbears2008@aol.com)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 11, 2012, 04:09:06 PM
Thanks ATN - here is to hoping the Bears keep it close for as long as possible.  I have watched your broadcasts - you guys do a great job - keep it up!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 11, 2012, 09:17:38 PM
Routine win for MIT, 83-55. Hollingsworth had 24 points in 27 minutes. Tashman had 21 points and 14 boards in 27 minutes. MIT ties the Institute record for consecutive wins at 15, they look to break the record at Babson on Saturday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on January 11, 2012, 10:09:58 PM
In the spirit of MIT, can I propose that someone on this board do an "unbeaten season" probability calculation?

That's an impressive team they've got there, Hugenerd...

(thanks to those who tuned in tonight...had a larger audience than usual)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 12, 2012, 08:00:39 AM
Quote from: atn alum on January 11, 2012, 10:09:58 PM
In the spirit of MIT, can I propose that someone on this board do an "unbeaten season" probability calculation?

That's an impressive team they've got there, Hugenerd...

(thanks to those who tuned in tonight...had a larger audience than usual)

Nice broadcast as usual, Mark.  I was listening but didnt email in. 

I agree the team has been quite impressive this year.  Clearly they have the dominant front line in the NEWMAC, and possibly one of the best in the country, in Tashman and Hollingsworth.  In addition, they have 4 young big men (3 freshman and 1 sophomore), all who are at least 6'8", that they can bring in to rest their starters when needed.  Add to that one of the best point guards in the country, in my opinion, (Kates) and two very solid wings in Karraker and Bender, and it is a lineup that is hard to match up with.  The beauty of the lineup is that you really have to guard all 5 players on the court.  Kates can take it to the basket at anytime or make his own shot, Hollingsworth and Tashman are strong in the post, and occasionally step out to make jumpers also, but if you try to double on any of those 3 guys, Karraker and Bender will pick you apart from behind the arc (both shoot ~50% from 3).  Karraker has been the beneficiary of many wide open 3s as teams have tried to double or triple on Hollingsworth and, to his credit, he has made them pay (averaging over 4.5 three-pointers made per game).  The exciting part is that the team will only get better as the season goes on, as all their young guys get more experience (the aforementioned big men, as well as the backup point guard, freshman Paul Dawson).

Also, with regard to the probability of going undefeated.  Since all games are independent events, one could simply multiply the odds of winning each individual game together (from Massey, for example), which would give you the odds of winning all games.  Because they still have 9 games left, the calculated odds are only about 10% that they will go undefeated, but that is because they still have a relatively large number of games remaining.  They are favorites in every remaining game this season.  As they get closer to the end of the season, and remain undefeated, those odds will increase.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 14, 2012, 04:27:01 PM
Spirited effort for Babson today, but MIT comes away with the 72-63 victory. MIT was led by point guard Mitch Kates in about every way possible, as he had team and game highs in points (20, 8-12 FG), rebounds (8), assists (6), and steals (2). Tashman and Hollingsworth each added 16 points, Bender had 11, and Jamie Karraker was 3-3 from 3 for 9 points.  MIT now has a week break until they host WPI on January 21.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 15, 2012, 12:14:03 AM
MIT has so many weapons. Last weapon is Mitchell who turns the extra gear on only when needed as evidenced by Tufts game and now Babson.  No one cares who scores, only who wins the game. It is the beauty of upperclassmen. With that type of unselfish play, the sky is the limit.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 15, 2012, 10:13:04 PM
WPI beaten by Wheaton 65-51.  The Engineers looked extremely tired.  No legs at all, got beaten to almost every loose ball and badly out rebounded.  The Engineer guards were routinely beaten off the dribble all day.  Only bright spot for WPI was Carr who put up another double-double with 21 points and 13 boards to go with 3 blocks. Coppola scored 10 and Sam Longwell added 3 treys for 9 points.

Give a lot of credit to Will Bayliss of Wheaton who put up a game-high 23 - most all of them on dribble drives. Also the Lyon 3-pt shooters had a good day going 9 for 20 with a great number of those shots being unchallenged.  Another game where WPI leaves weak side shooters alone to  go help when help was not needed (Daily,Desravines, Capstick, Naylor & Clinesmith combined for only 12 pts).  Another game with virtually no changes or adjustments as the contest played out, only difference this time over the previous 2 was no miracle ending.

Clark beat Coast Guard, 76-65. Travis Curley had a game-high 28 points, Tucker Esborn scored 14, DJ Bailey posted 13 points and 6 boards, Mitch Renshaw contributed 7 pts & 8 rebounds and Drew Billingham had 10 assists.

For Coast Guard, Greg Marshall had 18 points, Trip Fernandez scored 13, David Anderson chipped in with 12 & John Benedict added 8 boards.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 16, 2012, 01:36:21 PM
Congrats to Will Tashman for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW011612

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 16, 2012, 07:28:07 PM
WPI drops out of rankings.

MIT still at #3, but gets more votes than last week.  They are now 20 points back of VA Wesleyan.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 18, 2012, 06:46:07 AM
Much better performance last night for WPI from an energy perspective.  Marco Coppola got back on track with 29 points to lead the offense. Matt Carr posted his 3rd double-double in the last 4 games with 13 points & 14 rebounds.  Sam Longwell nailed 3 from beyond the arc in his first start & Ryan Kolb added 9 off the bench.

Clark made a good surge in the 2nd half to get the lead down to 5, but the Engineers pulled away win 64-51.  The Cougars were led by Marko Radovic's 14 points.  DJ Bailey & Marcus Armstrong both scored 8 points and Bailey grabbed 7 boards.

Also, according to this morning's paper here in Worcester, Brian Vayda has a broken foot and is out for the year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 20, 2012, 09:27:25 AM
Hate to poke the Nerdy Lion in the nose, but I have a good feeling about tomorrow.  Logically you would think WPI will play MIT tough in 1 of the 2 (or 3) games this year.  Logic would also lead to that being in Worcester later in the year.

However - I just have a feeling Carr keeps the Crimson clad Engineers in the game and a couple fluky long range 3's late actually lead to the big upset.

Then MIT can spank us in a month in Worcester.

Just a feeling - we shall see.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 20, 2012, 12:14:00 PM
WPI189.....Great "out of the box" thinking!  Like the "throw the glove" approach.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 21, 2012, 04:44:40 PM
MIT couldn't get it done today, giving up 25 points more than they have averaged this year.

Looks like the difference was turnovers (WPI was +9).


Although it was in a losing effort, congrats to Mitch Kates on surpassing 1000 career points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 21, 2012, 09:42:38 PM
Terrible weather day here in Massachusetts today, but my wife & I went to spend the weekend with some old friends in the North Shore last night so the ride to MIT today was not too bad. We all had a good time watching two very good teams battle it out today and then back to their place to enjoy a little winter barbeque.  We watched Notre Dame upset the Orangemen as we let the steaks sizzle on the grill.

This was a HUGE win for WPI at MIT today. It was the best team play I have seen from the WPI squad in all the games I have seen this year. They moved the ball much better and found open guys or players with good position most all day. They also played a very, very good defensive game.

Hate to disagree with the Dr. HN, but the difference was not turnovers, only +5 in points for WPI in that category. From a category standpoint it was 2nd chance points as WPI won that one 13 to 2. In the 2nd half, the real difference was Carr holding Hollingsworth to 3 points and 2 boards in the 2nd half.  Meanwhile the WPI center put up 9 points, grabbed 5 boards, had two big assists in the stretch where WPI opened the game up a couple of blocks.  It was a pleasure to watch these two very talented bigs play head to head for an entire game.  Noel had a good 1st half with 12 points.

Another key for the visiting Engineers was the play of their young players, Sam Longwell (14 pts, 5 boards), Ryan Kolb(10 pts, 3 rebs)  & Domenick Mastascusa(9 pts, 4 rebs).  These guys all stepped up their play on a big stage today. Kolb & Mastascusa combined to do a very good job on Will Tashman. He did get the line for 9 pts, but was only 1 for 4 shooting with only 2 rebounds and fouled out. David Brown(10 pts, 3rbs) & Jamie Shannon(17 pts, 5 assts) also put forth stellar efforts on both ends of the court today. Carr finished with 18 pts & 8 rebounds.

It was a very big win for the Engineers who played without their 2nd leading scorer Marco Coppola.  The chat in the crowd was a possible knee injury for him. 

For MIT, Mitchell Kates was their top performer with 22 points, 7 assists & 4 rebounds. Hollingsworth had 15 points and 4 boards. Billy Bender pulled down game high 10 rebounds to go with 4 points.  Jamie Karraker posted 11 points, as did Tashman.

I will 2nd HN's congrats to Mitchell Kates for getting his 1,000th point.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 22, 2012, 09:55:25 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on January 21, 2012, 09:42:38 PM
Terrible weather day here in Massachusetts today, but my wife & I went to spend the weekend with some old friends in the North Shore last night so the ride to MIT today was not too bad. We all had a good time watching two very good teams battle it out today and then back to their place to enjoy a little winter barbeque.  We watched Notre Dame upset the Orangemen as we let the steaks sizzle on the grill.

This was a HUGE win for WPI at MIT today. It was the best team play I have seen from the WPI squad in all the games I have seen this year. They moved the ball much better and found open guys or players with good position most all day. They also played a very, very good defensive game.

Hate to disagree with the Dr. HN, but the difference was not turnovers, only +5 in points for WPI in that category. From a category standpoint it was 2nd chance points as WPI won that one 13 to 2. In the 2nd half, the real difference was Carr holding Hollingsworth to 3 points and 2 boards in the 2nd half.  Meanwhile the WPI center put up 9 points, grabbed 5 boards, had two big assists in the stretch where WPI opened the game up a couple of blocks.  It was a pleasure to watch these two very talented bigs play head to head for an entire game.  Noel had a good 1st half with 12 points.

Another key for the visiting Engineers was the play of their young players, Sam Longwell (14 pts, 5 boards), Ryan Kolb(10 pts, 3 rebs)  & Domenick Mastascusa(9 pts, 4 rebs).  These guys all stepped up their play on a big stage today. Kolb & Mastascusa combined to do a very good job on Will Tashman. He did get the line for 9 pts, but was only 1 for 4 shooting with only 2 rebounds and fouled out. David Brown(10 pts, 3rbs) & Jamie Shannon(17 pts, 5 assts) also put forth stellar efforts on both ends of the court today. Carr finished with 18 pts & 8 rebounds.

It was a very big win for the Engineers who played without their 2nd leading scorer Marco Coppola.  The chat in the crowd was a possible knee injury for him. 

For MIT, Mitchell Kates was their top performer with 22 points, 7 assists & 4 rebounds. Hollingsworth had 15 points and 4 boards. Billy Bender pulled down game high 10 rebounds to go with 4 points.  Jamie Karraker posted 11 points, as did Tashman.

I will 2nd HN's congrats to Mitchell Kates for getting his 1,000th point.

Feel free to disagree, I didn't watch the game, just a quick glance at the boxscore.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 23, 2012, 10:51:36 AM
WOW - thanks for the recap MASSD3.  Must have been fun.  Like I said pre-game - I thought they would come out playing for their lives - I also think it possible (likely) that MIT pounds them next month in Worcester.

Congrats to the Crimson and Gray!

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 23, 2012, 11:45:59 PM
WPI89

It was a great atmosphere.  Good crowd from WPI and a good student group from MIT.  It had the feel and emotion of a post-season game.  Both teams played hard and left it all on the court. It was a very big win for WPI, no question.  Especially after the very poor performance against Wheaton.  Going to be another big one on Wednesday at Springfield.  Last year the Pride outplayed the Engineers out there and kept them from the undefeated conference season.

Congratulations to Springfield's Alex Berthiume for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW012312


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on January 25, 2012, 06:56:55 PM
Does it take an MIT education to get the game on the web through their website?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 25, 2012, 08:56:17 PM
Quote from: NEWMACJACK on January 25, 2012, 06:56:55 PM
Does it take an MIT education to get the game on the web through their website?

I think just a credit card....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 25, 2012, 08:56:36 PM
Springfield down 2 with 10.7 seconds left in OT, hits 2 FTs to tie it.  Then on WPIs next possesion, they get a long rebound and hit a buzzer beater to win it by 2.

Final: Springfield 65, WPI 63
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 25, 2012, 11:13:54 PM
Actually HN it was not a turnover, it was a long rebound that got batted around then knocked towards the Springfield basket. Martin outraced everyone and released the ball just before the clock expired for his only basketof the night.  Heads up play by him!

Carr played another great game inside with game highs of 25 points & 12 boards.  Mastascusa had a career high 16 pts to go with 6 boards.  Springfield hung tough in the first half when Coburn got 2 fouls on the games first 2 possesions.  WPI failed to capitalize on that. While Carr did have 11, WPI shot 2 for 8 from beyond the arc in a situation that really dictated taking the ball to the rim.  Not sure why this team wants to constantly wind the shot clock down to 10 seconds or less before seriously attempting to do anything.  Offensive execution was very weak and defensively they had trouble staying in front of the Pride guards all night. 13 turnovers  (5 by Shannon) in the first half just completely took the team out of any sense of rythm.  The focus & concentration was just not there tonight.  They had control over their own post-season fate, but no longer.

Springfield now holds that honor.  The Pride survived and now has a good shot a wrestling control of the conference from MIT.  Still a long way to go, but Springfield is sitting a pretty good place. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 26, 2012, 12:21:57 AM
I stand corrected, my video was real choppy - it stuck right after the made free throws and came in as Springfield was racing down the court for a layup.  I assumed it was a steal but that makes sense also.  Good win for the pride.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 26, 2012, 10:45:19 AM
Not an issue HN, my schedule may force me to watch the next couple of WPI games via the net.  I was my way to NY state for buisness last night so i stopped in to see the game.  I missed the first 5 minutes or so.  I was talking to a couple of Springfield supporters and got the low down on the start of the game with Coburn's 2 fouls. The first was a good call, and the 2nd was a questionable offensive foul.  Then his backup Evan Christner got a couple of quick fouls too. I was surprised that Coach Brock did not go off and get a 'T', but he made up for it in the 2nd half, getting 2 and being tossed.  Good work on the bench by the assistants to keep things working smoothly and constructing some nice plays out of timeouts down the stretch of regulation and OT.

It was an exciting game from a basketball fan's perspective.  Great one if you were a Pride supporter, not so much if your rooting interests lie with the Engineers. A good thing WPI followers can take from the game is the continuing development of Domenick Mastascusa.  He has had two very good games against the top teams in the conference.  He has a good game inside and from the perimeter. 

On the really not so good side, Marco Coppola was on crutches.  I was not able to find anyone who knew any details about what his situation is.  I still had a bit of a ride so I left right after the game ended and did not really chat with anyone.  I did see that MIT recovered from the weekend nicely with an easy win over Clark. 

The second half of the conference season should be very interesting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 30, 2012, 08:44:17 PM
Congrats to Noel Hollingsworth for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW013012

I saw the box score & write up on the Springfield-Babson game.  Great win for Babson.  Terrible game for Springfield.  Much like WPI did not play well after their big win at MIT, the Pride fell asleep at Babson, shooting 34.5% and commiting 24 turnovers including 4 in OT.  Great clutch performance by Alex Rudolph.

Everything still up in the air as the week shapes up with some big games:

Wednesday

Babson at WPI
Coast Guard at Springfield
MIT at Wheaton

Thursday

Wheaton at Worcester St.

Saturday

WPI at Coast Guard
Babson at Clark
MIT at Springfield



Just saw that the new poll is out.  MIT steps up to #5.  WPI stil getting some consideration at ORV #31 with Albertus Magnus.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 30, 2012, 10:53:54 PM
Congratulation to Noel and MIT for a good week and moving up. Hollingsworth, Tashman and Karraker all have multiple players of the week. One name notably missing from that group and  arguably the most important player on the team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 30, 2012, 10:58:18 PM
Babson did a great job at the end of the game. The coaching the last 15 seconds was perfect and Brennan made all the right calls. Kudos to him and Babson who stays in the hunt for a playoff birth.   It brings up the age old question.  Should you commit the foul when leading by 3 late?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on January 30, 2012, 11:33:49 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on January 30, 2012, 10:58:18 PM
It brings up the age old question.  Should you commit the foul when leading by 3 late?

Unless your playing a team that's very poor shooting the 3 (statistically) and very good at free throw shooting and offensive rebounding (also statistically), than I agree you should foul with 4 seconds or less to go.  The other team has a better chance to hit the 3, then they have to hit the free throw, miss the 2nd, get the offensive rebound, AND make the basket to tie the game.  Lots of things have to go right via fouling, whereas, if you let the team shoot, all you need is a good shooter that's ready to shoot once the ball gets to him.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 31, 2012, 01:56:05 AM
"Hollingsworth, Tashman and Karraker all have multiple players of the week."

Actually it's

Hollingsworth - 3
Karraker - 2
Tashman - 1
Carr - 1
Coppola-1
Berthiume - 1

I'm sure both Kates & Carr have been 2nd in a few of those weeks.  Both have had weeks with good numbers only to be beaten out by someone posting a slightly better number, usually in points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 31, 2012, 11:36:50 AM
I think what he was saying is that Kates is arguably the most important player on the team.  All the other guys are great when they get the ball in their spots (Tashman may be the exception, as a lot of his productivity is from being active and crashing the boards), but Kates is the one who typically gets them the ball in those spots. 

Lets not forget Bender either, he does a great job playing within himself and is a very effective in his role on the team.  He knocks down shots when he needs to, defends, rebounds, passes well, and typically makes good decisions.  Their core group of 5 upperclassmen (all who start) are the reason why they are having such success. Except for Bender, all of them will be returning next year as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on January 31, 2012, 01:35:35 PM
Kates is the best player in the NEWMAC and has been for the past two years......by a fairly significant margin.  All the other guys are terrific as well, but Kates is a step above....best player in that league since Bartolotta left.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 31, 2012, 02:41:45 PM
Quote from: remsleep on January 31, 2012, 01:35:35 PM
Kates is the best player in the NEWMAC and has been for the past two years......by a fairly significant margin.  All the other guys are terrific as well, but Kates is a step above....best player in that league since Bartolotta left.

Best at his position, yes, I agree.  If he were 6'7" or bigger and could handle the ball as well as he does, then perhaps best player (Then again if he 6'7" and that good with the ball, he would most likely be getting a free education at a D1 school).

in my view, you really have to define it as best at their position.  Kates is not going to guard a Coburn, Carr, or other big.  No more than any of the bigs would be successful guarding him for 30 minutes a game.

When I think of calling an individual player the single best, he had better be able to play all 5 positions on both ends of the court. That is just my way of looking at it.

Magic Johnson was perhaps the best at filling that criteria.  Lebron James is close to that in todays NBA simply because of his physical strength.  I am not sure if he can play center the way Magic did in the 1980 NBA finals filling in for Kareem.  Next closest might be Kevin Durant, but he would struggle with the Dwight Howards & Andrew Bynums ot the league.

In my opinion, Kates is by far the most valuable player on MIT, if for no other reason that he knows how, when & where to get the ball to his teammates to make them the most sucessful they can be.  That is by far the primary task of your PG.  If he does that job correctly, his own scoring opportunities will present themselves.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 01, 2012, 08:44:36 AM
Quote from: remsleep on January 31, 2012, 01:35:35 PM
Kates is the best player in the NEWMAC and has been for the past two years......by a fairly significant margin.  All the other guys are terrific as well, but Kates is a step above....best player in that league since Bartolotta left.
Kates is a great player.  I especially give him credit this year for bypassing his shot in lieu of better (higher percentage) scoring opportunities for MIT.  I have not looked at his stats, but I would guess that his scoring is down from last year and MIT is a better team for it.  I do wish that coach would allow Kates (the best one-on-one player) and some of the other guards more freedom against some matchups and some man defenses.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2012, 08:57:41 AM
Quote from: BBallers on February 01, 2012, 08:44:36 AM
Quote from: remsleep on January 31, 2012, 01:35:35 PM
Kates is the best player in the NEWMAC and has been for the past two years......by a fairly significant margin.  All the other guys are terrific as well, but Kates is a step above....best player in that league since Bartolotta left.
Kates is a great player.  I especially give him credit this year for bypassing his shot in lieu of better (higher percentage) scoring opportunities for MIT.  I have not looked at his stats, but I would guess that his scoring is down from last year and MIT is a better team for it.  I do wish that coach would allow Kates (the best one-on-one player) and some of the other guards more freedom against some matchups and some man defenses.

This is Kates lowest scoring season (per game) of his 3 seasons (13.2 ppg as a freshman, 15.6 as a sophomore, and 12.0 this year).  However, he is better in nearly every other statistical categary, shooting a higher percentage from the field, more rebounds, assists, steals and far fewer turnovers than in his past seasons.  This is by far his most complete season, and his maturity is also showing in that he is taking fewer shots to setup up his open teammates. He should be a runaway first team all-conference player and get recognition in the region and nationally sa well, in my opinion (the fact that he was 2nd team All-NEWMAC last year was absurd).

Good luck to the Engineers tonight.  If Karraker and Hollingsworth hit slightly below their averages, they should both be surpassing the 1000 point mark (Karraker needs 13, Hollingsworth needs 12).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2012, 09:37:52 PM
Congrats to Noel Hollingsworth on surpassing 1000 career points. Jamie Karraker played limited minutes due to foul trouble and is just 8 points shy of 1000.

The game was never close, as MIT started the game on a 17-4 run over the first ~3 minutes and never looked back. Big games for Hollingsworth, Kates and Tashman.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 01, 2012, 11:41:08 PM
WPI beats Babson, 70-49 behind a another big game from Matt Carr.  He went 9 for 11 for 21 points to go with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks and was the only player in the game in double figures.  Marco Coppola was back on the court scoring 9 pts. Domenick Mastascusa came off the bench to post 8 points. Sam Longwell had a game-high 5 assists to go with 5 points and 5 boards. Seniors David Brown (7 pts/3 asts) and Jamie Shannon (6 pts/3 asts) and junior Jameel Galloway (5 pts/3 stls/2 blks) also played well.

Marcus McDermott led Babson with 9 points, 5 boards & 2 steals.  Tom Mack had a game-high 7 rebounds to go with 4 points and Sean McClung was led the Beaver bench players with 7 points.
Russell Braithwaite and Alex Rudolph each scored 6 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 02, 2012, 09:53:58 AM
Good sign from WPI is it seems like you do not want to be the team that plays them after a loss - they have put a pounding on everyone the game after each of their 4 losses.  Wouldn't mind less opportunities to prove that point but I do like the attitude.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 03, 2012, 12:40:21 PM
Major Congratulations to Matt Carr of WPI for being selected 1st Team Academic All-District by CoSIDA.  This is the 2nd year in a row the WPI center has be selected for this honor. He is joined this year by fellow NEWMAC players Noel Hollingsworth & Jamie Karraker of MIT.  All three now move on to the selection process for Academic All-American.  Carr was selected as a 2nd Team All-American last year.
Kudos to these great players and incredible students!

WPI Release
http://wpi.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/201202021bcfbf

MIT Release
http://mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/releases/20120202r43lp9

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 03, 2012, 03:50:43 PM
Old Guy on the nescac board has posted a link to an article in Sports Illustrated on both Middlebury and MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 03, 2012, 11:06:53 PM
Big day tomorrow in the NEWMAC. The big game is out in Springfield with MIT coming to town. This one is going to have a lot to do with the conference tournament seedings.  The Pride only lost by 8 in Cambridge.  Should be a good one!

WPI travels south to Coast Guard in a game they cannot have a letdown in.

Babson travels back to Worcester to play Clark.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 04, 2012, 04:05:37 PM
What a way to score 1000 points! Karraker hit a huge 3 down the stretch and 2 FTs with under 10 seconds to play to get to the 1000 point plateau and seal the win for MIT. They pull it out on the road at Springfield 69-67.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 05, 2012, 10:43:10 AM
WPI wins over Coast Guard, 82-76.  The Engineers were led by Matt Carr's 25 pts and 6 rbs along with Sam Longwells career high 18 pts, 8 boards and 4 assists.  WPI got solid performances from Ryan Kolb (11 pts/8 rbs/3 assts) and Marco Coppola (10 pts).

The Bears  got good performances from Kevin Sowers (14 pts/6 assts), Trip Fernandez (14 pts), David Anderson (11 pts/4 rbs), Greg Marshall (11 pts/4 rbs) & Jessie Hughes (7 pts/5 assts).

Clark defeats Babson, 67-54. The Cougars were led by Mitch Renshaw (24 pts/ 9 rbs) and DJ Bailey (20 pts, 10 for 10 shooting, 7 rbs).

Babson got good play from Tom Mack (11 pts/ 5 rbs) and John Wickey (8 pts/ 6 rbs).

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 06, 2012, 08:28:12 PM
Congratulations to Matt Carr of WPI & Mitch Renshaw of Clark for being selected NEWMAC Co-Players of the Week.

Carr:
http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW020612_WPI


Renshaw:
http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW020612_CLK
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 07, 2012, 08:48:18 AM
Regional Rankings will be interesting as well; first one comes out this Wednesday. The teams that play the best in February usually make big runs in Conference Tournaments and beyond... Are there any teams that might be off the radar right know that anyone thinks might have a run left in their respective conferences?

In the GNAC, I think Johnson and Wales could be dangerous. They have a great scorer in Lamont Thomas; they won the conference last year and have the ability to shoot the 3 ball very well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 08, 2012, 08:27:45 PM
MIT endures what is likely their worst shooting night of the season to defeat Babson 59-47. What they couldn't get done on offense, MIT made up for on D the last 16 minutes of the game. Trailing 40-27 at the 15 minute mark (that's right, MIT scored 27 points the first 25 minutes of the game), the Engineers would hold Babson scoreless for nearly a 10 minute span, closing out the game on a 32-7 run, allowing only 2 FGs in that stretch.

Maybe MIT came out a bit confused because of their regional ranking, which is lower than their national ranking. I understand the OWP/OOWP factor (which isn't that terrible for MIT, essentially 0.50), but MITs only loss is to WPI and every team in front of MIT has at least 1 'worse' loss than that, according to these rankings (Amherst - Brandeis and Wesleyan, Middlebury - Keene St., RIC - East Conn and UMD, West Conn - ALL 4 OF THEIR LOSSES, Albertus Magnus AND Southern Maine AND Plymouth State AND East Conn, WPI - Wheaton and Springfield, East Conn - Keene St and Wesleyan). Where do you draw the line? Does 0.07 on the weighted OWP/OOWP scale make up for 2 losses to under 0.500 unranked teams and 2 additional losses to teams ranked 8-12 in the NE (ie West Conn)? I'm all for playing better teams, but you should probably beat the bad-to-average teams also to deserve a ranking that high. And what about Albertus Magnus, they destroy West Conn by 19 and are ranked 8 spots below them, with their only loss to a team that isn't even in the NE region (I know the game may count due to geography)? You put so much stock into head-to-head that WPI is ranked over MIT, but still put West Conn 4? These are the most puzzling rankings I've seen since they started putting them out. It would be one thing if all the top teams just beat eachother, but they are ranking teams in the top 5-10 with really bad losses, and in some cases multiple ones. I hope this all works itself out in the end, but putting so much stock in playing other regionally ranked teams gives a huge advantage to conferences like the NESCAC and Little East. Compare Middlebury and Amherst's out-of-conference schedule to MIT's, pretty darn similar, but they are getting huge boosts from the several additional games they get from ranked teams in their conference. And, by the way, in terms of top-to-bottom league strength, Massey rates the NEWMAC above the LEC and just 2 spots behind the NESCAC, which goes to show MIT is playing similar strength of teams, on average, in their conference as well. If NCAA D3 wants to go to a more quantitative metric, they should hire someone who knows what they are doing instead of using these simple calculations and broadly applying them as though they are irrefutable evidence of a quality team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on February 08, 2012, 08:50:31 PM
My guess is that results vs. ranked teams doesn't apply to the first rankings (since no one is yet ranked).  And, as you know, score differentials, 'bad losses',  and the like are 'officially' irrelevant.

Still, I was rather shocked just how low MIT and Albertus Magnus got ranked.  I'd strongly recommend winning the conference tourney!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 08, 2012, 09:16:30 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 08, 2012, 08:27:45 PM
MIT endures what is likely their worst shooting night of the season to defeat Babson 59-47. What they couldn't get done on offense, MIT made up for on D the last 16 minutes of the game. Trailing 40-27 at the 15 minute mark (that's right, MIT scored 27 points the first 25 minutes of the game), the Engineers would hold Babson scoreless for nearly a 10 minute span, closing out the game on a 32-7 run, allowing only 2 FGs in that stretch.

Maybe MIT came out a bit confused because of their regional ranking, which is lower than their national ranking. I understand the OWP/OOWP factor (which isn't that terrible for MIT, essentially 0.50), but MITs only loss is to WPI and every team in front of MIT has at least 1 'worse' loss than that, according to these rankings (Amherst - Brandeis and Wesleyan, Middlebury - Keene St., RIC - East Conn and UMD, West Conn - ALL 4 OF THEIR LOSSES, Albertus Magnus AND Southern Maine AND Plymouth State AND East Conn, WPI - Wheaton and Springfield, East Conn - Keene St and Wesleyan). Where do you draw the line? Does 0.07 on the weighted OWP/OOWP scale make up for 2 losses to under 0.500 unranked teams and 2 additional losses to teams ranked 8-12 in the NE (ie West Conn)? I'm all for playing better teams, but you should probably beat the bad-to-average teams also to deserve a ranking that high. And what about Albertus Magnus, they destroy West Conn by 19 and are ranked 8 spots below them, with their only loss to a team that isn't even in the NE region (I know the game may count due to geography)? You put so much stock into head-to-head that WPI is ranked over MIT, but still put West Conn 4? These are the most puzzling rankings I've seen since they started putting them out. It would be one thing if all the top teams just beat eachother, but they are ranking teams in the top 5-10 with really bad losses, and in some cases multiple ones. I hope this all works itself out in the end, but putting so much stock in playing other regionally ranked teams gives a huge advantage to conferences like the NESCAC and Little East. Compare Middlebury and Amherst's out-of-conference schedule to MIT's, pretty darn similar, but they are getting huge boosts from the several additional games they get from ranked teams in their conference. And, by the way, in terms of top-to-bottom league strength, Massey rates the NEWMAC above the LEC and just 2 spots behind the NESCAC, which goes to show MIT is playing similar strength of teams, on average, in their conference as well. If NCAA D3 wants to go to a more quantitative metric, they should hire someone who knows what they are doing instead of using these simple calculations and broadly applying them as though they are irrefutable evidence of a quality team.
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on February 08, 2012, 08:50:31 PM
My guess is that results vs. ranked teams doesn't apply to the first rankings (since no one is yet ranked).  And, as you know, score differentials, 'bad losses',  and the like are 'officially' irrelevant.

Still, I was rather shocked just how low MIT and Albertus Magnus got ranked.  I'd strongly recommend winning the conference tourney!

Once they put the list together, you inevitably have ranked teams and they clearly used that and some head-to-head type comparisons (selectively, though, it seems) to make their decisions.  To me, it seems they are also putting a huge amount of stock in their OWP/OOWP number, but is it really that disciminating?  Is a 0.53 or 0.56 that huge a difference than a 0.50?  Are we only rewarding teams for a couple of wins vs. good teams but dont reward others for being consistent and having no bad losses? I honestly cant see a big difference in Middlebury's resume vs. MIT's other than a 0.06 difference in OWP/OOWP, which I reiterate is a very simplistic metric of schedule strength.  Massey, for example, has MIT's strength of schedule ranked about 20 spots higher than Middlebury's (142 in the country vs. 160), and that metric runs an optimized algorithm that takes into account every game throughout the entire season, not just adding wins and losses of the teams you play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 08, 2012, 09:47:22 PM
Hugenerd, where can I find the Massey strength of schedule?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 08, 2012, 10:00:43 PM
Go figure, 2 of Wheaton's 3 conference wins are against WPI.  Unfortunately for the NEWMAC, however, with the way the NE region ranking committee is running things this year, this result could drag WPI, and all the rest of the NEWMAC teams, out of next week's regional rankings.  I'm sure they will find some teams with what they consider high OWP/OOWP numbers to plug in there, despite multiple bad losses.  Here are some possible candidates to replace the NEWMAC teams in next week's regional rankings:

1) Bowdoin 15-6.  WIth losses to unranked St. Joe's, Southern Maine, and Bates, you may think they didnt have a chance-not true.  Their OWP/OOWP is 0.553, thats right, I said it, 0-.-5-5-3, that number seems pretty impressive, lets pencil them in at 5 in next week's rankings, just behind West Conn who also has 2 losses to ~0.500 or worse teams;

2) Brandeis 12-8.  A logical person may look at the 8 losses and just think 'no way', especially after realizing that 5 of those 8 losses are to teams 0.500 or worse, but those people are just not evaluating the teams within the proper NCAA ranking criteria.  First off Brandeis, has an OWP/OOWP of 0.564, for those of you not familiar with how these numbers work, thats much better than a 0.543 and not even in the same class as a lowly 0.500 (not because the NCAA has conducted any statistical analysis on the sensitivity or precision of these numbers in evaluating a team, but because they said so).  Second, who cares about bad results against sub-0.500 teams when you can ignore those and just look at good wins, and Brandeis definitely has those. They have beaten the aforementioned Bates, NE Region #11 Becker, E Region #3 NYU (which counts as in-region for Brandeis), and the cherry on the cake, a 15-point thumping of the #1 NE ranked team, Amherst (did I mention Amherst has an OWP/OOWP of 0.605. When you see anything over a 0.6, you really have to put them in the top 5, I think its one of those unwritten rules-eg, see WPI's ranking this week).  With that type of resume, I dont see how you can keep this team out of the top 5.  I think the head-to-head result vs. Bates (who we now have at 5) gets Brandeis easily into the #4 spot, but when you look at that 15 point win over Amherst, it really doesnt make sense to put them any lower than a team they beat by 15, right?  I think next week there is a good likelihood that Brandeis could be the #1 team in the NE region.

Now that I had some time to think about it some more, this NCAA ranking committee really nailed this weeks rankings in the vague structure of their official criteria.  I apologize for my earlier critique.  Keep up the good work.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 08, 2012, 10:04:16 PM
Quote from: pjunito on February 08, 2012, 09:47:22 PM
Hugenerd, where can I find the Massey strength of schedule?

http://masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cb&sub=11620

Look at the column labled 'Sch' (which I believe stands for schedule).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 08, 2012, 10:14:06 PM
By the way, with WPI's loss, MIT clinches the regular season NEWMAC crown and home court for the NEWMAC tourney with a win at Clark on Saturday.  They have already clinched at least a share of the regular season NEWMAC crown.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 08, 2012, 11:43:03 PM
I believe that Massey has included the game against DI Harvard. So including a 30 point loss against a good opponent is more important in a positive way than a loss to a bad opponent is negative. Seems like they should equal out.

I guess MIT better bear down and win the conference tourney.  They could end up 24-2 and get left out?? Sounds strange.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 08, 2012, 11:46:14 PM
FYI - MIT's opponent record is 167-192 and AM's is 165-205... that isn't even getting into the OOWP. And if we are talking about MIT's win over WC being the only one worth mentioning... then you might get an idea of where the committee may have been thinking. AM's strongest win is also WC... along with only five teams in their schedule with records of .500 or better.

Also FYI... here is your regional committee... take note:
Dave Lindberg, Worcester State College, chair
Larry Anderson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Paul Culpo, Castleton State College
Tom Devitt, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Travis Farley, Fitchbug State University
Bill Geitner, Eastern Connecticut State University
David Hixon, Amherst College
Aaron Galetta, Lasell College
Ed Sliva, Elms College
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: augie_superfan on February 08, 2012, 11:48:56 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 08, 2012, 10:14:06 PM
Once they put the list together, you inevitably have ranked teams and they clearly used that and some head-to-head type comparisons (selectively, though, it seems) to make their decisions

There are no ranked teams in week #1.  You can see this by looking at the "Score Reporting Forms" that the NCAA generates.  The final column is "In-region results vs. ranked teams" and is blank for every team.  Next week these forms will have that column populated with all the results vs. teams that were ranked in week #1.  You can find these forms at the bottom of all the rankings on the d3hoops.com regional rankings page.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 08, 2012, 11:50:09 PM
Right... hard to vote on teams wins over regionally ranked teams if you haven't even ranked them, yet. You then can't go back and rerank the teams based on the first rankings and considering regionally ranked opponents...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 09, 2012, 01:24:18 AM
MIT never played West Conn, you may be thinking of Tufts.

So you are telling me that a team ranked only in the final week will not count towards record vs. ranked opponents, because they were not previously ranked? That makes absolutely no sense and seems to be in contradiction to the over ranked always ranked mantra.

Also, the committee would not have looked at the numbers you are mentioning, because there are home and away weighting factors. By their own criteria, they should only be looking at the chart they provide the link to.  There, MIT has a 0.494.  My question is, has anyone looked at what a statistically meaningful difference is in that value. In other words, if one team has a 0.50 and another has a 0.53, is that really a statistically significant difference, or is it just noise in the data set? You essentially play a couple really bad teams at home and I'm sure it could affect your value more than that. It just seems  too much attention is being given to this OWP/OOWP value when more value could be put in other metrics, like comparing common opponents (also a primary criteria). And I know its not a primary criteria, but at some point you need to look at the consistency of a team and not just their couple best performances, bad losses should count for something.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 09, 2012, 06:57:11 AM
LOL, HN, its been quite a while since you were this 'excited'.

Anyway I'm still on the road, but got a call after the game last night from a friend who attended the WPI-Wheaton game.  From his viewpoint, it was just more of the same old Engineer issues.  He was amazed at the poor defensive play.  He said most of the game the WPI players were just running all over the place ball chasing.  The Wheaton guards had a field day beating their opponents off the dribble then passing out to wide open shooters spotting up on the arc.  He didn't understand why the Engineers were repeatedly coming off the weak-sideWheaton shooters when it was clear their game plan was to penetrate and dish. Sounded to me like the exact same game plan the Lyons used in Worcester earlier this season. My buddy also was surprised that WPI utilized Carr differently in the 2nd half after a first half where Wheaton could not stop him at all. I guess he and Galloway had big back to back dunks to ignite an Engineer rally in the first half. 

This is a crippling loss for WPI.  I can't see them getting at large bid to the NCAAs after this.  Their only hope for post season play now is to run the table in the NEWMAC tournament.  That would seem to be unlikely since that means they would most likely need to beat Springfield & MIT on back-to-back days.  The automatic bid is basically MIT's to lose at this point.

Carr continued his high-level play with 23 points and 9 rebounds.  Shannon put up 19 with 5 assists and Longwell had 11 points to go with 6 boards and 4 steals.

Wheaton got a great game from Weeks with 23 points.  Degnan scored 17 to go with 4 assists, Bayliss had 15 points and 5 assists. Shawn Daily grabbed 8 boards.

Time for a Denny's breakfast!

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 09, 2012, 07:57:42 AM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 08, 2012, 11:46:14 PM
FYI - MIT's opponent record is 167-192 and AM's is 165-205... that isn't even getting into the OOWP. And if we are talking about MIT's win over WC being the only one worth mentioning... then you might get an idea of where the committee may have been thinking. AM's strongest win is also WC... along with only five teams in their schedule with records of .500 or better.

Also FYI... here is your regional committee... take note:
Dave Lindberg, Worcester State College, chair
Larry Anderson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Paul Culpo, Castleton State College
Tom Devitt, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Travis Farley, Fitchbug State University
Bill Geitner, Eastern Connecticut State University
David Hixon, Amherst College
Aaron Galetta, Lasell College
Ed Sliva, Elms College

I was already aware of this, but you aren't involved on the discussion of your own team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 09, 2012, 09:31:05 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 09, 2012, 06:57:11 AM
LOL, HN, its been quite a while since you were this 'excited'.
He is not the only one who is upset over these clearly misapplied usage of OWP/OOWP in the NCAA rankings.  I am a proponent of using strength of schedule and have always been critical of MIT's weak non-conference foes, but this NCAA regional ranking is absurd and unfair to the players.  I don't want to get off topic, but NCAA does not want to add football championship games because the student athletes to miss school in an extended season, but then allows San Diego State to join the Big East Conference without any traveling concerns.  These illogical college conference moves are the direct result of the NCAA BCS automated conference bids.  Although I believe MIT's non-conference is too weak, it is local, i.e., travel time is limited.  This is necessary for the academic pressures at MIT.  Also, I have been told that MIT has tried to schedule stronger teams without success.  How would that fit into the rankings?  It clearly is shameful.

Getting back into the actual game, MIT has looked poor in most of its recent outings.  The lack of transition defense, giving up offensive rebounds (with their size advantage), poor man defense coupled with too many unforced turnovers has caused MIT loss and recent close games.  I am still hopeful that this can be turned around soon.  If it does turn around like earlier in the season, then I believe MIT will have a long trip trip through the NCAA's and be a legitimate contender for the national championship.  If it doesn't turn around, then they may only win one tournament game.  Even if they continue to play poorly and do not win the NEWMAC tournament, they still deserve to be in the NCAA tournament.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 09, 2012, 10:12:25 AM
Hugenerd - my reference to rankings was just in week 1 of rankings... the committee can't go and rank the teams... then look at the rankings and say, "oh, so-and-so beat a ranked team, let's move them up" and RERANK the teams again... all in week 1... so thus, results vs. regionally ranked opponents is not considered in the first week.

MIT is the one scheduling, for the most part, weak non-conference games. They are not that far from some NESCAC teams... play a couple of those and their SOS would increase.

BBallers... you are comparing apples and oranges when you talk about San Diego State and the Big East... and Division III. These standards are voted on by the Division III members... all 440 or so. This isn't something the NCAA came up with on its own. The same is true for D1 when it comes to selections and thus why the idea of "how did they do the last ten games of the season" is taken into consideration - D1 member institutions voted for that.

The criteria is out there... it has been the same for a few years with some small tweaks here and there (i.e. changing the formula for home and away games slightly this year)... and if you play a weak non-conference schedule and are in a weak conference to begin with, things are not going to go your way - you have to be careful with your schedule.

Also... remember... this is just the first week. We have two more weeks of rankings... and then the final rankings which determine who is in and who is out and who plays who in the NCAA tournament (though, those rankings will come out AFTER we find out the bracket). These rankings can thus change! However, it does give you the sense that MIT has to be careful with the rest of the season. Too many slip-ups (and they have had far too many close games for as how well they were playing at the beginning of the season) and they could be forced to win the AQ to get in... or be sitting on the sideline.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 09, 2012, 11:33:42 AM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 09, 2012, 10:12:25 AM
Hugenerd - my reference to rankings was just in week 1 of rankings... the committee can't go and rank the teams... then look at the rankings and say, "oh, so-and-so beat a ranked team, let's move them up" and RERANK the teams again... all in week 1... so thus, results vs. regionally ranked opponents is not considered in the first week.

MIT is the one scheduling, for the most part, weak non-conference games. They are not that far from some NESCAC teams... play a couple of those and their SOS would increase.

BBallers... you are comparing apples and oranges when you talk about San Diego State and the Big East... and Division III. These standards are voted on by the Division III members... all 440 or so. This isn't something the NCAA came up with on its own. The same is true for D1 when it comes to selections and thus why the idea of "how did they do the last ten games of the season" is taken into consideration - D1 member institutions voted for that.

The criteria is out there... it has been the same for a few years with some small tweaks here and there (i.e. changing the formula for home and away games slightly this year)... and if you play a weak non-conference schedule and are in a weak conference to begin with, things are not going to go your way - you have to be careful with your schedule.

Also... remember... this is just the first week. We have two more weeks of rankings... and then the final rankings which determine who is in and who is out and who plays who in the NCAA tournament (though, those rankings will come out AFTER we find out the bracket). These rankings can thus change! However, it does give you the sense that MIT has to be careful with the rest of the season. Too many slip-ups (and they have had far too many close games for as how well they were playing at the beginning of the season) and they could be forced to win the AQ to get in... or be sitting on the sideline.

If non-conference schedule is the issue, why is Amherst #1?  They played arguably a worse non-conference slate than MIT (7-14 Plymouth State, 12-10 Washington and Lee, 8-14 WNE, 10-12 Lasell, 15-7 Springfield, 14-9 Westfield State, 10-12 Emmanuel, 11-12 Babson, 12-8 Brandeis [Loss], 10-12 Anna Maria, 5-17 Marymount, 16-5 RIC).  How does that stand out from MIT if you are only talking about out-of-conference.  Amherst has only played 3 teams with winning percentages of 0.600 or better out-of-conference, Brandeis, Springfield, and RIC, and went 2-1 in those games.  MIT has also beat Springfield twice, in addition to Tufts and Salem State who are both also over 0.600.  Clearly Amherst is getting a boost in their OWP/OOWP from some of the teams in their conference, but seriously, you are telling me Amherst's resume warrants a #1, while MIT warrants a #7?  Overall, Amherst is 6-2 (2-1 out-of-conference) vs. teams with 0.600 winning percentages or higher, MIT is 4-1 (2-0 out-of conference). Is that really such a huge difference?  Thats why I think there is clearly too much emphasis on this OWP/OOWP value. You play a couple really bad teams and all of a sudden (like 12-15 games below 0.500) and there goes your OWP/OOWP.  Why not do a 10% trimmed mean OWP/OOWP, take off the bottom 10% and top 10% and see where the numbers fall then (2 worst and 2 best, for example). I think MIT is really getting overpenalized for playing a couple really bad teams, because other than MITs games vs. Mass-Boston and Emerson, MITs out-of-conference schedule looks a lot like Amherst's.

Also, with regard to their recent close games - those are conference games.  MIT has had the same team for 3 years essentially. Everyone knows everyone else, so there is a chance of having highly competitive games.  Have you looked at the WPI vs. Wheaton results?  And really, the results havent been that close outside of the Springfield game, which was on the road against a team with an over 0.700 winning percentage at that time.  Nobody is knocking Middlebury for only beating Bowdoin by 3 or Williams by 1 (who are unranked teams with good records, like Springfield).  Recently, MIT beat Babson by 12 (it was a close game, but they still won by double-digits, have you looked at the Amherst-Babson box score?), Wheaton by 29 (who beat WPI twice), Coast Guard by 25, Clark by 18... I am failing to see all the recent close games. I didn't think margin of victory was a criteria anyway, right?

In any case, my main point is that I dont undestand why, out of the 5 primary criteria, OWP/OOWP is taking the lions share of the attention? Is that some unwritten rule that I am missing, because really, in my opinion, Amherst and Middlebury have very similar out-of-conference schedules to MIT, but their OWP/OOWP numbers are being bumped because their conference has a few more strong teams at the top.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 09, 2012, 11:56:56 AM
Hungenerd, I was pointing out that MIT's somewhat weak out-of-conference schedule is not helping them considering their weak conference. Amherst has a very strong conference schedule that helps them out! Also, Amherst out-of-conference opponents WP is 130-132... that is a better percentage.

Also, Washington and Lee and Marymount do not count on Amherst schedule for primary criteria... they are non-region games.

And here are the numbers to consider:
Amherst... In-Region OWP: 0.614... In-Region OOWP: 0.587... In-Region SOS: 0.605
MIT... In-Region OWP: 0.480... In-Region OOWP: 0.524... In-Region SOS: 0.494

While you might not like the fact that those numbers are being considered in what you call a lion's share of the criteria (and we don't know how the RAC is considering the numbers in just the FIRST week of rankings)... those numbers are not even close!

Also, remember, next week games against regional opponents will be taken into account and that could change the landscape once again.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 09, 2012, 12:15:32 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 09, 2012, 11:56:56 AM
While you might not like the fact that those numbers are being considered in what you call a lion's share of the criteria (and we don't know how the RAC is considering the numbers in just the FIRST week of rankings)... those numbers are not even close!

When you say not even close, what is that based on?  If I were to say that I defined a statistic and Team A has a value 99 and Team B has a 98, you may think, wow that is really close. Until I tell you that the standard deviation is 0.0001, which in that case the numbers are not even close.  Conversely, in a similar analysis if I said Team A had a value of 0.60 and Team B had a value of 0.50, you may say that is not even close, but that would be a very naive statement without any information about the variability of this statistic.  What if we actually ran somes stats on this value and found out that the variability is on the order 0.10 or 0.05? Then a 0.1 difference doesnt seem so huge anymore does it?  In the end, ignoring home and away weighting, the difference in a 0.60 OWP and a 0.50 OWP is playing opponents who average a 12-8 record vs. playing opponents who play a 10-10 record (and a 0.55 would be opponents averaging an 11-9 record).  So lets forget Amherst for the moment, lets look at East Conn (OWP= 0.525) and West Conn (0.570).  You are telling me that a 17-4 record against opponents that are on average 10.5-9.5 and 11.5-8.5 is really better than a record of 20-1 against opponets that are on average 10-10? Really?

Also, how do you explain Becker being ranked above Albertus?  They beat them head-to-head.  So head-to-head matters in the case of MIT/WPI comparison or other comparisons, but not in that case? Why are we applying criteria selectively? Who else did Albertus beat? Oh yeah, West Conn, you think Abertus' 20-1 mark isn't helping West Conn's OWP?  These metrics need to be looked at in context and logically, which currently they are not.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 09, 2012, 12:46:58 PM
And you are making grand assumptions on how the committee is using criteria. We have no idea what weight they are using to rank the teams... also it is an evolving system and each comparison of teams is going to be a discussion. I am just pointing out the material that is the most obvious...

Amherst: In-Region OWP: 0.614... In-Region OOWP: 0.587... In-Region SOS: 0.605
MIT:       In-Region OWP: 0.480... In-Region OOWP: 0.524... In-Region SOS: 0.494

That gives Amherst a +.134... +.063... +.111 - those are significant differences.

FYI...
AM:       In-Region OWP: 0.415... In-Region OOWP: 0.475... In-Region SOS: 0.435
Becker:  In-Region OWP: 0.527... In-Region OOWP: 0.478... In-Region SOS: 0.511

That gives Becker a +.112... -.003... +.076.

Apparently the committee feels those numbers outweigh the head-to-head at this time.

Also... you do know this is NOT the poll they will select teams to the NCAA from, right? And before the final poll, the national committee could ask the NE to reconsider... AND next week record vs. regional ranked teams will take affect... and that could swing things again.

Just consider all of this... because it might be the reason why the SOS is getting a bit more weight right now, but will lose some of that weight next Wednesday when other factors are able to be used (and more games have been played affecting those SOS numbers).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 09, 2012, 01:15:04 PM
D-Mac;
I think a lot of people get fired up at "rankings" because they see good basketball teams not get "respect".  You have been gracious to inform us all on how teams are ranked (for week 1), what factors are considered, and how it impacts the NCAA field. I don't agree with how things are weighed in the selection process of the Northeast regional rankings.. But nobody ask me before the region agreed to this formula. I do however believe that SOS is weighed too heavily. West Conn for example has 4 losses, 1 to Albertus and 1 to East Conn, those teams have a combined 38-6 record. Those teams inflate the SOS significantly; therefore West Conn's lost to Albertus or East Conn helps them more than the teams that actually won. I don't think that makes sense.

However, the boards have been active.... and maybe next year teams will schedule harder non confernece opponents...

I am just glad that a national champion isn't given based on SOS.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 09, 2012, 01:37:32 PM
pjunto - fair points... though, I will say that in the past the weight was more on the number of losses in region only... and that gave an unfair advantage to teams that scheduled cupcake non-conference teams to keep from losing... this at least keeps that from happening as well.

It is really simple and it is something coaches have been educated on, schedule accordingly. If you have easy opponents on your schedule that you control, you are not going to be rewarded because you beat up on them. If your schedule is a bit more challenging and you have a blemish, the fact you challenged yourself will be taken into account. I know coaches have been told this across the country... and some are just too stubborn to change their tactics (not saying this is the case here, please don't misunderstand).

These criteria have been the ground rules for several seasons now, none of this is new.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 09, 2012, 01:54:03 PM
Wow - head spinning stuff on all the rankings - certainly no impartial observer, who has seen any NE D3 hops this year would rank MIT any lower than 3 (possibly behind Amherst and Middlebury) - just doesn't feel right - heck for half the year - Massey had the NEWMAC ranked as the top conference in the country - now it is a "weak conference" after essentially nothing bu league play - also makes no sense.

Simple formula for WPI now - win their tourney or go home.  Brutal loss last night - thought if they survived until the MIT game and only lost that - they were in prime position for an at large - now it is win or go home.  Is Eli available to play point?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 09, 2012, 01:56:14 PM
ps - Is Lin-Sanity big up here in NEWMAC land?  It is taking over in NYC - front and back page story!

"NY Knicks breakout star Jeremy Lin -- the no-name from Harvard who's been sleeping on his brother's couch -- has some great news ... HE'S FINALLY MOVING INTO HIS OWN PLACE!!"
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 09, 2012, 02:15:56 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 09, 2012, 12:46:58 PM
And you are making grand assumptions on how the committee is using criteria. We have no idea what weight they are using to rank the teams... also it is an evolving system and each comparison of teams is going to be a discussion. I am just pointing out the material that is the most obvious...

Amherst: In-Region OWP: 0.614... In-Region OOWP: 0.587... In-Region SOS: 0.605
MIT:       In-Region OWP: 0.480... In-Region OOWP: 0.524... In-Region SOS: 0.494

That gives Amherst a +.134... +.063... +.111 - those are significant differences.

FYI...
AM:       In-Region OWP: 0.415... In-Region OOWP: 0.475... In-Region SOS: 0.435
Becker:  In-Region OWP: 0.527... In-Region OOWP: 0.478... In-Region SOS: 0.511

That gives Becker a +.112... -.003... +.076.

Apparently the committee feels those numbers outweigh the head-to-head at this time.

Also... you do know this is NOT the poll they will select teams to the NCAA from, right? And before the final poll, the national committee could ask the NE to reconsider... AND next week record vs. regional ranked teams will take affect... and that could swing things again.

Just consider all of this... because it might be the reason why the SOS is getting a bit more weight right now, but will lose some of that weight next Wednesday when other factors are able to be used (and more games have been played affecting those SOS numbers).

I hope so...because I still disagree with your use of the word 'significant' because we have no idea of this number's variability. In statistical terms, you can say something is significant only if you can assign a strong probability to it.  If they are ranking teams solely based on objective numbers, I would feel more comfortable if the selection committee were made up of statisticians from the respective schools rather than coaches.  I feel that in that case the variables being considered would at least be analyzed properly instead of using simplistic, arbitrary cut offs (eg, OWP/OOWP <0.50 = bad, 0.55 = good, 0.60 = very good, and that these values are all clearly significantly different from one another).

Also, many times, rankings are adjusted based on the previous weeks rankings, and are not done completely from scratch.  That is my main concern and why I am so fired up.

Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 09, 2012, 01:37:32 PM
pjunto - fair points... though, I will say that in the past the weight was more on the number of losses in region only... and that gave an unfair advantage to teams that scheduled cupcake non-conference teams to keep from losing... this at least keeps that from happening as well.

It is really simple and it is something coaches have been educated on, schedule accordingly. If you have easy opponents on your schedule that you control, you are not going to be rewarded because you beat up on them. If your schedule is a bit more challenging and you have a blemish, the fact you challenged yourself will be taken into account. I know coaches have been told this across the country... and some are just too stubborn to change their tactics (not saying this is the case here, please don't misunderstand).

These criteria have been the ground rules for several seasons now, none of this is new.

In this case however, the top NESCAC teams, who are ranked #1 and #2 are not scheduling that great out of conference and only being boosted by their conference marks, so why are they being rewarded, because they play in a conference with historically strong teams?  That has nothing to do with how they are scheduling out of conference or suggesting that their coaches are making the effort to schedule better teams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on February 09, 2012, 02:32:42 PM
Hugenerd, I don't know the s.d. of SOS (and am not about to compute it myself!), but here's a different way of looking at 'significance'.  In a closed system (such as d3) I assume the 'average' SOS is .500.  MIT's SOS is therefore slightly below average - for the sake of argument, let's say 230th of the 440+ teams.  As far as I have noticed so far, Amherst's .605 just might be the highest in the country.  THAT is a significant difference by most any meaning of 'significant'!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 09, 2012, 02:56:30 PM
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on February 09, 2012, 02:32:42 PM
Hugenerd, I don't know the s.d. of SOS (and am not about to compute it myself!), but here's a different way of looking at 'significance'.  In a closed system (such as d3) I assume the 'average' SOS is .500.  MIT's SOS is therefore slightly below average - for the sake of argument, let's say 230th of the 440+ teams.  As far as I have noticed so far, Amherst's .605 just might be the highest in the country.  THAT is a significant difference by most any meaning of 'significant'!

I understand what you are saying, but the contention it is all on the coach is not true.  Amhersts out-of-conference OWP is also around 0.500.

Also, what about a team like East Conn?  Does the difference between OWP/OOWP of 0.53 vs. 0.50 make up for 4 losses?  That seems marginal to me, but it seems people are making out each 0.01 to be some huge deal, when that isnt necessarily the case.  Further, a team like East Conn is getting a lot of credit for losing to good teams, with respect to their OWP/OOWP.  The combined record of teams East Conn has beat is 157-193 (0.449), to date. The combined record of teams East Conn has lost to is 82-20 (0.804).  So is East Conn's OWP/OOWP really more impressive than MIT's, considering the combined win percentage of teams they have beat is only 0.449?  Should they really be rewarded for losing to 5 teams that are inflating their OWP? (I know the last one did not count towards this week's rankings, but the argument is similar even before their recent loss).  Which goes back to my main assertion, the OWP/OOWP statistic is misleading when taken at face value.  Whether it be with regard to what a significant difference is or whether the teams you lose to are inflating your numbers, there are many intricacies you have to pay attention to and putting too much faith in this one metric is probably not a good idea.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 09, 2012, 03:42:10 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 09, 2012, 02:15:56 PM
I hope so...because I still disagree with your use of the word 'significant' because we have no idea of this number's variability.

Go take a look at the numbers linked in our regional rankings page. That will give you the idea.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 09, 2012, 05:14:47 PM
It seems that someone......maybe a poster on this board... figured out how to "rig" the latest poll on the D3hoops website.  Seems that there is an institution in the Boston area that has a know reputation for coming up such things.   No..it is not the case of Yale or Harvard stealing the daily newspaper of the other school and replacing it with one full of fake news.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 09, 2012, 05:44:21 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 09, 2012, 03:42:10 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 09, 2012, 02:15:56 PM
I hope so...because I still disagree with your use of the word 'significant' because we have no idea of this number's variability.

Go take a look at the numbers linked in our regional rankings page. That will give you the idea.

Do you mean the release provided by the NCAA? I have seen that. I didn't see any other numbers linked. What I mean by variability is more of of a standard deviation that could be applied to an OWP/OOWP value, not the range of numbers.

Quote from: amh63 on February 09, 2012, 05:14:47 PM
It seems that someone......maybe a poster on this board... figured out how to "rig" the latest poll on the D3hoops website.  Seems that there is an institution in the Boston area that has a know reputation for coming up such things.   No..it is not the case of Yale or Harvard stealing the daily newspaper of the other school and replacing it with one full of fake news.

I have no idea what this means.



I still don't get how 4-5 loss LEC teams, whose OWPs in games they have actually won is in the mid 0.400s get ranked above 20-1 teams.  I really hope they start from scratch each week, because MITs OWP is likely to increase because of their last 2 road games. And just to give you an example as to how sensitive the OWP stat is to a single game: WPI should have about an 0.800 WP when they host MIT, add to that the away weighting factor and you get a single game OWP value of 1.0. The difference between that and their current average OWP is 0.50 (1.0-0.50), divided by their total games (24) gives you a delta of over 0.02. That means that that single game could change their OWP from 0.50 to over 0.52, or in committee member's terms, 'borderline bad-average' to 'good'.  Should that game mean that much, especially because its on the road? I really don't think so. And since the the OWP value will increase regardless of the outcome of the game, does MIT move up in the rankings just if they show up (lets say if they are 22-2 at years end with a 0.525 OWP/OOWP)?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 09, 2012, 08:41:18 PM
"Is Eli available to play point?"

Eli? Eli Manning?  or someone else?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 09, 2012, 09:51:24 PM
My last post dealt with a poll on the D3hoops website...if you missed it, you would not understand....its no longer there.  The vote count for MIT was over 2500 votes while the other schools had 5 or 10.  Thought it was an amusing effort by somebody with all this posting over numbers, etc.  Guys....it is only the first of three regional rankings.  If MIT wins the rest of their games, they should get the conf. entrance into the post season.  I doubt that MIT will be asked to host....facility limitations?  The road to the final four is basically won on the floor by the players......not here and not at this time of the season, IMO.
WPI189.....the interest in NY Knicks new pg..Lin has hit the networks.....ESPN.  Lin's younger brother is a FY guard at Hamilton College in the NESCAC.  He is listed at 5'11" and 135 lbs.  Is getting some playing time.  Saw him live in an Amherst game.  He is quick, and sees the floor well.  My question to you....what brother's couch?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 10, 2012, 08:48:57 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 09, 2012, 08:41:18 PM
"Is Eli available to play point?"

Eli? Eli Manning?  or someone else?

Yes Eli Manning - my poor attempt at saying someone was going to have to lead WPI to 6 wins in a row - like Eli just did.  A stretch at best and lost amid the reg. rankings ruckus anyway.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 10, 2012, 08:52:34 AM
amh63 - Apparently there is at least a 3rd Lin brother.  The Knick Lin's contract ($800k) was not guaranteed, so he was shacking up with his older brother in NYC.  Contract was guaranteed on Tuesday so I am sure Jeremy is hunting down his own place at this point.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 10, 2012, 01:10:09 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 10, 2012, 08:48:57 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 09, 2012, 08:41:18 PM
"Is Eli available to play point?"

Eli? Eli Manning?  or someone else?

Yes Eli Manning - my poor attempt at saying someone was going to have to lead WPI to 6 wins in a row - like Eli just did.  A stretch at best and lost amid the reg. rankings ruckus anyway.

They have the ability to it, but have had issues deciding to actually do it.  They played an incredible game in Cambridge.  They need to remember that and focus on that as they enter each of the remaining games and then in the conference tournament. 

Lets hope the trend you pointed out ealier about  how they have rebounded from losses this year continues tomorrow. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 10, 2012, 01:29:22 PM
Thanks Mass.  Also - got your note but didn't want to reply thinking I might end up posting for all...............................
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 11, 2012, 08:02:46 PM
I stand corrected, MIT could shoot worse than they did on Wednesday at Babson.  Either way, they gritted out the road win and clinched hosting rights for the NEWMAC tourney.  One game left, at WPI next Wednesday.  Then MIT will get 1.5 weeks off before the NEWMAC tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 13, 2012, 10:38:47 PM
Congratulations to Brendan Degnan of Wheaton for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW021312

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 14, 2012, 04:04:35 PM
Silly question - how does the Karma number work for posters? 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 14, 2012, 04:10:32 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 14, 2012, 04:04:35 PM
Silly question - how does the Karma number work for posters?

when you reach a certain number of posts, you can applaud or smite people, which affects the karma numbers.  I'm not sure what the magic number is to get the privilege - something like 350, maybe.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 14, 2012, 04:29:17 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 14, 2012, 04:10:32 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 14, 2012, 04:04:35 PM
Silly question - how does the Karma number work for posters?

when you reach a certain number of posts, you can applaud or smite people, which affects the karma numbers.  I'm not sure what the magic number is to get the privilege - something like 350, maybe.

200
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 15, 2012, 09:48:57 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 14, 2012, 04:10:32 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 14, 2012, 04:04:35 PM
Silly question - how does the Karma number work for posters?

when you reach a certain number of posts, you can applaud or smite people, which affects the karma numbers.  I'm not sure what the magic number is to get the privilege - something like 350, maybe.

Thanks Hoops.  Are those the actual words - "applaud" and "smite" or is that your creativity taking over?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 15, 2012, 09:52:31 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 15, 2012, 09:48:57 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 14, 2012, 04:10:32 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 14, 2012, 04:04:35 PM
Silly question - how does the Karma number work for posters?

when you reach a certain number of posts, you can applaud or smite people, which affects the karma numbers.  I'm not sure what the magic number is to get the privilege - something like 350, maybe.

Thanks Hoops.  Are those the actual words - "applaud" and "smite" or is that your creativity taking over?

Nope.  That's Pat's creativity talking.  They are the actual words.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 15, 2012, 12:53:38 PM
WPI89

Heres to the hometown Engineers playing a better brand of ball tonight.  This one just might give them an outside shot at a bid if they do not win the AQ.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 15, 2012, 01:34:11 PM
MassD3 - agreed.  I was just coming in to post a similar thought.  Win tonight, beat Clark Saturday (I am making the trip to Worcester), then likely Clark again to get to 20 wins before the NEWMAC semis.  Springfield and MIT then likely looming.

Most of the teams that WPI beat early have really come on late, so their SOS is REALLY high and they would have beaten MIT twice - crazier things have happened.  Would need most conferences with one lock team to hold serve in their tournaments.

All that being said - their most likely path would be to play well tonight and lose an then run off 4 in row, including beating MIT up there in the NM championship.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 15, 2012, 01:40:24 PM
Just looked at the NEWMAC bracket and I am wrong - they do not have that extra "play-in game" - both 1 and 2 get byes - sorry.  So WPI would have to win tonight and Sat and then likely beat Springfield to get to 20. 

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/championships/2011-12/2012mbkbbracket.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 15, 2012, 03:09:11 PM
As a side bar, this one will probably have a lot to do with determining POY as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 15, 2012, 08:40:45 PM
WPI led 35-31 at the half, but MIT opened the 2nd half on a 21-1 run to take a commanding lead that they would not relinquish.  WPI did makes some runs, but MIT was able to hold each one off and made their free throws down the stretch.  HUGE games for MITs bigs as Hollingsworth had 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Tashman had 20 points and 12 rebounds.  Carr was held to 12 points on 4-15 shooting, with 2 rebounds, although he did play well defensively with 6 blocks.

MIT finishes the regular season 23-1, breaking the school record for wins.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 16, 2012, 01:27:16 AM
Actually 1,2 and 3 get byes so the only play in game is the 4-5 game.  Tonight an minute defensive stand was the difference.  MIT opened up the game by getting stops and actually showing some transition and early offense to break it open.  An interesting game note is that neither team doubled the post and let the bigs go at it one on one.   It was a great atmosphere during the game.  This win should position MIT for a respectable seed in the NCAA tournament.

Will they be in line for a one?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 16, 2012, 09:02:00 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 15, 2012, 01:40:24 PM
Just looked at the NEWMAC bracket and I am wrong - they do not have that extra "play-in game" - both 1 and 2 get byes - sorry.  So WPI would have to win tonight and Sat and then likely beat Springfield to get to 20. 

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/championships/2011-12/2012mbkbbracket.pdf

The bracket is the same as last year, only #4 and #5 have a 'play-in' to get to the semifinals of the tournament.  #1, #2, and #3 all go straight to the semis.  I believe last year was the first year they had the new tournament format.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 16, 2012, 10:48:16 AM
MIT featured in the Boston Globe today:

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_basketball/articles/2012/02/16/mit_caps_best_season_in_win/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 16, 2012, 11:15:44 AM
Clark's game-winning buzzer beater from last night on our Buzzer Beaters page.

http://www.d3hoops.com/buzzerbeaters/2011-12/index
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on February 16, 2012, 11:32:58 AM
Awesome...thanks for posting it Pat....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 16, 2012, 12:00:03 PM
Congratulations to MIT for setting a school record for wins and to Noel Hollingsworth for (in my opinion) sealing up his 2nd POY in 3 years.

I had a very nice post all written up last night and lost my connection to the site when I went to post it.  Hate it when that happens.  Anyway .....

I am not so sure that MIT 'held' Carr to 12 pts in as much as Carr held himself to that.  He played very tentative right from the outset.  It was as if he were waiting for double teams that were not coming.  Even some of the good looks he did get, he appeared to off-balance and did not finish well. He needed to be much more aggressive in his moves to the basket, especially on a night where the officials were letting the teams play.  He did have a couple of nice inside moves in the second half, but he really needed to be that aggressive right from tip-off as he was in Cambridge. Both he and Shannon shot the ball very poorly and Shannon never seemed to get a feel for what to do besides forcing shots in the lane.  Coppola played his best game since coming back from a knee issue, scoring 16.  WPI best performance was turned in by senior David Brown with 13 points and a big defensive game, including forcing a Hollingsworth miss late in the game.

I think the single biggest difference in this game though was Will Tashman.  WPI played him very well in Cambridge, but the Engineers had no answer for him last night.  He dominated the boards (by the way, I have no idea how they came up with only 2 boards for Carr, I know he more than that, but no offensive boards) and got very good looks at the basket all night.

I am still quite puzzled by that final 40 some seconds though.  Down by 4, WPI wasted half of that time dribbling the ball on the perimeter at a time when they needed a quick bucket.  Then they would have to go for a steal, and foul if they didn't get it to extend the game.  Poor grasp of the situation from the players on the court and the coaching staff.

Even as a WPI supporter, I would have to say it was enjoyable to watch how MIT exploited any advantage they got on the court.  They never pulled the ball out when Hollingsworth or Tashman established themselves in good position as they arrived in the offensive end.  Kates, Bender & Karraker  did a great job with quick, accurate entry passes.  As you all know I love the interior game and how it should be the foundation for an offense, and MIT showed just how you do it last night. It was good basketball, plain & simple.

Not a good performance by WPI, but even with that, they made a good run late and only lost by 5. As has been the case this season of the Engineers, they need to play very well to win.  Anytime their level drops, they can be beaten – look at the 2 Wheaton games for all the evidence you need.  I would love to see round 3, but both teams will face stiff competition in the conference semis. I still think the AQ can be won by anyone who gets to next Saturday – History has shown this & MIT has had some issues in conference games, so I am not ready to say it will be a walk in the park for them to take home the AQ.  One thing is certain though, If MIT does take the tournament title, they will be the only NEWMAC team in the dance.
WPI backed into the #2 seed when Clark bounced Springfield last night on Travis Curley's buzzer beaters.

Springfield is locked into the #3.

Babson defeated Wheaton behind a big night from Alex Rudolph with 18 points and 15 boards.  The Beavers sit in 4th at the moment. If they win their final game or Clark loses to WPI, then they are in.

From reading the athletic websites, Clark needs to beat WPI and have Springfield beat Wheaton to get in.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 16, 2012, 01:06:10 PM
Good coverage, mass.  I watched the game online and MIT had a pretty good second half, especially the first 7 minutes.  They still had too many turnovers, a lot of which were the guards trying to make passes to big men on the break or over the top in the half court, and the ball just being a bit out of reach and ending up out of bounds.

The top 5 make the tourney, #4/#5 game is next Wednesday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 16, 2012, 02:00:09 PM
HN

Yes, MIT did commit a few turnovers on those kinds of passes, but they also scored on some as well.  I liked the fact they pushed it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 16, 2012, 03:03:49 PM
WOW - yes - clicked on the wrong link... terribly sorry!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 19, 2012, 06:28:50 PM
So Wheaton is able to nab the tiebreaker, and last NEWMAC tourney spot, from Clark, thanks to their two wins vs. WPI this year.  Winner of Babson/Wheaton, at Babson, gets MIT in one semifinal. WPI and Springfield meet in the other semifinal.

Who do you guys think takes player of the week this week?  I think Tashman's performance vs. WPI gets it.

I'm not going to predict all yearly honors, because I would put three players on first team from MIT, and probably 1-2 more on 2nd team. Thats probably not going to happen, so I at least hope MIT's deserving 3 make first team. They each led, or were top 4, in the conference in statistical categories they were expected to, and I don't expect seeing snubs  this year.  They should be chosen along with Carr and probably Berthiaume.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2012, 09:01:02 AM
Article from ESPN's True Hoop by former MIT assistant and current Caltech coach, Oliver Eslinger, on MIT's recruitment of Lin:

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/37066/development-in-lin-years

This, coincidentally, was the year I was a grad assistant with the team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 20, 2012, 09:55:10 PM
Congratulations To Babson's Alex Rudolph for being named the NEWMAC Player of the Week

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/POTW/mbkbPOTW022012

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 21, 2012, 10:44:49 AM
First time on the computer since Worcester on Saturday.  Really very little to report.  Clark looked like the team with nothing to play for.  There were down something like 12-4 and never really made it a game.  Carr played less than half the game (or at least it felt that way) as Bartley had the luxury of resting players.  Not much of a senior day crowd either. 

Biggest impression for me was the freshman look good for the future.  I was most impressed with Sam Longwell - think he only had around 10 but has a great court presence.

Should be fun next weekend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 21, 2012, 02:33:28 PM
Major Congratulations to WPI's Matt Carr for being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American 1st Team.   

http://wpi.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/20120221iivm48

Congrats also to Noel Hollingsworth & Jamie Karraker of MIT for being selected to the Academic All-American 2nd Team.

Easy for all of us to get wrapped up in the on-court stuff, but it is extremely important to remember these guys are really going make their way in life on what they get out of their work in the classroom, not the basketball court.

Great Day for NEWMAC basketball.

http://www.cosida.com/news.aspx?id=3565
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 21, 2012, 02:38:08 PM
Awesome, thanks MD3!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: atn alum on February 22, 2012, 01:55:18 PM
Good luck to all teams in the NEWMAC Tournament this year.

As an aside, the No. 1 seed has not won since 2006 (WPI).

Since then we've gone 7 seed (Coast Guard), 3 seed (Coast Guard), 2 seed (MIT), 5 seed (Clark), 2 seed (MIT) if I'm not mistaken.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 22, 2012, 11:52:51 PM
Recent history does not favor the #1 seed, but also the last 2 years injuries in the semis played a major role in the #1 team not winning it.  2 years ago it was Kates and last year it was Carr.

MIT will be playing Babson on Saturday.  The Beavers defated Wheaton 62-58 behind current NEWMAC POW Alex Rudolph's 19 points and 6 boards.  Freshman John Wickey chipped in with 10 points and 5 rebounds. Matt Florio contributed 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on February 23, 2012, 01:14:36 PM
I do not recall Kates being hurt during the semi-final loss to Clark 2 years ago?  I believe he played 34 minutes.   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2012, 04:37:59 PM
Quote from: NEWMACJACK on February 23, 2012, 01:14:36 PM
I do not recall Kates being hurt during the semi-final loss to Clark 2 years ago?  I believe he played 34 minutes.

Kates was injured, but not sidelined.  Bender was injured and DNP.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 23, 2012, 10:16:24 PM
From HN's post 2 years ago:

"They started out the game really well today, going up 17-4 in the first 4.5 minutes.  Then something unfortunate happened, Mitch Kates hurt his ankle and was out of the game for about 5 minutes of the game, during which Clark went on a 15-2 run.  The game was close the rest of the way, until Clark used a big run near the end of the game to take the win. "
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on February 24, 2012, 09:54:07 PM
so did mit go on to the ncaa's? did kates play a few days later? yes! not out......OUT....is out of the game....every team has that problem.  i wouldn't say he was out......or that mit was without him. every team has this problem every year. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on February 24, 2012, 09:55:38 PM
every team has injuries....it is part of the season and team....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on February 24, 2012, 09:58:57 PM
this year, however i believe this is MIT's year to got deep in the ncaa's...forget about past years.....good luck.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 24, 2012, 11:31:32 PM
I hope I am wrong for the conference sake, but I think its going to be hard for MIT to go deep in the NCAAs.  The simple truth is they have zero margin for error.

While their starting 5 can matchup with anyone, they have no proven depth.  After the starters, their next 3 top scorers are averaging 2.8, 2.5 and 2.4 ppg and only one player (McCue) is averaging over 10 mpg. Hard to expect a player to step up and make a big time contribution in an NCAA tournament game when they haven't done it all year.

That being said, I do hope they can do it.  Hopefully WPI will be joining them in the dance. Having 2 teams in again is a great thing for the NEWMAC.  Seems like a lot of the those posting on the boards have them getting in.  I am not quite as certain & I believe they do have to win tomorrow to have any chance.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Eye in the Sky on February 25, 2012, 01:05:31 AM
all you can say is OH MY GOSH. That's it. Incredible first game. I will say this, I don't think as a Keene fan I can go to these games anymore for sake of serious cardiac issues.

Much credit to Eastern Connecticut. Great group of guys that play with a lot of heart and made great plays to win the game. Chae Phillips threes, and the tip, which by the way, shows why Nick Nedwick is one of the best players in the league. He could have "hero" shot it which would have been a difficult shot, but instead made one of the best plays I have seen, throwing the lob to Robitaille. I want to take nothing away from East Conn because they deserve it.

Keene just cant figure out how to win the game. Keene should be celebrating a second trip in a row to the LEC championship, but for the second year in a row, couldn't make the play to finish the game. One of the best free throw shooters in the country misses a free throw, with 30 seconds that maybe puts the game out of reach? I feel so bad for some of the Keene players, to go through this all over again. Ryan Martin has no reason to hang his head however, because at the time, I thought me made the most clutch play of the season for anytime draining a tough catch and shoot 3, that was well contested with 10 seconds left that looked like it would send the Owls to the ship. Ryan Martin, as I heard through the grapevine, may have a pretty bad injury issue that he played through, and he played bigtime.

However, I guess, for the second straight year, (The Ghost of Akinrola) the Owls come up short. I can only hope that with almost everyone coming back, except for Hunter, for the Owls they can finally get over the hump, because we all know they could very easily have made the ship two straight years.

Good luck to the Warriors, they need all the support they can get after having to use so much energy to get the W tonight. I hope adrenaline can get them going because they are taking on a tough RIC team tomorrow. I would hope with this victory though, that East Conn gets the at large now because they deserve it.

As for the 2nd game, which turned out to be very good, but not quite the same as the first. In the KSC, ECSU game, it was two teams making plays trying to win the game. In the RIC WCSU game, unfortunately, and it was what I worried about with West Conn, and Daquan, that he was great until he tried to be "Hero", and takes bad shots and gets sloppy. Those tournovers late were inexcusible, for a team trying to advance to the conference championship. The players didn't even look like it was a big deal that they were imploding over the final two minutes. (Sorry 7, I'm not trying to rub it in, was just sort of shocked I guess) After whatching all the energy and enthusiasm in the first game, couldn't believe that is how West Conn. Finished.

Signing out tonight, and saying a prayer tonight for my Owls that someone talks them off the ledge after another, gut wrenching, heartbreaking, fist clenching loss, for the second straight year. For a team that unfortunately didn't do enough at the end of the season to secure a bid and won't make it, however, is clearly an NCAA tournament team if I have ever seen one.Tomorrow's championship should be great, and goodluck to both the Warrios and Anchormen, because they both deserve it, and I look forward to both making deep NCAA tournament run. Come on boys, make the LEC proud!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2012, 01:50:56 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 24, 2012, 11:31:32 PM
I hope I am wrong for the conference sake, but I think its going to be hard for MIT to go deep in the NCAAs.  The simple truth is they have zero margin for error.

While their starting 5 can matchup with anyone, they have no proven depth.  After the starters, their next 3 top scorers are averaging 2.8, 2.5 and 2.4 ppg and only one player (McCue) is averaging over 10 mpg. Hard to expect a player to step up and make a big time contribution in an NCAA tournament game when they haven't done it all year.

That being said, I do hope they can do it.  Hopefully WPI will be joining them in the dance. Having 2 teams in again is a great thing for the NEWMAC.  Seems like a lot of the those posting on the boards have them getting in.  I am not quite as certain & I believe they do have to win tomorrow to have any chance.

Lets not forget last years national champion was heavily dependent on their starting 5 and only played 1-2 bench players significant minutes (~10 minutes).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2012, 02:31:15 PM
MIT rolls over Babson today, 65-42. MIT never trailed in the game. Up by 13 at the half, MIT held Babson to just 5 points in the first 13 minutes of the 2nd half, building up 59-30 lead in the process. MIT was led by Mitch Kates with 19 points. Noel Hollingsworth had a near perfect afternoon, going 5-6 from the field, including 2-2 from 3 and 4-4 from the FT line, for 16 points to go with his 8 rebounds.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on February 25, 2012, 10:23:30 PM
Quote from: Eye in the Sky on February 25, 2012, 01:05:31 AM
all you can say is OH MY GOSH. That's it. Incredible first game. I will say this, I don't think as a Keene fan I can go to these games anymore for sake of serious cardiac issues.

Much credit to Eastern Connecticut. Great group of guys that play with a lot of heart and made great plays to win the game. Chae Phillips threes, and the tip, which by the way, shows why Nick Nedwick is one of the best players in the league. He could have "hero" shot it which would have been a difficult shot, but instead made one of the best plays I have seen, throwing the lob to Robitaille. I want to take nothing away from East Conn because they deserve it.

Keene just cant figure out how to win the game. Keene should be celebrating a second trip in a row to the LEC championship, but for the second year in a row, couldn't make the play to finish the game. One of the best free throw shooters in the country misses a free throw, with 30 seconds that maybe puts the game out of reach? I feel so bad for some of the Keene players, to go through this all over again. Ryan Martin has no reason to hang his head however, because at the time, I thought me made the most clutch play of the season for anytime draining a tough catch and shoot 3, that was well contested with 10 seconds left that looked like it would send the Owls to the ship. Ryan Martin, as I heard through the grapevine, may have a pretty bad injury issue that he played through, and he played bigtime.

However, I guess, for the second straight year, (The Ghost of Akinrola) the Owls come up short. I can only hope that with almost everyone coming back, except for Hunter, for the Owls they can finally get over the hump, because we all know they could very easily have made the ship two straight years.

Good luck to the Warriors, they need all the support they can get after having to use so much energy to get the W tonight. I hope adrenaline can get them going because they are taking on a tough RIC team tomorrow. I would hope with this victory though, that East Conn gets the at large now because they deserve it.

As for the 2nd game, which turned out to be very good, but not quite the same as the first. In the KSC, ECSU game, it was two teams making plays trying to win the game. In the RIC WCSU game, unfortunately, and it was what I worried about with West Conn, and Daquan, that he was great until he tried to be "Hero", and takes bad shots and gets sloppy. Those tournovers late were inexcusible, for a team trying to advance to the conference championship. The players didn't even look like it was a big deal that they were imploding over the final two minutes. (Sorry 7, I'm not trying to rub it in, was just sort of shocked I guess) After whatching all the energy and enthusiasm in the first game, couldn't believe that is how West Conn. Finished.

Signing out tonight, and saying a prayer tonight for my Owls that someone talks them off the ledge after another, gut wrenching, heartbreaking, fist clenching loss, for the second straight year. For a team that unfortunately didn't do enough at the end of the season to secure a bid and won't make it, however, is clearly an NCAA tournament team if I have ever seen one.Tomorrow's championship should be great, and goodluck to both the Warrios and Anchormen, because they both deserve it, and I look forward to both making deep NCAA tournament run. Come on boys, make the LEC proud!

Eye,

I will bet Keene St kicks ass next year in LEC based on losses to ECSU, RIC, and WCSU!!!  I posted simular comments re Ryan on the LEC thread, ie playing an incredible game yesterday, a real class act !!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on February 26, 2012, 01:41:28 PM
It appears that current men's scoreboard has Springfield - MIT score reversed fyi
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on February 26, 2012, 02:33:38 PM
MIT 65 Springfield 60    WOW that was a close call for the Engineers!!!!!!
Congrats to MIT on their NEWMAC Tournament Championship and Good Luck in the NCAAs!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 26, 2012, 03:13:12 PM
MIT is able to hold off Springfield for the NEWMAC crown. Things got tight at the end, as Springfield took momentary 1 point leads twice, but MIT had the answer each time and in the closing minutes.

I can't say enough about MIT's veteran leadership, especially that of point guard Mitch Kates. He has done whatever the team has needed to win all season. Because he typically looks to setup his teammates first, his ppg numbers may not jump out at you, but there isn't another point guard I would rather have in the country at this level.  In today's win he did basically everything, scoring 24 points on 10-16 FGs, in addition to 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and only 2 turnovers in 39 minutes. Noel Hollingsworth also had one of his standard solid games with 14 points on 50% shooting, to go along with 10 boards and 2 blocks. Will Tashman added 10 boards, 5 points, and 4 assists. Jamie Karraker added 11 points, mainly in part due to 3 - 3 pointers.

MIT did some renovations to their gym in the off-season, so I am hoping they will get high consideration for first weekend hosting duties with their 25-1 mark.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 26, 2012, 10:44:49 PM
You cannot get a better game or atmosphere than what transpired at Rockwell Cage today.  Springfield came out with great energy jumping to a 10-3 lead but MIT outscored them 34-17 the rest of the half behind 14 from Kates and a couple of huge steals by Bender to apparently seize control.  The second half started out like this might be over early as MIT was on the line up 14 but a few misses and a series of bad decisions allowed Springfield life. They dug deep and behind a huge and exciting effort by Berthiume steadily cut into the lead taking 2 one point leads inside 3 minutes. Late field goals by Kates and Hollingsworth gave MIT a 3  point edge and late foul shots by Karraker and Kates iced the game.

Mitchell Kates played great all weekend and well deserved MOP.

Although Springfield had nothing to be ashamed about  they elected to leave the arena prior to the awards ceremony and not return.  Very disrespectful to an MIT team that played with distinction and class all season. Not sure who's idea that was.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: CCC Talk on February 26, 2012, 11:38:49 PM
Good for Springfield.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 26, 2012, 11:42:34 PM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 26, 2012, 11:38:49 PM
Good for Springfield.

What is that supposed to mean?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on February 26, 2012, 11:45:34 PM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 26, 2012, 11:38:49 PM
Good for Springfield.
CCC.....would you be willing to explain your post?  I am hoping (and I think a lot of others might be as well) that it was a tongue in cheek mini-slap at Springfield.  If not, what the heck was it?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 27, 2012, 12:40:28 AM
Quote from: remsleep on February 26, 2012, 01:41:28 PM
It appears that current men's scoreboard has Springfield - MIT score reversed fyi
That may have been me, accidentally, at halftime as I scrambled to catch up with games no one decided was worth updating themselves.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 09:25:09 AM
Projected bracket has WPI in - would be fun.  I do think with the right match-ups MIT can go deep.

I hope MIT gets one of the LEC teams early on and I also hope they avoid Albertus Magnus.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2012, 09:28:24 AM
I like D3Hoops projected bracket, in how they spread the teams out.  I hope the official one is similar.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
It was a 2 pronged comment. One even when I was playing Springfield conducted themselves in a less than classy way- they are simply staying true to their roots. That being said...

I just don't much care for MIT's act. People act like it's a shock that good basketball players would want to come to probably 2nd best academic school in the entire country. That coupled with their ridiculously weak schedule makes me less than willing to jump on their bandwagon. They should win a game or two in this year's NCAA tournament (particularly if the projected bracket holds up- they will POUND Endicott) but overall I'm not impressed with their whole act. People are trying to make Larry Anderson out to be Dean Smith.

They have been pretty awful for most of his tenure and he's just recently gotten a decent group of players together and won some games. I think in a league where you have schools like Coast Guard who have been to an elite 8 and turn out honesty to god american heroes and WPI who has had as good a 10 year run as anyone, the love for MIT seems a little over the top- they also do more whining than any other fan base in the league, complaining about rankings, complaining about their guys getting fouled too hard, etc.

I know Hugenerd will surely have some sort of equation that disproves everything I'm saying as I'm pretty sure he has an alarm hooked up for whenever anyone says anything less than complimentary about MIT Basketball. All I know is they played TWO teams all year that will make the tournament (if WPI gets in) which is a joke. Have some pride and schedule someone.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Eye in the Sky on February 27, 2012, 11:05:57 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
I know Hugenerd will surely have some sort of equation that disproves everything I'm saying as I'm pretty sure he has an alarm hooked up for whenever anyone says anything less than complimentary about MIT Basketball. All I know is they played TWO teams all year that will make the tournament (if WPI gets in) which is a joke. Have some pride and schedule someone.

I know everyone will hate it but well put CCC. MIT is a good team and deserves their league title and trip to the NCAA. But their schedule is very week. And everyone wants to say they are a top 5 team in the country? Would love to see how they would have held up playing in the Little East or NESCAC this season, where everyother game is playing a tournament caliber team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 11:20:37 AM
Quote from: Eye in the Sky on February 27, 2012, 11:05:57 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
I know Hugenerd will surely have some sort of equation that disproves everything I'm saying as I'm pretty sure he has an alarm hooked up for whenever anyone says anything less than complimentary about MIT Basketball. All I know is they played TWO teams all year that will make the tournament (if WPI gets in) which is a joke. Have some pride and schedule someone.

I know everyone will hate it but well put CCC. MIT is a good team and deserves their league title and trip to the NCAA. But their schedule is very week. And everyone wants to say they are a top 5 team in the country? Would love to see how they would have held up playing in the Little East or NESCAC this season, where everyother game is playing a tournament caliber team.

You guys are acting like MIT is getting some kind of break - they won their way in - what is the complaint?  HugeNerd likes to talk on the boards - I find him entertaining.  Where else is the whining?  Any other team had a "posting-advocate" like HN and went 25-1 (or whatever) - they would get lots of attention as well.

Really hoping WPI (if????????) and MIT get LEC match-ups early - I love our chances........................

Without having any clue as to the circumstances, Springfield walking off seems bush league?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on February 27, 2012, 11:50:19 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
It was a 2 pronged comment. One even when I was playing Springfield conducted themselves in a less than classy way- they are simply staying true to their roots. That being said...

I just don't much care for MIT's act. People act like it's a shock that good basketball players would want to come to probably 2nd best academic school in the entire country. That coupled with their ridiculously weak schedule makes me less than willing to jump on their bandwagon. They should win a game or two in this year's NCAA tournament (particularly if the projected bracket holds up- they will POUND Endicott) but overall I'm not impressed with their whole act. People are trying to make Larry Anderson out to be Dean Smith.

They have been pretty awful for most of his tenure and he's just recently gotten a decent group of players together and won some games. I think in a league where you have schools like Coast Guard who have been to an elite 8 and turn out honesty to god american heroes and WPI who has had as good a 10 year run as anyone, the love for MIT seems a little over the top- they also do more whining than any other fan base in the league, complaining about rankings, complaining about their guys getting fouled too hard, etc.

I know Hugenerd will surely have some sort of equation that disproves everything I'm saying as I'm pretty sure he has an alarm hooked up for whenever anyone says anything less than complimentary about MIT Basketball. All I know is they played TWO teams all year that will make the tournament (if WPI gets in) which is a joke. Have some pride and schedule someone.
Everything is much clearer now.....lol!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 12:01:25 PM
Can anyone get the selection show link to work??????????????
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 12:02:32 PM
I am in
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 12:12:58 PM
Unfortunately WPI is not.  Was surprised - d3hoops had them in relatively easy...................Keene also out!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2012, 12:28:02 PM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
It was a 2 pronged comment. One even when I was playing Springfield conducted themselves in a less than classy way- they are simply staying true to their roots. That being said...

I just don't much care for MIT's act. People act like it's a shock that good basketball players would want to come to probably 2nd best academic school in the entire country. That coupled with their ridiculously weak schedule makes me less than willing to jump on their bandwagon. They should win a game or two in this year's NCAA tournament (particularly if the projected bracket holds up- they will POUND Endicott) but overall I'm not impressed with their whole act. People are trying to make Larry Anderson out to be Dean Smith.

They have been pretty awful for most of his tenure and he's just recently gotten a decent group of players together and won some games. I think in a league where you have schools like Coast Guard who have been to an elite 8 and turn out honesty to god american heroes and WPI who has had as good a 10 year run as anyone, the love for MIT seems a little over the top- they also do more whining than any other fan base in the league, complaining about rankings, complaining about their guys getting fouled too hard, etc.

I know Hugenerd will surely have some sort of equation that disproves everything I'm saying as I'm pretty sure he has an alarm hooked up for whenever anyone says anything less than complimentary about MIT Basketball. All I know is they played TWO teams all year that will make the tournament (if WPI gets in) which is a joke. Have some pride and schedule someone.

First off, let me know how many teams Amherst scheduled out of conference that were so great? I may have missed a team, but Amherst didnt schedule a single NCAA tourney team out-of-conference this season. So if Wesleyan doesn't make, Amherst will have played 1 NCAA tourney team (Middlebury).  Nobody is arguing that Amherst doesn't deserve their in-region or national ranking because of their SOS being boosted by NESCAC competition.  Why don't you 'man up' and do some research before making claims that are applicable to a lot of highly ranked teams (if Wheaton (IL) doesnt make the NCAA tourney, Hope will not have played a single NCAA tourney team either, and you could say the same thing about a few other top 10 teams also).

2nd, this is the 5th season in the past 7 years that MIT has had a 20 win season, going back to 05-06, they have made the NCAAs 4 seasons in a row.  They may be 3-4 years behind WPI in their success, but they are on pace to push that mark.  Also, there is something to be said for consistency, a lot of teams can play well on one night and beat a good team, but the teams that aren't that great sometimes play down and lose games to teams they should beat (eg, West Conn losing to Plymouth State and Southern Maine).  MIT has proven they can win despite not playing their best against winning teams.

3rd, MIT earned their current ranking and recognition through their hard work.  They received no votes in 05-06 despite winning 21 games, same thing 4 years ago when they won 21 and upset RIC at RIC in the first round.  And those first years they were doing well, they were not doing it with a roster like they have now, they literally had 7-8 guys suiting up for games. They have been steadily building up each year to get to this point.

4th, Anderson's tenure has been about 15 years, give or take a few years.  They have been pretty darn good for half that time.  He has the second best winning percentage in MIT history as a head coach, and will only improve on that after this year and the years to come. 

5th, I dont know where all these comments about the fan base are coming from.  I am the only one on here defending the team and I wouldnt consider myself a fan base.  I will go out of my way to defend MIT and its players, and if you interpret that as whining, so be it. 

Finally, its hard to read your post without interpreting your comments as having some tinge of jealousy.  When you say things like, 'I just don't much care for MIT's act. People act like it's a shock that good basketball players would want to come to probably 2nd best academic school in the entire country', it reads rather pathetic to me.  The fact is that there are lots of players that want to come to MIT, just as there are a lot of students who want to come here for the academics, unfortunately, the vast majority of them cant get in.  There are players every year that go to D2 programs or highly rated D3 programs and have prolific careers that wanted to come to MIT but could not get in.  If MIT could get everyone they wanted, maybe your comment would be fair, but they can't, so recruiting is still one of their biggest challenges.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2012, 12:41:05 PM
MIT gets shipped to upstate NY (Hartwick).  The schedule doesn't seem that unfavorable, however.  The NCAAs did a decent job of spreading teams out in the regions.  Looks like in MITs bracket, according to hosting (assuming geography didnt play a role in hosting), the seeding looks like:

1. Amherst, 2. Staten Island, 3. Hartwick, 4. F&M, 5. West Conn, 6. MIT, 7. RIC, 8. NYU, 9. Mesiricordia, 10. Salem State, 11. Skidmore, 12. Christopher Newport, 13. York, 14. Farmingdale St., and 15. Ithaca.

Since MIT is a 6 seed, that puts them in the 21-24 range nationally in the NCAA committee's eyes, which I guess is not that bad considering the emphasis they put on SOS.  With that said, really tough break for WPI, being left out of the field with one of the highest SOS' in the country.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on February 27, 2012, 01:59:53 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 27, 2012, 12:28:02 PM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
It was a 2 pronged comment. One even when I was playing Springfield conducted themselves in a less than classy way- they are simply staying true to their roots. That being said...

I just don't much care for MIT's act. People act like it's a shock that good basketball players would want to come to probably 2nd best academic school in the entire country. That coupled with their ridiculously weak schedule makes me less than willing to jump on their bandwagon. They should win a game or two in this year's NCAA tournament (particularly if the projected bracket holds up- they will POUND Endicott) but overall I'm not impressed with their whole act. People are trying to make Larry Anderson out to be Dean Smith.

They have been pretty awful for most of his tenure and he's just recently gotten a decent group of players together and won some games. I think in a league where you have schools like Coast Guard who have been to an elite 8 and turn out honesty to god american heroes and WPI who has had as good a 10 year run as anyone, the love for MIT seems a little over the top- they also do more whining than any other fan base in the league, complaining about rankings, complaining about their guys getting fouled too hard, etc.

I know Hugenerd will surely have some sort of equation that disproves everything I'm saying as I'm pretty sure he has an alarm hooked up for whenever anyone says anything less than complimentary about MIT Basketball. All I know is they played TWO teams all year that will make the tournament (if WPI gets in) which is a joke. Have some pride and schedule someone.

First off, let me know how many teams Amherst scheduled out of conference that were so great? I may have missed a team, but Amherst didnt schedule a single NCAA tourney team out-of-conference this season. So if Wesleyan doesn't make, Amherst will have played 1 NCAA tourney team (Middlebury).  Nobody is arguing that Amherst doesn't deserve their in-region or national ranking because of their SOS being boosted by NESCAC competition.  Why don't you 'man up' and do some research before making claims that are applicable to a lot of highly ranked teams (if Wheaton (IL) doesnt make the NCAA tourney, Hope will not have played a single NCAA tourney team either, and you could say the same thing about a few other top 10 teams also).

2nd, this is the 5th season in the past 7 years that MIT has had a 20 win season, going back to 05-06, they have made the NCAAs 4 seasons in a row.  They may be 3-4 years behind WPI in their success, but they are on pace to push that mark.  Also, there is something to be said for consistency, a lot of teams can play well on one night and beat a good team, but the teams that aren't that great sometimes play down and lose games to teams they should beat (eg, West Conn losing to Plymouth State and Southern Maine).  MIT has proven they can win despite not playing their best against winning teams.

3rd, MIT earned their current ranking and recognition through their hard work.  They received no votes in 05-06 despite winning 21 games, same thing 4 years ago when they won 21 and upset RIC at RIC in the first round.  And those first years they were doing well, they were not doing it with a roster like they have now, they literally had 7-8 guys suiting up for games. They have been steadily building up each year to get to this point.

4th, Anderson's tenure has been about 15 years, give or take a few years.  They have been pretty darn good for half that time.  He has the second best winning percentage in MIT history as a head coach, and will only improve on that after this year and the years to come. 

5th, I dont know where all these comments about the fan base are coming from.  I am the only one on here defending the team and I wouldnt consider myself a fan base.  I will go out of my way to defend MIT and its players, and if you interpret that as whining, so be it. 

Finally, its hard to read your post without interpreting your comments as having some tinge of jealousy.  When you say things like, 'I just don't much care for MIT's act. People act like it's a shock that good basketball players would want to come to probably 2nd best academic school in the entire country', it reads rather pathetic to me.  The fact is that there are lots of players that want to come to MIT, just as their are a lot of students who want to come here for the academics, unfortunately, the vast majority of them cant get in.  There are players every year that go to D2 programs or highly rated D3 programs and have prolific careers that wanted to come to MIT but could not get in.  If MIT could get everyone they wanted, maybe your comment would be fair, but they can't, so recruiting is still one of their biggest challenges.

Way to go Nerd, as quoted by Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting: to CCC Talk, You like Apples? Yeah, How do you like them apples!!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 02:00:23 PM
Let me preface by saying that I am not complaining - I don't have enough data to truly evaluate where WPI sits as one of the last teams in or out.

The stats don't lie though - WPI played 6 teams (7 games) against tournament teams (Castleton, Salem, RIC, Western, Becker, MIT, MIT).  They went 4-3.  Not being selected certainly does not inspire teams to go out and schedule tough games.  All that being said, if they di not lose to an 11-14 Wheaton team twice - they are in and the "tough" games should have prepared them for a tourney run.

I would assume no other team in the country played 6 different tournament teams?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 27, 2012, 02:19:32 PM
WPI,

Tough break; all the posts that I've read over the last 3 weeks had WPI as a lock. If I remember correctly, when the committee is taking teams; their assess only one team per regional at a time. Do you think that a team may have blocked others in the national arguement?  If so, who could that team be?  I would have had WPI in and Keene out.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 27, 2012, 02:55:57 PM
Quote from: pjunito on February 27, 2012, 02:19:32 PM
WPI,

Tough break; all the posts that I've read over the last 3 weeks had WPI as a lock. If I remember correctly, when the committee is taking teams; their assess only one team per regional at a time. Do you think that a team may have blocked others in the national arguement?  If so, who could that team be?  I would have had WPI in and Keene out.

I think Wesleyan jumped WPI and Wesleyan was the blocker.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Eye in the Sky on February 27, 2012, 03:04:33 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 11:20:37 AM
Quote from: Eye in the Sky on February 27, 2012, 11:05:57 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
I know Hugenerd will surely have some sort of equation that disproves everything I'm saying as I'm pretty sure he has an alarm hooked up for whenever anyone says anything less than complimentary about MIT Basketball. All I know is they played TWO teams all year that will make the tournament (if WPI gets in) which is a joke. Have some pride and schedule someone.

I know everyone will hate it but well put CCC. MIT is a good team and deserves their league title and trip to the NCAA. But their schedule is very week. And everyone wants to say they are a top 5 team in the country? Would love to see how they would have held up playing in the Little East or NESCAC this season, where everyother game is playing a tournament caliber team.

You guys are acting like MIT is getting some kind of break - they won their way in - what is the complaint?  HugeNerd likes to talk on the boards - I find him entertaining.  Where else is the whining?  Any other team had a "posting-advocate" like HN and went 25-1 (or whatever) - they would get lots of attention as well.

Really hoping WPI (if????????) and MIT get LEC match-ups early - I love our chances........................

Without having any clue as to the circumstances, Springfield walking off seems bush league?

Sorry I may have been on a little different page than CCC, in that, MIT is a very good team, and of course earned their way to the tournament! They are definetly a tournament team. I have just noticed that people have had them ranked very high nationally which I think was a little off, very good team, can make some noise, but as high as top 5 in the country at some points this season struck me. But certainly don't want to take away from what they have done this year.

Now, if you like your chances against the LEC teams, I would say they would be great games! However, even though WPI didn't get in, if they did, you would still like them ???? They played two games against LEC teams this year, and lost both. Those were against the 2 and 3 seed team in the LEC. So I find that interesting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 04:03:35 PM
Eye - no logic to it - just didn't like the way some of the LEC team's were playing down the stretch.  I saw Westconn in person twice in late jan/feb and just thought they looked tired and vulnerable.  Opposite holds true also - WPI beat up on Castleton, Becker, and Salem - all 3 of them are playing much better than they were 3 months ago when we beat them.

I wish all 3 of your teams and all the New England teams nothing but the best.

Potential games I would love to see:

1)  F&M vs. West Conn  (My nephew played at Dickinson the last 4 years and I have seen F&M a couple of times - Westconn will have the far superior athletes if they match up in a second round game.............)
2)  Magnus vs. Middlebury   Stating the obvoius but if Middlebury lets Magnus get up and down the court - watch out!
3)  MIT vs. Amherst (way ahead of myself but I have been talking up this match-up for 3 months)!

WPI vs. Worcester State (NEXT NOVEMBER!!!!!!)


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on February 27, 2012, 04:15:13 PM
A lot of it has to do with who is hot, who's not, who is confident going in and who isn't, the luck of the draw (Bracket) and health of the team.  I guess that why we play the games down to a national championship!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2012, 04:17:39 PM
Quote from: Eye in the Sky on February 27, 2012, 03:04:33 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 11:20:37 AM
Quote from: Eye in the Sky on February 27, 2012, 11:05:57 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
I know Hugenerd will surely have some sort of equation that disproves everything I'm saying as I'm pretty sure he has an alarm hooked up for whenever anyone says anything less than complimentary about MIT Basketball. All I know is they played TWO teams all year that will make the tournament (if WPI gets in) which is a joke. Have some pride and schedule someone.

I know everyone will hate it but well put CCC. MIT is a good team and deserves their league title and trip to the NCAA. But their schedule is very week. And everyone wants to say they are a top 5 team in the country? Would love to see how they would have held up playing in the Little East or NESCAC this season, where everyother game is playing a tournament caliber team.

You guys are acting like MIT is getting some kind of break - they won their way in - what is the complaint?  HugeNerd likes to talk on the boards - I find him entertaining.  Where else is the whining?  Any other team had a "posting-advocate" like HN and went 25-1 (or whatever) - they would get lots of attention as well.

Really hoping WPI (if????????) and MIT get LEC match-ups early - I love our chances........................

Without having any clue as to the circumstances, Springfield walking off seems bush league?

Sorry I may have been on a little different page than CCC, in that, MIT is a very good team, and of course earned their way to the tournament! They are definetly a tournament team. I have just noticed that people have had them ranked very high nationally which I think was a little off, very good team, can make some noise, but as high as top 5 in the country at some points this season struck me. But certainly don't want to take away from what they have done this year.

Now, if you like your chances against the LEC teams, I would say they would be great games! However, even though WPI didn't get in, if they did, you would still like them ???? They played two games against LEC teams this year, and lost both. Those were against the 2 and 3 seed team in the LEC. So I find that interesting.

MIT has been ranked in the Top 5 for most of the season, their lowest ranking of the season was 10, which was the preseason poll.

Quote from: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 04:03:35 PM
Eye - no logic to it - just didn't like the way some of the LEC team's were playing down the stretch.  I saw Westconn in person twice in late jan/feb and just thought they looked tired and vulnerable.  Opposite holds true also - WPI beat up on Castleton, Becker, and Salem - all 3 of them are playing much better than they were 3 months ago when we beat them.

I wish all 3 of your teams and all the New England teams nothing but the best.

Potential games I would love to see:

1)  F&M vs. West Conn  (My nephew played at Dickinson the last 4 years and I have seen F&M a couple of times - Westconn will have the far superior athletes if they match up in a second round game.............)
2)  Magnus vs. Middlebury   Stating the obvoius but if Middlebury lets Magnus get up and down the court - watch out!
3)  MIT vs. Amherst (way ahead of myself but I have been talking up this match-up for 3 months)!

WPI vs. Worcester State (NEXT NOVEMBER!!!!!!)

WPI may be a top seed in this year's ECAC. I believe they made themselves eligible.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Eye in the Sky on February 27, 2012, 04:24:36 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 04:03:35 PM
Eye - no logic to it - just didn't like the way some of the LEC team's were playing down the stretch.  I saw Westconn in person twice in late jan/feb and just thought they looked tired and vulnerable.  Opposite holds true also - WPI beat up on Castleton, Becker, and Salem - all 3 of them are playing much better than they were 3 months ago when we beat them.

I wish all 3 of your teams and all the New England teams nothing but the best.

Potential games I would love to see:

1)  F&M vs. West Conn  (My nephew played at Dickinson the last 4 years and I have seen F&M a couple of times - Westconn will have the far superior athletes if they match up in a second round game.............)
2)  Magnus vs. Middlebury   Stating the obvoius but if Middlebury lets Magnus get up and down the court - watch out!
3)  MIT vs. Amherst (way ahead of myself but I have been talking up this match-up for 3 months)!

WPI vs. Worcester State (NEXT NOVEMBER!!!!!!)

Very true about West Conn. On some days they were world beaters, some days (Plymouth and USM) they looked like they were playing pickup in a local Rec league. Points well taken!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 27, 2012, 04:40:15 PM
If this Western team actually decides to play any defense I honestly believe we can beat Amherst, even if the game is @ Amherst.  No doubt their a great team, but I don't think they can keep up with us for a whole 40 minutes if we decide to run.  Same way I think Middlebury has their hands full with Albertus, if they let Albertus run their in trouble, like the way they lost to RIC a few seasons ago. 

Of course with the way Western has been the last couple years were just as capable of getting blown out by Christopher Newport as we are of beating Amherst.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 27, 2012, 04:57:14 PM
WPI #1 seed in the New England region in ECAC tournament.  They will host every game as long as they win.
http://www.ecacsports.com/championships/2011-2012_Winter_Championships/2012_Men-s_Basketball_Championships/2012_ECAC_Men-s_Tournament_Seedings
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: onetinsoldier on February 27, 2012, 04:58:24 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 04:03:35 PM
1)  F&M vs. West Conn  (My nephew played at Dickinson the last 4 years and I have seen F&M a couple of times - Westconn will have the far superior athletes if they match up in a second round game.............)

I'm not sure what you mean by "far superior." Looking at my matrices, as well as watching parts their title game the other day i'm not sure any d3 team has athletes that are "far" superior to F&M.  Basketball isnt about 40 times or long jumps, its about how ones athletic ability translates to a team game.  A potential F&M/Westconn second round game would be fun, two teams that both showed their stuff against regionally ranked competition.  But if you really think westconn has far superior athletes, then i'd love to know how you'd compare F&M's athletes to Dickinson!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2012, 07:33:29 PM
WPI gets a bye and will host the semifinal and final rounds of the ECAC NE tournament.

http://www.ecacsports.com/championships/2011-2012_Winter_Championships/2012_Men-s_Basketball_Championships/2012_Men-s_Basketball_Championship_Central
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 27, 2012, 08:28:26 PM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
It was a 2 pronged comment. One even when I was playing Springfield conducted themselves in a less than classy way- they are simply staying true to their roots. That being said...
Agreed.  At least from one Springfield fan/former player.

Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
I just don't much care for MIT's act. People act like it's a shock that good basketball players would want to come to probably 2nd best academic school in the entire country. That coupled with their ridiculously weak schedule makes me less than willing to jump on their bandwagon. They should win a game or two in this year's NCAA tournament (particularly if the projected bracket holds up- they will POUND Endicott) but overall I'm not impressed with their whole act. People are trying to make Larry Anderson out to be Dean Smith.
Hmmm, not sure what MIT's act is.  Maybe its act is winning and I don't blame a Springfield fan/former player for not caring much for that.  There are a lot of good players who want to go to MIT, but unfortunately, they do not have a high enough level of academic strength to get in.  MIT does not bend the admission rules for athletes.  Other D3 schools provide "academic" scholarships for their basketball players.  I'm not familiar with Springfield's admission policy, but MIT's is extremely tough at around 10% admission rate.  IMHO, it is a shock that MIT players can dedicate so much time to basketball with all of their coursework.  I'm sure HN can provide a list of MIT players who dropped out of the basketball program that could be starting for any NEWMAC team.  I actually agree with your comments about weak schedule and how it may not prepare MIT as well as a harder schedule.  Some of these reasons may be that teams don't want to play MIT.  I have been told that MIT has tried several times to schedule Williams without success.  Other reasons are that they try to limit time away from their academics, so they schedule a lot of teams reasonably close.  Another cause could be their budget.  Traveling takes time and money.  It is my understanding that MIT doesn't even supply shoes for the players.  My glance at the brackets depicted that Salem State (another MIT win) made it.  A lot of MIT road games in the conference were at the end of the season, so their current SOS is better than what was initially reported.  I'm hopeful they will go far in the tournament and believe they are well prepared by playing strong teams like WPI, Springfield, Clark (who made a late season run), Babson, etc. from the NEWMAC.  I really believe that Springfield and WPI are better than a lot of teams that made the NCAA.  Springfield should be commended for playing such a tough schedule, going 2-1 against WPI and playing MIT tough for all 3 games that could have gone either way.  The farther MIT goes in the tournament, the more recognition for the NEWMAC and that benefits all of the teams.

Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2012, 09:53:54 AM
They have been pretty awful for most of his tenure and he's just recently gotten a decent group of players together and won some games. I think in a league where you have schools like Coast Guard who have been to an elite 8 and turn out honesty to god american heroes and WPI who has had as good a 10 year run as anyone, the love for MIT seems a little over the top- they also do more whining than any other fan base in the league, complaining about rankings, complaining about their guys getting fouled too hard, etc.

I know Hugenerd will surely have some sort of equation that disproves everything I'm saying as I'm pretty sure he has an alarm hooked up for whenever anyone says anything less than complimentary about MIT Basketball. All I know is they played TWO teams all year that will make the tournament (if WPI gets in) which is a joke. Have some pride and schedule someone.
HN has already responded to this.  I agree he is not Dean Smith and do not always agree with every move, but that is why we are fans.  MIT has been in the NCAA's for the last 4 years consecutively.  Does he not get any credit for that?  Please list the other coaches who have a similar 4-year record and are criticized.  All-time MIT winningest coach and endowed and criticized.  Recruiting is difficult for players who could actually get admitted into MIT.  Do you believe that MIT deserved to be ranked 7th in the NE Region when D3hoops ranked them 3rd in the nation?  I guess I am classified as one of the whinners, but that is my right as a fan.  MIT's schedule was easier than Springfield's, but they also won consistently and usually won big.  BTW, Springfield played a great game (both against WPI and MIT) and I truly wish both WPI and Springfield were in the NCAA's, in spite of the opinions of its fan/former player.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 27, 2012, 09:49:23 PM
MIT used to play Amherst, but for some reason the series abruptly ended after MIT nearly won at Amherst in the 2007-08 season.  Prior to Jimmy Bartolotta winning the national player of the year award, MIT typically had rosters with half the number of players of everyone else.  The rosters were always talented, there just were very few guys who stuck it out for 4 years.  An injury here or there and the team was devastated.  That is why they carry a schedule with teams like Newbury and Leslie.  With their academic requirements, they also only travel within a 2 hour bus ride of Cambridge.   

One thing that is questionable is why the schedule was so light this year, when MIT has their "big 4" for this season and next; they could have scheduled a home and away against some tough competition knowing they'll still be very strong next year.  Ironically, the MIT schedule got weaker this year than what it has been over the recent years (no Bridgewater State, no ConnCollege, no Western Conn, no Endicott).  I heard they had some kind of falling out in the past with Brandeis and so won't schedule them, which would be a great match up w/ this current roster.  Still, I would have liked to see them play some team like a RIC, Eastern Conn, UMass Dartmouth, Elms, or another NESCAC school which are do-able bus trips for MIT and hold off on the Wheelock's for another 2 years. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on February 27, 2012, 10:51:46 PM
All I can say, and I have stated it before, is that you really have to respect the vast majority of, not just basketball student athletes, but SA in all intercollegiate sports.  With the pressures these kids face with course work, with their teams practice and schedules and many times, these days, with parents financially trying to keep them in school, we should all admire their efforts.  As to MIT guys.....it is hard to imagine how they do it, and do everything soo well.  My hat is off to all these guys.  I have to believe Coach Geitner, Campbell, Colbert or Walsh would love to schedule games with MIT!!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2012, 09:14:17 AM
Quote from: onetinsoldier on February 27, 2012, 04:58:24 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 27, 2012, 04:03:35 PM
1)  F&M vs. West Conn  (My nephew played at Dickinson the last 4 years and I have seen F&M a couple of times - Westconn will have the far superior athletes if they match up in a second round game.............)

I'm not sure what you mean by "far superior." Looking at my matrices, as well as watching parts their title game the other day i'm not sure any d3 team has athletes that are "far" superior to F&M.  Basketball isnt about 40 times or long jumps, its about how ones athletic ability translates to a team game.  A potential F&M/Westconn second round game would be fun, two teams that both showed their stuff against regionally ranked competition.  But if you really think westconn has far superior athletes, then i'd love to know how you'd compare F&M's athletes to Dickinson!

Tin Soldier - don't get me wrong - I still think F&M would be favored to win that game at home - I was just pointing out that WestConn can play with them.  WestConn plays in the 80s, 90s, 100s - F&M usually in the 60s.  F&M is big, well coached and all they do is win - just pointing out WestConn's potential speed (quickness) advantage..............should be fun either way - I just hope they both take care of the first round.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2012, 09:16:10 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 27, 2012, 07:33:29 PM
WPI gets a bye and will host the semifinal and final rounds of the ECAC NE tournament.

http://www.ecacsports.com/championships/2011-2012_Winter_Championships/2012_Men-s_Basketball_Championships/2012_Men-s_Basketball_Championship_Central

Thanks Nerd - means something and if they win their 2 games, they can get to 20 wins!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 28, 2012, 09:24:44 AM
Quote from: T990 on February 27, 2012, 09:49:23 PM
MIT used to play Amherst, but for some reason the series abruptly ended after MIT nearly won at Amherst in the 2007-08 season.  Prior to Jimmy Bartolotta winning the national player of the year award, MIT typically had rosters with half the number of players of everyone else.  The rosters were always talented, there just were very few guys who stuck it out for 4 years.  An injury here or there and the team was devastated.  That is why they carry a schedule with teams like Newbury and Leslie.  With their academic requirements, they also only travel within a 2 hour bus ride of Cambridge.   
I believe MIT was close to a .500 season in 2007-08 and played Amherst close.  The next season had them losing their athletic center along with McCue, but the key freshman additions of Karraker & Bender provided Jimmy with enough help to win the NEWMAC tournament, although many of those games were really close.  You are correct about the limited rosters because they often didn't have enough players to practice efficiently.  I also heard that Amherst did not want to risk losing to MIT after that close game and that MIT coaches will only play a home and home series with teams, i.e., they will not schedule an away-only game with a team.
Quote from: T990 on February 27, 2012, 09:49:23 PM
One thing that is questionable is why the schedule was so light this year, when MIT has their "big 4" for this season and next; they could have scheduled a home and away against some tough competition knowing they'll still be very strong next year.  Ironically, the MIT schedule got weaker this year than what it has been over the recent years (no Bridgewater State, no ConnCollege, no Western Conn, no Endicott).  I heard they had some kind of falling out in the past with Brandeis and so won't schedule them, which would be a great match up w/ this current roster.  Still, I would have liked to see them play some team like a RIC, Eastern Conn, UMass Dartmouth, Elms, or another NESCAC school which are do-able bus trips for MIT and hold off on the Wheelock's for another 2 years.
Not sure what you are referring to as the "big 4", but I assume you mean the post-Jimmy class of Tashman & Kates, along with Hollingsworth & Karraker who have an extra year of eligibility because of injuries.  They will miss Bender who can boast to have never lost a NEWMAC tournament game that he played (he was injured the year they lost) and all of the non-statistical value he adds to the team.  That being said, I wouldn't trade MIT's roster for any in the country for next year and I believe they will be highly ranked and a true national contender next year.  Although there are not a lot of minutes available, this year's MIT freshman class is also very talented, so they should continue to have good years.  I agree with you that MIT should schedule some more competitive teams (for next season and future seasons) to help prepare them for conference play, NCAA play (now 4 consecutive years) and to help their SOS in the heavily SOS-weighted NCAA ranking system.  Although admittedly weak, I don't believe their non-conference opponents have changed much.  I could be wrong, but I don't recall MIT playing Bridgewater State, ConnCollege, Western Conn, or Endicott in the last 4 seasons including this season.  I agree that seeing MIT play RIC, Eastern Conn, UMass Dartmouth, Elms, or another NESCAC school, while eliminating Wheelock, et al, would be great.  MIT successfully played an athletic RIC team in their gym in the 2008-09 NCAA's.  Hopefully, these coaches/athletic directors can communicate their scheduling interest to each other.  I believe that MIT now has what many would consider an elite program that justifies playing better non-conference competition.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 28, 2012, 09:30:22 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on February 27, 2012, 10:51:46 PM
I have to believe Coach Geitner, Campbell, Colbert or Walsh would love to schedule games with MIT!!!!!
I agree.  Hopefully the coaches/athletic directors can communicate their scheduling interest to each other.  I'm with you.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2012, 03:40:06 PM
Emerson to join the NEWMAC - have not looked up their hoops team yet - anybody know anything about them?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 28, 2012, 03:49:56 PM
Emerson did not have a lot of talent on the team. However, a lot of their younger players got minutes. They had a ROY in the GNAC and their coach is Jim O'Brien; yes, that O'Brien, former Ohio State coach. He should be able to get some players in over the next few years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2012, 04:03:07 PM
Quote from: pjunito on February 28, 2012, 03:49:56 PM
Emerson did not have a lot of talent on the team. However, a lot of their younger players got minutes. They had a ROY in the GNAC and their coach is Jim O'Brien; yes, that O'Brien, former Ohio State coach. He should be able to get some players in over the next few years.

Thanks.  REALLY - was there some tie to Emerson for O'Brien?  He played HS basketball at my archrical in NYC and I know he went to BC but I am stunned that he is coaching there and also stunned that I didn't know it.  Thanks pjunito!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 28, 2012, 06:23:00 PM
Is that true about Emerson?  I had not heard. They did not have a good team this year losing to MIT by around 30.  I remember Bender going off from deep hitting 6-7 from 3 point range on his way to 24 points and one of his highest scoring games of his career. I would love the boys to go to 8 teams and have a 3 round tourney. Getting eliminated early in the year and playing out the string is the pits as well as having 10 days off like MIT did this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on February 28, 2012, 06:25:44 PM
OK, it is fact. Joining in 2012 as the 11th member and 8th coed school.

http://newmacsports.com/landing/2011-12_News/expansion/2012_Emerson
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2012, 06:48:45 PM
Quote from: pjunito on February 28, 2012, 03:49:56 PM
Emerson did not have a lot of talent on the team. However, a lot of their younger players got minutes. They had a ROY in the GNAC and their coach is Jim O'Brien; yes, that O'Brien, former Ohio State coach. He should be able to get some players in over the next few years.

No guarantee.  When I played at CMU, Chris Ford was the coach at Brandeis for a couple of years, and they were still awful. You also don't know how long he well stick around.

Interesting news about Emerson.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 28, 2012, 08:54:46 PM
The article says that Emerson will join starting in the 2013-14 academic year. Looks like they will have once last shot at the GNACs.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on February 29, 2012, 12:05:57 AM
So...I guess I'll ask the obvious question.  What is the upside for the NEWMAC by adding Emerson?  This weakens ( both academically and athletically) a conference already struggling to gain regional (let alone national) respect.  This ought to hasten consideration by MIT to pursue a NESCAC or UAA affiliation I would think.  Emerson?  Hard to believe that Babson, WPI, Smith, Clark, Wheaton, Wellesley, MIT would support this...but apparently they did.   If they want to further dilute their overall standing then join up with the CCC or GNAC.  Better yet, let's invite Nichols, Curry and Holyoke Community College.  Someone else please weigh in on this...HN--please offer your insights on this!  As a strong ( but weakening!) supporter of the NEWMAC I am very discouraged by this announcement.  I hope it is not just to add another mens' team member. Someone please convince me that this is not a terrible strategic decision.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 29, 2012, 09:36:41 AM
Quote from: remsleep on February 29, 2012, 12:05:57 AM
So...I guess I'll ask the obvious question.  What is the upside for the NEWMAC by adding Emerson?  This weakens ( both academically and athletically) a conference already struggling to gain regional (let alone national) respect.  This ought to hasten consideration by MIT to pursue a NESCAC or UAA affiliation I would think.  Emerson?  Hard to believe that Babson, WPI, Smith, Clark, Wheaton, Wellesley, MIT would support this...but apparently they did.   If they want to further dilute their overall standing then join up with the CCC or GNAC.  Better yet, let's invite Nichols, Curry and Holyoke Community College.  Someone else please weigh in on this...HN--please offer your insights on this!  As a strong ( but weakening!) supporter of the NEWMAC I am very discouraged by this announcement.  I hope it is not just to add another mens' team member. Someone please convince me that this is not a terrible strategic decision.

Rem

I can't help you much athletically - a quick glance at Emerson's teams the last couple of years did not uncover much success?  However, I do believe you are underestimating the school from an academic standpoint (which I guarantee is why they were added) - a couple of very bright students from our local HS in CT go there every year and the college review books show BU, NYU, and Northeastern as their "comparables" academically.  Also - maybe not hold much weight on this site but it has one of the best theater programs in the Northeast.  Men's basketball, not so much......yet.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 29, 2012, 09:37:40 AM
Over 100 posts and I still mess up when I try to reply to messages directly..sorry - see response above in blue.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 29, 2012, 10:52:04 AM
I think the move makes sense from a financial standpoint; you have another school in the boston area. Therefore, travel will be reasonable, you have full men's teams in baseball, basketball, soccer, cross country, and volleyball. The teams have not been competitive of late, however, Emerson was the class of the GNAC a few years ago in basketball and with a great coach, could be there again. Dennis Leary did graduate from there, so maybe the NEWMAC thinks it can get him to assist with fundraising or at least getting the name of the conference out there.

Just thoughts...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 29, 2012, 01:18:59 PM
Congratulations Josten's finalist Matt Carr and the other representatives for this prestigious award! 

Listed below are the 10 finalists for the 2012 Jostens Trophy:

Men's Finalists
Seth Anderson, Gustavus Adolphus
Matt Carr, WPI
Felix Friedt, Whitworth
Matt Johnson, Univ. of Chicago
Spencer Liddic, Muhlenberg
Tim McCrary, Wheaton
Ryan Sharry, Middlebury
Aaron Van Klaveren, Cal Lutheran
Aris Wurtz, Ripon
Jordan Zimmer, Illinois Wesleyan

Formatting issues - women's finalaist are listed on front page of d3hoops.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: falcons2010 on February 29, 2012, 01:23:39 PM
I think academically Emerson makes sense. They are a very strong school cademically. And its not as if there joining the Ivy League............If O'brien stays, I'm assuming he will get some talent in there bc of his ties in the Boston area, as well as his already great coaching resume.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 29, 2012, 01:42:21 PM
NEWMAC awards announced:

http://newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/2012_MBK_awards

MIT places 3 on the first team and coach of the year, but Berthiaume of Springfield wins POY.  This is surprising to me based on results in previous years where top players from the first place team were selected over the highest scorer (eg, Bartolotta his sophomore and junior year).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on March 01, 2012, 09:39:36 AM
Does Hartwick College provide live video of the games? I cannot seem to get an real answer on the website.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 01, 2012, 10:08:27 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 29, 2012, 09:36:41 AM
Quote from: remsleep on February 29, 2012, 12:05:57 AM
Also - maybe not hold much weight on this site but it has one of the best theater programs in the Northeast.  Men's basketball, not so much......yet.
I agree that academics and proximity were probably the primary factors.  They have the best game filming and interviews I've seen in D3.  Their basketball team was not very competitive this year when MIT played them.  It doesn't appear that playing them twice now that they will be in the NEWMAC with improve MIT's SOS.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 01, 2012, 10:13:58 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 29, 2012, 01:42:21 PM
This is surprising to me based on results in previous years where top players from the first place team were selected over the highest scorer (eg, Bartolotta his sophomore and junior year).
That is exactly what I thought when it was announced and I knew you would pick up on it.  Not a lot of other surprised except I don't remember anything about the Babson or Coast Guard players, but I'm sure they are deserving.  I wish they had more players either by expanding the size of the first and second teams or adding a third team.  I'd be curious to see some of the stats of the bubble players.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2012, 10:18:28 AM
WPI gets Bridgewater State in the ECAC semis on Saturday after Bridgewater handled Wentworth in OT last night.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 69celts on March 01, 2012, 02:23:04 PM
WPI vs Bridgewater State sounds familiar, and its at Harrington Aud. I remember the last time they battled on the West Side of Worcester, great game won at the last second by one of those great guards that WPI seems to find, Jeff Robinson. Let's see what kind of game Matt Carr brings with him, see if either team is down because they did not make it to the NCAA tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2012, 02:55:13 PM
Quote from: 69celts on March 01, 2012, 02:23:04 PM
WPI vs Bridgewater State sounds familiar, and its at Harrington Aud. I remember the last time they battled on the West Side of Worcester, great game won at the last second by one of those great guards that WPI seems to find, Jeff Robinson. Let's see what kind of game Matt Carr brings with him, see if either team is down because they did not make it to the NCAA tourney.

Not nearly the importance this time nor likely the excitement, but in case anyone wants to re-live it............after this, I will back off and leave the board to MIT as it should be.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJWhbmcsgE0
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 01, 2012, 03:31:38 PM
Good Day Gentlemen

Sorry  I have been away, but I caught a particularily bad flu bug and spent a couple of days in the hospital.  Doing much better  now and took some time last night to catch up with the goings on out here.


Right now, I am not going to go into my opinions on the NCAA selection process.  The very simple truth where WPI is concerned is they put themselves in that position with 2 bad losses to Wheaton.  Win the games you are supposed to win and there would have been no issues.

I did get to MIT last weekend for the semis and I want to congradualte MIT on winniing the AQ for the NEWMAC and wish them best of luck this weekend.  Also congrats to Springfield for making the title game and pushing MIT in that game.

I will say I was very disappointed with WPI's performance in the conference tournament.  They did not shoot the ball well at all and could not come up with the big play in final 5 or 6 minutes to allow them to pull out a win.  I'll say this once again, very poor work by the coaching staff, they are running the same plays looking the same as they execute them as they did in December.  Zero Adjustments - on offense & defense (still leaving good 3 pt shooters alone on the perimeter.) 

Last night I was watching the North Carolina game and it was pleasant to see a team get the ball inside BEFORE the defense gets set up.  Zoeller faced a lot of double teams, but NC still found ways to get him the ball so he could be effective (30 pts of effective).  They got it to him early, they cleared out the side he was working on, they ran some plays where he came of screens. I really thought the Engineers would come into the conference tourney with some new wrinkles, my bad.....   Well, maybe with the storm last night the WPI staff watch the NC game as well, LOL.  It will be interesting to see how the play on Sat.


Congratulations To Alex Berthiaume for being selected as POY.  As others have pointed out, it does seem to be a bit out of character in regards to the past, but if you throw that out, he was a worthy choice.

Congrats to Noel, Hollingsworth, Will Tashman, Mitchell Kates, & Matt Carr for joining Berthiaume on the first team.  All were most deserving of that honor.


Also, kudos to the 2nd teamers, especially DJ Bailey.  Nice to see the conference acknowledge another big who has worked hard on his game.  Good to see two more Engineers on the team in Marco Coppola & Jamie Shannon.

One more Congrats to hand out to Matt Carr for being named a Josten's Finalist.

Lets See this is the 3rd time today I have tried to post this....  Internet is bouncing on & off here today.

Also, Good Luck to Everyone from the Northeast region in the NCAAs!!!!!!!!!!



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2012, 04:16:58 PM
MassD3 - Glad you are back and feeling better - just in time for the games to begin - too bad no Crimson & Gray - at least in the real tournament!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 01, 2012, 04:21:10 PM
Welcome back Mass..D3fan!!   I too watched the UNC trample my local UMD team.  I had to turn it off since it was a mismatch on senior night in the Dean Dome.
Enjoy the D3 games you may watch.  Hope MIT and Amherst play in the Elite 8...somewhere....maybe F & M.  If so, I will attend live in . Lancaster, PA.  The last time Amherst played there in 2004, they beat the favorite host and moved on to the Final 4.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on March 01, 2012, 07:24:52 PM
No more bad mouthing the MIT basketball team, otherwise your in for a prank:  This article is cool 8-)

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2012/02/mit_pranks_from_giant_torpedoes_to_stolen_police_cars_.html

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2012, 09:16:26 AM
Some great pranks - thanks for sharing the article East Conn.  One more I can add (not MIT) from second hand experience - as my best friend's brother flew cargo plains for the Navy (may have been c-130 but I think they are just Air Force?) - in 1983 - the week of the Army/Navy game - he piloted a plane that dropped 250,000 ping pong balls into Michie Stadium up at West Point - I have seen the pictures!!!!  The Army football team had to practice on the soccer field for 3 days.  Legend has it that the last verified ping pong ball was found in the stadium in 1994 (11 years later they were still cleaning up).

Could you just imagine if the press got a hold of something like that today..........simpler times my friends!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 02, 2012, 11:33:36 AM
Thanks ECSU..and WPI89....for the stories.  I own and have read the book from which the MIT pranks on-line article draws from.  It is a classic fun read book that is obtainable somewhere on the MIT website.  My favorite pranks include putting a campus police car on the dome ...the best insider joke was interrupting the Havard-Yale football game in Cambridge with a large beach ball at half time.  The ball rose out of the playing field and resulted in clever remarks exchanged between MIT and Harvard prezs'.
The book is entitled "Nightwork" by Institute Historian ...T. F. Peteterson.  Published in 2003.  Subtitle..."A History of Hacks and Pranks at MIT".   It should be obtainable at the MIT bookstore or from the MIT Press bookstore. 
Sorry about not pointing the info earlier.  The prank at the football game and the balloon with a MIT logo brought a smile to my brother who is unfortunately a Harvard man.  It happened in 1982.  Do not know if it can happen today.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on March 02, 2012, 12:11:50 PM
Those stories are what college athletics is all about... Comradely, rivalries, and growing!   Thanks for the stories!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on March 02, 2012, 01:51:01 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 02, 2012, 09:16:26 AM
Some great pranks - thanks for sharing the article East Conn.  One more I can add (not MIT) from second hand experience - as my best friend's brother flew cargo plains for the Navy (may have been c-130 but I think they are just Air Force?) - in 1983 - the week of the Army/Navy game - he piloted a plane that dropped 250,000 ping pong balls into Michie Stadium up at West Point - I have seen the pictures!!!!  The Army football team had to practice on the soccer field for 3 days.  Legend has it that the last verified ping pong ball was found in the stadium in 1994 (11 years later they were still cleaning up).

Could you just imagine if the press got a hold of something like that today..........simpler times my friends!

WPI89,
Definitely an MIT Calibre prank!!!!  sooooo funny!!!!!!!!  1994 eh  hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on March 02, 2012, 01:54:12 PM
Quote from: amh63 on March 02, 2012, 11:33:36 AM
Thanks ECSU..and WPI89....for the stories.  I own and have read the book from which the MIT pranks on-line article draws from.  It is a classic fun read book that is obtainable somewhere on the MIT website.  My favorite pranks include putting a campus police car on the dome ...the best insider joke was interrupting the Havard-Yale football game in Cambridge with a large beach ball at half time.  The ball rose out of the playing field and resulted in clever remarks exchanged between MIT and Harvard prezs'.
amh63

So great that such brilliant guys can have such a wonderfull sense of humor!!!

Now MIT BB, go out and kick some ass!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2012, 03:21:42 PM
Holy cow - Western, Eastern, RIC, Magnus, and MIT all get going right away at 5:30 - will know early if this can be a big tourney for New England!

I can't find a loser out of that bunch but I will say those 5 go 4-1 just to be safe.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on March 02, 2012, 03:34:49 PM
When does WPI play?  Tomorrow at what time...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2012, 03:39:59 PM
Games are early.  First game at noon and then WPI/Bridgewater at 2:00.  Championship Sunday at noon.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on March 02, 2012, 06:16:15 PM
MIT up 34-24 at the half.  MIT came out pretty shaky, but settled down after the first 5 minutes or so.  They have appear to have a pretty significant advantage in the paint.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on March 02, 2012, 07:15:08 PM
MIT wins 62-55. Was a battle the whole game as Skidmore wouldn't go away, kept making 3s in the second half. Mitchell Kates played a fantastic game for the Engineers, leading all scorers with 24. Skidmore was able to totally shut down Jamie Karraker, who had no points on 3 attempts and really no decent looks all night.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2012, 07:23:46 PM
Quote from: GoTech73 on March 02, 2012, 07:15:08 PM
MIT wins 62-55. Was a battle the whole game as Skidmore wouldn't go away, kept making 3s in the second half. Mitchell Kates played a fantastic game for the Engineers, leading all scorers with 24. Skidmore was able to totally shut down Jamie Karraker, who had no points on 3 attempts and really no decent looks all night.

Kates almost had a triple double, I thought he was going to get it because he only needed 2 more assists with a little under 10 minutes to go.  He ended up with 24, 11, and 8.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 02, 2012, 08:35:26 PM
HN

What is the story on Bender?  He did not play in the second half.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2012, 08:46:19 PM
He got hit in the face early in the 2nd half (could have been late 1st half).  He was on the floor for a couple minutes, but he got up and walked off on his own.  He didnt look wobbly or anything, and the hit didn't appear to be all that hard, so I think it is not concussion related.  My guess is that it is nose related, so he may be playing with a mask tomorrow.  Just a guess, though, I havent talked to anyone.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 02, 2012, 09:16:51 PM
Good to Know.  I don't think MIT can afford to lose any of the 5 starters and go very far.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2012, 09:37:31 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 02, 2012, 09:16:51 PM
Good to Know.  I don't think MIT can afford to lose any of the 5 starters and go very far.

We'll see, he is still no guarantee for this weekend, but if they can get it done against Farmingdale, I think he wouid return for next weekend (although I don't have a diagnosis, so that is just my speculation).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 02, 2012, 09:58:30 PM
So who defends Matthews tomorrow?  Hollingsworth or Tashman ?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 03, 2012, 12:48:22 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 02, 2012, 09:58:30 PM
So who defends Matthews tomorrow?  Hollingsworth or Tashman ?

Both, I'm sure they will throw some of their athletic freshmen bigs at him also, like Acker and Redfield.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on March 03, 2012, 06:43:20 PM
Nice job by WPI today!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 03, 2012, 07:44:07 PM
Looks like Hollingsworth is taking the matchup with AJ Matthews personally.  Hollingsworth has come out firing, to the tune of 27 points and 5 rebounds in the first half.  Matthews was held to 4 points and 1 rebound on just a single FGA.  MIT leads 53-34 at the half.  MIT's only senior, Billy Bender is not playing tonight because of an eye injury in last nights game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 03, 2012, 09:42:36 PM
Again congrats to MIT on the big win tonight.  In addition to the team performance, there were some individual marks set.

Jamie Karraker set the record for most 3s in a season by knocking down his 99th 3 pointer, passing Andrew Tsai's record of 98 from 03-04 .

Mitch Kates also passed Jimmy Bartolotta's career steals mark, besting MIT's all-time leading scorers 184 steals by getting to 185.

I believe Noel Hollingsworth also set an MIT post-season single-game scoring mark with his 37.



I also hope that Billy Bender gets back as soon as possible. He suffered an eye injury last night and was out of tonight's game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 03, 2012, 09:55:02 PM

So, nerd, what do you think?  Do they make everyone drive to Lancaster or does MIT get to host?  Did they even apply?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 03, 2012, 10:00:03 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 03, 2012, 09:55:02 PM

So, nerd, what do you think?  Do they make everyone drive to Lancaster or does MIT get to host?  Did they even apply?

MIT will apply, they renovated the seating this summer so they may be eligible (not sure honestly).  However, if I had to bet I would say Staten Island hosts.  F&M is on the same side of the bracket as #1 Amherst, so they probably are not the highest remaining seed level (#4, if this were a normally laid out bracket).  The hosts on the other side of the bracket were Hartwick and Staten Island, and as Hartwick lost, the highest remaining seed that is eligible to host may be Staten Island and they are the most centrally located geographically also.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 04, 2012, 12:34:14 AM
Congrats MIT - way to represent!

WPI easy in the ECAC semis today as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on March 04, 2012, 10:35:28 AM
Quote from: pjunito on March 03, 2012, 06:43:20 PM
Nice job by WPI today!

Ditto from this end!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 04, 2012, 01:11:14 PM
MIT to travel to Lancaster Pa.  Hope to watch a MIT vs Amherst final live.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2012, 02:14:36 PM
Quote from: amh63 on March 04, 2012, 01:11:14 PM
MIT to travel to Lancaster Pa.  Hope to watch a MIT vs Amherst final live.

I think this is the best MIT could have hoped for (other than hosting themselves). They get a neutral court game against Staten Island and Amherst has to play a tough game against the host school on the other side of the bracket.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2012, 05:11:58 PM
Congrats to WPI on the easy win in the NE ECAC final today over Salve Regina. Jamie Shannon was named tourney MVP.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2012, 05:13:40 PM
Quote from: amh63 on March 04, 2012, 01:11:14 PM
MIT to travel to Lancaster Pa.  Hope to watch a MIT vs Amherst final live.

About 90 minutes from my home.  I'm going to attempt to get there, but no firm plans just yet.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 04, 2012, 07:36:31 PM
NEWMAC 4-0 this weekend.  I think it was a pretty easy sell for coach Bartley to get the boys motivated to get their 20th win this weekend.  9 seasons in a row - unheard of 15 years ago - quite an accomplishment no matter how you get there.

I agree with Nerd - nothing easy from here on out but MIT got the best they can hope for in the round of 16 and then potentially 8.

Amherst/F&M game is a monster..................
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 04, 2012, 09:38:37 PM
Great Finish for the WPI seniors.  Matt Carr & David Brown finish their college careers with a record of 84-26, winning 20 or more every year.  Jamie Shannon's career ends at 81-29 (63-20 at WPI). 

The championship game was decided in the 1st half as Carr dominated it with 15 points and 5 boards.  It was a 1 point game with about 7:30 to go in the half when WPI went on a 19-3 run behind 10 by Carr, a 3 by Ryan Kolb, a layup by Brown and free throws from Sam Longwell & Shannon.

Kolb had a great weekend with his first career double-double (13 pts/ 10 rebs) on Saturday and 11 points and 9 boards in the title game.

The seniors all played well.  In their final collegiate game, Shannon had 21 points and 5 assists, Carr filled up the stat sheet with 21 points, 7 boards, 4 blocks and 2 assists and Brown posted 12 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Longwell chipped in 9 points and 3 steals and Domenick Mastascusa added 8 points to go with 5 rebounds.

Congratulations To the 2012 ECAC New England Men's Basketball Champions!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 05, 2012, 10:43:42 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 04, 2012, 07:36:31 PM
NEWMAC 4-0 this weekend.
Great for the NEWMAC teams.  I was really disappointed that WPI did not get selected to the NCAA's as I believe they were definitely deserving.  I believe the Northest Region has definitely proved to be the strongest region in the tournament.

I watched the MIT games.  I am often critical of the officiating, but I really believe the 3 officials in the first MIT game did not do enough for player safety.  The first of 2 plays happened with Kates having an open layup and the Skidmore player lowering his shoulder and going after Kates with his right shoulder and right elbow without any indication or intention of going for the ball.  It was a textbook intential foul.  I believe they gave the smiling Skidmore player a warning.  After seeing that play, I mentioned that someone was going to get hurt this game.  Early in the second half with MIT up by ~14, Bender had a clean (non-contact) steal and the angry Skidmore player's alleged attempt at the ball missed by ~4 feet and landed straight in his eye.  Bottom line is that Bender has some kind of orbital fracture behind his eye that caused his face to be numb and he had some double vision.  He was taken to Boston before the Farmingdale game and the Boston doctors saw him late Saturday.

Getting back to real basketball, it was great to see MIT hold off Skidmore in a game that shouldn't have been so close as they have marginal talent.  Skidmore deserved to be their by winning their conference tournament, but I believe WPI or Springfield are much better teams.  The Farmingdale game on Saturday has to be one of the best overall games for MIT.  Hollingsworth probably played his best game and was on fire.  Tashman may have played his best game with tremendous defense on their dominant athletic 7-foot center who is the key to Farmingdale's team.  MIT had limited turnovers, played great transition defense (that had been lacking in most of their games) and got some good offensive looks as their center was very slow in transition.  Hopefully, MIT will continue to bring this degree of effort (and shooting percentage) against Staten Island.

Go MIT, NEWMAC & NE Region teams!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 05, 2012, 11:02:29 AM

As refs go, generally the closer you get to the midwest, the more contact they'll allow.  This issue crops up all the time in the tournament, as midwest teams coming east often really struggle to adjust to the calls from East Coast refs.

I saw that Friday at the Ohio Wesleyan game, their big star, Tim Brady was visible shocked by some of the fouls called against him.  Having lived in both the midwest and new england, I can attest that the difference is great.  There are plays which could easily be technical fouls in the boston area that aren't even called in the midwest.

I'm not saying that was necessarily a factor, but the difference in officiating has been, in my experience, the most difficult obstacle for teams to deal with during the tournament (mostly because few teams know what to expect).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 05, 2012, 03:54:38 PM
I'm told that there is another region that has unique refs....for visiting teams....Maine. 
If Amherst can get past F&M on Friday, and MIT past Staten Island....then I hope to see you in Lancaster for the Amherst-MIT game Hoops Fan.
WPI89....left you a response to your post on the 'CAC board.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 06, 2012, 08:44:15 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 05, 2012, 11:02:29 AM

As refs go, generally the closer you get to the midwest, the more contact they'll allow.  This issue crops up all the time in the tournament, as midwest teams coming east often really struggle to adjust to the calls from East Coast refs.

I saw that Friday at the Ohio Wesleyan game, their big star, Tim Brady was visible shocked by some of the fouls called against him.  Having lived in both the midwest and new england, I can attest that the difference is great.  There are plays which could easily be technical fouls in the boston area that aren't even called in the midwest.

I'm not saying that was necessarily a factor, but the difference in officiating has been, in my experience, the most difficult obstacle for teams to deal with during the tournament (mostly because few teams know what to expect).
Good point, HF.  I used to coach a couple AAU teams that traveled accross the country and was raised in the midwest.  There are often college referees in most of the big select tournaments because it is in the summer in the basketball offseason.  The players on all levels just have to adjust their games to the way the referees call games.  As long as the referees are consistent and make calls on what they see, rather than what they anticipate.  You are correct that if a player cannot adjust their game to the way the referees are calling it, they will be in trouble.  In the 2 plays I recall, there were no legitimate attempts at going for the ball.  Players are all amped up and should not be given this type of latitude or injuries are inevitable.  Appreciate the insight.  I'm hopeful of an Amherst/MIT elite 8 matchup.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 08, 2012, 09:42:29 AM
Dave McHugh of D3 hoopsville has posted on the NESCAC board that he will be in Lancaster, PA for the games.  Will support host in coverage of the games with upgrades to the camera coverage, in prticular.  Better on-line show for those who can not attend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 09, 2012, 09:29:27 AM
Best of Luck to MIT today!   Go NEWMAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 09, 2012, 06:09:37 PM
Nerd - your boys look AWESOME!  As you know - they are up 14 at the half.  Karraker (sp?) for President!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on March 09, 2012, 06:11:47 PM
MIT leads Staten Island 44-30 at the half. Karraker and Kates can't miss from downtown. Karraker is 6 for 6 and Kates is 3 for 5 from beyond the arc. Together they have 33 of MIT's 44 points.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 09, 2012, 07:07:35 PM
Hard to be critical but I hate the way MIT is taking the air out of the ball so early.  SI making a semi run.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 09, 2012, 07:15:21 PM
MIT - great!  All but Hollingsworth with + games. I love to watch Kates - he is ALWAYS in control!  I have been talking about an MIT/Amherst match-up since early December.  We are halfway there.

Congrats NERD!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on March 09, 2012, 07:20:14 PM
MIT defeats Staten Island 83-67. Kates with 29 pts, 5 assists, and 4 steals, 5x8 from downtown. Karraker with 25 pts and 7x10  3 pointers. Hollingsworth with 13 pts. and 8 rebounds. Tashman with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Pretty dominant performance by the Engineers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on March 09, 2012, 07:24:21 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 09, 2012, 07:07:35 PM
Hard to be critical but I hate the way MIT is taking the air out of the ball so early.  SI making a semi run.

Wholeheartedly agree about this, but thankfully it ended up not mattering.  Incredible deep ball shooting and terrific defense won this won for Tech tonight.  Hopefully we saved some shots for tomorrow night. Would love to see the MIT/Amherst matchup!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2012, 07:44:09 PM
Lots of credit to Karraker for making his open shots (he played unbelievable), but the night belonged to Mitch Kates on both ends of the court.  Just a few days ago TJ Tibbs put up 40 on RIC, but tonight Kates guarded him the whole game and really gave him problems, holding him to just 13 points on 3-11 shooting.  On the other end of the court, Kates was just as spectacular, going 8-14 from the field for 29 points to go along with 5 assists and 4 steals.  I think this goes to show what us in the NEWMAC have known for a long time, and I was glad he finally got an opportunity to show it on the national stage, that Kates is one of the best point guards in the country.

Tashman was his solid self defensively and in the paint, scoring 11 and hauling down 13 boards.  Hollingsworth had an off night, but his back court picked him up.  He still ended up with 13 points and 8 rebounds, which would probably be a great night for just about anyone else. I truly believe he, Tashman, and Hollingsworth are AA-level players and hope they get that type of recognition when its all said and done.

Should be a fun contest in the 2nd game of the night, can't wait to see who MIT will play.  Should be a great game tomorrow night either way!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2012, 08:21:58 PM
Also wanted to say that Dave McHugh did a great job on the production, as did the announcers (except for a few name errors, but understable given two out of town teams, really nothing compared to Dave's 'Jamie Cracker' on Hoopsville last night - it's 'Ka-ra-ker' ;D!).  Really enjoyable broadcast to watch.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 09, 2012, 09:50:25 PM
So my MIT-Amherst match-up that I predicted to Amh63 before the season falls 50% short.  Holy cow did the NESCAC struggle.  Watched a good bit of both games and it seemed to me (at least on this night) that both Amherst and Midd struggled with scoring options - nothing came easy for either one - Kudos to Scranton and F&M.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 09, 2012, 09:55:52 PM
I believe the NEWMAC is the only Northeast conference still dancing!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2012, 11:07:37 PM
Nice article linked on the d3hoops frontpage on MIT, from espn.com:

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/colleges/post/_/id/2027/mit-hoopsters-doing-harvard-one-better
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Reserved Seat on March 09, 2012, 11:15:08 PM
Looking forward to playing MIT tomorrow. Incredible three point shooting. F&M's Porter and Milligan will have to clamp down on the shooters.  Hard to predict tomorrow since Staten Island played little defense.  F&M's bigs should be able to hold their own under the basket.  F&M was 0 for 1 from the three line.  Two different views on the three.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2012, 11:29:38 PM
Quote from: Reserved Seat on March 09, 2012, 11:15:08 PM
Looking forward to playing MIT tomorrow. Incredible three point shooting. F&M's Porter and Milligan will have to clamp down on the shooters.  Hard to predict tomorrow since Staten Island played little defense.  F&M's bigs should be able to hold their own under the basket.  F&M was 0 for 1 from the three line.  Two different views on the three.

MIT will definitely take the 3s if they are there, but thats not really their focus (Karraker gets essentially all his attempts on in and out looks from the post, or situations where Kates breaks down the defense and Karrakers man helps).  In the game before against Farmingdale, and their 7'0" center AJ Matthews, MIT's 6'9" center Noel Hollingsworth scored 37 points and 4 man Will Tashman had 16 and 13.  They are pretty balanced, so they can adjust to the type of team they are playing and whats working for them in that game.  SHould be a fun game to watch.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on March 09, 2012, 11:30:15 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 09, 2012, 08:21:58 PM
Also wanted to say that Dave McHugh did a great job on the production, as did the announcers (except for a few name errors, but understable given two out of town teams, really nothing compared to Dave's 'Jamie Cracker' on Hoopsville last night - it's 'Ka-ra-ker' ;D!).  Really enjoyable broadcast to watch.

Ditto......excellent job by the announcers....really makes it a  treat when those of us who can not get to the gym can watch the game without having to writhe in frustration because of less than adequate broadcast....nice job by all!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 10, 2012, 12:17:25 AM

Just got back from the games.  I sat in the MIT section this evening because those F&M fans are mean and scary.  Yikes!  Not a friendly atmosphere.

Anyway, the MIT was not as athletic as I expected, but they were smarter and played much better defense than I expected.  It was amazing to watch those guards nail 11 threes without missing (especially since Karraker is on my fantasy team).  Kates and Tashman were extremely impressive to me.  I'm not sure Hollingsworth got to show off all his skills.  He only had one opportunity to use a real post move and it was both complicated and smooth - easy bucket.

If they do indeed all return next year, it will be quite a force to be reckoned with.  I also appreciated how well they all played with fouls.  It's cliche, but MIT has a very, very intelligent basketball team.  They were disciplined and took care of the ball.

That being said, I don't see them winning tomorrow.  Both Amherst and F&M looked just a cut above.  They're both championship level teams and I'm not sure MIT has the depth to stick with F&M.  Their interior scoring was tremendous and the referees in Lancaster seem to be making random calls in the post, which could get MIT's short bench into foul trouble.

Still a good run.  I think they're clearly a top 10 team; they've overcome the relatively weak schedule with flying colors.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 10, 2012, 12:22:05 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 09, 2012, 08:21:58 PM
Also wanted to say that Dave McHugh did a great job on the production, as did the announcers (except for a few name errors, but understable given two out of town teams, really nothing compared to Dave's 'Jamie Cracker' on Hoopsville last night - it's 'Ka-ra-ker' ;D!).  Really enjoyable broadcast to watch.
Thanks... we did our best. Hoped it was good for those out there who watched. Wanted to provide a bit more of a game then single camera.

Sorry about "Cracker"... I actually knew the name, but tripped as I went to say it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on March 10, 2012, 12:45:21 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 09, 2012, 09:50:25 PM
So my MIT-Amherst match-up that I predicted to Amh63 before the season falls 50% short.  Holy cow did the NESCAC struggle.  Watched a good bit of both games and it seemed to me (at least on this night) that both Amherst and Midd struggled with scoring options - nothing came easy for either one - Kudos to Scranton and F&M.

If you want the count the 3 NESCAC teams that were remaing on the women's side, the NESCAC went 1-4 on the evening in the 5 games (3 women's 2 men's).  Ouch!  First time since 2001 a final 4 won't have a NESCAC or UAA team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on March 10, 2012, 08:06:48 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 09, 2012, 07:44:09 PM
Lots of credit to Karraker for making his open shots (he played unbelievable), but the night belonged to Mitch Kates on both ends of the court.  Just a few days ago TJ Tibbs put up 40 on RIC, but tonight Kates guarded him the whole game and really gave him problems, holding him to just 13 points on 3-11 shooting.  On the other end of the court, Kates was just as spectacular, going 8-14 from the field for 29 points to go along with 5 assists and 4 steals.  I think this goes to show what us in the NEWMAC have known for a long time, and I was glad he finally got an opportunity to show it on the national stage, that Kates is one of the best point guards in the country.

Tashman was his solid self defensively and in the paint, scoring 11 and hauling down 13 boards.  Hollingsworth had an off night, but his back court picked him up.  He still ended up with 13 points and 8 rebounds, which would probably be a great night for just about anyone else. I truly believe he, Tashman, and Hollingsworth are AA-level players and hope they get that type of recognition when its all said and done.

Should be a fun contest in the 2nd game of the night, can't wait to see who MIT will play.  Should be a great game tomorrow night either way!

Huge,

CONGRATS on MIT's Elite8 status, We will all be rooting for the Engineers to take the Championship. Best of Luck!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on March 10, 2012, 08:11:20 AM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 10, 2012, 12:22:05 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 09, 2012, 08:21:58 PM
Also wanted to say that Dave McHugh did a great job on the production, as did the announcers (except for a few name errors, but understable given two out of town teams, really nothing compared to Dave's 'Jamie Cracker' on Hoopsville last night - it's 'Ka-ra-ker' ;D!).  Really enjoyable broadcast to watch.
Thanks... we did our best. Hoped it was good for those out there who watched. Wanted to provide a bit more of a game then single camera.

Sorry about "Cracker"... I actually knew the name, but tripped as I went to say it.

Dave McHugh,et al

Great job with the broadcasts yesterday and for Hoopsville all season.  Your making D3Hoops the best college basketball web sites in the country!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 10, 2012, 11:06:58 AM
Thank you.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 10, 2012, 11:22:56 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 10, 2012, 12:17:25 AM

Just got back from the games.  I sat in the MIT section this evening because those F&M fans are mean and scary.  Yikes!  Not a friendly atmosphere.

Anyway, the MIT was not as athletic as I expected, but they were smarter and played much better defense than I expected.  It was amazing to watch those guards nail 11 threes without missing (especially since Karraker is on my fantasy team).  Kates and Tashman were extremely impressive to me.  I'm not sure Hollingsworth got to show off all his skills.  He only had one opportunity to use a real post move and it was both complicated and smooth - easy bucket.

If they do indeed all return next year, it will be quite a force to be reckoned with.  I also appreciated how well they all played with fouls.  It's cliche, but MIT has a very, very intelligent basketball team.  They were disciplined and took care of the ball.

That being said, I don't see them winning tomorrow.  Both Amherst and F&M looked just a cut above.  They're both championship level teams and I'm not sure MIT has the depth to stick with F&M.  Their interior scoring was tremendous and the referees in Lancaster seem to be making random calls in the post, which could get MIT's short bench into foul trouble.

Still a good run.  I think they're clearly a top 10 team; they've overcome the relatively weak schedule with flying colors.

I held myself from responding to your comments yesterday, but needless to say I strongly disagree with them.

I hope you enjoy eating your words, because tonight it looked like MIT was in another class than F&M. 

All I can say is that, just as he did against Tibbs the night before, Kates won the battle against Milligan on both ends of the court.  I know that Milligan ended up with 23 points, but 9 or 11 of those were in the last 3 minutes when the game was pretty much decided, and even then, it took him 18 shots to get those points.  Kates disrupted his rhythm the whole night, especially with regard to Milligan being able setting up his teammates, as he finished with only 2 assists and 4 TOs (Kates had 8 asissts and 4 TOs).  If Milligan is a 2nd team All-American (as he was in the preseason), Mitch Kates has got to be at least on that same team because if you polled anyone who watched tonight's game, I think it was clear who the better PG is.

Karraker was again huge, hitting 5 big 3s, and McCue even got in the act with a couple.  Hollingsworth wasn't at 100% effectivity for the 2nd night in a row, but still finished with a respectable 14 and 9.  Tash didn't have a huge night, but he made his presence known on the defensive end (this is his first game of the tourney not having a double-double).

It will be interesting to see how MIT prepares for UWW, as the engineers will have a pretty dramatic size advantage inside.  Looking at tonight's box score, UWW starts players that are 6'1", 6'2", 6'3", 6'5", and 6'6", with only 2 main subs that are 6'0" and 6'4".  I know they have some tremendous athletes, like Davis, but I wonder if MIT will try to exploit that advantage more than they could this past weekend.  MIT starts 6'9" Hollingsworth, 6'8" Tashman (who I would guess would guard Davis), 6'5" Billy Bender (if he is back next weekend, if not it will be 6'3" Dan McCue), 6'4" Jamie Karraker, and 6'1" Mitch Kates.  MITs two main inside subs are also taller than anyone UWW has, in 6'8" Andrew Acker and 6'7" Dennis Levene.  Should be interesting to see how both teams prepare/adjust in the national semifinal.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on March 11, 2012, 12:17:29 AM
Congrats to MIT Hugenerd!  Best of luck to them next weekend against Whitewater.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: diehardfan on March 11, 2012, 01:03:24 AM
Had fun watching MIT play tonight (minus the free throw shooting competition at the end). MIT may have the shortest bench I've ever seen, but their starters are great. I'd say this game was over just after the start of the second half when McCue and Karraker sunk three in a row from behind the arc in as many trips down the floor. Those shots just epic suck the life out of that gym FULL of fans, though F&M kept right on bravely fighting till the end.

Did anyone else think the game was called super weirdly? It was a super physical game with lots of tough defense, and then they just started randomly calling everything in the second half.

Being both a nerd and a lover of basketball, I've gotta root for you in the Final Four. Hope you can bring it home!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 11, 2012, 07:29:51 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 10, 2012, 11:22:56 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 10, 2012, 12:17:25 AM

Just got back from the games.  I sat in the MIT section this evening because those F&M fans are mean and scary.  Yikes!  Not a friendly atmosphere.

Anyway, the MIT was not as athletic as I expected, but they were smarter and played much better defense than I expected.  It was amazing to watch those guards nail 11 threes without missing (especially since Karraker is on my fantasy team).  Kates and Tashman were extremely impressive to me.  I'm not sure Hollingsworth got to show off all his skills.  He only had one opportunity to use a real post move and it was both complicated and smooth - easy bucket.

If they do indeed all return next year, it will be quite a force to be reckoned with.  I also appreciated how well they all played with fouls.  It's cliche, but MIT has a very, very intelligent basketball team.  They were disciplined and took care of the ball.

That being said, I don't see them winning tomorrow.  Both Amherst and F&M looked just a cut above.  They're both championship level teams and I'm not sure MIT has the depth to stick with F&M.  Their interior scoring was tremendous and the referees in Lancaster seem to be making random calls in the post, which could get MIT's short bench into foul trouble.

Still a good run.  I think they're clearly a top 10 team; they've overcome the relatively weak schedule with flying colors.

I held myself from responding to your comments yesterday, but needless to say I strongly disagree with them.

I hope you enjoy eating your words, because tonight it looked like MIT was in another class than F&M. 

All I can say is that, just as he did against Tibbs the night before, Kates won the battle against Milligan on both ends of the court.  I know that Milligan ended up with 23 points, but 9 or 11 of those were in the last 3 minutes when the game was pretty much decided, and even then, it took him 18 shots to get those points.  Kates disrupted his rhythm the whole night, especially with regard to Milligan being able setting up his teammates, as he finished with only 2 assists and 4 TOs (Kates had 8 asissts and 4 TOs).  If Milligan is a 2nd team All-American (as he was in the preseason), Mitch Kates has got to be at least on that same team because if you polled anyone who watched tonight's game, I think it was clear who the better PG is.

Karraker was again huge, hitting 5 big 3s, and McCue even got in the act with a couple.  Hollingsworth wasn't at 100% effectivity for the 2nd night in a row, but still finished with a respectable 14 and 9.  Tash didn't have a huge night, but he made his presence known on the defensive end (this is his first game of the tourney not having a double-double).

It will be interesting to see how MIT prepares for UWW, as the engineers will have a pretty dramatic size advantage inside.  Looking at tonight's box score, UWW starts players that are 6'1", 6'2", 6'3", 6'5", and 6'6", with only 2 main subs that are 6'0" and 6'4".  I know they have some tremendous athletes, like Davis, but I wonder if MIT will try to exploit that advantage more than they could this past weekend.  MIT starts 6'9" Hollingsworth, 6'8" Tashman (who I would guess would guard Davis), 6'5" Billy Bender (if he is back next weekend, if not it will be 6'3" Dan McCue), 6'4" Jamie Karraker, and 6'1" Mitch Kates.  MITs two main inside subs are also taller than anyone UWW has, in 6'8" Andrew Acker and 6'7" Dennis Levene.  Should be interesting to see how both teams prepare/adjust in the national semifinal.

Hey, as I've said in several places - I'm not underestimating them anymore.  MIT really was able to adjust well and force F&M out of their game plan.  They got a break with the early injury, but that really just made the game easier; I have no doubt they could have executed down the stretch were it close.

After Friday I still thought Amherst was the best team in the pod.  MIT got closer, I'll have to think about it a lot of the final rankings.  Their discipline and court-sense make up for the lack of depth and natural athleticism of those big guys really well.  Amherst has a ton of talent, but they really struggled to adjust to the opponents.  I could see Kates having a field day with Toomey one on one.

Hopefully we can see that match-up next year.

I think Whitewater will be the prohibitive favorite in Salem, but I don't doubt MIT's ability to beat them, especially given a week to prepare.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 11, 2012, 07:30:49 AM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 11, 2012, 01:03:24 AM
Did anyone else think the game was called super weirdly? It was a super physical game with lots of tough defense, and then they just started randomly calling everything in the second half.

Same thing happened in both games Friday night.  It's like there's something in the water they put in the ref's room at F&M.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 08:58:38 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 07:30:49 AM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 11, 2012, 01:03:24 AM
Did anyone else think the game was called super weirdly? It was a super physical game with lots of tough defense, and then they just started randomly calling everything in the second half.

Same thing happened in both games Friday night.  It's like there's something in the water they put in the ref's room at F&M.

Yeah, I remember thinking that right around the 8 minute mark whent they hadn't called a moving screen all game, and then they called 2 in a row on Will Tashman in less than a minute, something weird was happening.  Then, down the stretch, F&M got several calls on shots that were forced and there didnt appear to have a lot of contact (including on 3s).  Luckily it had no bearing on the game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: r.w. mcnickels on March 11, 2012, 10:47:27 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 10, 2012, 11:22:56 PM
All I can say is that, just as he did against Tibbs the night before, Kates won the battle against Milligan on both ends of the court.  I know that Milligan ended up with 23 points, but 9 or 11 of those were in the last 3 minutes when the game was pretty much decided, and even then, it took him 18 shots to get those points.  Kates disrupted his rhythm the whole night, especially with regard to Milligan being able setting up his teammates, as he finished with only 2 assists and 4 TOs (Kates had 8 asissts and 4 TOs).  If Milligan is a 2nd team All-American (as he was in the preseason), Mitch Kates has got to be at least on that same team because if you polled anyone who watched tonight's game, I think it was clear who the better PG is.

I think Kates is the best point guard the Dips have played all year. And I think Georgio Milligan did an admirable job, considering he suffered a foot injury against Amherst and wasn't anywhere near 100 percent. It hurt him to even walk before yesterday's game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 11, 2012, 11:20:31 AM
Congrats NERD!

Hoops Fan - now might be the time to stay a little quiet.  Literally my 3rd grade neice on Friday night said that MIT looked so much better than any of the teams we were watching (we watched both games from F&M).

Not even saying MIT is better than Amherst.  What I am saying is that NOBODY (from coach K to my 3rd grade niece) would say Amherst looked better on that night!

Makes the rest of your paragraph (which was well written) hard to even get through.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ronk on March 11, 2012, 12:47:04 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 08:58:38 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 07:30:49 AM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 11, 2012, 01:03:24 AM
Did anyone else think the game was called super weirdly? It was a super physical game with lots of tough defense, and then they just started randomly calling everything in the second half.

Same thing happened in both games Friday night.  It's like there's something in the water they put in the ref's room at F&M.

Yeah, I remember thinking that right around the 8 minute mark whent they hadn't called a moving screen all game, and then they called 2 in a row on Will Tashman in less than a minute, something weird was happening.  Then, down the stretch, F&M got several calls on shots that were forced and there didnt appear to have a lot of contact (including on 3s).  Luckily it had no bearing on the game.

  A friend of mine reffed the F&M-MIT game last night and I'm acquainted with 1 of the other 2 since the pair did our Scranton@Catholic game a month ago. However, I only tuned in with 2 mins to go(after watching Scranton-Cabrini and your game had already been decided) so I don't know how the refs did earlier.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 11, 2012, 01:16:32 PM
Ronk

I didn't think it was that bad.  They definitely tightened up the last 10 minutes.  Sometimes refs have a tendency to do that because they know there are going to be tons of fouls given the situation.  I thought they let allot go early but were consistent about it.

I am usually the first one to complain/talk about refs or coaching decisions - I never really noticed the refs - which I think is the whole point.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 02:20:58 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 11, 2012, 01:16:32 PM
Ronk

I didn't think it was that bad.  They definitely tightened up the last 10 minutes.  Sometimes refs have a tendency to do that because they know there are going to be tons of fouls given the situation.  I thought they let allot go early but were consistent about it.

I am usually the first one to complain/talk about refs or coaching decisions - I never really noticed the refs - which I think is the whole point.

I agree, I didnt notice them at all the first 30+ minutes, and even remember thinking at half time how well the refs were doing letting the players decide the game.  However, I started noticing a few things the last 8 minutes or so minutes, as I previously stated, but, again, it had little affect on the game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 11, 2012, 02:36:35 PM
Congrats to MIT on its first Final 4 trip!.  Hope you bring a title back to the NE area.  Maybe the trophy can be put on the Dome!
Walzy and I posted on the 'CAC board that we hoped for a MIT vs. Amherst match-up in Lancaster.  Partly to see the #2 vs #3 teams battle.  Also, I believe it was also to see teams from two schools we both have/are attended/attending..  Anyway, I watched the 2nd half of the MIT vs. F&M game last night.  The way MIT was playing, I thought Amherst would be hard pressed to win.....but often games develop because of match-ups of players.  The 3's put up by MIT were huge and I wished Amherst had put up more and early.  F&M could not match-up with MIT inside and MIT's guards played great.
I too started to wonder if the game in the 2nd half would repeat itself...with respect to the calls by the refs...the moving picks, etc. 
WPI....in tough match-ups with good teams, the refs should NOT be a factor!...that is the point.  When neutral fans watch and see calls that are questionable, inconsistent, etc....then they post it.
On the 'CAC board, there are a number of posts that brought up the refs.  Sour grapes?....maybe.  When HOOP Fan post it, and even a D3 hoops person...then something was going on wrt the quality of the refs...non partisan posts.
The perceived "weakness" of MIT were its short bench and possible quickness.  In its win last night....MIT did not show the need to be quicker or to have a deep bench.   Again, Congrats to MIT!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 02:43:33 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 11, 2012, 11:20:31 AM
Congrats NERD!

Hoops Fan - now might be the time to stay a little quiet.  Literally my 3rd grade neice on Friday night said that MIT looked so much better than any of the teams we were watching (we watched both games from F&M).

Not even saying MIT is better than Amherst.  What I am saying is that NOBODY (from coach K to my 3rd grade niece) would say Amherst looked better on that night!

Makes the rest of your paragraph (which was well written) hard to even get through.

All the congrats to the players and coaching staff.  At this point, I am just a fan of the team and friends with some of those in the program.

I hope that MIT brings the same game they did this weekend to Salem.  My keys to the semifinal game for MIT: 1) Kates controlling the game tempo, as he did in both games this weekend, 2) Tashman defensively on Davis in the post, and 3) MIT continuing to knock down their open looks.

Should be a fun one!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 04:03:14 PM
Coverage of last nights game by the Boston Herald:

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/basketball/view/20220311mit_at_four-front_of_division_3/

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: oftdip on March 11, 2012, 04:32:16 PM
Thought the MIT fans would appreciate a great Lancasterian perspective on what D3 sports are all about...
Congrates to MIT... we are pulling for you in Amish Country!!!
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/602360_Division-III-and-college-sports-at-its-best.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 11, 2012, 05:32:43 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 11, 2012, 11:20:31 AM
Congrats NERD!

Hoops Fan - now might be the time to stay a little quiet.  Literally my 3rd grade neice on Friday night said that MIT looked so much better than any of the teams we were watching (we watched both games from F&M).

Not even saying MIT is better than Amherst.  What I am saying is that NOBODY (from coach K to my 3rd grade niece) would say Amherst looked better on that night!

Makes the rest of your paragraph (which was well written) hard to even get through.

I'm not sure how I'm becoming the bad guy here?  I'm rooting for MIT - I've been more and more impressed every game.  I posted a longer reply on the "Ranking" board so I'll keep it short here:

Something I didn't factor in from Friday, which became amazingly apparent Saturday was the respective team's ability to adjust.  Amherst showed none and MIT has been amazing at it.  When watching the teams play Friday I had no real basis of comparison - and when you put together physical attributes, talent, depth, etc, Amherst still comes out on top for me, talent wise they are a better team.  MIT has talented guys, but less of them; what they do possess is incredible intelligence (I hate how cliched that sounds, but it's true) and ability to control the floor.

As I said before, in one pressure game, I'll pick MIT; over the course of 100, I think Amherst's depth and talent have more impact and makes the decision more difficult.  At this point, they're 1 and 1a and I wouldn't argue with anyone over the order.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 06:59:03 PM
Quote from: GoTech73 on March 09, 2012, 07:24:21 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 09, 2012, 07:07:35 PM
Hard to be critical but I hate the way MIT is taking the air out of the ball so early.  SI making a semi run.

Wholeheartedly agree about this, but thankfully it ended up not mattering.  Incredible deep ball shooting and terrific defense won this won for Tech tonight.  Hopefully we saved some shots for tomorrow night. Would love to see the MIT/Amherst matchup!
I agree that it is not always as pretty or as fun to watch, but that's the way MIT plays and Coach Anderson is very successful with it.  If another teams gets lazy, MIT will have a back door cut for an easy layup.  MIT typically has more turnovers because of this style, especially early in the season, but I still enjoy watching it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 07:11:49 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 06:59:03 PM
Quote from: GoTech73 on March 09, 2012, 07:24:21 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 09, 2012, 07:07:35 PM
Hard to be critical but I hate the way MIT is taking the air out of the ball so early.  SI making a semi run.

Wholeheartedly agree about this, but thankfully it ended up not mattering.  Incredible deep ball shooting and terrific defense won this won for Tech tonight.  Hopefully we saved some shots for tomorrow night. Would love to see the MIT/Amherst matchup!
I agree that it is not always as pretty or as fun to watch, but that's the way MIT plays and Coach Anderson is very successful with it.  If another teams gets lazy, MIT will have a back door cut for an easy layup.  MIT typically has more turnovers because of this style, especially early in the season, but I still enjoy watching it.

It also shortens the game a bit, which helps with the tight rotation MIT plays.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:20:30 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 10, 2012, 11:22:56 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 10, 2012, 12:17:25 AM

Just got back from the games.  I sat in the MIT section this evening because those F&M fans are mean and scary.  Yikes!  Not a friendly atmosphere.

Anyway, the MIT was not as athletic as I expected, but they were smarter and played much better defense than I expected.  It was amazing to watch those guards nail 11 threes without missing (especially since Karraker is on my fantasy team).  Kates and Tashman were extremely impressive to me.  I'm not sure Hollingsworth got to show off all his skills.  He only had one opportunity to use a real post move and it was both complicated and smooth - easy bucket.

If they do indeed all return next year, it will be quite a force to be reckoned with.  I also appreciated how well they all played with fouls.  It's cliche, but MIT has a very, very intelligent basketball team.  They were disciplined and took care of the ball.

That being said, I don't see them winning tomorrow.  Both Amherst and F&M looked just a cut above.  They're both championship level teams and I'm not sure MIT has the depth to stick with F&M.  Their interior scoring was tremendous and the referees in Lancaster seem to be making random calls in the post, which could get MIT's short bench into foul trouble.

Still a good run.  I think they're clearly a top 10 team; they've overcome the relatively weak schedule with flying colors.

I held myself from responding to your comments yesterday, but needless to say I strongly disagree with them.

I hope you enjoy eating your words, because tonight it looked like MIT was in another class than F&M. 

All I can say is that, just as he did against Tibbs the night before, Kates won the battle against Milligan on both ends of the court.  I know that Milligan ended up with 23 points, but 9 or 11 of those were in the last 3 minutes when the game was pretty much decided, and even then, it took him 18 shots to get those points.  Kates disrupted his rhythm the whole night, especially with regard to Milligan being able setting up his teammates, as he finished with only 2 assists and 4 TOs (Kates had 8 asissts and 4 TOs).  If Milligan is a 2nd team All-American (as he was in the preseason), Mitch Kates has got to be at least on that same team because if you polled anyone who watched tonight's game, I think it was clear who the better PG is.

Karraker was again huge, hitting 5 big 3s, and McCue even got in the act with a couple.  Hollingsworth wasn't at 100% effectivity for the 2nd night in a row, but still finished with a respectable 14 and 9.  Tash didn't have a huge night, but he made his presence known on the defensive end (this is his first game of the tourney not having a double-double).

It will be interesting to see how MIT prepares for UWW, as the engineers will have a pretty dramatic size advantage inside.  Looking at tonight's box score, UWW starts players that are 6'1", 6'2", 6'3", 6'5", and 6'6", with only 2 main subs that are 6'0" and 6'4".  I know they have some tremendous athletes, like Davis, but I wonder if MIT will try to exploit that advantage more than they could this past weekend.  MIT starts 6'9" Hollingsworth, 6'8" Tashman (who I would guess would guard Davis), 6'5" Billy Bender (if he is back next weekend, if not it will be 6'3" Dan McCue), 6'4" Jamie Karraker, and 6'1" Mitch Kates.  MITs two main inside subs are also taller than anyone UWW has, in 6'8" Andrew Acker and 6'7" Dennis Levene.  Should be interesting to see how both teams prepare/adjust in the national semifinal.
There is no doubt that Kates was the best player on the court in both games.  I too am concerned about UWW athletes as they could create some matchup problems.  I hope MIT is effective at breaking the press and getting set up down low.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:23:36 PM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 11, 2012, 01:03:24 AM
Did anyone else think the game was called super weirdly? It was a super physical game with lots of tough defense, and then they just started randomly calling everything in the second half.
Being both a nerd and a lover of basketball, I've gotta root for you in the Final Four. Hope you can bring it home!
Good point.  I noticed and agree with you.  Refs did a decent job overall, but it was too much near the end of the game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:29:01 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 08:58:38 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 07:30:49 AM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 11, 2012, 01:03:24 AM
Did anyone else think the game was called super weirdly? It was a super physical game with lots of tough defense, and then they just started randomly calling everything in the second half.

Same thing happened in both games Friday night.  It's like there's something in the water they put in the ref's room at F&M.

Yeah, I remember thinking that right around the 8 minute mark whent they hadn't called a moving screen all game, and then they called 2 in a row on Will Tashman in less than a minute, something weird was happening.  Then, down the stretch, F&M got several calls on shots that were forced and there didnt appear to have a lot of contact (including on 3s).  Luckily it had no bearing on the game.
Yes the foul call on the F&M 3-point shot was disappointing.  It was a F&M home game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:58:27 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 05:32:43 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 11, 2012, 11:20:31 AM
Congrats NERD!

Hoops Fan - now might be the time to stay a little quiet.  Literally my 3rd grade neice on Friday night said that MIT looked so much better than any of the teams we were watching (we watched both games from F&M).

Not even saying MIT is better than Amherst.  What I am saying is that NOBODY (from coach K to my 3rd grade niece) would say Amherst looked better on that night!

Makes the rest of your paragraph (which was well written) hard to even get through.

I'm not sure how I'm becoming the bad guy here?  I'm rooting for MIT - I've been more and more impressed every game.  I posted a longer reply on the "Ranking" board so I'll keep it short here:

Something I didn't factor in from Friday, which became amazingly apparent Saturday was the respective team's ability to adjust.  Amherst showed none and MIT has been amazing at it.  When watching the teams play Friday I had no real basis of comparison - and when you put together physical attributes, talent, depth, etc, Amherst still comes out on top for me, talent wise they are a better team.  MIT has talented guys, but less of them; what they do possess is incredible intelligence (I hate how cliched that sounds, but it's true) and ability to control the floor.

As I said before, in one pressure game, I'll pick MIT; over the course of 100, I think Amherst's depth and talent have more impact and makes the decision more difficult.  At this point, they're 1 and 1a and I wouldn't argue with anyone over the order.
You are definitely not a "bad guy", are entitled to your opinion, and I enjoy your posts.  I have not watched Amherst play earlier, but you must believe that they had an "off" game against F&M.  F&M certainly gave Amherst plenty of opportunities to come back with all of their missed free throws.  This was the worst free throw shooting I've seen in the tournament.  Could Amherst's off-game be because F&M has the #1 rated defense in D3 basketball?  Any part of it?  I would be interested in your opinion on each player by player comparison between Amherst and MIT.  If by depth, you mean bench, I would agree that Amherst's bench is more productive because they play more.  MIT has some talented players on their bench, but most are freshman and this might not be shown until the year after next.  3 of MIT's starters were voted as the part of the best 5 in the NEWMAC conference and arguments could be made for the other 2 starters.  I respectively disagree with the "talent" portion of your argument.  As posted earlier, I also disagree with MIT adjustments, i.e., they did not need to make any adjustments.  MIT was obviously the better team and F&M failed to make the proper adjustments IMHO.  Please keep posting including a player by player analysis.  Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 08:02:15 PM
Jamie Karraker up next on Hoopsville:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/hoopsville
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: diehardfan on March 11, 2012, 08:03:32 PM
I definitely didn't mean to imply that I thought it was bad, I actually thought it was very even. I am just more used to refs either being very picky or letting people play. On the rare occasions that they do both, it's usually the other way around where they started out tougher and then in a close game they let the teams play. If anything, taking a long time to adjust to the refs tightening things up would hurt MIT due to their super short bench.

Quote from: oftdip on March 11, 2012, 04:32:16 PM
Thought the MIT fans would appreciate a great Lancasterian perspective on what D3 sports are all about...
Congrates to MIT... we are pulling for you in Amish Country!!!
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/602360_Division-III-and-college-sports-at-its-best.html
I love this article so much! Thanks for posting it!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2012, 10:42:04 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:29:01 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 08:58:38 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 07:30:49 AM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 11, 2012, 01:03:24 AM
Did anyone else think the game was called super weirdly? It was a super physical game with lots of tough defense, and then they just started randomly calling everything in the second half.

Same thing happened in both games Friday night.  It's like there's something in the water they put in the ref's room at F&M.
Yeah... but those refs don't call F&M games. They are from the Baltimore/DC area and don't call Centennial Conference games... and probably didn't even call the game against St. Mary's.

You are alluding to a home-court advantage... but trust me, since I knew all three crews this weekend very well, there really wasn't that kind of advantage! :)
Yeah, I remember thinking that right around the 8 minute mark whent they hadn't called a moving screen all game, and then they called 2 in a row on Will Tashman in less than a minute, something weird was happening.  Then, down the stretch, F&M got several calls on shots that were forced and there didnt appear to have a lot of contact (including on 3s).  Luckily it had no bearing on the game.
Yes the foul call on the F&M 3-point shot was disappointing.  It was a F&M home game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 10:54:42 PM
For those of you confused by the previous post, I reformatted Dave's post for him:

Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2012, 10:42:04 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:29:01 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 08:58:38 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 07:30:49 AM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 11, 2012, 01:03:24 AM
Did anyone else think the game was called super weirdly? It was a super physical game with lots of tough defense, and then they just started randomly calling everything in the second half.

Same thing happened in both games Friday night.  It's like there's something in the water they put in the ref's room at F&M.
Yeah, I remember thinking that right around the 8 minute mark whent they hadn't called a moving screen all game, and then they called 2 in a row on Will Tashman in less than a minute, something weird was happening.  Then, down the stretch, F&M got several calls on shots that were forced and there didnt appear to have a lot of contact (including on 3s).  Luckily it had no bearing on the game.
Yes the foul call on the F&M 3-point shot was disappointing.  It was a F&M home game.

Yeah... but those refs don't call F&M games. They are from the Baltimore/DC area and don't call Centennial Conference games... and probably didn't even call the game against St. Mary's.

You are alluding to a home-court advantage... but trust me, since I knew all three crews this weekend very well, there really wasn't that kind of advantage! :)

Sometimes the serial quoting gets a bit tricky!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 11:34:32 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 10:54:42 PM
For those of you confused by the previous post, I reformatted Dave's post for him:

Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2012, 10:42:04 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:29:01 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 11, 2012, 08:58:38 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 07:30:49 AM
Quote from: diehardfan on March 11, 2012, 01:03:24 AM
Did anyone else think the game was called super weirdly? It was a super physical game with lots of tough defense, and then they just started randomly calling everything in the second half.

Same thing happened in both games Friday night.  It's like there's something in the water they put in the ref's room at F&M.
Yeah, I remember thinking that right around the 8 minute mark whent they hadn't called a moving screen all game, and then they called 2 in a row on Will Tashman in less than a minute, something weird was happening.  Then, down the stretch, F&M got several calls on shots that were forced and there didnt appear to have a lot of contact (including on 3s).  Luckily it had no bearing on the game.
Yes the foul call on the F&M 3-point shot was disappointing.  It was a F&M home game.

Yeah... but those refs don't call F&M games. They are from the Baltimore/DC area and don't call Centennial Conference games... and probably didn't even call the game against St. Mary's.

You are alluding to a home-court advantage... but trust me, since I knew all three crews this weekend very well, there really wasn't that kind of advantage! :)

Sometimes the serial quoting gets a bit tricky!
I thought the F&M refs called a pretty good game until near the end, maybe the last 8 to 10 minutes.  I don't believe it was biased, but sometimes referees (who are human) are affected by a home crowd.  I know my limitations and I would not like to referee myself.  The most important trait for a ref is consistency IMHO and they called it a little tighter near the end of the game compared to the first half.  The only bad job by referees in the MIT NCAA games was the first round game against Skidmore College, only because they let way too much unnecessary contact go uncalled.  Does anyone know if those refs were from their area of NY?  It was by far the weakest team MIT played, but that game had the closest score.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on March 12, 2012, 09:44:30 AM
Great job MIT.  Bring the whole thing home!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 12, 2012, 10:15:32 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:58:27 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 05:32:43 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 11, 2012, 11:20:31 AM
Congrats NERD!

Hoops Fan - now might be the time to stay a little quiet.  Literally my 3rd grade neice on Friday night said that MIT looked so much better than any of the teams we were watching (we watched both games from F&M).

Not even saying MIT is better than Amherst.  What I am saying is that NOBODY (from coach K to my 3rd grade niece) would say Amherst looked better on that night!

Makes the rest of your paragraph (which was well written) hard to even get through.

I'm not sure how I'm becoming the bad guy here?  I'm rooting for MIT - I've been more and more impressed every game.  I posted a longer reply on the "Ranking" board so I'll keep it short here:

Something I didn't factor in from Friday, which became amazingly apparent Saturday was the respective team's ability to adjust.  Amherst showed none and MIT has been amazing at it.  When watching the teams play Friday I had no real basis of comparison - and when you put together physical attributes, talent, depth, etc, Amherst still comes out on top for me, talent wise they are a better team.  MIT has talented guys, but less of them; what they do possess is incredible intelligence (I hate how cliched that sounds, but it's true) and ability to control the floor.

As I said before, in one pressure game, I'll pick MIT; over the course of 100, I think Amherst's depth and talent have more impact and makes the decision more difficult.  At this point, they're 1 and 1a and I wouldn't argue with anyone over the order.
You are definitely not a "bad guy", are entitled to your opinion, and I enjoy your posts.  I have not watched Amherst play earlier, but you must believe that they had an "off" game against F&M.  F&M certainly gave Amherst plenty of opportunities to come back with all of their missed free throws.  This was the worst free throw shooting I've seen in the tournament.  Could Amherst's off-game be because F&M has the #1 rated defense in D3 basketball?  Any part of it?  I would be interested in your opinion on each player by player comparison between Amherst and MIT.  If by depth, you mean bench, I would agree that Amherst's bench is more productive because they play more.  MIT has some talented players on their bench, but most are freshman and this might not be shown until the year after next.  3 of MIT's starters were voted as the part of the best 5 in the NEWMAC conference and arguments could be made for the other 2 starters.  I respectively disagree with the "talent" portion of your argument.  As posted earlier, I also disagree with MIT adjustments, i.e., they did not need to make any adjustments.  MIT was obviously the better team and F&M failed to make the proper adjustments IMHO.  Please keep posting including a player by player analysis.  Thanks.

I don't have a lot of earlier viewing to compare, but at this level, when your big guys are missing layups with the frequency Amherst's bigs did in the first half, that contributes to an off night.

Honestly, I think F&M's offense and Amherst's inability to adjust to it was the real difference maker.  It really boggled my mind that they couldn't at least shut down one simple play, which F&M used over and over again.  Amherst should have had an advantage in the post, but they lost the game because of post play (as good as Milligan was and as successfully as they frustrated Toomey).

As I said, the perspective of the Saturday game helped me understand just how much the adjustments matter.  MIT absolutely scouted Friday and they didn't let F&M pull off some of those simple post plays that killed Amherst.

When I say talented, I'm thinking more about overall talent.  Amherst's athleticism is definitely better and they've got better players deeper down the bench.  Individually, MIT's top three are better than Amherst's top three, but overall, I think Amherst is the more talented team.

MIT has overcome that disadvantage because all of their guys know how to stay on the floor.  Bench doesn't matter if you don't need it.  They've actually gotten over the hump as far as that's concerned.  The only team left with a real deep bench is Cabrini - but without a lot of big guys that won't matter as much to MIT.

I can totally see them winning the whole thing.  Obviously, if they do there's no question they're #1.  If they lose to Whitewater, I still have some thinking to do about them verses Amherst.  It's close, and as I said, one game I'll take MIT - long haul, I'm still thinking it over.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: onetinsoldier on March 12, 2012, 12:59:15 PM
Very interesting discussion, i wanted to make a few follow up points about this weekend after reading these comments:

On the officiating, I think in order to have a "home-ref" advantage you need a gym where the refs feel like their decision matters.  The studies have shown that, it is human nature that a ref would want to make a call that is cheered, and would be more timid to make a call that gets booed.  The F&M crowds, for the better part of the last decade can best be described as a wine and cheese party.  It really is impossible to hear 2000 people be so quiet.  Now to their credit, the student section has been very strong (especially the last three weeks and most certainly friday night).  But for as great of a gym Mayser is, they just dont have the type of crowd that can influence refs regularly.

And as for the officiating Saturday, I felt the refs let the play get a little too physical down low.  This definitely benefited MIT because of their outside game was far superior to F&M's and the discussed depth issues.  Did it impact the outcome? absolutely not.

But as for who the "better" team is between Amherst and MIT, I'll simply answer it this way:  On friday Amherst put forth their best effort and it still wasnt good enough.  On Saturday, MIT put out an 80-90% effort and yet F&M was still not within 7 at any point in the second half.  MIT put on a clinic in arms-length, ball possession basketball and didnt even need to ramp up the offensive intensity in the final 20 minutes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 12, 2012, 02:18:15 PM
Since they did not play each other, in my view the only other way to say one is better is indeed to use the progress throught the NCAAs as the measuring stick.  In my mind, there is not doubt that MIT is better.  MIT is the best team I have seen over the last year as actually using the inside game.  It frees up their outside shooters.  Saw Amherst last year at WPI and while thier guards where exceptional, their interoir game was not a focus of what they did.  They have talented guys but they are under-utilized.

Bottom line, MIT is the BEST team from this region, opinions can differ, the RESULTS do not!  They are the only one left standing from the Northeast, if you think someone is better, then they should be still playing!

I still have reservations about MITs depth, but they have proven on the court so far it is not a hinderance.  I do however fear they will have major issues after next year if coach Anderson plays the big 4 over 30 minutes a game again. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 03:31:14 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 12, 2012, 02:18:15 PM
Since they did not play each other, in my view the only other way to say one is better is indeed to use the progress throught the NCAAs as the measuring stick.  In my mind, there is not doubt that MIT is better.  MIT is the best team I have seen over the last year as actually using the inside game.  It frees up their outside shooters.  Saw Amherst last year at WPI and while thier guards where exceptional, their interoir game was not a focus of what they did.  They have talented guys but they are under-utilized.

Bottom line, MIT is the BEST team from this region, opinions can differ, the RESULTS do not!  They are the only one left standing from the Northeast, if you think someone is better, then they should be still playing!

I still have reservations about MITs depth, but they have proven on the court so far it is not a hinderance.  I do however fear they will have major issues after next year if coach Anderson plays the big 4 over 30 minutes a game again.

In 05-06, Bartolotta's freshman year, we had a deep senior class and some talented young players (I say 'we' because I was an assistant that year) and played at least 10 deep.  I think it depends on Anderson's comfort level with the maturity and intensity of the players.  He isn't going to put someone out there that he feels is not ready, when there is someone in front of him he feels he can play almost the entire game without having a dropoff in productivity.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 03:45:56 PM
Here is an article from after the CSI game on Friday, kind words from TJ Tibbs on Mitch Kates:

"We had an opportunity to win and the better team won," said Tibbs, who had a remarkable 40-point showing last Saturday night in a 77-67 win over Rhode Island College to clinch CSI's first Sweet 16 appearance. "Mitchell Kates was just outstanding tonight. I think he was the difference. He's a great player on a great team."

http://www.silive.com/colleges/index.ssf/2012/03/college_of_staten_island_mens_17.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 04:05:18 PM
All region teams announced,  Hollingsworth 2nd team, Kates 3rd team.  Berthiaume gets first team, Carr 4th team.  I honestly dont understand how you can rate Berthiaume as a better guard than Kates, unless all you look at is ppg.  All of Kates' stats are better besides ppg, and he is doing it on a much better team where he has to share shots with a much better players.  I hope that Kates gets more consideration for AA after everyone has seen what he can do against the best competition in the country.

http://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-region/2011-12/northeast-men

Anderson named coach of the year for the region
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 12, 2012, 04:12:19 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 04:05:18 PM
All region teams announced,  Hollingsworth 2nd team, Kates 3rd team.  Berthiaume gets first team, Carr 4th team.  I honestly dont understand how you can rate Berthiaume as a better guard than Kates, unless all you look at is ppg.

Why did the people who saw him night in and night out vote him NEWMAC athlete of the year, then?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 04:14:28 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 12, 2012, 04:12:19 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 04:05:18 PM
All region teams announced,  Hollingsworth 2nd team, Kates 3rd team.  Berthiaume gets first team, Carr 4th team.  I honestly dont understand how you can rate Berthiaume as a better guard than Kates, unless all you look at is ppg.

Why did the people who saw him night in and night out vote him NEWMAC athlete of the year, then?

I was confused by that also (see my earlier posts).  I believe that the process in the NEWMAC is the coach only nominates 1 player for POY, so Coach Anderson may have nominated Hollingsworth and therefore people thought Berthiaume deserved it over Hollingsworth.  Kates numbers may not jump off the page at you for the regular season, but anyone that has seen him play knows his value to the team and his overall talent.  In the tourney he has taken more responsibility and the results are obvious.  He is an unselfish guy, so he has no problem letting the bigs score if that is where the advantage is, and that is a lot of what has happened during the regular season. I have no doubt that if he really wanted to average 20 ppg, he could have, but that would not have been what was best for the team in the long haul.

I've seen Berthiaume play at least 5 times this year and clearly you know my opinion.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 12, 2012, 04:18:09 PM
Congrats to the NEWMAC players who were selected All-Region!!!!

I do agree with you HN...Kates MUST be ahead of Berthiaume.  Berthiaume is deserving of  All-Region, just not ahead of Kates.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 12, 2012, 04:18:59 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 04:14:28 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 12, 2012, 04:12:19 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 04:05:18 PM
All region teams announced,  Hollingsworth 2nd team, Kates 3rd team.  Berthiaume gets first team, Carr 4th team.  I honestly dont understand how you can rate Berthiaume as a better guard than Kates, unless all you look at is ppg.

Why did the people who saw him night in and night out vote him NEWMAC athlete of the year, then?

I was confused by that also (see my earlier posts).  Maybe votes were split between MIT players (Hollingsworth vs. Kates)?

I've seen Berthiaume play at least 5 times this year and clearly you know my opinion.

I knew your opinion before you offered it. MIT uber alles. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 04:21:11 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 12, 2012, 04:18:59 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 04:14:28 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 12, 2012, 04:12:19 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 04:05:18 PM
All region teams announced,  Hollingsworth 2nd team, Kates 3rd team.  Berthiaume gets first team, Carr 4th team.  I honestly dont understand how you can rate Berthiaume as a better guard than Kates, unless all you look at is ppg.

Why did the people who saw him night in and night out vote him NEWMAC athlete of the year, then?

I was confused by that also (see my earlier posts).  Maybe votes were split between MIT players (Hollingsworth vs. Kates)?

I've seen Berthiaume play at least 5 times this year and clearly you know my opinion.

I knew your opinion before you offered it. MIT uber alles. :)

Look at my modified post above, I posted my original comments before thinking about the process for NEWMAC POY.  It may just be that he was never up for consideration (actually, I am very certain this was the case, you can have Dave ask Coach Anderson this weekend if you like).

Ask any PG MIT has played over the past 2 weeks who they would rather face 1 on 1.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 12, 2012, 04:26:41 PM
Pat,

His selection was a bit out of character for the conference.  First time in many years that the POY did not come from the 1st or 2nd place team.  Truthfully I felt Hollingsworth and Carr were the front runners for it going into the 2nd MIT/WPI matchup.  I felt Hollingsworth sealed it up that night.

HN is right, the only category where he was ahead of the other contenders was ppg.  HN can regale you with a full breakdown of how WPI's A. Coleman won the award over MIT's JB even though JB average almost 10 ppg more than Coleman!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 04:43:55 PM
Exactly mass. And since when is NEWMAC POY a good indicator of all region? The year mass is talking about, Coleman was POY and 3rd team all region, Bartolotta was first team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on March 12, 2012, 04:57:29 PM
It is a shame the PPG always seems to enter the equation when honors are on the table. When you look at point guards there is so much more. Berthuime didn't even play much point against MIT and actually looked only to score and had little other responsibility. He did do that VERY well. If you look at what Mitchell Kates has done in the NEWMAC playoffs and other close (Tufts) games this year you would not argue the point. Against some of the best point guards in DIII he has outplayed each of them every game while handling the ball 90% of the time and dealing with any pressure that came his way. 

Kates numbers in the NEWMAC playoffs and NCAA tourney (6 games) are 21.3 PPG, 4.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.3 steals. Find better numbers than those anywhere against that kind of comp in all back to back games.

With the largest margin of victory this year in DIII a player should not be penalized for not be a scoring machine in blowouts. The reason MIT is where it is might just be because of this type of unselfish play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 12, 2012, 04:59:41 PM
Well, don't worry. The All-American team always takes postseason play into account and we are not bound by a regular-season award when choosing All-Americans. Too bad the NEWMAC can't manage to give its best player the award that seems to be set aside for it. ;)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 05:07:28 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 12, 2012, 04:59:41 PM
Well, don't worry. The All-American team always takes postseason play into account and we are not bound by a regular-season award when choosing All-Americans. Too bad the NEWMAC can't manage to give its best player the award that seems to be set aside for it. ;)

I know you are saying that tongue in cheek, but its the truth. You have seen it yourself in the way votes were conducted with Bartolotta and if you have seen any of Kates' last 6 postseason games, you have seen it for yourself in Kates' play (I know your knock on Hollingsworth 2 years ago was NEWMAC tourney performance). Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the NEWMAC seems to choose their POY based on different criteria every year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 06:29:32 PM
In addition to winning Region Coach of the Year, congrats to Coach Anderson for winning his 250th career game with the win over F&M.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 12, 2012, 07:42:12 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 12, 2012, 05:07:28 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 12, 2012, 04:59:41 PM
Well, don't worry. The All-American team always takes postseason play into account and we are not bound by a regular-season award when choosing All-Americans. Too bad the NEWMAC can't manage to give its best player the award that seems to be set aside for it. ;)

I know you are saying that tongue in cheek, but its the truth. You have seen it yourself in the way votes were conducted with Bartolotta and if you have seen any of Kates' last 6 postseason games, you have seen it for yourself in Kates' play (I know your knock on Hollingsworth 2 years ago was NEWMAC tourney performance). Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the NEWMAC seems to choose their POY based on different criteria every year.

I agree.  Kates simply controls the game out there.  The team has no shortage of scoring threats, and I'm sure Kates doesn't have a care in the world whether it's Hollingsworth, Tashman, Karraker, and/or himself who scores.  Definitely count me a member of the Mitch Kates fan club.

I haven't made it to any of their games beyond the NEWMAC championship, but you could see there -- and Saturday night, against Franklin & Marshall, that when the game's on the line, he takes over.  Not necessarily scoring everything, but if you sag off one of the other guys to keep him down, someone's going to get an open look.  And if you don't, you're probably going to be eating his dust on the way to the rim.  He also appears to have an uncanny sense of when things are starting to get out of hand, and he'll slow it down to let things get back in control.  I remember one play against F&M; the shot clock was down to about 12 seconds, and he actually backed it out to midcourt just to calm everyone down.  The announcer couldn't believe what he saw.  I don't remember if he took it in himself or dished it to Karraker or what, but I don't think the possession ended badly for the Engineers.  That's real leadership -- reading the team and the whole situation, not letting himself get rushed, and making good decisions.

I've been photographing a lot of MIT games over the past several years, and it's always a blast when he picks off a pass and takes it coast to coast (I set up at the baseline right next to our basket, firing 8 frames/second).  So I usually haven't had a chance to watch him play D, but last night he looked seriously sharp doing that too.  He got away with gambling on a steal a few times, because he's quick enough to front his man even if he doesn't get it.

Oh, and I have some video clips of MIT vs. Harvard in 2009, in his freshman season (Jeremy Lin's senior year).  I'm not sure why Oliver McNally was guarding him rather than Lin, but McNally was pretty quick himself.  So after a few passes where nobody gets open, he calls for the ball, backs it out to halfcourt, gives the team a few hand signals, takes it to his left a few steps seemingly without a care in the world, does a few crossover dribbles, does a couple of quick hip fakes, and just blasts right past McNally like he's standing still.  Didn't make the layup through heavy traffic in the paint, but it was plenty impressive.

I'll admit that the mid 1980's, when I managed the team, wasn't the most glorious era in MIT basketball, but it was a great bunch of guys and one of the highlights of my student days.  It's been a lot of fun to watch over the past several years, but this year they've turned it up a couple of notches.  The precision and quickness on both ends of the court is just a joy to witness.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on March 13, 2012, 12:11:15 AM
Anyone looking for anything on MIT basketball can go to this GREAT spot.

http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/

It doesn't get much better than that!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 13, 2012, 11:19:10 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 12, 2012, 10:15:32 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:58:27 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 05:32:43 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 11, 2012, 11:20:31 AM
Congrats NERD!

Hoops Fan - now might be the time to stay a little quiet.  Literally my 3rd grade neice on Friday night said that MIT looked so much better than any of the teams we were watching (we watched both games from F&M).

Not even saying MIT is better than Amherst.  What I am saying is that NOBODY (from coach K to my 3rd grade niece) would say Amherst looked better on that night!

Makes the rest of your paragraph (which was well written) hard to even get through.

I'm not sure how I'm becoming the bad guy here?  I'm rooting for MIT - I've been more and more impressed every game.  I posted a longer reply on the "Ranking" board so I'll keep it short here:

Something I didn't factor in from Friday, which became amazingly apparent Saturday was the respective team's ability to adjust.  Amherst showed none and MIT has been amazing at it.  When watching the teams play Friday I had no real basis of comparison - and when you put together physical attributes, talent, depth, etc, Amherst still comes out on top for me, talent wise they are a better team.  MIT has talented guys, but less of them; what they do possess is incredible intelligence (I hate how cliched that sounds, but it's true) and ability to control the floor.

As I said before, in one pressure game, I'll pick MIT; over the course of 100, I think Amherst's depth and talent have more impact and makes the decision more difficult.  At this point, they're 1 and 1a and I wouldn't argue with anyone over the order.
You are definitely not a "bad guy", are entitled to your opinion, and I enjoy your posts.  I have not watched Amherst play earlier, but you must believe that they had an "off" game against F&M.  F&M certainly gave Amherst plenty of opportunities to come back with all of their missed free throws.  This was the worst free throw shooting I've seen in the tournament.  Could Amherst's off-game be because F&M has the #1 rated defense in D3 basketball?  Any part of it?  I would be interested in your opinion on each player by player comparison between Amherst and MIT.  If by depth, you mean bench, I would agree that Amherst's bench is more productive because they play more.  MIT has some talented players on their bench, but most are freshman and this might not be shown until the year after next.  3 of MIT's starters were voted as the part of the best 5 in the NEWMAC conference and arguments could be made for the other 2 starters.  I respectively disagree with the "talent" portion of your argument.  As posted earlier, I also disagree with MIT adjustments, i.e., they did not need to make any adjustments.  MIT was obviously the better team and F&M failed to make the proper adjustments IMHO.  Please keep posting including a player by player analysis.  Thanks.

I don't have a lot of earlier viewing to compare, but at this level, when your big guys are missing layups with the frequency Amherst's bigs did in the first half, that contributes to an off night.

Honestly, I think F&M's offense and Amherst's inability to adjust to it was the real difference maker.  It really boggled my mind that they couldn't at least shut down one simple play, which F&M used over and over again.  Amherst should have had an advantage in the post, but they lost the game because of post play (as good as Milligan was and as successfully as they frustrated Toomey).

As I said, the perspective of the Saturday game helped me understand just how much the adjustments matter.  MIT absolutely scouted Friday and they didn't let F&M pull off some of those simple post plays that killed Amherst.

When I say talented, I'm thinking more about overall talent.  Amherst's athleticism is definitely better and they've got better players deeper down the bench.  Individually, MIT's top three are better than Amherst's top three, but overall, I think Amherst is the more talented team.

MIT has overcome that disadvantage because all of their guys know how to stay on the floor.  Bench doesn't matter if you don't need it.  They've actually gotten over the hump as far as that's concerned.  The only team left with a real deep bench is Cabrini - but without a lot of big guys that won't matter as much to MIT.

I can totally see them winning the whole thing.  Obviously, if they do there's no question they're #1.  If they lose to Whitewater, I still have some thinking to do about them verses Amherst.  It's close, and as I said, one game I'll take MIT - long haul, I'm still thinking it over.
"I don't have a lot of earlier viewing to compare, but at this level, when your big guys are missing layups with the frequency Amherst's bigs did in the first half, that contributes to an off night."
That's a good point.  I do recall some of that, but I was not watching as intensely as the MIT games.  Were the layups open looks or were they contested?  Good defense often causes players to have what us fans may call off-games.  I'm not sure this was the case, but just making a point that F&M had good interior defense.  I noticed in the MIT game that F&M missed what appeared to be some easy layups that worked to MIT's favor.

"Honestly, I think F&M's offense and Amherst's inability to adjust to it was the real difference maker.  It really boggled my mind that they couldn't at least shut down one simple play, which F&M used over and over again.  Amherst should have had an advantage in the post, but they lost the game because of post play (as good as Milligan was and as successfully as they frustrated Toomey)."
Another good point.  So you believed that F&M was out-coached, at least with this particular play.  You could be correct, but I believe that is F&M's bread and butter play that they have used successfully all season.  Maybe the Amherst coach would play it differently if given another opportunity.

"As I said, the perspective of the Saturday game helped me understand just how much the adjustments matter.  MIT absolutely scouted Friday and they didn't let F&M pull off some of those simple post plays that killed Amherst."
I have not looked at F&M before the Amherst game, but do you believe F&M did anything differently than what they did in their earlier games?  F&M executed that play well.  MIT has game films of all 4 of the teams and reviewed it prior to that weekend.  I'm assuming that Amherst did the same and that their coaching staff prepared for their competition.  MIT had a game plan against F&M prior to watching your game.  MIT left prior to then end of your game.  I didn't notice a lot of MIT adjustments that you alluded to.  My personal opinion is that F&M's post game faltered against the larger post players at MIT.  Size matters underneath.  MIT's post defense was best illustrated in Tashman's dismanteling of Farmingdale's dominate 7-foot center.  This post defense is often overlooked and not depicted in statistics, but is extremely important to a team's success.

"When I say talented, I'm thinking more about overall talent.  Amherst's athleticism is definitely better and they've got better players deeper down the bench.  Individually, MIT's top three are better than Amherst's top three, but overall, I think Amherst is the more talented team."
I will concede to the athleticism argument of Amherst over MIT for some players, but it should be the case when there is so much negative height differential.  Again, I am not as familiar with Amherst, but your bench argument also has merit as the majority of MIT bench (except a couple) are freshman.  I assume MIT's top 3 that you referred to are Hollingsworth, Tashman and Kates.  I believe Jamie being the all-time leading 3 point shooter in MIT history and his multiple dominating performances in the NCAA tournament speaks for itself.  You have never seen Bender play, but he is rated in the top 10 in more categories than any player in the NEWMAC.  There is a reason the MIT bench doesn't play as much as other teams.  IMHO, if Amherst's bench replaced MIT's bench, they would not get many minutes either.  That is typically the way MIT plays and (as HN pointed out) MIT's deliberate style allows for longer minutes for their starters.  I disagree that Amherst is a more talented team, unless you are comparing only the non-starters.

"MIT has overcome that disadvantage because all of their guys know how to stay on the floor."
I assume knowing "how to stay on the floor" is a comment about conditioning and moving your feet on defense without fouling.  Aren't these integral basketball talent skill-sets on which to compare against other players?  The youth of the MIT bench may be a disadvantage when compared to the experienced Amherst bench, but I do not believe that is the case with many of the other teams.

"Bench doesn't matter if you don't need it.  They've actually gotten over the hump as far as that's concerned.  The only team left with a real deep bench is Cabrini - but without a lot of big guys that won't matter as much to MIT."
Good point.  As discussed, MIT typically has a short (primarily 6-player) rotation, expecially with their the quality of their starters.  Again, if MIT's bench was replaced by what is perceived as a deeper bench, the bench would still get limited minutes.

"I can totally see them winning the whole thing.  Obviously, if they do there's no question they're #1.  If they lose to Whitewater, I still have some thinking to do about them verses Amherst.  It's close, and as I said, one game I'll take MIT - long haul, I'm still thinking it over."
I certainly hope you are correct and I appreciate your support.  I share your concerns about Whitewater as they are athletic and could cause some matchup problems, especially if they penatrate and MIT gets in foul trouble.  I wish MIT was in Amherst's conference that I believe is the strongest conference in the nation.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 13, 2012, 11:51:00 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 13, 2012, 11:19:10 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 12, 2012, 10:15:32 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:58:27 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 05:32:43 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 11, 2012, 11:20:31 AM
Congrats NERD!

Hoops Fan - now might be the time to stay a little quiet.  Literally my 3rd grade neice on Friday night said that MIT looked so much better than any of the teams we were watching (we watched both games from F&M).

Not even saying MIT is better than Amherst.  What I am saying is that NOBODY (from coach K to my 3rd grade niece) would say Amherst looked better on that night!

Makes the rest of your paragraph (which was well written) hard to even get through.

I'm not sure how I'm becoming the bad guy here?  I'm rooting for MIT - I've been more and more impressed every game.  I posted a longer reply on the "Ranking" board so I'll keep it short here:

Something I didn't factor in from Friday, which became amazingly apparent Saturday was the respective team's ability to adjust.  Amherst showed none and MIT has been amazing at it.  When watching the teams play Friday I had no real basis of comparison - and when you put together physical attributes, talent, depth, etc, Amherst still comes out on top for me, talent wise they are a better team.  MIT has talented guys, but less of them; what they do possess is incredible intelligence (I hate how cliched that sounds, but it's true) and ability to control the floor.

As I said before, in one pressure game, I'll pick MIT; over the course of 100, I think Amherst's depth and talent have more impact and makes the decision more difficult.  At this point, they're 1 and 1a and I wouldn't argue with anyone over the order.
You are definitely not a "bad guy", are entitled to your opinion, and I enjoy your posts.  I have not watched Amherst play earlier, but you must believe that they had an "off" game against F&M.  F&M certainly gave Amherst plenty of opportunities to come back with all of their missed free throws.  This was the worst free throw shooting I've seen in the tournament.  Could Amherst's off-game be because F&M has the #1 rated defense in D3 basketball?  Any part of it?  I would be interested in your opinion on each player by player comparison between Amherst and MIT.  If by depth, you mean bench, I would agree that Amherst's bench is more productive because they play more.  MIT has some talented players on their bench, but most are freshman and this might not be shown until the year after next.  3 of MIT's starters were voted as the part of the best 5 in the NEWMAC conference and arguments could be made for the other 2 starters.  I respectively disagree with the "talent" portion of your argument.  As posted earlier, I also disagree with MIT adjustments, i.e., they did not need to make any adjustments.  MIT was obviously the better team and F&M failed to make the proper adjustments IMHO.  Please keep posting including a player by player analysis.  Thanks.

I don't have a lot of earlier viewing to compare, but at this level, when your big guys are missing layups with the frequency Amherst's bigs did in the first half, that contributes to an off night.

Honestly, I think F&M's offense and Amherst's inability to adjust to it was the real difference maker.  It really boggled my mind that they couldn't at least shut down one simple play, which F&M used over and over again.  Amherst should have had an advantage in the post, but they lost the game because of post play (as good as Milligan was and as successfully as they frustrated Toomey).

As I said, the perspective of the Saturday game helped me understand just how much the adjustments matter.  MIT absolutely scouted Friday and they didn't let F&M pull off some of those simple post plays that killed Amherst.

When I say talented, I'm thinking more about overall talent.  Amherst's athleticism is definitely better and they've got better players deeper down the bench.  Individually, MIT's top three are better than Amherst's top three, but overall, I think Amherst is the more talented team.

MIT has overcome that disadvantage because all of their guys know how to stay on the floor.  Bench doesn't matter if you don't need it.  They've actually gotten over the hump as far as that's concerned.  The only team left with a real deep bench is Cabrini - but without a lot of big guys that won't matter as much to MIT.

I can totally see them winning the whole thing.  Obviously, if they do there's no question they're #1.  If they lose to Whitewater, I still have some thinking to do about them verses Amherst.  It's close, and as I said, one game I'll take MIT - long haul, I'm still thinking it over.
"I don't have a lot of earlier viewing to compare, but at this level, when your big guys are missing layups with the frequency Amherst's bigs did in the first half, that contributes to an off night."
That's a good point.  I do recall some of that, but I was not watching as intensely as the MIT games.  Were the layups open looks or were they contested?  Good defense often causes players to have what us fans may call off-games.  I'm not sure this was the case, but just making a point that F&M had good interior defense.  I noticed in the MIT game that F&M missed what appeared to be some easy layups that worked to MIT's favor.

"Honestly, I think F&M's offense and Amherst's inability to adjust to it was the real difference maker.  It really boggled my mind that they couldn't at least shut down one simple play, which F&M used over and over again.  Amherst should have had an advantage in the post, but they lost the game because of post play (as good as Milligan was and as successfully as they frustrated Toomey)."
Another good point.  So you believed that F&M was out-coached, at least with this particular play.  You could be correct, but I believe that is F&M's bread and butter play that they have used successfully all season.  Maybe the Amherst coach would play it differently if given another opportunity.

"As I said, the perspective of the Saturday game helped me understand just how much the adjustments matter.  MIT absolutely scouted Friday and they didn't let F&M pull off some of those simple post plays that killed Amherst."
I have not looked at F&M before the Amherst game, but do you believe F&M did anything differently than what they did in their earlier games?  F&M executed that play well.  MIT has game films of all 4 of the teams and reviewed it prior to that weekend.  I'm assuming that Amherst did the same and that their coaching staff prepared for their competition.  MIT had a game plan against F&M prior to watching your game.  MIT left prior to then end of your game.  I didn't notice a lot of MIT adjustments that you alluded to.  My personal opinion is that F&M's post game faltered against the larger post players at MIT.  Size matters underneath.  MIT's post defense was best illustrated in Tashman's dismanteling of Farmingdale's dominate 7-foot center.  This post defense is often overlooked and not depicted in statistics, but is extremely important to a team's success.

"When I say talented, I'm thinking more about overall talent.  Amherst's athleticism is definitely better and they've got better players deeper down the bench.  Individually, MIT's top three are better than Amherst's top three, but overall, I think Amherst is the more talented team."
I will concede to the athleticism argument of Amherst over MIT for some players, but it should be the case when there is so much negative height differential.  Again, I am not as familiar with Amherst, but your bench argument also has merit as the majority of MIT bench (except a couple) are freshman.  I assume MIT's top 3 that you referred to are Hollingsworth, Tashman and Kates.  I believe Jamie being the all-time leading 3 point shooter in MIT history and his multiple dominating performances in the NCAA tournament speaks for itself.  You have never seen Bender play, but he is rated in the top 10 in more categories than any player in the NEWMAC.  There is a reason the MIT bench doesn't play as much as other teams.  IMHO, if Amherst's bench replaced MIT's bench, they would not get many minutes either.  That is typically the way MIT plays and (as HN pointed out) MIT's deliberate style allows for longer minutes for their starters.  I disagree that Amherst is a more talented team, unless you are comparing only the non-starters.

"MIT has overcome that disadvantage because all of their guys know how to stay on the floor."
I assume knowing "how to stay on the floor" is a comment about conditioning and moving your feet on defense without fouling.  Aren't these integral basketball talent skill-sets on which to compare against other players?  The youth of the MIT bench may be a disadvantage when compared to the experienced Amherst bench, but I do not believe that is the case with many of the other teams.

"Bench doesn't matter if you don't need it.  They've actually gotten over the hump as far as that's concerned.  The only team left with a real deep bench is Cabrini - but without a lot of big guys that won't matter as much to MIT."
Good point.  As discussed, MIT typically has a short (primarily 6-player) rotation, expecially with their the quality of their starters.  Again, if MIT's bench was replaced by what is perceived as a deeper bench, the bench would still get limited minutes.

"I can totally see them winning the whole thing.  Obviously, if they do there's no question they're #1.  If they lose to Whitewater, I still have some thinking to do about them verses Amherst.  It's close, and as I said, one game I'll take MIT - long haul, I'm still thinking it over."
I certainly hope you are correct and I appreciate your support.  I share your concerns about Whitewater as they are athletic and could cause some matchup problems, especially if they penatrate and MIT gets in foul trouble.  I wish MIT was in Amherst's conference that I believe is the strongest conference in the nation.

Just a couple of quick responses.  I saw Tashman, especially, but also Hollingsworth (although he's always incredibly nimble, despite how awkward he looks when he runs) make footwork adjustments against F&M to prevent that cut play down low.  F&M might have pulled it off a few times, but MIT was prepared for it.  On Friday, sitting behind the bench, I saw Hixon giving defensive instructions to the big guys about how to play down low.  I think the starters sat more in the second half than usual because they just weren't implementing what he was telling them.

As for staying on the floor.  At this level, it's tough for guys to play good ball and stay on the floor when you get two quick fouls, as both Kates and Tashman did Friday night.  Yeah, it is basic basketball, but it just doesn't happen much at this level.  The MIT guys are skilled, talented players, who also think a lot, on the floor.  Usually at this level you have talent and instinct or you have hard work and smarts - it's rare to see both.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 13, 2012, 03:31:28 PM
HN,

There will be no MIT all-Americans from the NABC!

Only Berthiaume from the NEWMAC has a shot


*Denotes District Player of the Year
2012 NABC ALL-DISTRICT TEAMS AND COACHES – DIVISION III

SOUTH
First Team
Matt Addison, Hardin Simmons
Chris Barnes, UT–Dallas
Greg Ross, Centre
Milton Stanley, Maryville
Conley Taylor, Christopher Newport
*DJ Woodmore, Virginia Wesleyan

Second Team
Austin Claunch, Emory
Colton Hunt, Randolph
Marlon Miller, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Zac Richards, Birmingham Southern
Donald Vaughn, Virginia Wesleyan

Coach of the Year: Dave Macedo, Virginia Wesleyan
 
NORTHEAST
First Team
Ray Askew, Albertus Magnus
Alex Berthiaume, Springfield
*DaQuan Brooks, Western Connecticut
Brian Clark, Salem State
Ryan Sharry, Middlebury
Aaron Toomey, Amherst

NORTHEAST
Second Team
Shasha Brown, Wesleyan
Terrance Favors, Becker
Will Hanley, Bowdoin
Noel Hollingsworth, MIT
Nick Nedwick, Eastern Connecticut

Coach of the Year: Bill Geitner, Eastern Connecticut State University

Very interesting selections - I would not have CLark on 1st team  and Favors with no Kates?

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 13, 2012, 03:36:37 PM
Another outgrowth of the NEWMAC's player of the year choice. I've found as a result of the D-III all-star game the past couple of years that the NABC is even more focused on conference players of the year than we are.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 13, 2012, 03:56:57 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 13, 2012, 11:51:00 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 13, 2012, 11:19:10 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 12, 2012, 10:15:32 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 11, 2012, 07:58:27 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 11, 2012, 05:32:43 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 11, 2012, 11:20:31 AM
Congrats NERD!

Hoops Fan - now might be the time to stay a little quiet.  Literally my 3rd grade neice on Friday night said that MIT looked so much better than any of the teams we were watching (we watched both games from F&M).

Not even saying MIT is better than Amherst.  What I am saying is that NOBODY (from coach K to my 3rd grade niece) would say Amherst looked better on that night!

Makes the rest of your paragraph (which was well written) hard to even get through.

I'm not sure how I'm becoming the bad guy here?  I'm rooting for MIT - I've been more and more impressed every game.  I posted a longer reply on the "Ranking" board so I'll keep it short here:

Something I didn't factor in from Friday, which became amazingly apparent Saturday was the respective team's ability to adjust.  Amherst showed none and MIT has been amazing at it.  When watching the teams play Friday I had no real basis of comparison - and when you put together physical attributes, talent, depth, etc, Amherst still comes out on top for me, talent wise they are a better team.  MIT has talented guys, but less of them; what they do possess is incredible intelligence (I hate how cliched that sounds, but it's true) and ability to control the floor.

As I said before, in one pressure game, I'll pick MIT; over the course of 100, I think Amherst's depth and talent have more impact and makes the decision more difficult.  At this point, they're 1 and 1a and I wouldn't argue with anyone over the order.
You are definitely not a "bad guy", are entitled to your opinion, and I enjoy your posts.  I have not watched Amherst play earlier, but you must believe that they had an "off" game against F&M.  F&M certainly gave Amherst plenty of opportunities to come back with all of their missed free throws.  This was the worst free throw shooting I've seen in the tournament.  Could Amherst's off-game be because F&M has the #1 rated defense in D3 basketball?  Any part of it?  I would be interested in your opinion on each player by player comparison between Amherst and MIT.  If by depth, you mean bench, I would agree that Amherst's bench is more productive because they play more.  MIT has some talented players on their bench, but most are freshman and this might not be shown until the year after next.  3 of MIT's starters were voted as the part of the best 5 in the NEWMAC conference and arguments could be made for the other 2 starters.  I respectively disagree with the "talent" portion of your argument.  As posted earlier, I also disagree with MIT adjustments, i.e., they did not need to make any adjustments.  MIT was obviously the better team and F&M failed to make the proper adjustments IMHO.  Please keep posting including a player by player analysis.  Thanks.

I don't have a lot of earlier viewing to compare, but at this level, when your big guys are missing layups with the frequency Amherst's bigs did in the first half, that contributes to an off night.

Honestly, I think F&M's offense and Amherst's inability to adjust to it was the real difference maker.  It really boggled my mind that they couldn't at least shut down one simple play, which F&M used over and over again.  Amherst should have had an advantage in the post, but they lost the game because of post play (as good as Milligan was and as successfully as they frustrated Toomey).

As I said, the perspective of the Saturday game helped me understand just how much the adjustments matter.  MIT absolutely scouted Friday and they didn't let F&M pull off some of those simple post plays that killed Amherst.

When I say talented, I'm thinking more about overall talent.  Amherst's athleticism is definitely better and they've got better players deeper down the bench.  Individually, MIT's top three are better than Amherst's top three, but overall, I think Amherst is the more talented team.

MIT has overcome that disadvantage because all of their guys know how to stay on the floor.  Bench doesn't matter if you don't need it.  They've actually gotten over the hump as far as that's concerned.  The only team left with a real deep bench is Cabrini - but without a lot of big guys that won't matter as much to MIT.

I can totally see them winning the whole thing.  Obviously, if they do there's no question they're #1.  If they lose to Whitewater, I still have some thinking to do about them verses Amherst.  It's close, and as I said, one game I'll take MIT - long haul, I'm still thinking it over.
"I don't have a lot of earlier viewing to compare, but at this level, when your big guys are missing layups with the frequency Amherst's bigs did in the first half, that contributes to an off night."
That's a good point.  I do recall some of that, but I was not watching as intensely as the MIT games.  Were the layups open looks or were they contested?  Good defense often causes players to have what us fans may call off-games.  I'm not sure this was the case, but just making a point that F&M had good interior defense.  I noticed in the MIT game that F&M missed what appeared to be some easy layups that worked to MIT's favor.

"Honestly, I think F&M's offense and Amherst's inability to adjust to it was the real difference maker.  It really boggled my mind that they couldn't at least shut down one simple play, which F&M used over and over again.  Amherst should have had an advantage in the post, but they lost the game because of post play (as good as Milligan was and as successfully as they frustrated Toomey)."
Another good point.  So you believed that F&M was out-coached, at least with this particular play.  You could be correct, but I believe that is F&M's bread and butter play that they have used successfully all season.  Maybe the Amherst coach would play it differently if given another opportunity.

"As I said, the perspective of the Saturday game helped me understand just how much the adjustments matter.  MIT absolutely scouted Friday and they didn't let F&M pull off some of those simple post plays that killed Amherst."
I have not looked at F&M before the Amherst game, but do you believe F&M did anything differently than what they did in their earlier games?  F&M executed that play well.  MIT has game films of all 4 of the teams and reviewed it prior to that weekend.  I'm assuming that Amherst did the same and that their coaching staff prepared for their competition.  MIT had a game plan against F&M prior to watching your game.  MIT left prior to then end of your game.  I didn't notice a lot of MIT adjustments that you alluded to.  My personal opinion is that F&M's post game faltered against the larger post players at MIT.  Size matters underneath.  MIT's post defense was best illustrated in Tashman's dismanteling of Farmingdale's dominate 7-foot center.  This post defense is often overlooked and not depicted in statistics, but is extremely important to a team's success.

"When I say talented, I'm thinking more about overall talent.  Amherst's athleticism is definitely better and they've got better players deeper down the bench.  Individually, MIT's top three are better than Amherst's top three, but overall, I think Amherst is the more talented team."
I will concede to the athleticism argument of Amherst over MIT for some players, but it should be the case when there is so much negative height differential.  Again, I am not as familiar with Amherst, but your bench argument also has merit as the majority of MIT bench (except a couple) are freshman.  I assume MIT's top 3 that you referred to are Hollingsworth, Tashman and Kates.  I believe Jamie being the all-time leading 3 point shooter in MIT history and his multiple dominating performances in the NCAA tournament speaks for itself.  You have never seen Bender play, but he is rated in the top 10 in more categories than any player in the NEWMAC.  There is a reason the MIT bench doesn't play as much as other teams.  IMHO, if Amherst's bench replaced MIT's bench, they would not get many minutes either.  That is typically the way MIT plays and (as HN pointed out) MIT's deliberate style allows for longer minutes for their starters.  I disagree that Amherst is a more talented team, unless you are comparing only the non-starters.

"MIT has overcome that disadvantage because all of their guys know how to stay on the floor."
I assume knowing "how to stay on the floor" is a comment about conditioning and moving your feet on defense without fouling.  Aren't these integral basketball talent skill-sets on which to compare against other players?  The youth of the MIT bench may be a disadvantage when compared to the experienced Amherst bench, but I do not believe that is the case with many of the other teams.

"Bench doesn't matter if you don't need it.  They've actually gotten over the hump as far as that's concerned.  The only team left with a real deep bench is Cabrini - but without a lot of big guys that won't matter as much to MIT."
Good point.  As discussed, MIT typically has a short (primarily 6-player) rotation, expecially with their the quality of their starters.  Again, if MIT's bench was replaced by what is perceived as a deeper bench, the bench would still get limited minutes.

"I can totally see them winning the whole thing.  Obviously, if they do there's no question they're #1.  If they lose to Whitewater, I still have some thinking to do about them verses Amherst.  It's close, and as I said, one game I'll take MIT - long haul, I'm still thinking it over."
I certainly hope you are correct and I appreciate your support.  I share your concerns about Whitewater as they are athletic and could cause some matchup problems, especially if they penatrate and MIT gets in foul trouble.  I wish MIT was in Amherst's conference that I believe is the strongest conference in the nation.

Just a couple of quick responses.  I saw Tashman, especially, but also Hollingsworth (although he's always incredibly nimble, despite how awkward he looks when he runs) make footwork adjustments against F&M to prevent that cut play down low.  F&M might have pulled it off a few times, but MIT was prepared for it.  On Friday, sitting behind the bench, I saw Hixon giving defensive instructions to the big guys about how to play down low.  I think the starters sat more in the second half than usual because they just weren't implementing what he was telling them.

As for staying on the floor.  At this level, it's tough for guys to play good ball and stay on the floor when you get two quick fouls, as both Kates and Tashman did Friday night.  Yeah, it is basic basketball, but it just doesn't happen much at this level.  The MIT guys are skilled, talented players, who also think a lot, on the floor.  Usually at this level you have talent and instinct or you have hard work and smarts - it's rare to see both.
Good observation regarding Hollingsworth looking awkward some of the time, but he definitely has a good feel for the game.  He is not as quick laterally, but he always appears to be in the right place.  I'm sure that is frustrating to his opponents who underestimate him.  He is old school with his post moves that I enjoy watching.  I understand what you are saying about staying on the floor after getting 2 quick fouls.  I was thinking they should get rested at that point, so it's good that I'm not the coach.   :)

Please post your thoughts on the upcoming matchups.  Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 13, 2012, 04:06:20 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 13, 2012, 03:36:37 PM
Another outgrowth of the NEWMAC's player of the year choice. I've found as a result of the D-III all-star game the past couple of years that the NABC is even more focused on conference players of the year than we are.

Remsleep's quote from the other thread seems appropriate:

Quote from: remsleep on March 13, 2012, 12:34:06 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 12, 2012, 10:05:18 AM

I know that Kates did not get POY in the NEWMAC...on the other hand, in general we are not talking about a bunch of Einsteins who are doing the selecting either.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 13, 2012, 04:37:15 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 13, 2012, 03:36:37 PM
Another outgrowth of the NEWMAC's player of the year choice. I've found as a result of the D-III all-star game the past couple of years that the NABC is even more focused on conference players of the year than we are.

I agree, NABC typically only looks at stats and maybe conference POY awards, I dont think they do any homework beyond that.

I was a bit surprised that Tashman was left off D3hoops all-region teams completely.  He was 4th team last year, and most of his stats (higher rebounds, much higher FG%, etc.), except ppg (which fell a couple points with the return of Hollingsworth), were improved from a season ago.  I guess there is some psychology at play that tells voters they cant vote for 3 players from the same team.  Also weird to see two players off the All-NESCAC 2nd team make all-region, and Kizel off the first team get snubbed.

Also with respect to Kates vs. Toomey, just to see how both performed against the same team, on back-to-back nights should tell you a lot about how they matchup against one another.  Would have been great to see them go head-to-head, but Amherst couldn't get it done.  Maybe Toomey has a higher ceiling in some peoples opinion (obviously not mine), but Kates clearly showed he is a much better leader and PG in his performances over the past month.  His best attribute is likely his unselfish play, he always defers to the player with the matchup advantage without regard for his own scoring, and can sense when the team needs his scoring and is more than capable.  When he does shoot, he shoots a tremendously high percentage (51.5 FG% for the season, for comparison, Toomey shot just 42.9% for the year) and also averages more assists, steals, and has a higher A/TO ratio than Toomey.  You also can't make the argument that Kates has the benefit of a better team, because both squads had essentially the same ranking all season (Amherst was even higher most of the 2nd half of the season).  So again it just comes down to points, Toomey is average 3.5 more ppg (17.9 vs. 14.3) so apparently that makes up for shooting 8.5% worse from the field, and having all the other point guard metrics being lower also.  I am sure if Kates wanted to take more shots, he could average close to 20 ppg, but that wouldnt make his team better.  I just don't get how, even looking at the numbers, 3 ppg makes up for everything else (FG%, assists, steals, A/TO), in addition to the performance of their respective teams on the court in the NCAA tourney.   Are we weighting individual stats by a teams SOS now also?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 13, 2012, 04:57:36 PM

As Walzy made abundantly clear at the game the other night, if you haven't seen Kizel play, you don't understand how good he is.  He made a convincing enough case, that I believe him.

Likely a number of the voters haven't seen him play.

Coaches generally trust coaches, so if a guy wins POY over someone with better stats, etc - they likely believe he's really a better player.  Again, you've got people voting who don't necessarily get to see these players play.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 13, 2012, 04:59:42 PM
There has to be at least some of that, doesn't there? Otherwise the kid from Green Mountain a few years ago would have to have been a first-team All-American. But I don't usually make SOS an issue in my head unless the SOS is truly poor. In my mind, the question is, did the kid play a representative D-III schedule? MIT certainly did.

I noted the Hamilton kid was second team All-NESCAC but wondered if perhaps that was an outgrowth of Hamilton being new to the league. He was all-region last year out of the Liberty League (offensive MVP) and the East.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 13, 2012, 07:12:34 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 13, 2012, 04:59:42 PM
There has to be at least some of that, doesn't there? Otherwise the kid from Green Mountain a few years ago would have to have been a first-team All-American. But I don't usually make SOS an issue in my head unless the SOS is truly poor. In my mind, the question is, did the kid play a representative D-III schedule? MIT certainly did.

I noted the Hamilton kid was second team All-NESCAC but wondered if perhaps that was an outgrowth of Hamilton being new to the league. He was all-region last year out of the Liberty League (offensive MVP) and the East.

I agree with you regarding extreme cases, like Green Mountain, but as you said, MIT doesn't fall into that category.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 13, 2012, 11:19:39 PM
Comparison of NE All-Region Guards (Players names not listed, but you can easily figure it out), and one that I have thrown in who is not all region:













PlayerTeam W-LTeam SOS-FG%--3FG%--RPG--APG--A/TO--SPG--PPG-
117-100.5610.4320.3253.73.41.181.619.2
226-30.5800.4290.3422.94.81.571.817.9
321-70.5680.4230.3443.56.11.441.829.1
421-100.4580.4190.2596.75.41.612.317.5
512-140.5150.4850.3765.84.70.931.234.1
629-10.5090.5140.3164.05.41.882.314.3
724-60.5360.4350.3043.93.51.351.817.3
820-60.5130.5050.2772.54.31.501.517.1
99-170.4780.3920.4034.52.70.971.117.3
1026-40.5880.5370.5063.13.92.270.714.0

So this is just a comparison based on stats, not even considering any head-to-head matches.  How would you rate them?  Can you guess which player is not all region?

One thing that jumped out at me, FG%.  When was the last time you looked at a boxscore and saw someone shoot 43% and say, 'Wow, they really shot the lights out tonight'?  I'm guessing never (unless they were all 3 pt attempts)...so why are 6 of our 9 NE All-region guards shooting that for the season (including 4 guards on the 1st and 2nd team)?  Is scoring 17 ppg shooting 42% really more impressive than scoring 14 ppg and shooting 52%?

Im guessing most of you would rate Player 10 over Player 9, but that would be the incorrect answer according to the voters.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 13, 2012, 11:35:00 PM
Aside from a couple of players, these are not the stats that were considered, just as a reminder. It stopped on Selection Sunday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 14, 2012, 07:23:45 AM

I wouldn't put Andre Shaw on the all-region team, but it should be noted that he was the only offensive threat on a terrible team all year.  He is better than his numbers indicate.  I imagine the low FG% comes partly because he had to put up shots no matter who was guarding him.

Again, I don't think he deserves to be there.  Heck, Ryan Birrell is only there because of the numbers (which are impressive).  Talent wise, he doesn't deserve to be ahead of Kates.

It is a shame Kizel didn't get on the list.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 14, 2012, 11:55:07 AM
I saw Biirrell play against WPI in the ECAC title game.  They held him to 2 for 10 and 8pts.  This from the team that could not handle the Wheaton guards, Kates, & Berthiaume, Brooks...etc.  I realize it was one game, but it is a fair assesment as far as common opponents go when looking at how he stacks up vs other guys.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 14, 2012, 12:13:06 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 14, 2012, 11:55:07 AM
I saw Biirrell play against WPI in the ECAC title game.  They held him to 2 for 10 and 8pts.  This from the team that could not handle the Wheaton guards, Kates, & Berthiaume, Brooks...etc.  I realize it was one game, but it is a fair assesment as far as common opponents go when looking at how he stacks up vs other guys.

Apparently that game doesn't count when it comes to all-region (see Pat's post above).

Pat, however, did mention SOS plays a role in extreme cases...Salve Regina's 0.458 may seem to fit that criteria (that puts them in the bottom 25% of the region in SOS).  Also, as I said before, shooting under 42% for the  season is not good in my opinion.   I also don't understand what the Hamilton players performance in the East region last year has anything to do with his performance in the NE this year?  I didn't realize there was any carryover between seasons for these awards. Tashman was all-region last year, his numbers improved overall, yet he was left off.  The arguments being made for some players and against others, and the criteria used in assessing players, does not seem consistent to me.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 14, 2012, 01:06:34 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 14, 2012, 12:13:06 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 14, 2012, 11:55:07 AM
I saw Biirrell play against WPI in the ECAC title game.  They held him to 2 for 10 and 8pts.  This from the team that could not handle the Wheaton guards, Kates, & Berthiaume, Brooks...etc.  I realize it was one game, but it is a fair assesment as far as common opponents go when looking at how he stacks up vs other guys.

Apparently that game doesn't count when it comes to all-region (see Pat's post above).

Pat, however, did mention SOS plays a role in extreme cases...Salve Regina's 0.458 may seem to fit that criteria (that puts them in the bottom 25% of the region in SOS).  Also, as I said before, shooting under 42% for the  season is not good in my opinion.   I also don't understand what the Hamilton players performance in the East region last year has anything to do with his performance in the NE this year?  I didn't realize there was any carryover between seasons for these awards. Tashman was all-region last year, his numbers improved overall, yet he was left off.  The arguments being made for some players and against others, and the criteria used in assessing players, does not seem consistent to me.

I'm not sure who voted in the all-region rankings, but I know a number of the NE conference traditionally reward 4 year contributors in the post-season awards of their final season.  Birrell is a grad student, having played big minutes for Salve for four years now.  He literally took a lost team and won the CCC.  I suspect contributions to the team (and outside of FG% and a/t, his numbers were insane) made a difference.

That's why the all-american squad is generally a better gauge.  Pat does a good job seeing lots of teams and players.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 14, 2012, 03:01:01 PM
"I'm not sure who voted in the all-region rankings, but I know a number of the NE conference traditionally reward 4 year contributors in the post-season awards of their final season.  Birrell is a grad student, having played big minutes for Salve for four years now.  He literally took a lost team and won the CCC.  I suspect contributions to the team (and outside of FG% and a/t, his numbers were insane) made a difference."

I don't have any problem with that being par tof the consideration process.  I think we all would just like to know more about what really is factored in and how the criteria are weighted. If you are goingto use what you described in Birrell's case, then surely the MIT supporters can scratch their heads wondering why importance to the team's success doesn't put him way up there.  My own opinion is if you give one guy the reins of the offense and let him shoot whenever he pleases (i.e. Brooks), then he is going to put up big numbers by defintion.  That does not mean he is a more qualifed candidate for a particular honor/award than a player on a different team whose is playingin on a more balanced team playing team ball.



HN

Yes, I realize that that game was not included, but apparently none of the NCAA tourney games are going to count for anything....
Or are they....

I was just using as a point of comparison Vs a common opponent (LOL -good comparison in my view since WPI's defense really did not change much at all during the season)

It does make you wonder what the process would be if every team had a guy like Daquan Brooks - Averaging 21.7 FGAs a game!

What would Hollinsworth, Carr, Kates, Karraker, Tashman, etc would have for a PPG if they were allowed to fire up that many FGAs a game?

Brooks 21.7
Thomas - 23.0
Ray Askew - 15.6


NEWMACs Top 10 Scorers with their Average FGM-FGAs

1  A Berthiaume     6.8-15.8 19.2 
2  N Hollingsworth  7.0-12.8 17.5 
3  M Carr  WPI      6.5-11.8 16.4 
4  G Marshall       5.6-12.4 15.7 
5  B Degnan         4.4-10.0 15.2 
6  M Kates          5.5-10.7 14.3 
7  M Coppola        5.5-10.4 14.0 
8  J Karraker       4.4-9.6  13.0 
9  T Curley         4.2-9.7  12.2 
10  W Tashman       4.3-7.9  11.4

Assuming no change in FG PCT and for simplicity sake lets just use 2pt FGs, lets adjust things so they all get to 15.8 FGAs


HollinsWorth 17.5 to 20.8
Carr         16.4 to 20.8
Marshall     15.7 to 18.8
Degnan       15.2 to 20.3
Kates        14.3 to 19.5
Coppola      14.0 to 19.7
Karraker     13.0 to 18.9
Curley       12.2 to 17.5
Tashman      11.4 to 20.0

Now obvious Karaker's would be more since he shoots the vast majority of his shots beyond the arc.  Others would increase because of 3pt FGs too, but this gives you an idea of the numbers they would put up if they were getting the same shots per game as Berthiaume.

Imagine the numbers some of these guys would have if they got FGAs like Brooks & Thomas!


Anyway.... More fuel for the fire......





Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 14, 2012, 07:47:47 PM
Video from CBS Boston:

http://boston.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6842513
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2012, 10:40:32 PM
Hugenerd:

While the MIT campus DOS attack :) on our poll might not have been meant as a joke, our treatment of it certainly was. Maybe you can't take a joke, but believe me, there's no anti-MIT sentiment here. I picked you guys on Hoopsville on Sunday night, for goodness sake.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2012, 10:46:22 PM
You may know perhaps, and I know, but anyone who doesn't click through won't know ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 14, 2012, 10:53:40 PM
The GZA visits MIT:

http://24wired.tv/33659/wu-tangs-gza-visits-mit-for-album-research/

In honor of Mike Dantoni's resignation, clip of him saying he needs an 'MIT guy' to go along with Jeremy Lin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-wKpZ3OCu8
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2012, 10:56:33 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 14, 2012, 10:48:16 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2012, 10:46:22 PM
You may know perhaps, and I know, but anyone who doesn't click through won't know ...

In that case, I would be more worried about about the NESN article than my post.  I dont think hugenerd has the same following as NESN.

That's why I posted the comment I did. Seemed like the right way to play it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 14, 2012, 11:02:52 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2012, 10:56:33 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 14, 2012, 10:48:16 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2012, 10:46:22 PM
You may know perhaps, and I know, but anyone who doesn't click through won't know ...

In that case, I would be more worried about about the NESN article than my post.  I dont think hugenerd has the same following as NESN.

That's why I posted the comment I did. Seemed like the right way to play it.

If we both know its a joke, I dont know why you're so upset with me for posting it...I am past caring about karma, but getting dinged 5-7 times is also somewhat amusing to me...I guess I hit a sore spot...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 14, 2012, 11:04:26 PM
I can only hit you once. I'll give you that one back, though.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 15, 2012, 08:07:29 PM
Apparently some high interest from a top Washington State prep player, Justin Pedley, a 6'6" forward (article below).  The article is generally accurate, but apparently confused about a few points, for example MIT obviously did not offer Pedley a scholarship for athletics (offered him admission is probably more accurate):

http://www.northwestprepreport.com/pedley-bound-for-mit-brains-and-game-make-great-combo

He was named 2nd team all-state this year:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2017734507.html


Also interest from a player from Wisconsin:

http://host.madison.com/sports/high-school/basketball/boys/wiaa-state-boys-basketball-staffeil-is-norskies-no-guy/article_cc84a344-6e34-11e1-af88-0019bb2963f4.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 16, 2012, 09:51:01 AM
A little confused about whatever is going on that is or maybe isn't a joke................I can't keep up.  But I do not hat I have heard Pat refer to H-Nerd numerous times on Hoopsville - so I know there is love there!

Good luck to all NERDS tonight - be they Huge or Small or somewhere in-between.  Go Engineers!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 16, 2012, 10:53:12 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 16, 2012, 09:51:01 AM
A little confused about whatever is going on that is or maybe isn't a joke................I can't keep up.  But I do not hat I have heard Pat refer to H-Nerd numerous times on Hoopsville - so I know there is love there!

Good luck to all NERDS tonight - be they Huge or Small or somewhere in-between.  Go Engineers!

Actually, that had nothing to do with me.

Apparently someone at MIT hacked the d3hoops.com front page poll (Question: 'Who do you think will win the men's championship?'), so that MIT would get a lot more votes than the other teams.  In response, Pat jokingly removed MIT as a choice, and put instead something along the lines of 'Anyone besides the ballot stuffers at MIT'.  Then, NESN got wind of this and, in response, ran an article on their website saying d3hoops.com was cheering against MIT (because there was no 'MIT' as a choice in the poll, not mentioning that originially MIT had been a choice).  I then posted a link to that article, saying that NESN had run an article about the anti-MIT sentiment of d3hoops (my post was just joking also, I thought it was funny how NESN spun it, which I since have deleted), and for some reason I got my karma dinged like 10 times for posting that link.  I would post the link again, but it doesn't appear people liked it  very much the first time, so you can google it and find it yourself if you would like.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 16, 2012, 11:38:50 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 16, 2012, 09:51:01 AM
A little confused about whatever is going on that is or maybe isn't a joke................I can't keep up.  But I do not hat I have heard Pat refer to H-Nerd numerous times on Hoopsville - so I know there is love there!

Good luck to all NERDS tonight - be they Huge or Small or somewhere in-between.  Go Engineers!

Actually, that's Dave. Dave hosts the show and I only appear once a week or so. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 16, 2012, 08:26:49 PM
Billy Bender in the starting lineups for MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 17, 2012, 03:32:37 AM
WOW - no love for the host of Hoopsville, I guess! :)

Congrats to MIT on a terrific season. May not have been a thrilling end, but every guy fought to the end. Injuries and UWW's style was just too much for the Engineers.

Would love to say I will look forward to seeing some Engineers in the All-Star Game, but because many will be returning for their last year of eligibility while in graduate school... there will be no MIT representation. No shame in that - unlike other years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 17, 2012, 07:40:05 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 16, 2012, 10:53:12 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 16, 2012, 09:51:01 AM
A little confused about whatever is going on that is or maybe isn't a joke................I can't keep up.  But I do not hat I have heard Pat refer to H-Nerd numerous times on Hoopsville - so I know there is love there!

Good luck to all NERDS tonight - be they Huge or Small or somewhere in-between.  Go Engineers!

Actually, that had nothing to do with me.

Apparently someone at MIT hacked the d3hoops.com front page poll (Question: 'Who do you think will win the men's championship?'), so that MIT would get a lot more votes than the other teams.  In response, Pat jokingly removed MIT as a choice, and put instead something along the lines of 'Anyone besides the ballot stuffers at MIT'.  Then, NESN got wind of this and, in response, ran an article on their website saying d3hoops.com was cheering against MIT (because there was no 'MIT' as a choice in the poll, not mentioning that originially MIT had been a choice).  I then posted a link to that article, saying that NESN had run an article about the anti-MIT sentiment of d3hoops (my post was just joking also, I thought it was funny how NESN spun it, which I since have deleted), and for some reason I got my karma dinged like 10 times for posting that link.  I would post the link again, but it doesn't appear people liked it  very much the first time, so you can google it and find it yourself if you would like.

Gotcha - thanks.  Too bad last night but congrats on reaching new heights MIT/NEWMAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 17, 2012, 09:16:30 AM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 17, 2012, 03:32:37 AM
WOW - no love for the host of Hoopsville, I guess! :)

Congrats to MIT on a terrific season. May not have been a thrilling end, but every guy fought to the end. Injuries and UWW's style was just too much for the Engineers.

Would love to say I will look forward to seeing some Engineers in the All-Star Game, but because many will be returning for their last year of eligibility while in graduate school... there will be no MIT representation. No shame in that - unlike other years.

They didn't invite Bender?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on March 17, 2012, 11:42:01 AM
Huge,

Congratulations to the MIT Engineers on an outstanding season!!!  I am sure we will see them back here next year!!!  I hear some of the seniors will be in grad school and will use up their eligibility.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 17, 2012, 12:51:44 PM
Off the top of my head, I don't believe he was on an All-District team for the NABC. Furthermore, Coach Anderson did seem to stress that the team had to get back to Cambridge for academic reasons.

However, I am sure if they had seniors with no eligibility issues, they (he) would have played.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 17, 2012, 12:56:27 PM
Bender may not be willing to play in a game that doesn't mean anything because of his orbital fracture. He will have surgery on it next week.

Definitely a great year for MIT, Hollingsworth and Karraker are the seniors coming back for their last year of eligibility, along with juniors Kates and Tashman.

MIT didn't play their best game last night. Some of it was UWW, but they also missed a ton of open shots they were making most of the tourney. If some of those shots fall, we could have seen a completely different game. As it was, though, UWW played better and deserved to win last night. Davis was obviously a difference maker. I thought Tashman played him really tough, but he made some open outside shots which opened up some other options for him. Looked like MIT might get something going early in the 2nd, when they led 32-30, but too many missed open outside shots. Game seemed pretty much over after that big drought for MIT and corresponding UWW run.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 17, 2012, 02:34:49 PM

The score was so low and everyone was working so hard for point, once they got down 12 it was almost insurmountable - just so much effort from both teams.

It will be interesting to see how far the freshman come over the summer - MIT could be better next year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 17, 2012, 07:09:58 PM
Here are some photos I took at the MIT-UWW game (and the MIT receptions before and after):

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1752987391&k=RpS7RCM (http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1752987391&k=RpS7RCM)

(I'm the third from the right in this picture, between MIT president Susan Hockfield and David Koch: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753008037&k=WbtPKkg (http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753008037&k=WbtPKkg))

It wasn't a cheap trip to Salem on short notice, but I'm very glad I went.  I know the team members were disappointed for it to end as it did, but two teams' seasons were going to end yesterday and one team tonight won't win either.  Reaching the Final Four is in fact a Really Big Deal.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 17, 2012, 07:57:13 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 17, 2012, 07:09:58 PM
Here are some photos I took at the MIT-UWW game (and the MIT receptions before and after):

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1752987391&k=RpS7RCM (http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1752987391&k=RpS7RCM)

(I'm the third from the right in this picture, between MIT president Susan Hockfield and David Koch: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753008037&k=WbtPKkg (http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753008037&k=WbtPKkg))
It wasn't a cheap trip to Salem on short notice, but I'm very glad I went.  I know the team members were disappointed for it to end as it did, but two teams' seasons were going to end yesterday and one team tonight won't win either.  Reaching the Final Four is in fact a Really Big Deal.

What did the richest citizen of NYC have to say about the game?

Congrats to Mitch Kates for being named an All-American.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 17, 2012, 10:34:50 PM
Great article on Kates from ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/boston/story/_/id/7695958/m-mitchell-kates-found-winning-formula
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on March 18, 2012, 12:11:21 AM
Congratulations to MIT on a great season.  A couple of comments on recent posts.

1. The success of the program is going to have a major impact on recruiting over the next few years. I expect a higher level of talent to consider MIT and keep the program rolling.

2. Rumor of a 6'11" player from Greece who has committed to MIT next year. No comment on ability at this point.

3. Points per shot taken is a great measure of scoring ability and efficiency.  Of the 12 top scorers in the NEWMAC Berthuime was last in that category at 1.21. The leader was Degnan at 1.52 followed by Tashman at 1.44.  Volume shooters always get the love but rarely play for champions.

4. The ability to pass the ball, with the seams, hitting the shooter in the right place at the right time with the right speed is the single most underrated and under appreciated skill in basketball.  Great passers enhance great shooters. Good ones are rare to find. True point guards cannot be measured solely by the numbers.

5. I believe that Harwick, Amherst, or Franklin and Marshall were as good as any team in the final four this year.  To get there is special and MIT should be proud of what they did.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 18, 2012, 09:58:39 AM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on March 18, 2012, 12:11:21 AM
2. Rumor of a 6'11" player from Greece who has committed to MIT next year. No comment on ability at this point.

MIT does have a 6'11" commit from Greece who was involved with the Greek Junior National Team, I will post more details later.


Congrats to Will Tashman for being named to the 2012 NCAA All-Tournament Team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 18, 2012, 12:04:22 PM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on March 18, 2012, 12:11:21 AM
Congratulations to MIT on a great season.  A couple of comments on recent posts.

1. The success of the program is going to have a major impact on recruiting over the next few years. I expect a higher level of talent to consider MIT and keep the program rolling.

2. Rumor of a 6'11" player from Greece who has committed to MIT next year. No comment on ability at this point.

3. Points per shot taken is a great measure of scoring ability and efficiency.  Of the 12 top scorers in the NEWMAC Berthuime was last in that category at 1.21. The leader was Degnan at 1.52 followed by Tashman at 1.44.  Volume shooters always get the love but rarely play for champions.

4. The ability to pass the ball, with the seams, hitting the shooter in the right place at the right time with the right speed is the single most underrated and under appreciated skill in basketball.  Great passers enhance great shooters. Good ones are rare to find. True point guards cannot be measured solely by the numbers.

5. I believe that Harwick, Amherst, or Franklin and Marshall were as good as any team in the final four this year.  To get there is special and MIT should be proud of what they did.

A lot of really good points here.  In the end, Whitewater really proved themselves, and that comeback against Cabrini was quite something.

I think word is getting out about just how good Coach Anderson is.  We've now had four consecutive seasons in the tournament, and I'd have to think that any technically-minded top high school player will be looking very, very seriously at MIT at this point.  They have a lot better shot at a national title with MIT than they do with an Ivy League school.

It will be interesting to see how The Tech reports on this on Tuesday.  I still come across some people who sound almost embarrassed that MIT is exceling in something as crass as basketball.  I set these people straight in a hurry.  This team plays an intelligent, precise, team-oriented game that does just as much credit to the school as winning a Nobel prize, say.

At the postgame reception, the team members not surprisingly looked glum entering the room.  I think they were the only ones who really felt that way.  Everyone there was very well aware of what they and the school have accomplished!

I shared part of the flight home yesterday with the cheerleading squad and we had lunch together at the food court at PHL.  One of them happens to be the son of someone in my living group, interestingly enough.  I enjoyed catching up with what life is like at the 'Tute these days.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 18, 2012, 10:46:42 PM
Here is some more information on MIT's Greek recruit, Lampros Tsontzos. He is on the Greek U18 National Team 15 man roster, although he is a year younger than most of the other players on that roster.  Most sites have him listed at 6'10", but he is apparently still growing and have heard he is 6'11" now. Not surprisingly, he has a euro style game, and is comfortable both inside and shooting from the perimeter. He is very smooth around the basket with both hands, watching his post highlights you wouldn't know if he is left or right handed (first link below).  Lots of video on him on YouTube:

Mainly post moves (hooks, etc.):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65fbFJxNZ7I&amp;feature=related

Mid-range game, dunks, blocks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXtRmlvMVkc&amp;feature=related

He is one of a few really solid recruits MIT is bringing in. They should be even better next year than they were this year, with the guys they are bringing back and the new players.  I'll post more about recruits as I have more concrete information.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on March 19, 2012, 02:57:59 PM
I am stunned that kid is not going D-1.  I imagine he either really wanted the MIT education, or just was missed because he is a foreign recruit from a place that isn't really a hoops mecca.  He looks like a decent enough athlete for his size, with plus touch and coordination for a nearly-seven footer still in high school.  You just don't see big guys like that arriving in D-3 very often (sometimes you see them leaving, but usually they take a big leap forward in coordination while in college).  Putting him behind Tashman and Hollingsworth will make for a scary group of bigs next year for MIT. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 19, 2012, 03:50:05 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on March 19, 2012, 02:57:59 PM
I am stunned that kid is not going D-1.  I imagine he either really wanted the MIT education, or just was missed because he is a foreign recruit from a place that isn't really a hoops mecca.  He looks like a decent enough athlete for his size, with plus touch and coordination for a nearly-seven footer still in high school.  You just don't see big guys like that arriving in D-3 very often (sometimes you see them leaving, but usually they take a big leap forward in coordination while in college).  Putting him behind Tashman and Hollingsworth will make for a scary group of bigs next year for MIT.

Hopefully this actually pans out.  It sounds like just what we could have used against Chris Davis, and would help big time with Tashman's foul situation.  Sometimes I think Hollingsworth prefers to be on the wing or even at the top of the key rather than down low, and the kid looks like he thrives inside.  Imagine someone trying to double team Kates or Karraker, and this guy cuts back door, Kates throws an absolute bullet of a pass, and he flushes it.  Or Kates drives the lane; somebody's defender sags off, and Kates dishes to his choice of weapon.  But we should be careful about counting our chickens...

"Really wanted the MIT education" is key.  MIT offers educational and networking opportunities that he isn't going to get at a scholarship D1 school, if he's bright and has a strong technical set of mind.  On the flight home Saturday morning I was with the cheerleaders (and AD Julie Soriero) on the first leg -- nothing planned, that just happened to be the flight my wife was able to get me.  Those cheerleaders were just plain great kids.  I had a great time for a few hours chatting with them about 'Tute life (and with one of the freshmen, the son of a fellow Senior House alum, how a turboprop like what we were on can decelerate hard on landing), and over lunch they were very interested in my perspective on life 25 years on the other side.  They were peppering me with questions and asking my advice on things also.  They were also sneaking in whatever tooling they could; it's impressive how they can find a few minutes here and there to get some work done (but that also made me glad I'm out ;) ).  It's a given that Bartolotta (who is a really good guy, having had a chance to chat with him a bit) or someone else would take him under his wing.

Anyway, if we do make it back next year I'm getting my ticket Sunday morning if not Saturday night and pushing on all of my MIT friends to make the trip.  It was just such a tremendous experience.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 19, 2012, 08:41:20 PM
Final poll out, MIT finishes 4th, their highest end of season ranking ever:

http://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2011-12/final
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on March 19, 2012, 08:46:34 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 19, 2012, 08:41:20 PM
Final poll out, MIT finishes 4th, their highest end of season ranking ever:

http://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2011-12/final

Congratulations on a great season!  As an IWU fan, I was pleasantly surprised we finished #3 (I fully expected MIT 3, IWU 4) - I guess winning AT Hope, AT Wooster, and clobbering Witt by 21 must have really impressed the voters.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on March 19, 2012, 09:00:29 PM
Ypsi,

IWU likes to surprise by coming out of nowhere to finish in top 1-2-3, ie Baseball team in 2010 Nat. Championship!!!!!

Well Done 8-)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on March 20, 2012, 12:19:54 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on March 19, 2012, 09:00:29 PM
Ypsi,

IWU likes to surprise by coming out of nowhere to finish in top 1-2-3, ie Baseball team in 2010 Nat. Championship!!!!!

Well Done 8-)

Yes, that WS title was SWEET!!

Alas, we seem to go both ways - in 2006, we were the odds-on favorite for the men's bb title, and finished third. :P

But this year's women's bb tourney makes up for it - the lowest ranked team in the FF and we get the Walnut-and-Bronze! ;D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 20, 2012, 10:57:09 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 17, 2012, 12:56:27 PM
Bender may not be willing to play in a game that doesn't mean anything because of his orbital fracture. He will have surgery on it next week.

Definitely a great year for MIT, Hollingsworth and Karraker are the seniors coming back for their last year of eligibility, along with juniors Kates and Tashman.
I believe all of the team left early Saturday morning.  Tashman was not there for the All-Tournament recognition.
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 17, 2012, 12:56:27 PM
MIT didn't play their best game last night. Some of it was UWW, but they also missed a ton of open shots they were making most of the tourney. If some of those shots fall, we could have seen a completely different game. As it was, though, UWW played better and deserved to win last night. Davis was obviously a difference maker. I thought Tashman played him really tough, but he made some open outside shots which opened up some other options for him. Looked like MIT might get something going early in the 2nd, when they led 32-30, but too many missed open outside shots. Game seemed pretty much over after that big drought for MIT and corresponding UWW run.
Agreed that MIT did not play their best game as they had too many turnovers and got out-rebounded by 10.  MIT had some open look 3-pointers, but unfortunately made only 3 of 20.  In hindsight on the defense side, Davis probably should have been doubled as he was in the final, but he is a tremendous player.  UWW played much better against MIT than they did in the final, but that happens and UWW is a well derserved champion.  The game is still online at NCAA, so I may look at it again.  F&M may have played better against Amherst than they did against MIT earlier.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 20, 2012, 12:09:12 PM
FYI - the team did leave early on Saturday morning... but no one would have played in that All-Star game anyway... extenuating circumstances and class work were some of the reasons I heard.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 21, 2012, 08:53:33 AM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 20, 2012, 12:09:12 PM
FYI - the team did leave early on Saturday morning... but no one would have played in that All-Star game anyway... extenuating circumstances and class work were some of the reasons I heard.
I'm sure the players have some serious catchup work.  They met at around 4:30 AM Thursday for their flight to Roanoke, so maybe it was best for them to get back.  It would be nice to play in an All-Star game or be recognized as an All-Final4-Tournament Player, but not at the risk of dropping a class or getting low grades.  Overall it was a fun weekend and all the teams should be congratulated for their performances.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 30, 2012, 04:29:46 PM
ECAC All-Star Teams announced:

http://www.ecacsports.com/sports/winter/mbkb/AllStars/2011-12/Division_III_New_England_Mens_Basketball.pdf

WPI's Coppola named Rookie of the Year for the region

MIT has 3 players representing, Kates and Hollingsworth on the 1st Team, with Tashman on the 2nd Team.  Pretty nice showing for the NEWMAC.  In most years, I would say the D3hoops All-Region team gets it right, but this year, I agree a lot more with the ECAC teams, and not just because of the MIT selections (although, admittedly, that has a lot to do with it). 7/10 players overall are the same between the two top teams from each respective outlet (3/5 on the first team), but putting Kates on the first team over Toomey makes sense to me (similar to what D3hoops did with the AA teams) and Hollingsworth over Berthauime on the first team also makes a lot of sense (Berthauime did not make either ECAC team).  As for the 2nd team, 2 are the same, plus Toomey, while the ECAC's have Tashman and Akinrola over Brian Clark and Lamonte Thomas (Berthauime, Clark, and Thomas are the 3 players not on the ECAC teams that made the top two D3hoops teams.  Kates and Akinrola were 3rd team D3hoops selections, with Tashman was not on any of the 4 D3hoops NE all-region teams, which was a glaring omission in my opinion).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on April 02, 2012, 08:52:53 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 30, 2012, 04:29:46 PM
ECAC All-Star Teams announced:

http://www.ecacsports.com/sports/winter/mbkb/AllStars/2011-12/Division_III_New_England_Mens_Basketball.pdf

WPI's Coppola named Rookie of the Year for the region

MIT has 3 players representing, Kates and Hollingsworth on the 1st Team, with Tashman on the 2nd Team.  Pretty nice showing for the NEWMAC.  In most years, I would say the D3hoops All-Region team gets it right, but this year, I agree a lot more with the ECAC teams, and not just because of the MIT selections (although, admittedly, that has a lot to do with it). 7/10 players overall are the same between the two top teams from each respective outlet (3/5 on the first team), but putting Kates on the first team over Toomey makes sense to me (similar to what D3hoops did with the AA teams) and Hollingsworth over Berthauime on the first team also makes a lot of sense (Berthauime did not make either ECAC team).  As for the 2nd team, 2 are the same, plus Toomey, while the ECAC's have Tashman and Akinrola over Brian Clark and Lamonte Thomas (Berthauime, Clark, and Thomas are the 3 players not on the ECAC teams that made the top two D3hoops teams.  Kates and Akinrola were 3rd team D3hoops selections, with Tashman was not on any of the 4 D3hoops NE all-region teams, which was a glaring omission in my opinion).
LOL, that is the first time that I've ever seen Tashman referred to as a guard.  There should probably have been a third team so other deserving players such as Berthauime and others could be recognized.  Except for the last game, MIT played its best basketball during the NCAA tournament.  Look forward to hearing about different recruits and watching them play next season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on May 11, 2012, 11:57:13 AM
Next year's D3 (and D2) men's final will be played in Atlanta, sandwiched between the D1 semis and final.  But there are a lot of other details to be worked out.

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2012/05/mens-championship-game-takes-big-stage
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on May 20, 2012, 10:21:06 PM
Congratulations & Good Luck to WPI's Matt Carr and Amherst's Willy Workman as they play for the D3Hoops.com All-Star team in Europe.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on May 21, 2012, 08:17:07 PM
Ohio Northern names MIT Associate Head Coach Kevin Byrne to lead their program:

http://onusports.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/releases/2012052114e7gw
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on May 22, 2012, 08:28:46 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on May 21, 2012, 08:17:07 PM
Ohio Northern names MIT Associate Head Coach Kevin Byrne to lead their program:
http://onusports.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/releases/2012052114e7gw
Congratulations to Coach Byrne.  Best of luck to him as he did a great job assisting Larry Anderson at MIT.  MIT will miss him.  Thanks for the info.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on May 22, 2012, 01:40:25 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on May 21, 2012, 08:17:07 PM
Ohio Northern names MIT Associate Head Coach Kevin Byrne to lead their program

Congrats to Kevin Byrne...you'll be missed at MIT....best of luck in the OAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on May 23, 2012, 05:06:25 PM
Dave/Pat/Anyone

Anybody know how to get scores (or even better, box scores) from the allstar's team games in Europe?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on May 31, 2012, 12:08:16 PM
Hope you don't mind a break in the action, as it were, but I want to share a story the D3 community should know about. You actually may have seen the story on the front page of D3hoops.com, but just in case:

A Goucher basketball player has been paralyzed in a freak accident. He was wrestling around with a friend one morning in his dorm building when he landed on his neck. The entire story is here (http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2012/05/goucher-player-paralyzed).

He was released from the hospital to the Kennedy Krieger Institute for rehab shortly after that article was posted last week. However, over the weekend he was sent back to the hospital when he apparently had trouble breathing. Now he awaits a return to the rehab facility, probably any day if he hasn't been released already.

Please keep Damone Brooks, his family, the Goucher basketball team(s), and Goucher community in your thoughts, hearts, and prayers. The family certainly needs help with medical bills as well, so if you feel inclined, please consider them as well.

To follow his progress online, click here (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/damonebrooks).
And to consider a donation, click here (http://www.helphopelive.org/find-a-patient/profile/index.cfm/patient/FE0B84F4-C845-2122-B07EA3093EFAF336).

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 02, 2012, 06:47:31 PM
MIT announces its freshman recruit class: http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/releases/20120702mjtmsb

Looks like Lampros Tsontzos is in there, but he's "only" listed as 6'10".
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 05, 2012, 03:13:29 PM
Quote from: rlk on July 02, 2012, 06:47:31 PM
MIT announces its freshman recruit class: http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/releases/20120702mjtmsb

Looks like Lampros Tsontzos is in there, but he's "only" listed as 6'10".

Ryan Frankel: NYC non-'AA' POY
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/high_school/basketball/nyc_non_aa_boys_basketball_honors_w3nmiSN7JoDfUipKBuDuJK

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/high_school/basketball/inside_chsaa_private_boys_hoops_GsEFNfqLnexfkWqdzCgcCI/1

Miles Nolting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arXJcGGuWVc

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 05, 2012, 08:10:23 PM
Quote from: rlk on July 02, 2012, 06:47:31 PM
MIT announces its freshman recruit class: http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/releases/20120702mjtmsb

Looks like Lampros Tsontzos is in there, but he's "only" listed as 6'10".

Tsontzos is on the Greek U18 15 man roster. If he makes the 12 man roster, he will compete in Lithuania/Latvia from August 9-19 for the Euro U18 championships.

http://u18men.fibaeurope.com/en/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 06, 2012, 09:31:24 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on July 05, 2012, 03:13:29 PM
Quote from: rlk on July 02, 2012, 06:47:31 PM
MIT announces its freshman recruit class: http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/releases/20120702mjtmsb

Looks like Lampros Tsontzos is in there, but he's "only" listed as 6'10".

Ryan Frankel: NYC non-'AA' POY
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/high_school/basketball/nyc_non_aa_boys_basketball_honors_w3nmiSN7JoDfUipKBuDuJK

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/high_school/basketball/inside_chsaa_private_boys_hoops_GsEFNfqLnexfkWqdzCgcCI/1


There's going to be a serious logjam at point guard this year, with Frankel joining Kates and Dawson.  But that's not exactly the worst problem to have, and Frankel will have an opportunity to learn a lot this season from one of the best in DIII.  And given how Coach Anderson sometimes had both Kates and Dawson on the floor late in tight games (presumably to really avoid mishaps in the backcourt in press situations), having someone else will give more options.

I also can't help but note that Frankel relishes the chance to compete for a national title, something he wouldn't have gotten in the Ivy League.  That Final Four appearance really has to have helped the recruiting.

Quote from: Hugenerd on July 05, 2012, 03:13:29 PM
Miles Nolting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arXJcGGuWVc

Nice post moves, would have been good to see some D also.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 06, 2012, 09:35:45 AM
Quote from: rlk on July 06, 2012, 09:31:24 AM

I also can't help but note that Frankel relishes the chance to compete for a national title, something he wouldn't have gotten in the Ivy League.  That Final Four appearance really has to have helped the recruiting.


Of course, that makes no sense because he (and everyone else) committed well before the tournament.  But I'm sure it made him feel very good about his decision and will surely help next year's recruiting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 09, 2012, 10:31:44 AM
MIT is also getting Reinier Strobos back this year, who missed his freshman year last year due to injury. He was very highly taughted out of high school, playing for a top national AAU team (Texas D1 Greyhounds). He is a 6'8" wing player.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on July 09, 2012, 10:25:12 PM
Right now, It looks like the rich are getting richer... MIT stacking up the talent
.
I also read where Keene St has a 6'10" kid coming in

From what iI have read on NERR and heard, the Engineers here in Worcester are apparently going to rely on the backups to Matt Carr to step up and play big, since there is no word of them getting any one bigger than the 6'4"/6'5" range.

Unless there is a "BIG" splash to come, I think it could be a tough season for WPI when it comes to competing with the top NE teams.  Losing their center & defensive specialist David Brown to graduation are two big holes to fill.  They do have some good offensive punch coming back, but they will seriously struggle on the defensive end and need to find someone to rebound or they will have to send 5 to the boards and hold off trying to run someone on break outs.

It will be very interesting to see how this years Engineers Vs Engineers matchups play out.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on July 10, 2012, 05:22:12 PM
It seems to be getting crowded at MIT.  After the first semester of classes at MIT, the new players may want to transfer to WPI for more playing time on the court and more real college fun at WPI.  A win win situation for the student-athletes. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 10, 2012, 07:29:34 PM
Quote from: amh63 on July 10, 2012, 05:22:12 PM
It seems to be getting crowded at MIT.  After the first semester of classes at MIT, the new players may want to transfer to WPI for more playing time on the court and more real college fun at WPI.  A win win situation for the student-athletes.

First semester's pass/fail at MIT, remember.  And MIT has plenty of activities.  Really, now, would you rather be across from Boston (and most of the team actually lives in the Back Bay), or in Woostah?

Last winter, one of the Caltech players transferred to MIT (Todd Cramer).  Wonder if he's going to be on the team next year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on July 11, 2012, 09:59:39 AM
Quote from: amh63 on July 10, 2012, 05:22:12 PM
It seems to be getting crowded at MIT.  After the first semester of classes at MIT, the new players may want to transfer to WPI for more playing time on the court and more real college fun at WPI.  A win win situation for the student-athletes.
It is interesting that there is still a nerd perception at MIT that translates into no "real" fun.  Maybe it is somewhat true that there may be more nerds at MIT because it is a leading engineering school, but WPI is also an engineering school.  Although I don't believe it, many people associate engineering students with being "nerds".

FYI - All, but maybe a couple of the MIT basketball players are in the Lambda Chi Alpha (LCA) fraternity.  The recruits typically spend at least one night at the LCA frat house.  The LCA frat house is accross the river in Boston just a few blocks away from Fenway in the middle of Boston University (BU), next door to a BU dorm and directly accross from a newly constructed BU student center.  BU has ~30K students of which 59% are women and this is well known to the LCA occupents, especially in their weekend parties.  Also, their LCA fraternity house is undergoing a $2 million renovation that is currently underway this summer.  I believe this is more "real fun" there than many of the leading "party" universities accross the country.

Every year, at least for the past 4 years with MIT making the NCAA's, there appears to be more interest by basketball players in attending MIT.  Consequently, with 4 starters returning and the quality of roster depth, there are always players quitting because they may not get playing time and possibly see themselves as being passed by younger players.  However, these players seldom leave MIT.  I believe the incoming junior class only has one player left.

MIT has extremely difficult classes, but the basketball and other athletes have been admitted based on their overall college application with no priority given to athletics, so they are fully competitent at doing the work.  Other D3 schools may give priority to student athletes, but not at MIT.  MIT has had a lot of superior D1 players apply, but not get admitted.  As mentioned, it is also nice that MIT has a pass/fail for their first semester so all students can get used to the level of work required in their classes without destroying their GPA's.  There are numerous campus activities also, but I thought this may clarify what may be perceived as real fun.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on July 11, 2012, 10:08:32 AM
Quote from: rlk on July 10, 2012, 07:29:34 PM
Quote from: amh63 on July 10, 2012, 05:22:12 PM
It seems to be getting crowded at MIT.  After the first semester of classes at MIT, the new players may want to transfer to WPI for more playing time on the court and more real college fun at WPI.  A win win situation for the student-athletes.

First semester's pass/fail at MIT, remember.  And MIT has plenty of activities.  Really, now, would you rather be across from Boston (and most of the team actually lives in the Back Bay), or in Woostah?

Last winter, one of the Caltech players transferred to MIT (Todd Cramer).  Wonder if he's going to be on the team next year.
My understanding is that Todd was working out with the team in the off-season last semester, so there is no reason to believe that he will not be on the team.  As you probably know, the Caltech coach used to be Larry Aderson's lead assistant coach, so I'm sure he knew about the transfer.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 11, 2012, 11:10:56 AM
Quote from: BBallers on July 11, 2012, 09:59:39 AM
Quote from: amh63 on July 10, 2012, 05:22:12 PM
It seems to be getting crowded at MIT.  After the first semester of classes at MIT, the new players may want to transfer to WPI for more playing time on the court and more real college fun at WPI.  A win win situation for the student-athletes.
It is interesting that there is still a nerd perception at MIT that translates into no "real" fun.  Maybe it is somewhat true that there may be more nerds at MIT because it is a leading engineering school, but WPI is also an engineering school.  Although I don't believe it, many people associate engineering students with being "nerds".

FYI - All, but maybe a couple of the MIT basketball players are in the Lambda Chi Alpha (LCA) fraternity.  The recruits typically spend at least one night at the LCA frat house.  The LCA frat house is accross the river in Boston just a few blocks away from Fenway in the middle of Boston University (BU), next door to a BU dorm and directly accross from a newly constructed BU student center.  BU has ~30K students of which 59% are women and this is well known to the LCA occupents, especially in their weekend parties.  Also, their LCA fraternity house is undergoing a $2 million renovation that is currently underway this summer.  I believe this is more "real fun" there than many of the leading "party" universities accross the country.

Every year, at least for the past 4 years with MIT making the NCAA's, there appears to be more interest by basketball players in attending MIT.  Consequently, with 4 starters returning and the quality of roster depth, there are always players quitting because they may not get playing time and possibly see themselves as being passed by younger players.  However, these players seldom leave MIT.  I believe the incoming junior class only has one player left.

MIT has extremely difficult classes, but the basketball and other athletes have been admitted based on their overall college application with no priority given to athletics, so they are fully competitent at doing the work.  Other D3 schools may give priority to student athletes, but not at MIT.  MIT has had a lot of superior D1 players apply, but not get admitted.  As mentioned, it is also nice that MIT has a pass/fail for their first semester so all students can get used to the level of work required in their classes without destroying their GPA's.  There are numerous campus activities also, but I thought this may clarify what may be perceived as real fun.

If you're at MIT, it's because you're interested in a lot more than just basketball.  Yes, MIT has a top basketball program these days, which will surely help convince a serious basketball player with the academic chops and technical interests to attend, but that's always going to be a secondary factor.  You go to MIT because you want the MIT education.  Period.

But that said, as you note, it's more than just a bunch of Joe (and Jane) Tools carrying nerd kits to 6.111 while working on their 2.70 (or whatever they renumbered it to) contest projects.  There's a tremendous variety of activities, and if somehow there isn't what you want, you start it yourself.  Sports-wise, MIT has more varsity teams (currently 37, I believe) than all but a handful of other schools.  When I was there, there were 12,000 annual participants in IM teams -- with 4000 undergrads and another 4000 grads, the average student was on more than one IM team each year.  And if you want lots of off-campus life, MIT's location is second to none.

Read Jimmy Bartolotta's thoughts on his experience at MIT here: http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/02/former-mit-star-jimmy-bartolotta-talks.html for a more contemporary take on student life.  Although it really isn't that different from my own experiences.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on July 11, 2012, 04:32:46 PM
Quote from: BBallers on July 11, 2012, 09:59:39 AM
Quote from: amh63 on July 10, 2012, 05:22:12 PM
It seems to be getting crowded at MIT.  After the first semester of classes at MIT, the new players may want to transfer to WPI for more playing time on the court and more real college fun at WPI.  A win win situation for the student-athletes.
It is interesting that there is still a nerd perception at MIT that translates into no "real" fun.  Maybe it is somewhat true that there may be more nerds at MIT because it is a leading engineering school, but WPI is also an engineering school.  Although I don't believe it, many people associate engineering students with being "nerds".

FYI - All, but maybe a couple of the MIT basketball players are in the Lambda Chi Alpha (LCA) fraternity.  The recruits typically spend at least one night at the LCA frat house.  The LCA frat house is accross the river in Boston just a few blocks away from Fenway in the middle of Boston University (BU), next door to a BU dorm and directly accross from a newly constructed BU student center.  BU has ~30K students of which 59% are women and this is well known to the LCA occupents, especially in their weekend parties.  Also, their LCA fraternity house is undergoing a $2 million renovation that is currently underway this summer.  I believe this is more "real fun" there than many of the leading "party" universities accross the country.

Every year, at least for the past 4 years with MIT making the NCAA's, there appears to be more interest by basketball players in attending MIT.  Consequently, with 4 starters returning and the quality of roster depth, there are always players quitting because they may not get playing time and possibly see themselves as being passed by younger players.  However, these players seldom leave MIT.  I believe the incoming junior class only has one player left.

MIT has extremely difficult classes, but the basketball and other athletes have been admitted based on their overall college application with no priority given to athletics, so they are fully competitent at doing the work.  Other D3 schools may give priority to student athletes, but not at MIT.  MIT has had a lot of superior D1 players apply, but not get admitted.  As mentioned, it is also nice that MIT has a pass/fail for their first semester so all students can get used to the level of work required in their classes without destroying their GPA's.  There are numerous campus activities also, but I thought this may clarify what may be perceived as real fun.

Bballers - AMH63 is just trying to stir things up - which he has apparently done effectively.  Also - be careful about "no priority" to student athletes - that statement is patently false.  They still may have the highest standards of any university in the country (world?) - which is saying a lot - but the coaches do have say on admissions.  I have nephews at Columbia and at MIT right now - both student athletes - and both had excellent relationships with their respective coaches before and during the admissions process.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on July 11, 2012, 04:37:35 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on July 09, 2012, 10:25:12 PM
Right now, It looks like the rich are getting richer... MIT stacking up the talent
.
I also read where Keene St has a 6'10" kid coming in

From what iI have read on NERR and heard, the Engineers here in Worcester are apparently going to rely on the backups to Matt Carr to step up and play big, since there is no word of them getting any one bigger than the 6'4"/6'5" range.

Unless there is a "BIG" splash to come, I think it could be a tough season for WPI when it comes to competing with the top NE teams.  Losing their center & defensive specialist David Brown to graduation are two big holes to fill.  They do have some good offensive punch coming back, but they will seriously struggle on the defensive end and need to find someone to rebound or they will have to send 5 to the boards and hold off trying to run someone on break outs.

It will be very interesting to see how this years Engineers Vs Engineers match-ups play out.

Massd3 - you said it.  I was afraid coming into last season ans was more than pleasantly impressed, but this one has the earmarks of a .500 season coming for the Crimson and Gray.  Of course a surprise freshman or 2 can change that quickly.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 11, 2012, 06:50:23 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on July 11, 2012, 04:32:46 PM
Quote from: BBallers on July 11, 2012, 09:59:39 AM
Quote from: amh63 on July 10, 2012, 05:22:12 PM
It seems to be getting crowded at MIT.  After the first semester of classes at MIT, the new players may want to transfer to WPI for more playing time on the court and more real college fun at WPI.  A win win situation for the student-athletes.
It is interesting that there is still a nerd perception at MIT that translates into no "real" fun.  Maybe it is somewhat true that there may be more nerds at MIT because it is a leading engineering school, but WPI is also an engineering school.  Although I don't believe it, many people associate engineering students with being "nerds".

FYI - All, but maybe a couple of the MIT basketball players are in the Lambda Chi Alpha (LCA) fraternity.  The recruits typically spend at least one night at the LCA frat house.  The LCA frat house is accross the river in Boston just a few blocks away from Fenway in the middle of Boston University (BU), next door to a BU dorm and directly accross from a newly constructed BU student center.  BU has ~30K students of which 59% are women and this is well known to the LCA occupents, especially in their weekend parties.  Also, their LCA fraternity house is undergoing a $2 million renovation that is currently underway this summer.  I believe this is more "real fun" there than many of the leading "party" universities accross the country.

Every year, at least for the past 4 years with MIT making the NCAA's, there appears to be more interest by basketball players in attending MIT.  Consequently, with 4 starters returning and the quality of roster depth, there are always players quitting because they may not get playing time and possibly see themselves as being passed by younger players.  However, these players seldom leave MIT.  I believe the incoming junior class only has one player left.

MIT has extremely difficult classes, but the basketball and other athletes have been admitted based on their overall college application with no priority given to athletics, so they are fully competitent at doing the work.  Other D3 schools may give priority to student athletes, but not at MIT.  MIT has had a lot of superior D1 players apply, but not get admitted.  As mentioned, it is also nice that MIT has a pass/fail for their first semester so all students can get used to the level of work required in their classes without destroying their GPA's.  There are numerous campus activities also, but I thought this may clarify what may be perceived as real fun.

Bballers - AMH63 is just trying to stir things up - which he has apparently done effectively.  Also - be careful about "no priority" to student athletes - that statement is patently false.  They still may have the highest standards of any university in the country (world?) - which is saying a lot - but the coaches do have say on admissions.  I have nephews at Columbia and at MIT right now - both student athletes - and both had excellent relationships with their respective coaches before and during the admissions process.

I think it would be more accurate to say -- and this is surely just as true of WPI -- that the admissions office won't bend the rules for athletes.  If your academics aren't good enough, you aren't getting in.  Period.  It doesn't matter how much the coach wants you and how highly regarded the coach is, and Coach Anderson is *extremely* highly regarded.  And from everything I've heard him say, he understands and fully agrees with this.

But beyond that, MIT still has more applicants who make the first cut than it can admit.  So it's looking for students who can bring something else to the table.  That "something else" can be a lot of things, one of which can be athletics.  But it might be other things.  If you have an entrepreneurial background, or some other special skill, or have done research with a faculty member while still in high school and that faculty member recommends you, that also counts.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 11, 2012, 11:47:10 PM
Todd Cramer is playing.

Coaches have no say in admissions...they find out if a recruit is admitted after they do. Usually recruits have to call the coach to let him know they got in.  They may have a great relationship and obviously the coach can tell admissions that that player is a recruit, but admissions does not give sports more priority than any other extra curricular activity.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on July 12, 2012, 02:33:38 PM
I was just trying to get the conversation interesting...and Massd3fan hit it on the nail.  I did find the MIT "recruits" most interesting....thanks for the info.  Several of the bigs would have helped Amherst.....even though Amherst has a top "class" coming in with two front court players and several big time guards.  Since MIT's strengths are in the technical areas, I assumed the students wanted to pursue their studies in such courses....therefore the reference to WPI which have top notch programs in many technical disciplines.
I admit that my knowledge of the MIT "life" is somewhat dated.  I am aware that the majority of the frats are across the Charles basin/river...do they still rush students before the first semester of the first year?  I am also aware of the great number of schools nearby and that MIT students can take courses elsewhere and that students from a former "seven sister" take courses at MIT.  Even though MIT students can graduate in a liberal arts area.....it is still tough to go full time at MIT.  I went full-time in grad. school at MIT and often saw undergraduates hitting the books on the weekends when I went to my office to study.  Of course, my days in Cambridge/Boston were decades ago and entertainment life was colored by hanging around with my older brother at Harvard and being married when I was at MIT.   STILL, WPI in central MASS is surrounded by a great number of schools and good eating places.  Hartford and Springfield are nearby as well as Boston....with more parking options!
Enough said here and have a good summer all.....will be back in the Fall.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: walzy31 on July 13, 2012, 09:15:44 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on July 11, 2012, 11:47:10 PM
Coaches have no say in admissions...they find out if a recruit is admitted after they do. Usually recruits have to call the coach to let him know they got in.  They may have a great relationship and obviously the coach can tell admissions that that player is a recruit, but admissions does not give sports more priority than any other extra curricular activity.

Hugenerd,

That doesn't sound right to me at all. I believe that may have been the case years ago, but I know for a fact that some MIT coaches have pull in admissions (as they should). I would be willing to wager that basketball is in that mix. For teams, even at the D3 level, to be competitive, coaches have to be able to bring in players that are A) academically qualified; B) athletically talented; & C) fit the coach's system. Again, you may have been right at some point in MIT's history, but I think times have changed over the past 5-10 years for their athletic program.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on July 13, 2012, 11:21:48 AM
Saw the story wrt to problems at CalTech on the front page.  Wonder if the CalTech transfer to MIT was influenced by the situation/investigation/etc.  Actually, it doesn't matter in the overall picture....but it does seem surprising in D3 in general and CalTech in particular.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on July 13, 2012, 11:31:55 AM
Quote from: walzy31 on July 13, 2012, 09:15:44 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on July 11, 2012, 11:47:10 PM
Coaches have no say in admissions...they find out if a recruit is admitted after they do. Usually recruits have to call the coach to let him know they got in.  They may have a great relationship and obviously the coach can tell admissions that that player is a recruit, but admissions does not give sports more priority than any other extra curricular activity.

Hugenerd,

That doesn't sound right to me at all. I believe that may have been the case years ago, but I know for a fact that some MIT coaches have pull in admissions (as they should). I would be willing to wager that basketball is in that mix. For teams, even at the D3 level, to be competitive, coaches have to be able to bring in players that are A) academically qualified; B) athletically talented; & C) fit the coach's system. Again, you may have been right at some point in MIT's history, but I think times have changed over the past 5-10 years for their athletic program.

I can personally verify that Walzy is correct - and this wasn't even for what us on the board would call a "main stream" sport.  The student athlete I am talking about likely had all of the admin requirements anyway but I can tell you unequivocally that he was told about his admissions directly from the coach.  Also have a neighbor that plays the Cello that got into MIT 2-3 years ago and at the very least her "world-class" cello accomplishments were a tie-breaker if not a strong boost to her admissions...........

Have a great summer all - I am excited to "watch" this MIT team this year - when does their schedule come out?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 13, 2012, 12:09:14 PM
Quote from: amh63 on July 13, 2012, 11:21:48 AM
Saw the story wrt to problems at CalTech on the front page.  Wonder if the CalTech transfer to MIT was influenced by the situation/investigation/etc.  Actually, it doesn't matter in the overall picture....but it does seem surprising in D3 in general and CalTech in particular.

It sounds to me like a large part of it was due to a particular quirk of Caltech's academic procedures (allowing students to essentially audit classes for 3 weeks before deciding which ones to take).  For all intents and purposes, it sounds like these individuals are de facto full time students.  But some of the other violations sound more serious, and certainly sound like things were being run sloppily.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 13, 2012, 12:38:35 PM
Quote from: walzy31 on July 13, 2012, 09:15:44 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on July 11, 2012, 11:47:10 PM
Coaches have no say in admissions...they find out if a recruit is admitted after they do. Usually recruits have to call the coach to let him know they got in.  They may have a great relationship and obviously the coach can tell admissions that that player is a recruit, but admissions does not give sports more priority than any other extra curricular activity.

Hugenerd,

That doesn't sound right to me at all. I believe that may have been the case years ago, but I know for a fact that some MIT coaches have pull in admissions (as they should). I would be willing to wager that basketball is in that mix. For teams, even at the D3 level, to be competitive, coaches have to be able to bring in players that are A) academically qualified; B) athletically talented; & C) fit the coach's system. Again, you may have been right at some point in MIT's history, but I think times have changed over the past 5-10 years for their athletic program.

Quote from: WPI89 on July 13, 2012, 11:31:55 AM
Quote from: walzy31 on July 13, 2012, 09:15:44 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on July 11, 2012, 11:47:10 PM
Coaches have no say in admissions...they find out if a recruit is admitted after they do. Usually recruits have to call the coach to let him know they got in.  They may have a great relationship and obviously the coach can tell admissions that that player is a recruit, but admissions does not give sports more priority than any other extra curricular activity.

Hugenerd,

That doesn't sound right to me at all. I believe that may have been the case years ago, but I know for a fact that some MIT coaches have pull in admissions (as they should). I would be willing to wager that basketball is in that mix. For teams, even at the D3 level, to be competitive, coaches have to be able to bring in players that are A) academically qualified; B) athletically talented; & C) fit the coach's system. Again, you may have been right at some point in MIT's history, but I think times have changed over the past 5-10 years for their athletic program.

I can personally verify that Walzy is correct - and this wasn't even for what us on the board would call a "main stream" sport.  The student athlete I am talking about likely had all of the admin requirements anyway but I can tell you unequivocally that he was told about his admissions directly from the coach.  Also have a neighbor that plays the Cello that got into MIT 2-3 years ago and at the very least her "world-class" cello accomplishments were a tie-breaker if not a strong boost to her admissions...........

Have a great summer all - I am excited to "watch" this MIT team this year - when does their schedule come out?

I was on MITs coaching staff 5 years ago and I still talk to many members of the program regularly (until last year I was still on campus), so I can personally tell you that for the men's basketball program (I cannot speak for other sports), it is common for the coaching staff to find out admissions decisions from the recruits themselves (early and regular decision days are always nervous times for the coaching staff). I can also tell you that the coaching staff can write what is effectively a recommendation letter for a recruit, which is reviewed along with that students file, but the coaching staff is never given guarantees or allowed to be directly involved in the admission process. I can think of half a dozen or more players that the MIT coaching staff thought were "locks" but ended up not getting admitted and having prolific careers elsewhere (several 1000+ point scorers). A couple of those players are even still playing for NESCAC programs.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on July 13, 2012, 12:41:36 PM
Quote from: amh63 on July 13, 2012, 11:21:48 AM
Saw the story wrt to problems at CalTech on the front page.  Wonder if the CalTech transfer to MIT was influenced by the situation/investigation/etc.  Actually, it doesn't matter in the overall picture....but it does seem surprising in D3 in general and CalTech in particular.

He transferred in the middle of last year, so unless there was information surfacing about this last sumner/early fall, it probably didn't affect his decision.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on July 16, 2012, 09:56:54 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on July 13, 2012, 12:38:35 PM
Quote from: walzy31 on July 13, 2012, 09:15:44 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on July 11, 2012, 11:47:10 PM
Coaches have no say in admissions...they find out if a recruit is admitted after they do. Usually recruits have to call the coach to let him know they got in.  They may have a great relationship and obviously the coach can tell admissions that that player is a recruit, but admissions does not give sports more priority than any other extra curricular activity.

Hugenerd,

That doesn't sound right to me at all. I believe that may have been the case years ago, but I know for a fact that some MIT coaches have pull in admissions (as they should). I would be willing to wager that basketball is in that mix. For teams, even at the D3 level, to be competitive, coaches have to be able to bring in players that are A) academically qualified; B) athletically talented; & C) fit the coach's system. Again, you may have been right at some point in MIT's history, but I think times have changed over the past 5-10 years for their athletic program.

Quote from: WPI89 on July 13, 2012, 11:31:55 AM
Quote from: walzy31 on July 13, 2012, 09:15:44 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on July 11, 2012, 11:47:10 PM
Coaches have no say in admissions...they find out if a recruit is admitted after they do. Usually recruits have to call the coach to let him know they got in.  They may have a great relationship and obviously the coach can tell admissions that that player is a recruit, but admissions does not give sports more priority than any other extra curricular activity.

Hugenerd,

That doesn't sound right to me at all. I believe that may have been the case years ago, but I know for a fact that some MIT coaches have pull in admissions (as they should). I would be willing to wager that basketball is in that mix. For teams, even at the D3 level, to be competitive, coaches have to be able to bring in players that are A) academically qualified; B) athletically talented; & C) fit the coach's system. Again, you may have been right at some point in MIT's history, but I think times have changed over the past 5-10 years for their athletic program.

I can personally verify that Walzy is correct - and this wasn't even for what us on the board would call a "main stream" sport.  The student athlete I am talking about likely had all of the admin requirements anyway but I can tell you unequivocally that he was told about his admissions directly from the coach.  Also have a neighbor that plays the Cello that got into MIT 2-3 years ago and at the very least her "world-class" cello accomplishments were a tie-breaker if not a strong boost to her admissions...........

Have a great summer all - I am excited to "watch" this MIT team this year - when does their schedule come out?

I was on MITs coaching staff 5 years ago and I still talk to many members of the program regularly (until last year I was still on campus), so I can personally tell you that for the men's basketball program (I cannot speak for other sports), it is common for the coaching staff to find out admissions decisions from the recruits themselves (early and regular decision days are always nervous times for the coaching staff). I can also tell you that the coaching staff can write what is effectively a recommendation letter for a recruit, which is reviewed along with that students file, but the coaching staff is never given guarantees or allowed to be directly involved in the admission process. I can think of half a dozen or more players that the MIT coaching staff thought were "locks" but ended up not getting admitted and having prolific careers elsewhere (several 1000+ point scorers). A couple of those players are even still playing for NESCAC programs.

Hugenerd is absolutely accurate in his depiction.  That has also been reiterated to me by the coaching staff and confirmed by MIT Admissions personnel.  If a recruited student athlete provides some kind of verbal non-binding commitment to MIT coaching staff and the coaching staff is familiar enough with the player, they may write a letter of recommendation.

Walzy -You may consider this letter (that undoubtedly strengthens an application) as having "pull in admissions", but nothing is guaranteed.  There is no greater application strengthening from this letter than a letter from an MIT faculty member, a Senator, or from someone familiar with an applicant's other significant activity.  I agree with your other points about being a successful D3 coach, but it depends on the institution.  Your "A) academically qualified" is pertinent towards MIT.  RLK put it succinctly as "If your academics aren't good enough, you aren't getting in.  Period."  There are numerous websites that list 50 percentile class standings, test scores, etc. of students to provide an idea of what is considered academically qualified at each school and MIT's are very high when compared to other institutions.  However, I know there are other D3 programs that offer "academic" scholarships to athletes that are not available to other students with better grades and higher test scores.  IMHO, this puts MIT and other similar schools at a significant disadvantage.  MIT provides no academic scholarships.  I am in agreement with your "B) athletically talented" and assume it incorporates skilled basketball players that may not be as athletic as some other players.  I also agree with your "C) fit the coach's system" to a point.  One of the great things about Larry Anderson is that he can teach basketball players his system along with making minor tweaks in his system or frequency to take advantage of a player's skillsets, e.g., he ran more guard oriented plays with Jimmy, but more post plays with Noel.  I believe that MIT had around a .500 team (or maybe less) as early as 5 years ago without a lot of quality depth.  When MIT made the NCAA tournament for the first time 4 years ago, I believe that opened the door for student athletics to consider playing for MIT that would not have considered it previously.

WPI89 - I have no reason to doubt your story about the world-class cello player gaining admittance into MIT and that would definitely be considered strongly in the MIT admission process [unless there are several world-class cello players already admitted that would be extremely doubtful - :-)].  It would be naive to believe that there are never any MIT Admissions leaks of admittance information, but these are definitely not the MIT procedures and this would not be.  If a D1-type basketball recruit has 2400 SAT scores, top in his class, etc. along with receiving a letter of recommendation from Larry, I believe it is safe to assume he will be admitted.  Although I do not believe this would happen, Larry could probably tell the recruit he was admitted before the official letters are written.  It is my understanding that the MIT Admissions are reviewing applications within the last week of distributing the decision letters, so there is really not a lot of time before an admissions leak could occur.

There is a lot of misinformation regarding various university admissions.  I have read articles where there were MIT students and/or Ivy League admitted students who received university academic or athletic scholarships.  Neither provide either of these types of scholarships.  Typically reporters are confused with "financial need" scholarships.  Sometimes students are confused about the type of scholarships they receive.  One last RLK quote that applies here.  "... MIT still has more applicants who make the first cut than it can admit.  So it's looking for students who can bring something else to the table.  That "something else" can be a lot of things, one of which can be athletics.  But it might be other things."
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 24, 2012, 04:28:19 PM
Mitchell Kates seems to be having a pretty good summer.  Can't wait for the season to start!

http://www.app.com/article/20120718/NJSPORTS/307180141/Kates-leads-Seaview-Jeep-past-Team-Shore?odyssey=nav|head&gcheck=1&nclick_check=1
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on July 27, 2012, 03:35:03 PM
Saw some teams have posted 12'-13' schedules already.  All I can find so far for WPI is @ Curry Nov 20th (note Curry plays MIT 4 days later).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on August 14, 2012, 09:44:45 AM
Schedules are out.  First impression is that WPI dialed it back from last year's pre-conference schedule.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/schedule?team=WPI

MIT only as a few non-conference games listed so far.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on August 14, 2012, 09:47:34 AM
Here is the entire NEWMAC so far at least.

http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2012-13/schedule
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on August 14, 2012, 10:18:25 AM
Last comment in August for me about schedules, sorry. 

WPI's schedule is actually a little more similar to last year than I originally thought.   Keen, Curry, and Worcester State in for RIC, West Conn, and Trinity.  Also I think a number of the teams are coming off much weaker years last year than the year prior - Husson, Castleton etc............somewhat out of WPI's control.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on August 14, 2012, 12:07:41 PM
Been posting on the Football board a bit.  Amherst has its BB schedule for the coming season up....with some early TDA spots in an early season tourney.  Besides Springfield and Babson on its schedule, there are few other NEWMAC schools.  Amherst has scheduled a number of local schools around WPI during the regular season in past seasons.....but never WPI.  It is a shame that WPI and Amherst cannot schedule regular season games.....as Amherst has done with teams like RIC, Curry, Brandeis, etc.  Does anyone on this board have any insight on this matter?
Oh yes, my invite to WPI189 and Mass..D3fan to an Amherst football game still holds here.  Free refreshments included during and after the game....Homecoming game with Williams in Nov.  It will be the last football game at the present field.....as Amherst will have a new football complex ready for the Fall of '13 ....with a turf field and new stands, etc.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on August 16, 2012, 09:53:51 AM
AMH63

I very well may take you up on the invite.  I have twin girls going into Junior year and one of them is VERY interested in becoming a Lord (Lady?) Jeff.  We visited the campus last March as she fell in love - who wouldn't?  I will stay in touch via the boards and I know there is a way to send a private message which I will do at some point as we get closer.........thanks for remembering and following through.

Having a hard time sifting through WPI's incoming hoops freshman - hope Barley was able to reload......that being said (and this is kind of silly in August) - I do not see MIT losing this year.  Maybe Springfield picks them off with 3 chances, maybe they have a tough game not on their schedule yet?  Maybe they will play an IVY again, but as of right now - I see them marching to Atlanta like Sherman!  Can't wait for H-Nerd this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on August 16, 2012, 11:13:06 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on August 16, 2012, 09:53:51 AM
AMH63
Having a hard time sifting through WPI's incoming hoops freshman - hope Barley was able to reload......that being said (and this is kind of silly in August) - I do not see MIT losing this year.  Maybe Springfield picks them off with 3 chances, maybe they have a tough game not on their schedule yet?  Maybe they will play an IVY again, but as of right now - I see them marching to Atlanta like Sherman!  Can't wait for H-Nerd this year.

Obviously we (MIT) Engineers would very much like that to be the case, but we all know that things don't always happen as they appear at first blush.  MIT hasn't even announced the schedule yet, none of the frosh have set foot on the hardwood, and a lot can happen.  Look at what happened to Hope, Middlebury, and Amherst (and MIT) in the Dance last year.

I hope we play that little red brick college up the creek again.  Last year it was an exhibition so it didn't count against our record, but even if it did, it's a good challenge.  And basketball being basketball, you never know what might happen.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on September 09, 2012, 12:59:06 AM
Bartolotta on Newcastle's radar from the BBL.

http://www.journallive.co.uk/newcastle-sports/basketball-news/2012/08/21/fairytale-star-firmly-on-newcastle-eagles-radar-61634-31663401/

Also heard of some interest from the LEB Gold (Spain's 2nd division).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on September 11, 2012, 10:08:54 PM
Looks Like we all mised this one, WPI does have a new big coming in

From this past April:
http://www.salemnews.com/sports/x296816444/Danvers-hoop-star-Merry-headed-to-WPI

George Merry of Danvers, MA - 6'8", 200 lbs according to the article


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on September 20, 2012, 11:27:08 AM
MIT at Harvard Nov 9th!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on September 20, 2012, 01:21:26 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on September 20, 2012, 11:27:08 AM
MIT at Harvard Nov 9th!

But still an exhibition, like last year.  MIT may have a better chance this year, with Harvard losing their top two players to the academic scandal.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on September 20, 2012, 03:17:44 PM
Hugenerd......where did you pick up the info of the "scandal".  Read somewhere about cheating at Harvard in the WSJ several weeks or so back.  Need to pull some strings on my older brother.....a Harvard grad in the dark ages.
Speaking of old Harvard grads.....James Brown who is the lead NFL analyst for CBS?....was a local basketball star....one of two players that made ALL-MET in the Wash. D.C area..that went up to Harvard.  In the late 70's, I believe.  Harvard still had  weak teams with first class talent playing in that "small" 2nd floor gym near Harvard Sq. in Cambridge.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on September 20, 2012, 03:33:53 PM
amh63 - most of the stories hit last week.  Here's a follow up the Times from this week....  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/sports/ncaabasketball/harvard-cheating-scandal-revives-debate-over-athletics.html?_r=2ref=sports&
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on September 20, 2012, 07:32:23 PM
Madz......thanks for the link.  Do not read the NY Times.  The article I read dealt with students in general at Harvard and tried to explain the situation.....no particular athletic linkage.  Scary.....especially the thought of a 250 plus class size!  Thank goodness for D3 in a way, away from SOME of the D1 pressures and 40 hour/week sport related demands.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on October 05, 2012, 02:23:35 PM
MIT Schedule released: http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2012-13/releases/20121005wi7x04

Fairly similar to last year, though they added RIC and Bridgewater St, and also La Verne, a California team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on October 05, 2012, 02:30:12 PM
Quote from: GoTech73 on October 05, 2012, 02:23:35 PM
MIT Schedule released: http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2012-13/releases/20121005wi7x04

Fairly similar to last year, though they added RIC and Bridgewater St, and also La Verne, a California team.

Also the roster: http://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2012-13/roster
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on October 05, 2012, 04:07:02 PM
Thanks for the roster info.  Interesting to me are the "blank" space by several players.
MIT has a "large" squad of 21 players.  Why does the last player listed, a senior, without a number?
Also, a starter from last year....front court player...doesn't have a weight given.   Missed the weigh in....heh?
Just little picky comments for humor.  On the NESCAC board there was a discussion about the size of squads preferred? by the coaches, considering that the NCAA designated traveling squad is normally listed at 15 players.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 09, 2012, 02:50:13 PM
Nerd and all - should give a quick check to the NESCAC board - lots of complimentary MIT talk - couldn't imagine anything but positive pre-season chatter but still interesting...............
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on October 10, 2012, 11:30:25 AM
Another post wrt MIT on the NESCAC board today.  I watched MIT live last season in the quarter finals at F & M.  I was not surprised that they won over an undersized opponent, but was still impressed with the team talent/play on the floor.  I really wanted to have Amherst  meet MIT in the finals....to see how the best of the NEWAC does against one of the best in the "CAC".  The "gods" of BB and the inconsistent refs prevented the meeting....as well as the fine play of the host team.  I have posted that uneven foul calls prevented Amherst's top front court defender (and conf. Defensive Player of the Year )to hold down the General's top scorer.  MIT found a way to stop that fine player.  Anyway, it looks like on paper, that MIT is taken a step up in the NE region this season.  Will follow the team to see if the team develops into a true powerhouse.  Also hope Amherst gets another chance to play MIT
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on October 10, 2012, 11:48:26 AM
Quote from: amh63 on October 10, 2012, 11:30:25 AM
Another post wrt MIT on the NESCAC board today.  I watched MIT live last season in the quarter finals at F & M.  I was not surprised that they won over an undersized opponent, but was still impressed with the team talent/play on the floor.  I really wanted to have Amherst  meet MIT in the finals....to see how the best of the NEWAC does against one of the best in the "CAC".  The "gods" of BB and the inconsistent refs prevented the meeting....as well as the fine play of the host team.  I have posted that uneven foul calls prevented Amherst's top front court defender (and conf. Defensive Player of the Year )to hold down the General's top scorer.  MIT found a way to stop that fine player.  Anyway, it looks like on paper, that MIT is taken a step up in the NE region this season.  Will follow the team to see if the team develops into a true powerhouse.  Also hope Amherst gets another chance to play MIT

It was more about F&M's defense and the fact Amherst's top guard couldn't figure out how to play with the rest of his team when he was cold from the floor that night. Foul calls are foul calls and they went both ways. F&M seemed better prepared... MIT then took advantage of a dinged up Georgio Milligan for F&M and sound, sound defense.

MIT will be a challenge this season for everyone since they return practically the entire Final Four team (who came close to getting to the championship game) and bring in plenty of recruits that can help with depth. I am pretty sure MIT will be the only team from last year's Final Four that will be in the preseason Top 5.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on October 10, 2012, 02:24:51 PM
To Dave.....several comments......with my apology to the NEWMAC regular posters!
First.....Guess we call it as we see it. 
That applies to the refs at the games.
Second....I do hope that in the USA in general, and on D3hoops in particular,  that CIVIL discourse and one's opinion can be given without fines/punishments by some "administrator".  Really now!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on October 10, 2012, 02:30:44 PM
Quote from: amh63 on October 10, 2012, 02:24:51 PM
To Dave.....several comments......with my apology to the NEWMAC regular posters!
First.....Guess we call it as we see it. 
That applies to the refs at the games.
Second....I do hope that in the USA in general, and on D3hoops in particular,  that CIVIL discourse and one's opinion can be given without fines/punishments by some "administrator".  Really now!
Where do you see anything but civil discourse... I am stating my opinion for someone who was at the game covering it. And in many conversations with many different people from different points of view, I wasn't the only one who thought that way.

And what fines/punishment from an "administrator" would you be alluding to?

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 10, 2012, 03:13:05 PM
Now now boys......we play nice over here on the NEWMAC site.....unless of course we are all mad at Nerd!

Dave - change his call-name to Amh62 - kind of like taking away Karma points!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 11, 2012, 11:40:40 AM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on October 10, 2012, 11:48:26 AM
Quote from: amh63 on October 10, 2012, 11:30:25 AM
Another post wrt MIT on the NESCAC board today.  I watched MIT live last season in the quarter finals at F & M.  I was not surprised that they won over an undersized opponent, but was still impressed with the team talent/play on the floor.  I really wanted to have Amherst  meet MIT in the finals....to see how the best of the NEWAC does against one of the best in the "CAC".  The "gods" of BB and the inconsistent refs prevented the meeting....as well as the fine play of the host team.  I have posted that uneven foul calls prevented Amherst's top front court defender (and conf. Defensive Player of the Year )to hold down the General's top scorer.  MIT found a way to stop that fine player.  Anyway, it looks like on paper, that MIT is taken a step up in the NE region this season.  Will follow the team to see if the team develops into a true powerhouse.  Also hope Amherst gets another chance to play MIT

It was more about F&M's defense and the fact Amherst's top guard couldn't figure out how to play with the rest of his team when he was cold from the floor that night. Foul calls are foul calls and they went both ways. F&M seemed better prepared... MIT then took advantage of a dinged up Georgio Milligan for F&M and sound, sound defense.

MIT will be a challenge this season for everyone since they return practically the entire Final Four team (who came close to getting to the championship game) and bring in plenty of recruits that can help with depth. I am pretty sure MIT will be the only team from last year's Final Four that will be in the preseason Top 5.
I did not see the Amherst game, but I remember some of the comments.  I did see the MIT game and F&M had a good defense that may have been one of the top ranked D3 defenses.  Amherst may have had a better team in a neutral site in a 5-game series, but am not sure.  Can't comment on the officiating, but there is a home court advantage.  I believe F&M won that particular game convincingly.  The home court selection is another topic.

I agree with your comments about MIT as they are only missing one starter from last year's team.  The most significant recruit is probably the 6"10" kid from Greece and I don't believe any other recruits will see much playing time.  I believe MIT's sophomore is a better recruiting class and some of them will be vying for the one starter's spot.  My primary concerns about MIT this year are their defense, chemistry, potential over-confidense and injuries, as many of the starters are nicked up.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 12, 2012, 07:59:25 AM
Some of the MIT injuries have taken a turn for the worse as Noel Hollingsworth, MIT's All-American center may be out for the season.  Since Noel is a 5th year senior in graduate school, this could be career ending.  I will never forget Noel's game against Farmingdale State in one of last season's NCAA tournament games where he made 16 of 26 shots for 37 points and 12 rebounds against their All-American center AJ Mathews who was limited to 11 points and 5 rebounds.  If this is true, Noel will certainly be missed as he was one of the best low post scorers in D3.  Hopefully, more details will prove these rumors wrong.  I believe Noel was the best center in MIT history.  Noel is a warrior in playing through many injuries last season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 12, 2012, 09:35:31 AM
Nerd - where are you?  Any depth to the Hollingsworth story?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 12, 2012, 12:24:11 PM
I haven't heard anything about Noel's injuries...I know he played pretty much all of last season with a stress fracture in his foot.

Nescac1 is on top of this on the other board, but I will mention it here also:
I also wouldn't sleep on Reinier Strobos, who is a sophomore, but will be on the squad for the first time (he was out with injury last year and was not with the team).  He played on a really big time AAU squad in Texas and is a 6'7" athletic wing player.  He is someone they could start at the 3 along with Tashman and Hollingsworth.  They may also have Jimmy Burke back this year, who had an exceptional freshman season, but has missed the last two years to injury.  They also have Todd Cramer coming in, who was arguably Caltech's best player the 2 years he played there, so he could provide depth on the wings.

There are some other really talented freshman also, from what I hear, but I am not as familiar with them. 

Practice starts on Monday, should be fun.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on October 12, 2012, 12:43:05 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on October 12, 2012, 12:24:11 PM
who was arguably Caltech's best player the 2 years he played there,

I've never seen the kid play but I have to say, this is completely meaningless.  Not sure if you're familiar with SCIAC hoops at all but Caltech has traditionally been horrible.  That's not to say they haven't had any good players go through the program, just that as a team they suck.  There's no nice way to put it.  We are talking years and years of not winning a single league game and I think the one win they did get this past decade got vacated because of their violations.  My assumption is if this player is making the leap to MIT it's because he has some game but it will be interesting to see if he gets time on one of the best squads in the country as opposed to one of the worst.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 13, 2012, 10:41:15 AM
Quote from: madzillagd on October 12, 2012, 12:43:05 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on October 12, 2012, 12:24:11 PM
who was arguably Caltech's best player the 2 years he played there,

I've never seen the kid play but I have to say, this is completely meaningless.  Not sure if you're familiar with SCIAC hoops at all but Caltech has traditionally been horrible.  That's not to say they haven't had any good players go through the program, just that as a team they suck.  There's no nice way to put it.  We are talking years and years of not winning a single league game and I think the one win they did get this past decade got vacated because of their violations.  My assumption is if this player is making the leap to MIT it's because he has some game but it will be interesting to see if he gets time on one of the best squads in the country as opposed to one of the worst.

You left out the rest of my sentence, where I said "he could provide depth on the wings."
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on October 14, 2012, 06:20:07 PM
Hugenerd.......puzzled a bit about your comments wrt practice starting on Monday.  This past Friday was "Midnight Madness" for the Div. 1 big boys....so that they can start formal practice with coaches involved.  Did your comment mean the NEWMAC of the Div.3 or even Div.3 in general?  I'm aware that the "CAC" starts about two weeks after other Div. 3 schools.  In the case of Amherst, it follows the end of football season which ends Nov. 10.  Three Amherst football players are listed on the BB team....so there is a practice handicap for the NESCAC in general and Amherst in particular. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 15, 2012, 09:20:46 AM
Quote from: amh63 on October 14, 2012, 06:20:07 PM
Hugenerd.......puzzled a bit about your comments wrt practice starting on Monday.  This past Friday was "Midnight Madness" for the Div. 1 big boys....so that they can start formal practice with coaches involved.  Did your comment mean the NEWMAC of the Div.3 or even Div.3 in general?  I'm aware that the "CAC" starts about two weeks after other Div. 3 schools.  In the case of Amherst, it follows the end of football season which ends Nov. 10.  Three Amherst football players are listed on the BB team....so there is a practice handicap for the NESCAC in general and Amherst in particular.
Todd has been scrimmaging with the team for a while, so I believe Coach Anderson is aware of his skills.  He is not the tallest (6'4") or most athletic player, but he is steady.  I agree with Hugenerd that he is in the mix for a potential rotation spot depending on how many players Coach Anderson will use in his rotation.  Caltech has been improving since the MIT lead assistant coach took over the program.  They are still a very poor team, but improving despite the lack of school support.  I'm confident that the coaches would have discussed Todd prior to his transfer.

The open starters on MIT probably depends on what type of a lineup Coach Anderson.  As a pure athlete, Reiner would probably be the selection.  If they want size, they could use possibly use 6'8" Dennis Levene who had some playing time last year at the 3, but mostly played the 4 position.  If they want shooting, then Jimmy Burke is a lights out shooter (think a 5'11" Jamie Karraker) and there may be some other potential players.  If Noel is out, then the leading replacements are between three 6'8" players, Dennis Levene, Matt Redfield (who is a leaper) or the physical Andrew Acker.  I don't believe any of the freshman will be in the mix, at least not initially.  I have also heard that 6'8" Will Dickson, the last remaining Junior class recruit may be leaving the team.  I hope not as he brought some good offensive skills to the team.  When you have so many roster players, playing time gets limited.  With the academic burden of MIT student athletes, it is understood why many will decide to leave if they do not anticipate playing much.

Looking forward to the season!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on October 17, 2012, 04:30:27 PM
The full preseason D3hoops.com MBB Top 25:
http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/men/2012-13/preseason
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on October 17, 2012, 04:57:59 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on October 17, 2012, 04:30:27 PM
The full preseason D3hoops.com MBB Top 25:
http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/men/2012-13/preseason

Pat, I like your "I'll just leave this here....." approach.

Congrats MIT! Though I'll feel a lot better if some of the injury rumors floating around here are dispelled...

Just curious, have any other NEWMAC teams been in the #1 spot or is this a first for the conference?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 18, 2012, 11:15:33 AM
This is surely the first #1 (I think).  MIT has been in top 5.  WPI top 10 a number of times.  Babson was I think 6 at one point (maybe even before NEWMAC).  Coast Guard was top 15 (maybe 10) during their run.

I am sure this is the first number 1 - pre-season or otherwise.

Dave/Nerd - any data to back that up?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on October 18, 2012, 04:22:22 PM
From everything I have been able to look at, this is the first #1 for any NEWMAC men's program.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on October 19, 2012, 10:54:11 AM
Clark was top 15 a number of times as well.  They finished 2 seasons in a row in the top 15.  The last poll is the only one that matters.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 19, 2012, 04:52:58 PM
Quote from: BBallers on October 15, 2012, 09:20:46 AM
If they want shooting, then Jimmy Burke is a lights out shooter (think a 5'11" Jamie Karraker) and there may be some other potential players.Looking forward to the season!

I would in no way equate Jimmy Burke to Jamie Karraker, other than them both shooting well from deep.  Karraker is a very savvy player, but really thrives solely as a spot up shooter, setup by his teammates.  Burke is a dynamic guard who can play the point or the shooting guard positions.  He can make his own shot and is actually a better shooter creating his own shot than standing in one spot and receiving the ball.  He is also quicker and a better defender, in my opinion.  Both are very good players, but very different in their skill set.  When Burke was a freshman, Coach could give him the ball at the end of games and he could take over (ie, both WPI games that year), Karraker has never been that kind of player.  He can and has made huge shots, but they are always setup by a teammate or on an inside out pass.  In any case, I heard Burke is back this season and that will be a huge asset to the team (he is the same class as Kates and Tashman).

Quote from: BBallers on October 15, 2012, 09:20:46 AM
If Noel is out, then the leading replacements are between three 6'8" players, Dennis Levene, Matt Redfield (who is a leaper) or the physical Andrew Acker.
Don't forget 6'10" Lampros Tsontzos from the Greek U18 national team.  He has a ton of size and also a pretty nice touch.  I haven't heard anything about Noel being out for an extended period, but even if he is, it may give some of these younger guys time to get some experience, which could be huge later in the season.  Noel is going to make the same contribution whether he plays in game #1, #10, or #20.  He's not one of these overly athletic guys that needs to be playing a long time to get into game shape and jump out of the gym to make an impact.  His style is slow and deliberate, so whenever he plays he will be effective.

Quote from: BBallers on October 15, 2012, 09:20:46 AM
With the academic burden of MIT student athletes, it is understood why many will decide to leave if they do not anticipate playing much.

I was a assistant coach or around the program for about the last 6-7 seasons, and I have never seen a player quit because of academic reasons.  Lack of playing time maybe, but these guys are brighter off the court than they are on, and anyone admitted to the program is more than capable of handling both basketball and the classroom if they want to.

Quote from: amh63 on October 14, 2012, 06:20:07 PM
Hugenerd.......puzzled a bit about your comments wrt practice starting on Monday.  This past Friday was "Midnight Madness" for the Div. 1 big boys....so that they can start formal practice with coaches involved.  Did your comment mean the NEWMAC of the Div.3 or even Div.3 in general?  I'm aware that the "CAC" starts about two weeks after other Div. 3 schools.  In the case of Amherst, it follows the end of football season which ends Nov. 10.  Three Amherst football players are listed on the BB team....so there is a practice handicap for the NESCAC in general and Amherst in particular. 

When I was a player at Carnegie Mellon, I always remembered the first day of practice being October 15.  I dont know if that date changes now year-to-year, but thats why I made the comment.

Quote from: WPI89 on October 18, 2012, 11:15:33 AM
This is surely the first #1 (I think).  MIT has been in top 5.  WPI top 10 a number of times.  Babson was I think 6 at one point (maybe even before NEWMAC).  Coast Guard was top 15 (maybe 10) during their run.

I am sure this is the first number 1 - pre-season or otherwise.

Dave/Nerd - any data to back that up?
The NEWMAC has only been sponsoring sports for men since 1998-99, so I am pretty certain this is the first time a men's basketball program has been ranked #1 while an active member of the NEWMAC.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on October 17, 2012, 04:30:27 PM
The full preseason D3hoops.com MBB Top 25:
http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/men/2012-13/preseason
Good News!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on October 20, 2012, 10:54:23 PM
October 15th is the date every year for Division III, at least... D1 starts a little earlier. Now, if you are in the Centennial you start a week later and if you are in the NESCAC you start two weeks later.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on October 22, 2012, 02:10:30 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on October 20, 2012, 10:54:23 PM
October 15th is the date every year for Division III, at least... D1 starts a little earlier. Now, if you are in the Centennial you start a week later and if you are in the NESCAC you start two weeks later.

For d1 it's the Friday preceding October 15th - so they don't have to do midnight madness on a school night, I guess.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on October 19, 2012, 04:52:58 PM
Quote from: BBallers on October 15, 2012, 09:20:46 AM
If they want shooting, then Jimmy Burke is a lights out shooter (think a 5'11" Jamie Karraker) and there may be some other potential players.Looking forward to the season!

I would in no way equate Jimmy Burke to Jamie Karraker, other than them both shooting well from deep.  Karraker is a very savvy player, but really thrives solely as a spot up shooter, setup by his teammates.  Burke is a dynamic guard who can play the point or the shooting guard positions.  He can make his own shot and is actually a better shooter creating his own shot than standing in one spot and receiving the ball.  He is also quicker and a better defender, in my opinion.  Both are very good players, but very different in their skill set.  When Burke was a freshman, Coach could give him the ball at the end of games and he could take over (ie, both WPI games that year), Karraker has never been that kind of player.  He can and has made huge shots, but they are always setup by a teammate or on an inside out pass.  In any case, I heard Burke is back this season and that will be a huge asset to the team (he is the same class as Kates and Tashman).

Quote from: BBallers on October 15, 2012, 09:20:46 AM
If Noel is out, then the leading replacements are between three 6'8" players, Dennis Levene, Matt Redfield (who is a leaper) or the physical Andrew Acker.
Don't forget 6'10" Lampros Tsontzos from the Greek U18 national team.  He has a ton of size and also a pretty nice touch.  I haven't heard anything about Noel being out for an extended period, but even if he is, it may give some of these younger guys time to get some experience, which could be huge later in the season.  Noel is going to make the same contribution whether he plays in game #1, #10, or #20.  He's not one of these overly athletic guys that needs to be playing a long time to get into game shape and jump out of the gym to make an impact.  His style is slow and deliberate, so whenever he plays he will be effective.

Quote from: BBallers on October 15, 2012, 09:20:46 AM
With the academic burden of MIT student athletes, it is understood why many will decide to leave if they do not anticipate playing much.

I was a assistant coach or around the program for about the last 6-7 seasons, and I have never seen a player quit because of academic reasons.  Lack of playing time maybe, but these guys are brighter off the court than they are on, and anyone admitted to the program is more than capable of handling both basketball and the classroom if they want to.

Quote from: amh63 on October 14, 2012, 06:20:07 PM
Hugenerd.......puzzled a bit about your comments wrt practice starting on Monday.  This past Friday was "Midnight Madness" for the Div. 1 big boys....so that they can start formal practice with coaches involved.  Did your comment mean the NEWMAC of the Div.3 or even Div.3 in general?  I'm aware that the "CAC" starts about two weeks after other Div. 3 schools.  In the case of Amherst, it follows the end of football season which ends Nov. 10.  Three Amherst football players are listed on the BB team....so there is a practice handicap for the NESCAC in general and Amherst in particular. 

When I was a player at Carnegie Mellon, I always remembered the first day of practice being October 15.  I dont know if that date changes now year-to-year, but thats why I made the comment.

Quote from: WPI89 on October 18, 2012, 11:15:33 AM
This is surely the first #1 (I think).  MIT has been in top 5.  WPI top 10 a number of times.  Babson was I think 6 at one point (maybe even before NEWMAC).  Coast Guard was top 15 (maybe 10) during their run.

I am sure this is the first number 1 - pre-season or otherwise.

Dave/Nerd - any data to back that up?
The NEWMAC has only been sponsoring sports for men since 1998-99, so I am pretty certain this is the first time a men's basketball program has been ranked #1 while an active member of the NEWMAC.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on October 17, 2012, 04:30:27 PM
The full preseason D3hoops.com MBB Top 25:
http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/men/2012-13/preseason
Good News!
Great comments, as always.  My comment on Burke being like Karraker was only to compare his great shooting percentage as I believe they are both pure shooters in every sense of the word.  Burke can definitely play point and dribble.  Jamie has never been a great defender and the condition of his knees will not help this either.  I don't expect Jamie to actually play until late December or early January, but I continue to root for him.  I do not have the same recollection of Burke creating his own shot (except he can dribble well) and defending well and I don't believe he is close to the same class as Kates or Tashman, but is a better shooter and I hope I'm wrong.  Either Kates or Burke would be able to play the point or shooting guard positions and I will definitely be rooting for Burke and am excited at his return after the concussions he incurred.  With Jamie out initially, his shooting will be even more valuable.  Besides his valuable basketball skills, he is a great kid.

I didn't forget 6'10" Lampros Tsontzos and believe he has some good skills, but I just believe Dennis Levene, Matt Redfield, and Andrew Acker are better prospects at this point, but give Lampros some time and he may catch up.  He certainly has a lot of overseas experience and I'm confident he will get acclimated as the season and practice progresses.  Just an opinion, but I hope he becomes a Hollingsworth type of player.

Appreciate the clarification on academics.  If a student has a lot of disposable time and are not getting playing time, they may still choose to stay on the team, but because of the academic burden on players, it may not be worth their limited disposable time to stay with the team.  The primary reason is what you mentioned, i.e., playing time.  MIT had their Beaver Madness on Friday night after their football game (MIT won, upsetting a ranked opponent) where the girls basketball team scrimmaged each other followed by the men's team.  As you could expect, MIT has a lot of height and depth and it ended up being a dunk fest.  I also noticed that 6'8" Will Dikson was in the stands, so I assume he quit the team.

Despite losing one starter and 2 other starters (at least initially), I still think MIT will be really strong.  My concerns remain defense, chemistry, overconfidence and injuries.  Can't wait to start watching games!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 22, 2012, 03:14:21 PM
At least right now I am more into this MIT team than even WPI - thanks for the info guys.

BBallers - what is the story with Hollingsworth and Karraker - are they both out for a while?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on October 22, 2012, 03:17:34 PM
Quote from: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM

Appreciate the clarification on academics.  If a student has a lot of disposable time and are not getting playing time, they may still choose to stay on the team, but because of the academic burden on players, it may not be worth their limited disposable time to stay with the team.  The primary reason is what you mentioned, i.e., playing time.  MIT had their Beaver Madness on Friday night after their football game (MIT won, upsetting a ranked opponent) where the girls basketball team scrimmaged each other followed by the men's team.  As you could expect, MIT has a lot of height and depth and it ended up being a dunk fest.  I also noticed that 6'8" Will Dikson was in the stands, so I assume he quit the team.


*Ahem*.  That's women's basketball, not girls' basketball.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on October 22, 2012, 04:53:11 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on October 22, 2012, 02:10:30 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on October 20, 2012, 10:54:23 PM
October 15th is the date every year for Division III, at least... D1 starts a little earlier. Now, if you are in the Centennial you start a week later and if you are in the NESCAC you start two weeks later.

For d1 it's the Friday preceding October 15th - so they don't have to do midnight madness on a school night, I guess.

That makes it the Thursday night into Friday for Midnight Madness :).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 22, 2012, 04:59:28 PM
Quote from: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM
Great comments, as always.  My comment on Burke being like Karraker was only to compare his great shooting percentage as I believe they are both pure shooters in every sense of the word.  Burke can definitely play point and dribble.  Jamie has never been a great defender and the condition of his knees will not help this either.  I don't expect Jamie to actually play until late December or early January, but I continue to root for him.  I do not have the same recollection of Burke creating his own shot (except he can dribble well) and defending well and I don't believe he is close to the same class as Kates or Tashman, but is a better shooter and I hope I'm wrong.  Either Kates or Burke would be able to play the point or shooting guard positions and I will definitely be rooting for Burke and am excited at his return after the concussions he incurred.  With Jamie out initially, his shooting will be even more valuable.  Besides his valuable basketball skills, he is a great kid.

Let me refresh your memory on Burke:

http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/05/2010-player-highlights-jimmy-burke.html

He is absolutely a player at the level of Kates, and I am sure Mitch would tell you that himself if you asked him.  This guy tore it up his freshman year, when his number was called.  Kates is undoubtedly a better point guard and distributor, but Burke is not only a better pure shooter, but a better scorer/finisher as well.  That isnt to say Kates isn't a good scorer, which he is, but I just think Burke is that good on the offensive side of the ball.  With that said, I think Kates is a better overall player, and would be my choice for National Preseason Player of the Year, but Burke is a very good player (again, see referenced video above for highlights).

Quote from: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM
I didn't forget 6'10" Lampros Tsontzos and believe he has some good skills, but I just believe Dennis Levene, Matt Redfield, and Andrew Acker are better prospects at this point, but give Lampros some time and he may catch up.  He certainly has a lot of overseas experience and I'm confident he will get acclimated as the season and practice progresses.  Just an opinion, but I hope he becomes a Hollingsworth type of player.

I'm not going to say Lampros is as good as Hollingsworth, because he isn't there yet, but he is one heck of a talent.  He is a more athletic player than Hollingsworth (will finish with a dunk around the basket) and has a more traditional looking outside stroke than Hollingsworth as well (Hollingsworth still shoots a real high percentage with his approach). Both of them are very similar in that they can finish with both hands around the basket, both have a variety of post moves, and both are capable of finishing with a hook shot from either hand.  Further, Lampros not only has European, but International, basketball experience playing against very high level players, which can not be discounted (Dennis Levene, a wing for MIT, also has some international experience playing for youth Danish teams).  Hollingsworth is a smart player, has a ton of experience, has a superior sense of how to position himself on the court to give himself an advantage, gets the most out of the talent he has more than any player I may have ever seen, and deserves all the recognition he receives.  However, I think Lampros has the potential to even surpass him, as his game develops.

Here are some of his highlights from last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65fbFJxNZ7I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXtRmlvMVkc

Quote from: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM
Appreciate the clarification on academics.  If a student has a lot of disposable time and are not getting playing time, they may still choose to stay on the team, but because of the academic burden on players, it may not be worth their limited disposable time to stay with the team.  The primary reason is what you mentioned, i.e., playing time.  MIT had their Beaver Madness on Friday night after their football game (MIT won, upsetting a ranked opponent) where the girls basketball team scrimmaged each other followed by the men's team.  As you could expect, MIT has a lot of height and depth and it ended up being a dunk fest.  I also noticed that 6'8" Will Dikson was in the stands, so I assume he quit the team.

I'm sure Dickson looked around and saw all the talent around him and decided there were other things he would rather do.  As evidenced by the fact that he was still in the stands, the players on the team have great chemistry which continues off the court.

Quote from: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM
Despite losing one starter and 2 other starters (at least initially), I still think MIT will be really strong.  My concerns remain defense, chemistry, overconfidence and injuries.  Can't wait to start watching games!

I'll just be blunt and say I don't agree with your concerns. 

1) This team was top 5 nationally last year in team defense (57.4 ppg) and #2 in scoring margin.  On top of that, they have essentially upgraded and/or added depth at every position.

2) I have no idea why chemistry would be a concern.  The players are not only friends on the court, but off as well, as nearly everyone on the team is a member of the same fraternity.  Further, you have a core of 5 seniors who are extremely strong, respected, and focused leaders of this team. Everyone single person in that locker room has one goal this year and they all know their roles in reaching that goal.  I don't think there are a lot of other teams out there that can say that.

3) Overconfidence - see point (2).  I could see how this may be an issue with a young team, but the leaders on this team have been through this before and I don't see them letting anyone get satisfied with themselves.  They have one goal.

4) Injuries.  Obviously injuries are a concern with every team, but MIT is better equipped to handle that than in any year in my memory of the program.  This is the deepest and most talented team that Coach Anderson has ever had.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on October 23, 2012, 12:48:46 AM
Good Evening Fellow NEWMACers

I have not been here much due to personal issues, but I did finally get the chance to jump on and see what has been posted from all of you.

First off - Very Large Congratulations to MIT for garnering the NEWMAC's first ever #1 ranking!

Second, My best wishes to any of the MIT players who may be hurt.  May they heal quickly and be able to contribute soon.
Does anyone have any real details about any of these rumored injuries?

Third, after looking at MIT's schedule, it was great to see they finally decided to schedule another good NE team in RIC.  Still, very disappointed they did not work more of the region's top teams in.
This is the 3rd post season after they reached the NCAA's with this group, seems to me they could have and should have found a way to drop a couple more of the doormats and pickup more teams that year in and year out are considered top teams.

HN - I do have to take exception to the idea that Burke is "absolutely a player at the level of Kates, and I am sure Mitch would tell you that himself if you asked him.  This guy tore it up his freshman year, when his number was called.  Kates is undoubtedly a better point guard and distributor, but Burke is not only a better pure shooter, but a better scorer/finisher as well."

I would completely expect Kates as a teammate to say that.  However, Burke is a great deep ball 3-pt shooter.  That is what I remember of the times I saw him.  I looked back at the video you referenced.  It is almost toally long distance 3's and spot up shots off others penetration.  I think there were 2 or 3 plays where he drove near the paint at all.  If you go back and look at his stats, he took 184 shots, 151 of which were 3's.  He is no doubt a better deep shooter than Kates, but from what I have seen, he is nowhere near the finisher that Kates is. I am not saying that he can't finish, just that Kates is much better AND has proven that he can game after game for 3 years. Burke does have a nice jab step and a quick release.  Also, I am not sure how much time he really would have gotten given Karraker's play.  Karraker took nearly 500 3's in the last two years.  Given he was shooting 43%, it is hard to believe that Burke would have seen the 24 mpg he saw in 09-10.  Coach Anderson has clearly made a decision to play his top players 30 mpg, even with what everyone says are extremely talented players gathering a lot of splinters on the bench.

I have not been around Worcester much in the past couple of months, so unfortunately I have no insight on how WPI is coming along.  My initial thoughts right now are that winning 20 this year will be an extremely difficult task. I do think that this may be the year other teams surpass the Engineers. I hope that the WPI players step it up and have a very successful year
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 23, 2012, 08:59:45 AM
This is just my opinion, but I think Burke is an elite guard and scorer.  Kates is a bigger and more athletic guard, which gives him advantages on the court, and an exceptional player overall, but I think Burke is a better pure scorer.  I am not trying to take anything away Kates, I have been a huge advocate for him his entire career and I think he deserves to be the Preseason National Player of the Year this year, but Burke is as good an outside and off the dribble scorer as MIT has.  As a freshman, he filled the role the team needed, which was primarily outside shooting, but you saw in that video that when he was given the ball in a situation where the team needed a basket, he could get it done off the dribble, pulling up or finishing around the basket.

With respect to playing time, I am sure Kates, Tashman, and Hollingsworth will play the typical 30+ minutes a game, but Burke will be a consistent member of the rotation, if not a starter.  I would not be surprised at all to see him play around the 24 mpg he did as a freshman.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on October 22, 2012, 04:59:28 PM
Quote from: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM
Great comments, as always.  My comment on Burke being like Karraker was only to compare his great shooting percentage as I believe they are both pure shooters in every sense of the word.  Burke can definitely play point and dribble.  Jamie has never been a great defender and the condition of his knees will not help this either.  I don't expect Jamie to actually play until late December or early January, but I continue to root for him.  I do not have the same recollection of Burke creating his own shot (except he can dribble well) and defending well and I don't believe he is close to the same class as Kates or Tashman, but is a better shooter and I hope I'm wrong.  Either Kates or Burke would be able to play the point or shooting guard positions and I will definitely be rooting for Burke and am excited at his return after the concussions he incurred.  With Jamie out initially, his shooting will be even more valuable.  Besides his valuable basketball skills, he is a great kid.

Let me refresh your memory on Burke:

http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/05/2010-player-highlights-jimmy-burke.html

He is absolutely a player at the level of Kates, and I am sure Mitch would tell you that himself if you asked him.  This guy tore it up his freshman year, when his number was called.  Kates is undoubtedly a better point guard and distributor, but Burke is not only a better pure shooter, but a better scorer/finisher as well.  That isnt to say Kates isn't a good scorer, which he is, but I just think Burke is that good on the offensive side of the ball.  With that said, I think Kates is a better overall player, and would be my choice for National Preseason Player of the Year, but Burke is a very good player (again, see referenced video above for highlights).

Quote from: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM
I didn't forget 6'10" Lampros Tsontzos and believe he has some good skills, but I just believe Dennis Levene, Matt Redfield, and Andrew Acker are better prospects at this point, but give Lampros some time and he may catch up.  He certainly has a lot of overseas experience and I'm confident he will get acclimated as the season and practice progresses.  Just an opinion, but I hope he becomes a Hollingsworth type of player.

I'm not going to say Lampros is as good as Hollingsworth, because he isn't there yet, but he is one heck of a talent.  He is a more athletic player than Hollingsworth (will finish with a dunk around the basket) and has a more traditional looking outside stroke than Hollingsworth as well (Hollingsworth still shoots a real high percentage with his approach). Both of them are very similar in that they can finish with both hands around the basket, both have a variety of post moves, and both are capable of finishing with a hook shot from either hand.  Further, Lampros not only has European, but International, basketball experience playing against very high level players, which can not be discounted (Dennis Levene, a wing for MIT, also has some international experience playing for youth Danish teams).  Hollingsworth is a smart player, has a ton of experience, has a superior sense of how to position himself on the court to give himself an advantage, gets the most out of the talent he has more than any player I may have ever seen, and deserves all the recognition he receives.  However, I think Lampros has the potential to even surpass him, as his game develops.

Here are some of his highlights from last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65fbFJxNZ7I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXtRmlvMVkc

Quote from: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM
Appreciate the clarification on academics.  If a student has a lot of disposable time and are not getting playing time, they may still choose to stay on the team, but because of the academic burden on players, it may not be worth their limited disposable time to stay with the team.  The primary reason is what you mentioned, i.e., playing time.  MIT had their Beaver Madness on Friday night after their football game (MIT won, upsetting a ranked opponent) where the girls basketball team scrimmaged each other followed by the men's team.  As you could expect, MIT has a lot of height and depth and it ended up being a dunk fest.  I also noticed that 6'8" Will Dikson was in the stands, so I assume he quit the team.

I'm sure Dickson looked around and saw all the talent around him and decided there were other things he would rather do.  As evidenced by the fact that he was still in the stands, the players on the team have great chemistry which continues off the court.

Quote from: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM
Despite losing one starter and 2 other starters (at least initially), I still think MIT will be really strong.  My concerns remain defense, chemistry, overconfidence and injuries.  Can't wait to start watching games!

I'll just be blunt and say I don't agree with your concerns. 

1) This team was top 5 nationally last year in team defense (57.4 ppg) and #2 in scoring margin.  On top of that, they have essentially upgraded and/or added depth at every position.

2) I have no idea why chemistry would be a concern.  The players are not only friends on the court, but off as well, as nearly everyone on the team is a member of the same fraternity.  Further, you have a core of 5 seniors who are extremely strong, respected, and focused leaders of this team. Everyone single person in that locker room has one goal this year and they all know their roles in reaching that goal.  I don't think there are a lot of other teams out there that can say that.

3) Overconfidence - see point (2).  I could see how this may be an issue with a young team, but the leaders on this team have been through this before and I don't see them letting anyone get satisfied with themselves.  They have one goal.

4) Injuries.  Obviously injuries are a concern with every team, but MIT is better equipped to handle that than in any year in my memory of the program.  This is the deepest and most talented team that Coach Anderson has ever had.

Great and well-supported points.  Overall, if I were going to make a bet, I would bet against MIT having as good of a record as last season or improving their NCAA finish of last year.  Since I am an MIT fan, I would never consider making this bet.  I still believe that MIT will be one of the best teams in the country and has as good of a shot as any D3 team of winning a national championship.

I guess we will agree to disagree with Burke and Kates comparison.  If Burke is on the same level as Kates/Tashman (who both have All-American skills), then there he will unquestionably be starting and playing 35 minutes a game.  I appreciate your website and Burke highlights.  It was very enjoyable watching it again.  However, IMHO, these highlights still depict Burke as a catch and shoot player.  Without analyzing each and every highlight, I remember one layup when the team was playing strict man coverage and the defender was playing Burke too close where Burke dribbled past him for a layup.  There was another time where he dribbled past a defender for a jumper around the foul line, but the remaining highlights were open 3-pointers and with 2 or 3 lateral dribbles for a 3-pointer.  In comparison with Kates, I believe Kates is taller, more athletic, better passer, better defender, better rebounder, better dribbler, better shot blocker, better driver and finisher, better shot creator, better leader, etc.  Jimmie is a better shooter as your video confirms.  This is not to say that Jimmie is a bad player in any of these areas, as he is definitely not.  I believe he will be an integral player for the MIT team and a great kid!  He will be even more valuable with Jamie's injuries.  I will continue to root for him and his teammates.

I agree that Lampros may be more athletic than Noel, but I believe he is less athletic than Dennis Levene, Matt Redfield, and Andrew Acker at this point.  Athleticism isn't everything and this is merely my opinion at this juncture.  I am confident Lampros will improve and I am rooting for him to improve.  I know Dennis played some wing (small forward) position last season, but I thought the majority of his minutes were at the power forward position.  Dennis is very athletic with size and an excellent player, but not sure if he is a better 3 than a 4.

I agree with your points on Dickson and how all the players get along, support each other and most are also fraternity brothers.

I appreciate your being forthright in your comments as I respect your opinion.  I hope my opinions are not annoying to you.  Some clarification is as follows:

1) I agree with your comments on the statistics on team defense and scoring margin and hope it continues.  An argument could be made to the level of competition where these statistics were derived, but stats don't lie.  Kates and Tashman are great defenders, but Kates may have to defer his defense for all of the efforts he puts into setting up plays as a point guard and scoring.  Same could be true for Tashman as he takes a larger role on offense with Noel out.  I am concerned about the lateral movement of small forward position with Levene or Reinier against smaller and quicker opponents and Burke getting posted (he can more than make up for it by his great shooting).  My hope is that the scoring defense and scoring margin statistics continue like last year.  If a lesser talented team takes advantage of some defense matchups, that is the only scenario where I can see MIT losing and that would still have to be coupled with MIT missing shots.  IMO, 3 for 20 in 3-pointers was the primary reason for MIT losing in the NCAA.

2) My apologies for not specifying my definition of chemistry in this context.  You are absolutely correct that all of the players are friends on and off the court, fraternity brothers with a strong senior base.  My concern with chemistry is primarily who will be able and willing to defend against the opponents top scorer, turnovers and shot selection because we have so many scorers on the team.  I agree they are well coached and team oriented and that MIT's chemistry is better than most teams, including possibly every NEWMAC team.  My hope is that MIT wins the national championship and this chemistry concern only relates to the other nationally ranked teams that they will play in the NCAA's.  Paul Dawson may be the answer to the lock down defender.

3) You are correct in your points with the senior leadership and one goal.  My only concern is just human nature and with MIT not playing as competitive of a schedule as most of the other ranked teams.

4) Losing Noel (feet problems) is a huge loss for MIT for his almost automatic post scoring plays.  Same for Jamie (knee problems) and his outside shooting in the early part of the season.  I agree with you that MIT has possibly more depth than possibly any D3 team, but losing these players will have an impact.  I also agree that this is the deepest team Coach Anderson ever had.

I am trying to be objective (I recognize this is difficult for me) and want to reiterate that my concerns only relate to MIT winning a national championship, not just being a good team.  The bar is raised.  I also want to clarify that this is only my opinion based on limited viewing of players and I recognize that I could be wrong and often hope I am wrong.  I sincerely hope that my concerns are not taken out of context or irritating to anyone.

BTW, if Noel and Jamie were playing along with Tashman and Mitch, who do you believe would be the fifth starter?  My guess would be Jimmie Burke, with Jamie moving to the small forward spot.  I'm assuming you would agree, but coach may want to go big.  If Noel and Jamie are out, who do you think would start along with Tashman and Mitch?  I'm assuming Acker (or Redfiled) along with Dennis and Jimmie.  Again, appreciate your comments and look forward to this season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 23, 2012, 02:28:02 PM
Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
I agree that Lampros may be more athletic than Noel, but I believe he is less athletic than Dennis Levene, Matt Redfield, and Andrew Acker at this point.  Athleticism isn't everything and this is merely my opinion at this juncture.  I am confident Lampros will improve and I am rooting for him to improve.  I know Dennis played some wing (small forward) position last season, but I thought the majority of his minutes were at the power forward position.  Dennis is very athletic with size and an excellent player, but not sure if he is a better 3 than a 4.
In MITs system, there is no differentiation to that detail.  There are wings, who play the same role, and post players.  Levene is capable of playing on the wings or in the post, but he is a more natural fit on the wings.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
1) I agree with your comments on the statistics on team defense and scoring margin and hope it continues.  An argument could be made to the level of competition where these statistics were derived, but stats don't lie.  Kates and Tashman are great defenders, but Kates may have to defer his defense for all of the efforts he puts into setting up plays as a point guard and scoring.  Same could be true for Tashman as he takes a larger role on offense with Noel out.  I am concerned about the lateral movement of small forward position with Levene or Reinier against smaller and quicker opponents and Burke getting posted (he can more than make up for it by his great shooting).  My hope is that the scoring defense and scoring margin statistics continue like last year.  If a lesser talented team takes advantage of some defense matchups, that is the only scenario where I can see MIT losing and that would still have to be coupled with MIT missing shots.  IMO, 3 for 20 in 3-pointers was the primary reason for MIT losing in the NCAA.
MIT may play primarily man-to-man, but they play very strong help defense, so even if there is a quickness matchup at one position, the team will adjust.  Also, there is nothing to say that lineups wont vary with the situation.  MIT has the option of playing big or going smaller if they want to this year.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
2) My apologies for not specifying my definition of chemistry in this context.  You are absolutely correct that all of the players are friends on and off the court, fraternity brothers with a strong senior base.  My concern with chemistry is primarily who will be able and willing to defend against the opponents top scorer, turnovers and shot selection because we have so many scorers on the team.  I agree they are well coached and team oriented and that MIT's chemistry is better than most teams, including possibly every NEWMAC team.  My hope is that MIT wins the national championship and this chemistry concern only relates to the other nationally ranked teams that they will play in the NCAA's.  Paul Dawson may be the answer to the lock down defender.
I don't know what team chemistry has to do with guarding the other teams best player.  In any case, if that player is a post scorer, Tashman would guard them (remember the job he did against AJ Matthews last season in the tourney? He held him to 4 points and 1 board in the first half when the game was close, he came in averaging 23 and 17).  If it is a perimeter player, it could be Kates (he did a great job against Milligan last year in the tourney), Burke, or Dawson.  A taller wing could also emerge as a defensive stalwart.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
3) You are correct in your points with the senior leadership and one goal.  My only concern is just human nature and with MIT not playing as competitive of a schedule as most of the other ranked teams.
I guess we will agree to disagree on this point.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
4) Losing Noel (feet problems) is a huge loss for MIT for his almost automatic post scoring plays.  Same for Jamie (knee problems) and his outside shooting in the early part of the season.  I agree with you that MIT has possibly more depth than possibly any D3 team, but losing these players will have an impact.  I also agree that this is the deepest team Coach Anderson ever had.

I am trying to be objective (I recognize this is difficult for me) and want to reiterate that my concerns only relate to MIT winning a national championship, not just being a good team.  The bar is raised.  I also want to clarify that this is only my opinion based on limited viewing of players and I recognize that I could be wrong and often hope I am wrong.  I sincerely hope that my concerns are not taken out of context or irritating to anyone.
What is irritating to me is not your views, you are absolutely entitled to those and whatever those may be, they are fine.  However, I know who you are, your ties to the program, and how you are getting information about the program, and what is irritating me is that you are sharing information that is very speculative and not something to be shared freely in a public forum.  The health of a given player, especially before any games are played, is the matter of the medical staff, the coaching staff, and that players family.  For us to speculate on these injuries, especially extrapolate and say they are potentially season ending is a complete disservice to that player and the program.  Trust me, I am aware of these players situations, but I will not post on here that a player is out for a given number of games even before they know for certain how serious an injury it is or how long they will be out.  Are some of the players rehabbing from injuries right now? Yes.  Does anyone know for certain how long those injuries will take to heal? No.  And until I do know for certain, I will not sepculate about that player's condition because that is not fair to them.  Go on any other board right now and see if anyone else is listing specific injuries about specific players.  It just isn't happening.  Its fine to say your heard someone may be hurt, but to go into specific details about locations of the injury and speculate timetables at this point in the season doesn't help anyone, especially if you are a supporter of the progam.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
BTW, if Noel and Jamie were playing along with Tashman and Mitch, who do you believe would be the fifth starter?  My guess would be Jimmie Burke, with Jamie moving to the small forward spot.  I'm assuming you would agree, but coach may want to go big.  If Noel and Jamie are out, who do you think would start along with Tashman and Mitch?  I'm assuming Acker (or Redfiled) along with Dennis and Jimmie.  Again, appreciate your comments and look forward to this season.
It will all depend on matchups.  I think there are a number of players in the mix and, to be honest, I am not that familiar with all the newcomers yet (I am no longer on campus so I havent seen any practices or anything).  There is also no certainty that Jimmy will start.  He played 25 mpg as a freshman as the 6th man, so maybe coach wants to keep him in that role, but I am sure he is the frontrunner for the off guard spot at this point, with Dawson as the 3rd guard in the mix.  On the wings you have Strobos, Levene, Cramer, Karraker, along with some younger players who may be in the mix for playing time (Pedley, Simpri, Prus, Johnson) and in the post you have Acker, Redfield, and Tsontzos (they also have another freshman big who is pretty good, Miles Nolting).

In any case, it should be an exciting year to watch MIT basketball.  I just prefer to talk about things I do know about the team currently, than speculate about injuries that may or may not have an affect on the long term goals of this year's team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 03:53:48 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on October 23, 2012, 02:28:02 PM
Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
I am trying to be objective (I recognize this is difficult for me) and want to reiterate that my concerns only relate to MIT winning a national championship, not just being a good team.  The bar is raised.  I also want to clarify that this is only my opinion based on limited viewing of players and I recognize that I could be wrong and often hope I am wrong.  I sincerely hope that my concerns are not taken out of context or irritating to anyone.
What is irritating to me is not your views, you are absolutely entitled to those and whatever those may be, they are fine.  However, I know who you are, your ties to the program, and how you are getting information about the program, and what is irritating me is that you are sharing information that is very speculative and not something to be shared freely in a public forum.  The health of a given player, especially before any games are played, is the matter of the medical staff, the coaching staff, and that players family.  For us to speculate on these injuries, especially extrapolate and say they are potentially season ending is a complete disservice to that player and the program.  Trust me, I am aware of these players situations, but I will not post on here that a player is out for a given number of games even before they know for certain how serious an injury it is or how long they will be out.  Are some of the players rehabbing from injuries right now? Yes.  Does anyone know for certain how long those injuries will take to heal? No.  And until I do know for certain, I will not sepculate about that player's condition because that is not fair to them.  Go on any other board right now and see if anyone else is listing specific injuries about specific players.  It just isn't happening.  Its fine to say your heard someone may be hurt, but to go into specific details about locations of the injury and speculate timetables at this point in the season doesn't help anyone, especially if you are a supporter of the progam.
It will all depend on matchups.  I think there are a number of players in the mix and, to be honest, I am not that familiar with all the newcomers yet (I am no longer on campus so I havent seen any practices or anything).  There is also no certainty that Jimmy will start.  He played 25 mpg as a freshman as the 6th man, so maybe coach wants to keep him in that role, but I am sure he is the frontrunner for the off guard spot at this point, with Dawson as the 3rd guard in the mix.  On the wings you have Strobos, Levene, Cramer, Karraker, along with some younger players who may be in the mix for playing time (Pedley, Simpri, Prus, Johnson) and in the post you have Acker, Redfield, and Tsontzos (they also have another freshman big who is pretty good, Miles Nolting).

In any case, it should be an exciting year to watch MIT basketball.  I just prefer to talk about things I do know about the team currently, than speculate about injuries that may or may not have an affect on the long term goals of this year's team.
[/quote]
My apologies.  I have never tried to hide who I am and certainly did not try to divulge any personal or confidential information that the players readily discuss.  My very limited view of the players is by watching them or by listening to their opinions.  The information could be considered speculative because it is definitely hearsay.  I honestly did not intend to be a disservice to any players or the MIT program and sincerely apologize if this was revealing confidential information.  I have not gone on other boards, but only the doctors and God can be certain of a player's condition and related playing timetables.

Agree with your opinions with matchups with opponents.  I also like discussing the team's performance much more than injury speculation.  As mentioned, MIT is deep enough and talented enough to contend for a national championship and I am looking forward to the Harvard game (scrimmage for MIT and regular game for Harvard).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 03:54:05 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on October 23, 2012, 02:28:02 PM
Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
I agree that Lampros may be more athletic than Noel, but I believe he is less athletic than Dennis Levene, Matt Redfield, and Andrew Acker at this point.  Athleticism isn't everything and this is merely my opinion at this juncture.  I am confident Lampros will improve and I am rooting for him to improve.  I know Dennis played some wing (small forward) position last season, but I thought the majority of his minutes were at the power forward position.  Dennis is very athletic with size and an excellent player, but not sure if he is a better 3 than a 4.
In MITs system, there is no differentiation to that detail.  There are wings, who play the same role, and post players.  Levene is capable of playing on the wings or in the post, but he is a more natural fit on the wings.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
1) I agree with your comments on the statistics on team defense and scoring margin and hope it continues.  An argument could be made to the level of competition where these statistics were derived, but stats don't lie.  Kates and Tashman are great defenders, but Kates may have to defer his defense for all of the efforts he puts into setting up plays as a point guard and scoring.  Same could be true for Tashman as he takes a larger role on offense with Noel out.  I am concerned about the lateral movement of small forward position with Levene or Reinier against smaller and quicker opponents and Burke getting posted (he can more than make up for it by his great shooting).  My hope is that the scoring defense and scoring margin statistics continue like last year.  If a lesser talented team takes advantage of some defense matchups, that is the only scenario where I can see MIT losing and that would still have to be coupled with MIT missing shots.  IMO, 3 for 20 in 3-pointers was the primary reason for MIT losing in the NCAA.
MIT may play primarily man-to-man, but they play very strong help defense, so even if there is a quickness matchup at one position, the team will adjust.  Also, there is nothing to say that lineups wont vary with the situation.  MIT has the option of playing big or going smaller if they want to this year.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
2) My apologies for not specifying my definition of chemistry in this context.  You are absolutely correct that all of the players are friends on and off the court, fraternity brothers with a strong senior base.  My concern with chemistry is primarily who will be able and willing to defend against the opponents top scorer, turnovers and shot selection because we have so many scorers on the team.  I agree they are well coached and team oriented and that MIT's chemistry is better than most teams, including possibly every NEWMAC team.  My hope is that MIT wins the national championship and this chemistry concern only relates to the other nationally ranked teams that they will play in the NCAA's.  Paul Dawson may be the answer to the lock down defender.
I don't know what team chemistry has to do with guarding the other teams best player.  In any case, if that player is a post scorer, Tashman would guard them (remember the job he did against AJ Matthews last season in the tourney? He held him to 4 points and 1 board in the first half when the game was close, he came in averaging 23 and 17).  If it is a perimeter player, it could be Kates (he did a great job against Milligan last year in the tourney), Burke, or Dawson.  A taller wing could also emerge as a defensive stalwart.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
3) You are correct in your points with the senior leadership and one goal.  My only concern is just human nature and with MIT not playing as competitive of a schedule as most of the other ranked teams.
I guess we will agree to disagree on this point.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
4) Losing Noel (feet problems) is a huge loss for MIT for his almost automatic post scoring plays.  Same for Jamie (knee problems) and his outside shooting in the early part of the season.  I agree with you that MIT has possibly more depth than possibly any D3 team, but losing these players will have an impact.  I also agree that this is the deepest team Coach Anderson ever had.

I am trying to be objective (I recognize this is difficult for me) and want to reiterate that my concerns only relate to MIT winning a national championship, not just being a good team.  The bar is raised.  I also want to clarify that this is only my opinion based on limited viewing of players and I recognize that I could be wrong and often hope I am wrong.  I sincerely hope that my concerns are not taken out of context or irritating to anyone.
What is irritating to me is not your views, you are absolutely entitled to those and whatever those may be, they are fine.  However, I know who you are, your ties to the program, and how you are getting information about the program, and what is irritating me is that you are sharing information that is very speculative and not something to be shared freely in a public forum.  The health of a given player, especially before any games are played, is the matter of the medical staff, the coaching staff, and that players family.  For us to speculate on these injuries, especially extrapolate and say they are potentially season ending is a complete disservice to that player and the program.  Trust me, I am aware of these players situations, but I will not post on here that a player is out for a given number of games even before they know for certain how serious an injury it is or how long they will be out.  Are some of the players rehabbing from injuries right now? Yes.  Does anyone know for certain how long those injuries will take to heal? No.  And until I do know for certain, I will not sepculate about that player's condition because that is not fair to them.  Go on any other board right now and see if anyone else is listing specific injuries about specific players.  It just isn't happening.  Its fine to say your heard someone may be hurt, but to go into specific details about locations of the injury and speculate timetables at this point in the season doesn't help anyone, especially if you are a supporter of the progam.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 12:04:54 PM
BTW, if Noel and Jamie were playing along with Tashman and Mitch, who do you believe would be the fifth starter?  My guess would be Jimmie Burke, with Jamie moving to the small forward spot.  I'm assuming you would agree, but coach may want to go big.  If Noel and Jamie are out, who do you think would start along with Tashman and Mitch?  I'm assuming Acker (or Redfiled) along with Dennis and Jimmie.  Again, appreciate your comments and look forward to this season.
It will all depend on matchups.  I think there are a number of players in the mix and, to be honest, I am not that familiar with all the newcomers yet (I am no longer on campus so I havent seen any practices or anything).  There is also no certainty that Jimmy will start.  He played 25 mpg as a freshman as the 6th man, so maybe coach wants to keep him in that role, but I am sure he is the frontrunner for the off guard spot at this point, with Dawson as the 3rd guard in the mix.  On the wings you have Strobos, Levene, Cramer, Karraker, along with some younger players who may be in the mix for playing time (Pedley, Simpri, Prus, Johnson) and in the post you have Acker, Redfield, and Tsontzos (they also have another freshman big who is pretty good, Miles Nolting).

In any case, it should be an exciting year to watch MIT basketball.  I just prefer to talk about things I do know about the team currently, than speculate about injuries that may or may not have an affect on the long term goals of this year's team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 23, 2012, 03:55:28 PM
Nerd - I think you are bullying BBaller a bit.  Not sure it was even him that originally (over a month ago) speculated Noel's injury was possibly season ending.  In any case I (and others) have been begging for any info and I think BBaller has been generic enough as to not betray any insider secrets.

Pretty sure Coach Bartley, Coach Brock and the rest have other means of scouting MIT besides sorting through the half truths on this board.

This is about fun.  I know you don't need me fighting your battles BBaller but just wanted to say thanks for your contribution.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 04:13:12 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on October 23, 2012, 03:55:28 PM
Nerd - I think you are bullying BBaller a bit.  Not sure it was even him that originally (over a month ago) speculated Noel's injury was possibly season ending.  In any case I (and others) have been begging for any info and I think BBaller has been generic enough as to not betray any insider secrets.

Pretty sure Coach Bartley, Coach Brock and the rest have other means of scouting MIT besides sorting through the half truths on this board.

This is about fun.  I know you don't need me fighting your battles BBaller but just wanted to say thanks for your contribution.
I don't really understand bullying on the internet.  If I crossed the line, it will not be the first time and it was definitely not intentional.  I actually am glad it was brought to my attention as I did not think about that perspective when I was typing.  I do not have any agenda except being an MIT fan first and NEWMAC fan second.  I appreciate the note, but I'm a big old boy whose feelings do not easily get hurt.  I do admit that I enjoy reading this forum and I have a better appreciation for the other NEWMAC teams from reading the comments.  Hugenerd has great insight regarding MIT and D3 basketball in general and I enjoy reading his comments, even when it is different than mine.  Just hope Hugenerd doesn't put me on his ignore list, if such a list exists here.   :)  Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 23, 2012, 04:26:20 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on October 23, 2012, 03:55:28 PM
Nerd - I think you are bullying BBaller a bit.  Not sure it was even him that originally (over a month ago) speculated Noel's injury was possibly season ending.  In any case I (and others) have been begging for any info and I think BBaller has been generic enough as to not betray any insider secrets.

Pretty sure Coach Bartley, Coach Brock and the rest have other means of scouting MIT besides sorting through the half truths on this board.

This is about fun.  I know you don't need me fighting your battles BBaller but just wanted to say thanks for your contribution.

First off, it was BBallers who was the first to speculate about Noel's injury.  Secondly, I don't think my tone was bullying at all.  He mentioned in his previous post a few times about hopefully not "irritating" people, and I simply stated that the only thing that irritated me was the constant speculation on injuries.  At this level, there are no injury reports, etc., so divulging all types of information, when other schools do not, can be a competitive disadvantage.  Even at the D1 level they don't like sharing this kind of information. Do you remember when Lane Kiffin stormed out of a media session about 20 seconds in when he was asked about a player injury earlier this season?  In my opinion, that type of information should not be shared.  That is why when I was actually a player or a coach, I never posted, because a lot of that information should only be privy to those in the progam.

Quote from: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 04:13:12 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on October 23, 2012, 03:55:28 PM
Nerd - I think you are bullying BBaller a bit.  Not sure it was even him that originally (over a month ago) speculated Noel's injury was possibly season ending.  In any case I (and others) have been begging for any info and I think BBaller has been generic enough as to not betray any insider secrets.

Pretty sure Coach Bartley, Coach Brock and the rest have other means of scouting MIT besides sorting through the half truths on this board.

This is about fun.  I know you don't need me fighting your battles BBaller but just wanted to say thanks for your contribution.
I don't really understand bullying on the internet.  If I crossed the line, it will not be the first time and it was definitely not intentional.  I actually am glad it was brought to my attention as I did not think about that perspective when I was typing.  I do not have any agenda except being an MIT fan first and NEWMAC fan second.  I appreciate the note, but I'm a big old boy whose feelings do not easily get hurt.  I do admit that I enjoy reading this forum and I have a better appreciation for the other NEWMAC teams from reading the comments.  Hugenerd has great insight regarding MIT and D3 basketball in general and I enjoy reading his comments, even when it is different than mine.  Just hope Hugenerd doesn't put me on his ignore list, if such a list exists here.   :)  Thanks.
I don't hold any hard feelings with anyone.  You just kept saying that you hoped you weren't "irritating" anyone, and I decided to tell you the one thing that was bothering me.  Thats all, no more/no less.  I like having lots of enthusiasm for MIT on the boards, so I hope my comments don't dampen your enthusiasm.  I was just letting you know where I was coming from.

In any event, the players listed on the roster are a part of the team.  I'm not disagreeing with you that it is unlikely that Hollingsworth or Karraker will play against Harvard, but I hope to see them for the real season opener.  Whether that is realistic or not, I am not sure the players even know at this point.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 05:41:05 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on October 23, 2012, 04:26:20 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on October 23, 2012, 03:55:28 PM
I don't really understand bullying on the internet.  If I crossed the line, it will not be the first time and it was definitely not intentional.  I actually am glad it was brought to my attention as I did not think about that perspective when I was typing.  I do not have any agenda except being an MIT fan first and NEWMAC fan second.  I appreciate the note, but I'm a big old boy whose feelings do not easily get hurt.  I do admit that I enjoy reading this forum and I have a better appreciation for the other NEWMAC teams from reading the comments.  Hugenerd has great insight regarding MIT and D3 basketball in general and I enjoy reading his comments, even when it is different than mine.  Just hope Hugenerd doesn't put me on his ignore list, if such a list exists here.   :)  Thanks.
I don't hold any hard feelings with anyone.  You just kept saying that you hoped you weren't "irritating" anyone, and I decided to tell you the one thing that was bothering me.  Thats all, no more/no less.  I like having lots of enthusiasm for MIT on the boards, so I hope my comments don't dampen your enthusiasm.  I was just letting you know where I was coming from.

In any event, the players listed on the roster are a part of the team.  I'm not disagreeing with you that it is unlikely that Hollingsworth or Karraker will play against Harvard, but I hope to see them for the real season opener.  Whether that is realistic or not, I am not sure the players even know at this point.
[/quote]
One of my many faults is stating things not necessarily in a PC manner, including some potential knee jerk reactions regarding a player's performance.  My opinions are never meant personally as every MIT player that I have met seems to be class acts with bright futures ahead of them.  That was my initial concern about irritating anyone with my posts.  Appreciate the direct response and look forward to reading more posts.  If my future posts are perceived to be out-of-line, I would encourage the feedback.  My MIT enthusiasm has not changed...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 23, 2012, 05:46:58 PM
Quote from: rlk on October 22, 2012, 03:17:34 PM
Quote from: BBallers on October 22, 2012, 02:13:10 PM

Appreciate the clarification on academics.  If a student has a lot of disposable time and are not getting playing time, they may still choose to stay on the team, but because of the academic burden on players, it may not be worth their limited disposable time to stay with the team.  The primary reason is what you mentioned, i.e., playing time.  MIT had their Beaver Madness on Friday night after their football game (MIT won, upsetting a ranked opponent) where the girls basketball team scrimmaged each other followed by the men's team.  As you could expect, MIT has a lot of height and depth and it ended up being a dunk fest.  I also noticed that 6'8" Will Dikson was in the stands, so I assume he quit the team.


*Ahem*.  That's women's basketball, not girls' basketball.
Since I am brining up my many faults, here is another example.  I guess it shows my age.  My apologies and I appreciate the feedback.  Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on October 25, 2012, 02:01:49 PM
BBallers -- don't worry about what someone else thinks you are allowed to share and not allowed to share. There's only one person who gets to make that call around here and I'm usually *very* permissive, as long as it's within the TOS.

But as a father of two girls, I am a stickler about it being called women's basketball. :)

Keep sharing and posting. That's how this board gets better.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 25, 2012, 03:56:49 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on October 25, 2012, 02:01:49 PM
BBallers -- don't worry about what someone else thinks you are allowed to share and not allowed to share. There's only one person who gets to make that call around here and I'm usually *very* permissive, as long as it's within the TOS.

But as a father of two girls, I am a stickler about it being called women's basketball. :)

Keep sharing and posting. That's how this board gets better.
I appreciate the note, but I'm good.  I DID ask if anything in my post was irritating and HN just responded.  Not a big deal.  It's better that than having to argue with HN over basketball issues because he is usually right.

Unfortunately, at my age, all the players appear to be boys and girls, instead of men and women.

I appreciate you maintaining the site because it has so many perspectives.  Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on October 25, 2012, 04:34:15 PM
Interesting discussions.  Never thought two MIT supporters would get sensitive wrt to their team.  Must be the "pressure" of being rated number 1 in the pre-season!  See what you started Pat C. (just kidding here).  I decided to jump in since I have, like Hugenerd, ties to MIT....after Amherst that is.   If I was a newbie to this board and read the discussions, I could think that there was a "fantasy" league going on here and "bets" would be made on the games ahead....NOT at this level of D3 or in the NEWMAC, me thinks.   
To me, it is fun discussions BEFORE the season even starts.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on October 29, 2012, 08:58:09 AM
Quote from: amh63 on October 25, 2012, 04:34:15 PM
Interesting discussions.  Never thought two MIT supporters would get sensitive wrt to their team.  Must be the "pressure" of being rated number 1 in the pre-season!  See what you started Pat C. (just kidding here).  I decided to jump in since I have, like Hugenerd, ties to MIT....after Amherst that is.   If I was a newbie to this board and read the discussions, I could think that there was a "fantasy" league going on here and "bets" would be made on the games ahead....NOT at this level of D3 or in the NEWMAC, me thinks.   
To me, it is fun discussions BEFORE the season even starts.
Amherst always has a good team and I wish them well.  My fan allegiance is MIT first, NEWMAC second and NE Region third.  NE region has 3 of the top 5 teams in the country with Amherst, Middlebury & MIT.  It would be great to have these 3 teams in the Final 4 in Atlanta.  The NBA news is heating up after the James Harden trade orchestrated by MIT grad & Rockets GM Daryl Morey.  Can't wait for the pre-season D3 games to begin and related discussions about the respective players.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 01, 2012, 04:36:16 PM
A couple days after the start of allowed practices.....Amherst has filled out its schedule for its Tip-off Tournament.  Last year, it had Wash. & Lee from the strong ODAC conf.   This year there are 3 other New England teams.  One of the teams, Curry College will meet Amherst in the first game.  I bring this point up here since Curry will also play WPI and MIT soon after with both Wesleyan and Williams to follow.  Curry's schedule may allow ....in a secondary way....a means to judge some of the top teams in New England....comparative speaking early in the BB season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 01, 2012, 06:56:34 PM
Quote from: amh63 on November 01, 2012, 04:36:16 PM
A couple days after the start of allowed practices.....Amherst has filled out its schedule for its Tip-off Tournament.  Last year, it had Wash. & Lee from the strong ODAC conf.   This year there are 3 other New England teams.  One of the teams, Curry College will meet Amherst in the first game.  I bring this point up here since Curry will also play WPI and MIT soon after with both Wesleyan and Williams to follow.  Curry's schedule may allow ....in a secondary way....a means to judge some of the top teams in New England....comparative speaking early in the BB season.

Maybe if the games are competitive, but comparing scoring margin in blowouts won't tell us much.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 01, 2012, 08:26:36 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 01, 2012, 06:56:34 PM
Quote from: amh63 on November 01, 2012, 04:36:16 PM
A couple days after the start of allowed practices.....Amherst has filled out its schedule for its Tip-off Tournament.  Last year, it had Wash. & Lee from the strong ODAC conf.   This year there are 3 other New England teams.  One of the teams, Curry College will meet Amherst in the first game.  I bring this point up here since Curry will also play WPI and MIT soon after with both Wesleyan and Williams to follow.  Curry's schedule may allow ....in a secondary way....a means to judge some of the top teams in New England....comparative speaking early in the BB season.

Maybe if the games are competitive, but comparing scoring margin in blowouts won't tell us much.

Curry's got a strong backcourt.  I don't think they'll be competitive overall, but we should be able to learn something about the Amherst and MIT guards' defense (although probably the one thing we know the most about already).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 06, 2012, 03:02:17 PM
Video link for this Friday's Harvard/MIT matchup:

http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/harvard.portal#
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 06, 2012, 03:17:28 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 06, 2012, 03:02:17 PM
Video link for this Friday's Harvard/MIT matchup:

http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/harvard.portal#

Who else is planning to attnd in person?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 06, 2012, 06:20:35 PM
I'm no longer in the area, but here is a "preview" video put together by the team. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qXaGnTEInE&amp;feature=player_embedded)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 07, 2012, 09:24:04 AM
Hugenerd....Nice!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 07, 2012, 11:31:14 AM
The fact that dunks make up about 8 of the top 10 plays every night on SC drives me nuts.  But somehow for d3 team - the dunk montage really worked!  Well done MIT - thanks for sharing Nerd.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 07, 2012, 11:33:33 AM
What do you guys think about Toomey 1st team and Kates 3rd team pre-season all American?  Seems backwards from the games I watched toward the end of last year.  Am I off on that?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 07, 2012, 01:33:46 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 07, 2012, 11:33:33 AM
What do you guys think about Toomey 1st team and Kates 3rd team pre-season all American?  Seems backwards from the games I watched toward the end of last year.  Am I off on that?

I agree with you,  but All-Star voting is not a democracy,  just a few people's opinion.  It works both ways, the year Bartolotta won POY, it was also highly contested and could have gone a number of ways.  I am surprised at the number of guards that jumped him based on last years end of year rankings, though.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on November 08, 2012, 12:46:30 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 06, 2012, 06:20:35 PM
I'm no longer in the area, but here is a "preview" video put together by the team. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qXaGnTEInE&amp;feature=player_embedded)

So awesome. Thanks for this, Nerd. and the video link.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: MikeCarr on November 09, 2012, 01:21:37 PM
Hello NEWMAC Posters,

My name is Mike Carr, father of WPI's Matt Carr.  I promised my son & my wife that I would not post out here until Matt was done playing.  I should have written this a few months back, but just never got around to it, so please indulge a proud parent for a few moments.

First, I wanted to thank everyone here for their comments about my son over the past few years and a special thanks to WPI89, Mass_D3fan and HugeNerd.  I was an avid reader of this site and obviously of this forum.  I found your comments very fair, both those of a congratulatory manner and those that were critical. My wife and I are very proud of the man our son has become. Athletics has been a large part of his life and given him some very hard times and some very rewarding ones. It has prepared him for the fact that life can throw you a curve at any time and things are constantly changing. Basketball was not his primary sport until he was a junior in high school. He went from a reserve on the bench as a sophomore  to starting every game and being selected as an All-State player.  He had a great summer of development and then just minutes into the first practice of his senior year, he tore his ACL. For those of you here who are old enough to have a child play athletics, you understand how devastating that kind of injury is not just to your child but to the entire family. There is nothing you can do or say that will help.  All you can do is be there.  Matt got through it a bit easier because he still had college ball in front of him.  Losing that senior year was important though as he lost a vital year of experience.  In first season at WPI he did not play much at all.

He played a big role off the bench as a sophomore and finally got to start in the NEWMAC tournament that year.  We are so very proud of what Matt accomplished on the court in his final two years at WPI, especially last year.  It was just two days before the opening game and my father passed away from a very aggressive form of ALS.  Matt played in opener against Husson knowing he would be leaving right after the game to return to Maine and attend the funeral.  Two days later he played in VT against Castleton St. He dedicated his season to his grandfather and there were some great games and some that were more difficult.  Matt had two goals for his final season, becoming a 1st team Academic All-American and winning a team championship.  Ideally, the championship would have been the NEWMAC title, but winning the ECAC tournament was very special.  He got to do what so very few ever get to do - walk off the court in the final game of your career as a champion.  That was very special for us.  Matt came to WPI just wanting to help continue the winning tradition that Coach Bartley had built there.  After 4 years,  he had become a 2-time First Team All-Conference player, 2-time Academic All-American, a  Josten's Finalist, D3Hoops All-Region team selection and chosen to the D3Hoops All-Star team that went to Europe.  It was quite a career for a kid that was striving to play college baseball just 6 years ago.

I do wish to thank Coach Bartley, Coach Southall , Ryan Cain all his teammates  for all they did for Matt over these past 4 years.  Chris stood by him and was very supportive after the knee injury and that was greatly appreciated.  I won't say I always agreed with Chris when it came to the games, but what parent ever does?  I just appreciate that he saw something in Matt and did give him the opportunity to have the success that he achieved.   Also, I want to thank Dr Philip Lahey Jr. who performed Matt's ACL reconstruction. He did a great job from the first time we met him until the final checkup and Matt never had any issues at all with the knee after the surgery.

Matt is now living in Virginia and has a great job there.

We will continue to follow WPI more from afar now, but we hope to get to a game or two each year.  We wish a successful season for all the players and their families. All I can say to them now is enjoy every second of it, the end comes so fast and I will for one admit I miss the I will not see Matt running out there wearing #31. I saw the roster a couple of days ago and it looks like Coach Bartley brought in a couple of new big guys, one of them being 7'3".  Unfortunately, I can't help you people out here as I have no insight into their ability or how Chris sees them fitting into the program.  The team looks awfully young though as only two seniors and 2 juniors are on the roster of 15 players.

Before I forget I also want to thank Pat Coleman & his staff here D3 sports. The coverage you give to these dedicated young men & women is fantastic and is appreciated by all parents of D3 athletes. We also appreciate your honoring Matt with an All-Region nod and selecting him to the D3Hoops.com team that went to Europe in May. He had a great time and enjoyed playing with that elite group.

Lastly, if the rumors here are correct, I want to express our get well wishes to Noel Hollingsworth & Jamie Karraker and their families.  We know all too well the pain that goes with an injury that causes you to lose a senior season. "Ënemies" or not, we hate it when we see any young athlete lose time to an injury. I had the opportunity to talk a few times with both Noel & Wil Tashman after games over the past couple of years.  They are both fine young men.  We will miss not seeing Matt banging around with you two.
 
Thank you all and enjoy the upcoming season to its fullest.

Mike Carr
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on November 09, 2012, 01:43:12 PM
Mike, that was the classiest post I've ever read on these boards.  Well said, and thanks for sharing your perspective. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 09, 2012, 03:02:18 PM
Very nice post, Matt was a great player.

Here is some information on on WPI's 7'3" freshman.  He actually played prep ball around here:

This is an article on ESPN that mentions him, although the mention isn't about his play, just how tall he is:
http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/boys-basketball/tag/_/name/mark-overdevest

Here is some video from last season:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSMh4VP5TNI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jp6Qubevu0

Based on just watching these videos, he is obviously a really big guy, but it appears the opposition had him well scouted.  On defense, the strategy of keeping the man he was guarding on the perimeter seems to have worked very well, with his size being negated on the interior and the quicker player being able to drive around him.  On both ends of the court, he wasn't very active either, letting himself be boxed out by much shorter players and he was even blocked on a put back because it appears he doesnt jump all that well.  With that said, you can't teach size and it will be interesting to see how he develops under Coach Bartley.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on November 10, 2012, 12:35:53 AM
Attended the Harvard-MIT game  this evening and thoroughly enjoyed it.  MIT acquitted themselves quite well the difference being the superior athleticism of Harvard's bigs....official stats showed 10 blocked shots but am pretty sure it was a few more than that.   Continue to marvel at the level of play that Mitch Kates of MIT demonstrates ....nobody who watched that game could reasonably conclude that any player other than Mitch was the best out there... strong entrance into the season for him and should bear watching to be D3 national poy......if he gets hurt MIT will be cooked despite their other strengths...can't wait for the real games to begin!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 10, 2012, 12:45:57 AM
Well, no magic upset of Harvard, I'm afraid.  But 69-54 isn't typical of a D3 team losing to a D1, even if Harvard isn't quite what it was last year.  Even without Holligsworth and Karraker, MIT definitely belonged on the same court.  Harvard's probably going to beat a few D1 teams by more than 15 points.

MIT actually took the lead, 10-0, but then went cold, giving Harvard a 20-2 run (which was more a matter of problems on offense than on defense) before settling down to trail by 6 at the half.  From there on out, Harvard led by 5-11 points until the last few minutes, and the starters didn't come out until about a minute left.

Our D was solid; Harvard had to work for its points.  However, ultimately we didn't have the size or athleticism to handle some of Harvard's bigs inside; even with excellent defense, our guys couldn't completely prevent them from getting to the rim.  One of their bigs is a monster shot blocker who was giving our guys problems all evening, and without Karraker, we didn't have the outside threat needed to counter that (and Hollingsworth would have helped inside).

Mitch Kates was absolutely abusing the Harvard point guard all game.  He's pretty much unstoppable.  He wound up with 20 or so.  He had his share of spectacular drives to the rim, but he did get a bunch of drives rejected hard.

Photos are being uploaded; there will eventually be 209.  http://www.smugmug.com/photos/new_add.mg?AlbumID=26436069
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 10, 2012, 01:31:34 PM
Quote from: rlk on November 10, 2012, 12:45:57 AM
Photos are being uploaded; there will eventually be 209.  http://www.smugmug.com/photos/new_add.mg?AlbumID=26436069

Let's try again: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-20121109/26436069_RDDGBT#!i=2205918290&k=N3VHrrN

There was a reception after the game; Coach Anderson said a lot about other MIT fall teams not being able to attend because they were in tournament runs of their own this weekend.  MIT's always had a very extensive athletic program, but these days we've become a real D3 power (dare I say a D3 Duke?  After all, Jimmy Bartolotta's fiancee, Abby Waner, played for their women's basketball team), which I'm sure is going to help recruiting for all sports.

I think everyone left feeling very optimistic about the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 12, 2012, 10:46:32 AM
Mr. Carr - welcome to this side of the curtain!  Great post - although I only saw 4 or 5 of Matt's games in person, I always enjoyed his intensity and non stop motor.  Been almost 25 years since I wore the Crimson and Gray (albeit to nowhere near the accomplishment level of your son) and I still miss it.

I apologize to the MIT faithful as I feel like it is my fault - I was watching the Harvard video feed - saw MIT jump out 8-0 and then we lost power (thankfully for only 3 hours instead of 8 days).  Next thing I saw was the final score on my blackberry.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 12, 2012, 01:10:31 PM
I agree with rlk with the D3 versus D1 teams.  MIT will have to approve on its 5 assists and 18 turnovers, but it was their first game (or I guess scrimmage).  Harvard did not look nearly as strong as prior years with graduations and suspensions.  Harvard appeared to have difficulty creating open shots.  Despite these limitations, we still allowed them to shoot 40% of their 3-pointers.  I fully expect MIT defense to keep improving.  With a healthy Noel and Jamie, I believe we could beat this Harvard team.  Despite the loss, I wish MIT would be able to play more D1 teams, but I don't believe there are many D1 programs that want to risk losing to a D3 school.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 09:45:04 AM
Tonights MIT game has free video (I believe): http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lesleyathletics
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 15, 2012, 10:13:08 AM
Hugenerd...thanks for the info.  Isn't a game tonight a little early?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 11:52:40 AM
Tonight's the first night allowed for DIII, I believe. Maybe Pat or someone can correct me if that is not the case (Nov. 9 was the first day for DI).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: fanfromct on November 15, 2012, 12:46:36 PM
Nice article about MIT in today's NY Times:
M.I.T. Begins Season Ranked No. 1, and It's Not a Mathematical Error
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/sports/ncaabasketball/mit-enters-basketball-season-ranked-no-1-in-division-iii.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on November 15, 2012, 12:48:22 PM
Quote from: fanfromct on November 15, 2012, 12:46:36 PM
Nice article about MIT in today's NY Times:
M.I.T. Begins Season Ranked No. 1, and It's Not a Mathematical Error
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/sports/ncaabasketball/mit-enters-basketball-season-ranked-no-1-in-division-iii.html

Boston Herald fro yesterday too http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/basketball/view/20221114mit_excellence_hits_court_top-ranked_hoops_team_eyes_title/srvc=sports&position=also

the NYT article sheds some light on the injury situation for Jamie and Noel as well. Unfortunately seems to confirm the bad news.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 03:16:10 PM
There was never a question about the injuries, both Karraker and Hollingsworth are definitely injured.  It is the timetable that is still uncertain.  Coach Anderson is quoted as saying: ""We hope to get them back, but we don't know [when]".  Hollingsworth played all last season with two stress fractures in his foot, Karraker played with knee injuries last year.  Both had surgeries on those injuries in the offseason and are still recovering.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 09:40:38 PM
WPI and MIT both win comfortably tonight.

Was able to catch most of the MIT game online and although the game was very lopsided (MIT won by over 30), I thought MIT played a bit sloppy (although the stats may not reflect that).  They seemed to be a bit slow getting to loose balls and also gave up way too many offensive board.  Coach will definitely have plenty to work on. This is probably relective of the youth that is playing along with the 3 seniors, so it should improve as they get more experience and hopefully when Hollingsworth gets back.  All 3 seniors played very well.  Kates filled up the stat sheet, as usual, with 22 points (8-14 FG, 5-9 3s), 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and only 2 turnovers.  Burke had 18 points, all on 3s (6-11 3s) and Tashman added 15 points and 6 boards. A freshman, Justin Pedley, chipped in with 13.  Lesley played a zone most of the night, which didn't help their cause too much.  After a bit of ball movement, MIT was able to get open 3 after open 3, and ended the night 14-25 from behind the arc. They also held a double digit edge on the boards, assists, and were +5 on turnovers.

MIT plays at Gordon on Saturday.  Gordon is always a tought place to play, but MIT should take care of business.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 15, 2012, 09:51:54 PM
To answer the earlier question... the Division III basketball season has opened on November 15th for years... before that it was the second or third Friday of November (I can't remember which).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 10:03:49 PM
Thanks for confirming that.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 15, 2012, 10:15:59 PM
By the way in a first on the long-running Hoopsville, we had a coach join us before tip-off of his season... Larry Anderson who talked to us until 30 minutes prior to tip-off. I thank Coach Anderson for his time... we will have the archive of Hoopsville up and ready as soon as we can.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 15, 2012, 10:59:19 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 03:16:10 PM
There was never a question about the injuries ...

Just a question of what Hugenerd would allow people to say.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 11:06:14 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 15, 2012, 10:59:19 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 03:16:10 PM
There was never a question about the injuries ...

Just a question of what Hugenerd would allow people to say.

You have to bring this up again, the man asked my opinion and I told him. I thought your role on this website was to moderate, not instigate. You can keep dinging my karma all you want, I dont think I said anything wrong.  And I still don't think it is appropriate for the parent of a player to post team-related information (see Mr. Carr's elegant post earlier).  To me, that is similar to a player or coach posting, because obviously they will have inside information about the team, which the members of the team may not want shared.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 15, 2012, 11:21:12 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 11:06:14 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 15, 2012, 10:59:19 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 03:16:10 PM
There was never a question about the injuries ...

Just a question of what Hugenerd would allow people to say.

You have to bring this up again, the man asked my opinion and I told him. I thought your role on this website was to moderate, not instigate. You can keep dinging my karma all you want, I dont think I said anything wrong.  And I still don't think it is appropriate for the parent of a player to post team-related information (see Mr. Carr's elegant post earlier).  To me, that is similar to a player or coach posting, because obviously they will have inside information about the team, which the members of the team may not want shared.

Understood. But recall I have not delegated to you the role to decide what is appropriate, nor the opportunity to suppress discussion.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 11:26:01 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 15, 2012, 11:21:12 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 11:06:14 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 15, 2012, 10:59:19 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 03:16:10 PM
There was never a question about the injuries ...

Just a question of what Hugenerd would allow people to say.

You have to bring this up again, the man asked my opinion and I told him. I thought your role on this website was to moderate, not instigate. You can keep dinging my karma all you want, I dont think I said anything wrong.  And I still don't think it is appropriate for the parent of a player to post team-related information (see Mr. Carr's elegant post earlier).  To me, that is similar to a player or coach posting, because obviously they will have inside information about the team, which the members of the team may not want shared.

Understood. But recall I have not delegated to you the role to decide what is appropriate, nor the opportunity to suppress discussion.

I simply stated my opinion.  As you just said, I have no authority or official affiliation with this board, just a contributor like almost everyone else.  However, when someone asks what is bothering me (I forget the exact wording he used), I can tell them, whether it agrees with your opinion or not.  It seems to me you are trying to suppress my opinion even more so than what my comments intended to do so with his.  I have been dinged for about 30 karma points for that post, do you think we can just lay this to rest already? My opinion is just that, and it has not changed.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 15, 2012, 11:33:18 PM
I guess that means there must be about 27 other people who don't like it, or other posts.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 11:40:13 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 15, 2012, 11:33:18 PM
I guess that means there must be about 27 other people who don't like it, or other posts.

Or a few people really didnt like it and have been coming back often over the past month or so to ding me (I'm also pretty confident that you have the power to do whatever you want to karma, regardless of the 24 hour rule).  Which is perfectly fine with me, if that makes those people happy.

However, after how big a deal this was made out to be, I really don't care anymore.  BBallers, or anyone else affiliated closely with a program, can post anything they want, regardless of whether they were given that information in confidence.  I'll even reach out the olive branch and post something that no one else has even mentioned yet on this website regarding an MIT injury...MITs back-up point guard from last season, Paul Dawson, is also injured and did not play in either the Harvard game or tonight.  I wont speculate on the extent of the injury or when he'll be back, but maybe someone else can provide more information.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 15, 2012, 11:58:44 PM
Just listening to Hoopsville (great job as usual, Dave), and I think it is clear from Coach Anderson's answers what type of information he wanted shared regarding injuries.  In summary, he acknowledges the players are still coming back from surgery, but gives no specifics of time tables.  I may have worded my original post much stronger, but essentially the information he shared and withheld was at the heart of what I was trying to say. If the coach does not want that information shared, I don't think others should share when they have received that information in trust from the program (whatever those means may be). I also don't want you to think I am going back on my statement from my last post, I am beyond caring at this point, but just thought I would give it one last shot to explain my opinion.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on November 16, 2012, 08:00:59 AM
I'm apologize for mentioning anything about the injury scenario again, I didn't mean to revive this argument. The only reason I posted it was it was the first time I, as a person with very minimal connections with the basketball team, read any information directly from "the horse's mouth" (Noel and Coach Anderson themselves) so to speak about the injuries at all. Thus, for me, it was the first time I considered it "confirmed" and no longer only something I read on these boards.

Glad to see the team get off to a strong start last night, and begin to build confidence for this season!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 16, 2012, 10:03:55 AM
Moving to basketball........................very pleased with WPI's effort last night.  Had no idea what to expect against a pretty good Castleton State team.  The sophomores (Coppola and Longwell) did what sophomores are supposed to do - and stepped up big time.

Didn't see any of the game but pump[ed about the articles/recapps etc..........

VERY telling early game against Keene State tomorrow.  I live in Little East country now and that group seems to think very highly of Keene this year........
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 16, 2012, 11:11:17 AM
Keene struggled a bit with Husson last night, trailing by as many as 15 in the first half.  The composed themselves, and ended up winning by double-digits, but it will be interesting to see how the game with WPI plays out.  I am hoping for a WPI victory.

Some big games tonight on slate also, as CGA plays a strong Salem State team, Wheaton takes on UMD, Springfield matches up against Becker, and Clark tips off against Bowdoin.  I have no real barometer on how CGA, Clark, or Wheaton will be this year. I know Springfield is bringing back some major pieces, hopefully they perform well out of conference.  Anyone have any other insight on returning/incoming players?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on November 16, 2012, 01:01:02 PM
Watched about 2/3s of the WPI game and they handled themselves well.  Got up by 7 or 8 and kept the cushion pretty much throughout the game.  Too much size for CS and did a pretty good job of protecting the ball despite the style of game.    Castleton's style is so rag tag, full court pressure the entire game just trying to get turnovers and increase the number of shots.  There was a dead ball right around the 17 minute mark of the first half and I realized that 3 mins into the game Castleton had already substituted all 5 guys three times already.  As a fan, it's a frustrating style to watch because it adds about 5 mins to each half where guys are coming on/off the floor. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 16, 2012, 09:58:38 PM
Good night for the NEWMAC...three close wins and one blowout loss, in a game CGA really didnt have a shot at winning.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 17, 2012, 12:02:44 PM
Quote from: rlk on November 10, 2012, 12:45:57 AM
Well, no magic upset of Harvard, I'm afraid.  But 69-54 isn't typical of a D3 team losing to a D1, even if Harvard isn't quite what it was last year.  Even without Holligsworth and Karraker, MIT definitely belonged on the same court.  Harvard's probably going to beat a few D1 teams by more than 15 points.

Harvard beat Manhattan last night, 79-45.  So I'm halfway there :-)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 17, 2012, 07:44:30 PM
Another great day for the NEWMAC, as every member won (7-0) today. The conference is a combined 10-1 on the young season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on November 18, 2012, 10:18:45 AM
MIT got a great shot from Gordon last night.  The Gordon crowd was electric and pumped the home team up rising with every shot.  The gym was literally rocking when Thomas hit the three to tie the game at the half at 30 all.  Gordon shot 75% from 3 in the first half compared to MIT 0-9 - partly from great shooting and partly from the inability of MIT to close perimeter shooters and clear rebounds effectively. 

For Gordon, Dempsey was terrific all night, face mask and all.  He has a nice midrange game, takes it well to the basket and can go outside when needed for the long ball.  The crowd went ballistic when the freshman Schuman came in and he made some exciting blocks and is fun to watch helping the terrific atmosphere in Bennet Gym.

For MIT, Kates and Tashman where dominant and you got the feeling they were never going to let Gordon get over the hump.  Although Kates had a poor shooting night from 3 (2-10) he was unstoppable inside the circle either scoring at will or dishing when the help came finishing with 23 on 9-19.  Tashman was double and triple teamed whenever he touched the ball and made big shots late.  Andrew Acker played the best of the rest as his line of 4-4 from the field with no turnovers was a bright spot

Moving forward MIT will need more from the inexperienced players to beat better teams.  They appear to be reluctant to step up at this point but until the troops get healthy they are needed.  Kates runs the offense beautifully getting everyone involved but without production it is left on his shoulders late as it was in the playoffs last year. 

Overall a GREAT game to watch and a nice learning experience for this team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 19, 2012, 09:32:15 AM
A few days late on this, but congrats to Will Tashman for reaching the 1000 point mark for his career (which he accomplished in the season opener against Lesley). My guess is that they will honor him at tomorrow night's home opener (first 2 games were on the road). He is now at 1026 career points, which currently puts him at #23 on the MIT all-time list (teammate Mitch Kates has 1292 points currently and is 11th on the career list). Tashman eclipsed 750 career rebounds in the following game against Gordon (currently at 759).  Mitch Kates' 12 assists through the first two games of the season brings him to 434, which ties him for 3rd all-time with former point guard Bradley Gampel.  He is also now just 2 steals shy of 200 for his career (Kates already holds the MIT all-time mark for steals).


Great week(end) overall for the NEWMAC, as the teams went for a combined mark of 13-1.  Hopefully this keeps up and the out-of-conference overall record shows how strong the conference is this year, top-to-bottom.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 19, 2012, 11:29:30 AM
Can't tell you how impressed I am by WPI's 2-0 start.  Would have paid for 1-1.

I am the first to get on Coach for some bad game time decisions etc......but I am in awe of how he has been able to reload year after year.  I know recruiting builds on itself and it is a little easier sell when you are talking about stacking up 20 win seasons and NCAA trips etc.....but kudos to Bartley and crew for truly building a power program.

Way to go NEWMAC!!!!!!!!!!!!  Keep it rolling.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on November 23, 2012, 12:54:06 PM
I thought Emerson was joining the NEWMAC.  What happened?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on November 23, 2012, 04:04:20 PM
Quote from: T990 on November 23, 2012, 12:54:06 PM
I thought Emerson was joining the NEWMAC.  What happened?

Next year. see: http://www.newmacsports.com/landing/2011-12_News/expansion/2012_Emerson

From the article: "The Presidents' Council voted unanimously to extend an invitation for membership to Emerson and the College will join the NEWMAC for the 2013-14 academic year, sponsoring teams in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball."
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 24, 2012, 12:21:31 AM
WPI89

Yes, I also am very glad to see the Engineers get off to good start.  I have not been able to get to any of the games yet, but have watched some of each of the games on the web.  Coppola has stepped into the #1 offensive role and produced in a big way.  Longwell has also stepped his game up and shot very well.  The young PG (Aaron Davis) has struggled at times, but seems to be settling down more with each game.

Wesoloski & Kolb have done very well giving a solid presence inside so far. While they do not provide the shot blocking threat that Carr/Galloway gave WPI, they must continue to improve though as I believe it will be defense that will determine how successful the season will be.  This is especially true on the inside when conference play ramps up.  Even with out Hollingsworth, MIT still Has Tashman and other big bodies.  Clark has Vayda back playing very well and 2nd Team all-conference center DJ Bailey.  Babson is seeing a transiton to having their center (Wickey - 22ppg) as the main cog in their offensive machine.

Based on what I have seen so far, it's obvious the young freshmen bigs are not yet ready to big contributors.  I am also a bit concerned about Coppola's ability to play a full season.  He missed a few games with leg/foot issues and he eluded to still having them in the post game interview on opening night.  So far it has not affected his play, but its a long season and he is averaging just under 33 minutes so far.  I will say I was surprised to see him lose out to Alex Berthiaume for the initial Player of the Week award.

Hopefully WPI's winning ways will continue tomorrow as they face a Becker squad that beat them 2 years ago and the Engineers beat by only 5 last season.

Mr. Carr

I thoroughly enjoyed watching your son grow from a young reserve to a Josten's Finalist.  You and your wife should indeed be very proud of his accomplishments on & off the court.  I am very glad to hear he found a good job as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 25, 2012, 12:05:36 PM
Curry provided a stiff challenge for MIT yesterday.  Curry maintained a lead of 3-8 points for most of the first half until about the middle of the second, when MIT went on a run to take a lead that reached 11 points.  Curry played tough the rest of the way, but MIT hung on.

Some of the problem was cold shooting in the first half, but it looked to me like Curry was able to take MIT out of its offensive rotation for a while.  Two freshmen started (Justin Pedley, who has been getting a lot of starts and minutes lately, and Russell Johnson).  Andrew Acker had a nice game off the bench.

It's very evident how much we lose with Karraker and Hollingsworth out.  Jimmy Burke is a good shooter, but he isn't Karraker, and I don't need to tell anyone here what Hollingsworth provides.  Mitch Kates has led our scoring every game.  We have a tough schedule coming up, with Tufts and Rhode Island College this week and some other tough non-conference opponents before we start conference play in January.  A couple of promising signs, though, are our defensive stops (Curry had been averaging about 90 ppg, and their three explosive scorers, A. J. Stephens, Sedale Jones, and Lambros Papalambros, were held to 11, 8, and 12 points respectively) and our younger players (Acker, Dennis Levene, and Matt Redfield are all sophomores, in addition to freshmen Pedley and Johnson).

My game photos: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Curry-Mens-20121124/26703072_9tVJM4#!i=2234395844&k=9gh36s7
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 26, 2012, 08:57:43 AM
Great holiday weekend for the NEWMAC - with 5 of the 7 teams still undefeated - and the top end looking strong!

Anybody have any thoughts on the Grinnell situation?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 26, 2012, 09:40:28 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 26, 2012, 08:57:43 AM
Anybody have any thoughts on the Grinnell situation?

Read Jack Taylor (RIC coach) here: http://deadspin.com/5962514/d+iii-players-138-point+game-is-a-sham-record-and-shouldnt-be-celebrated-by-anyone

As I commented on Facebook, I have to agree here. This record is a joke. Given that the opponent (Faith Baptist Bible College) isn't even in the NCAA, I don't think it should count.

The entire game plan here was to get Taylor the ball outside for the three, to the point where he wasn't even supposed to get back on D, and other Grinnell players who got O-boards kicked it back out to him rather than go for the easy putback. The video highlights made it look like he wasn't even getting contested for the 3. One of Faith Baptist's players himself had 70 points, suggesting at least a tacit agreement.

They do win quite a few games (usually with outlandish scores), and they've won their conference regular season several times, but by my count, they haven't actually won their conference since 2001 and they apparently haven't won an NCAA tournament game, period. This kind of silliness isn't going to work against a good team. I'd pay to watch them play a really good (D3) team from that region, like UW-Whitewater or Illinois Wesleyan (or, of course, any of the strong NE teams). The results would not be pretty.

I wouldn't even call it an exhibition.  A staged shootaround is a better description.

And speaking of RIC, I expect them to pose a stiff challenge indeed to MIT Thursday night.  We'll have to step up our game against the Anchormen.  And we have Tufts tomorrow night, which will be another very tough one.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 26, 2012, 10:22:15 AM
Agree RLK - seemed like a silly game and Grinnell has pulled this stuff in the past - just never to that level clearly.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 26, 2012, 02:33:19 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 26, 2012, 10:22:15 AM
Agree RLK - seemed like a silly game and Grinnell has pulled this stuff in the past - just never to that level clearly.

They pulled it last year against Principia, which is a D3 school but which finished 0-25 for the season (even Caltech did better than that :-) ).  Griffin Lentsch scored 89 points.  From what I can tell, Lentsch is genuinely a good player.  They pulled it in 1998 (the record before Lentsch was also set by Grinnell).  Looking at how many FT's he shot (22), I don't think Principia was very happy about it (and I notice they're not on each other's schedules this year).  Taylor only shot 10 against Faith, suggesting they weren't even really trying to stop him.

Regardless, it makes D3 look like a circus.  That, we can do without.

http://d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2011-12/boxscores/20111119_cx5w.xml
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 26, 2012, 02:43:10 PM
First in season top 25 this evening, correct?  Can't find too many losses with the pre-season top teams, so not much room to break in I don't think.  Hopefully WPI moves up the "others" list.

Everyone think MIT stays 1 all year - or do they need to start put a hurting on some of the inferior teams?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on November 26, 2012, 03:00:16 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 26, 2012, 02:43:10 PM
First in season top 25 this evening, correct?  Can't find too many losses with the pre-season top teams, so not much room to break in I don't think.  Hopefully WPI moves up the "others" list.

Everyone think MIT stays 1 all year - or do they need to start put a hurting on some of the inferior teams?

On the Top 25 topic ( http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=4097.7125 ) I had posted records as of the 11/21.  There had been 10 teams that had already lost a game at that point.  I know some others lost again (Wesleyan for example) in the last couple days so I'm guessing there may be 5 new teams that make the list. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 26, 2012, 04:21:26 PM
Quote from: rlk on November 25, 2012, 12:05:36 PM
Jimmy Burke is a good shooter, but he isn't Karraker, and I don't need to tell anyone here what Hollingsworth provides. 

I agree with the Hollingsworth sentiment, but don't really understand your comment about Burke.  So far this season, Burke is shooting essentially the same percentage from 3 that Karraker did last year (actually slightly better), he's averaging twice as many assists, fewer turnovers, is getting to the line at 6 times the rate Karraker was last season (drawing more fouls), and all that in about the same number of minutes a game (2 minutes less per game than Karraker).  Karraker just shot more (8.2 3s attempted per game to Burke's 5.8), so he made about one more 3 per game. You can never have enough shooters on your team, but I think Burke has done a great job in filling in for the loss of Karraker.  The one guy you can't replace, though, is Hollingsworth.  Hopefully he and Karraker's recovery from their off season surgeries will continue to progress and we will see them in time to get into some sort of game shape before the games that really count.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 26, 2012, 05:12:47 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 26, 2012, 02:43:10 PM
First in season top 25 this evening, correct?  Can't find too many losses with the pre-season top teams, so not much room to break in I don't think.  Hopefully WPI moves up the "others" list.

Everyone think MIT stays 1 all year - or do they need to start put a hurting on some of the inferior teams?

First poll is tonight, yes. I have heard from one voter who won't have a ballot in until later tonight so there might be a delay in the poll posting.

Even without losses, there's always the chance for some No. 1 votes to change hands. Four ballot yet to come in and it is going to be another tight top three.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 26, 2012, 08:57:15 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 26, 2012, 04:21:26 PM
Quote from: rlk on November 25, 2012, 12:05:36 PM
Jimmy Burke is a good shooter, but he isn't Karraker, and I don't need to tell anyone here what Hollingsworth provides. 

I agree with the Hollingsworth sentiment, but don't really understand your comment about Burke.  So far this season, Burke is shooting essentially the same percentage from 3 that Karraker did last year (actually slightly better), he's averaging twice as many assists, fewer turnovers, is getting to the line at 6 times the rate Karraker was last season (drawing more fouls), and all that in about the same number of minutes a game (2 minutes less per game than Karraker).  Karraker just shot more (8.2 3s attempted per game to Burke's 5.8), so he made about one more 3 per game. You can never have enough shooters on your team, but I think Burke has done a great job in filling in for the loss of Karraker.  The one guy you can't replace, though, is Hollingsworth.  Hopefully he and Karraker's recovery from their off season surgeries will continue to progress and we will see them in time to get into some sort of game shape before the games that really count.

From the two games I've seen (Harvard and Curry), it appeared to me that Burke has a harder time getting open than Karraker.  It might be the size difference (Burke is 5'10", Karraker is 6'4").  That may explain the difference in attempts.  It was my impression at Harvard that Karraker would have been more effective at spreading the floor.  But that's just how it looked to me.

Then again, going through my photos, I did see a nice drive to the rim by Burke through heavy traffic, and if I remember correctly, he made it (he certainly got the shot off cleanly).

Hollingsworth is definitely not the sort of player you run into in D3 that much, and Harvard's bigs would have had a lot tougher of a time blocking his hook.  I don't think Curry could have effectively defended him without leaving somebody else wide open.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on November 26, 2012, 10:47:45 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 26, 2012, 02:43:10 PM
First in season top 25 this evening, correct?  Can't find too many losses with the pre-season top teams, so not much room to break in I don't think.  Hopefully WPI moves up the "others" list.

Everyone think MIT stays 1 all year - or do they need to start put a hurting on some of the inferior teams?

Considering I think they'll lose to RIC Thursday (RIC is playing better and the Murray Center is extremely tough to win at), they may only be #1 for the next 6.5 days.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on November 26, 2012, 11:51:20 PM
New D3hoops Top 25 poll is out. MIT still #1 with 10 first place votes and 600 points. WPI in the ORV category is #33 with 28 points.  Here's the link:    http://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2012-13/week1     
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 27, 2012, 12:11:45 AM
Quote from: magicman on November 26, 2012, 11:51:20 PM
New D3hoops Top 25 poll is out. MIT still #1 with 10 first place votes and 600 points. WPI in the ORV category is #33 with 28 points.  Here's the link:    http://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2012-13/week1   

MIT lost 2 first place votes, but picked up 6 points overall to stay a single point ahead of VWU.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on November 27, 2012, 12:21:06 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 27, 2012, 12:11:45 AM
Quote from: magicman on November 26, 2012, 11:51:20 PM
New D3hoops Top 25 poll is out. MIT still #1 with 10 first place votes and 600 points. WPI in the ORV category is #33 with 28 points.  Here's the link:    http://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2012-13/week1   

MIT lost 2 first place votes, but picked up 6 points overall to stay a single point ahead of VWU.

I wondered if they lost or gained 1st place votes or points. I looked for the preseason poll for that info before I posted, but didn't see a link for it. I figured you would come on and let us know the score though. Thanks.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 27, 2012, 12:26:42 AM
Quote from: rlk on November 26, 2012, 08:57:15 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 26, 2012, 04:21:26 PM
Quote from: rlk on November 25, 2012, 12:05:36 PM
Jimmy Burke is a good shooter, but he isn't Karraker, and I don't need to tell anyone here what Hollingsworth provides. 

I agree with the Hollingsworth sentiment, but don't really understand your comment about Burke.  So far this season, Burke is shooting essentially the same percentage from 3 that Karraker did last year (actually slightly better), he's averaging twice as many assists, fewer turnovers, is getting to the line at 6 times the rate Karraker was last season (drawing more fouls), and all that in about the same number of minutes a game (2 minutes less per game than Karraker).  Karraker just shot more (8.2 3s attempted per game to Burke's 5.8), so he made about one more 3 per game. You can never have enough shooters on your team, but I think Burke has done a great job in filling in for the loss of Karraker.  The one guy you can't replace, though, is Hollingsworth.  Hopefully he and Karraker's recovery from their off season surgeries will continue to progress and we will see them in time to get into some sort of game shape before the games that really count.

From the two games I've seen (Harvard and Curry), it appeared to me that Burke has a harder time getting open than Karraker.  It might be the size difference (Burke is 5'10", Karraker is 6'4").  That may explain the difference in attempts.  It was my impression at Harvard that Karraker would have been more effective at spreading the floor.  But that's just how it looked to me.

Then again, going through my photos, I did see a nice drive to the rim by Burke through heavy traffic, and if I remember correctly, he made it (he certainly got the shot off cleanly).

Hollingsworth is definitely not the sort of player you run into in D3 that much, and Harvard's bigs would have had a lot tougher of a time blocking his hook.  I don't think Curry could have effectively defended him without leaving somebody else wide open.

You also have to take into account that Karraker was playing with Hollingsworth, who draws a lot of double teams and is not averse to kicking the ball out to open perimeter shooters, which may have helped get Karraker some more open looks. They are both great shooters, but Karraker is more a pure spot shooter, while Burke also has the ability to play some point and create his own shot off the dribble. Karraker is clearly a good player, and has had a tremendous career so far, but I just like Burke's game overall.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 27, 2012, 12:29:15 AM
Quote from: magicman on November 27, 2012, 12:21:06 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 27, 2012, 12:11:45 AM
Quote from: magicman on November 26, 2012, 11:51:20 PM
New D3hoops Top 25 poll is out. MIT still #1 with 10 first place votes and 600 points. WPI in the ORV category is #33 with 28 points.  Here's the link:    http://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2012-13/week1   

MIT lost 2 first place votes, but picked up 6 points overall to stay a single point ahead of VWU.

I wondered if they lost or gained 1st place votes or points. I looked for the preseason poll for that info before I posted, but didn't see a link for it. I figured you would come on and let us know the score though. Thanks.

I couldn't find the link either, but swapped out 'week1' for 'preseason' and it got me to the page I was looking for:

http://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2012-13/preseason
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 27, 2012, 12:39:44 AM
Quote from: magicman on November 26, 2012, 11:51:20 PM
New D3hoops Top 25 poll is out. MIT still #1 with 10 first place votes and 600 points. WPI in the ORV category is #33 with 28 points.  Here's the link:    http://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2012-13/week1   

Springfield also receiving votes with 7 (ORV #44).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 27, 2012, 09:18:44 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 27, 2012, 12:26:42 AM
Quote from: rlk on November 26, 2012, 08:57:15 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 26, 2012, 04:21:26 PM
Quote from: rlk on November 25, 2012, 12:05:36 PM
Jimmy Burke is a good shooter, but he isn't Karraker, and I don't need to tell anyone here what Hollingsworth provides. 

I agree with the Hollingsworth sentiment, but don't really understand your comment about Burke.  So far this season, Burke is shooting essentially the same percentage from 3 that Karraker did last year (actually slightly better), he's averaging twice as many assists, fewer turnovers, is getting to the line at 6 times the rate Karraker was last season (drawing more fouls), and all that in about the same number of minutes a game (2 minutes less per game than Karraker).  Karraker just shot more (8.2 3s attempted per game to Burke's 5.8), so he made about one more 3 per game. You can never have enough shooters on your team, but I think Burke has done a great job in filling in for the loss of Karraker.  The one guy you can't replace, though, is Hollingsworth.  Hopefully he and Karraker's recovery from their off season surgeries will continue to progress and we will see them in time to get into some sort of game shape before the games that really count.

From the two games I've seen (Harvard and Curry), it appeared to me that Burke has a harder time getting open than Karraker.  It might be the size difference (Burke is 5'10", Karraker is 6'4").  That may explain the difference in attempts.  It was my impression at Harvard that Karraker would have been more effective at spreading the floor.  But that's just how it looked to me.

Then again, going through my photos, I did see a nice drive to the rim by Burke through heavy traffic, and if I remember correctly, he made it (he certainly got the shot off cleanly).

Hollingsworth is definitely not the sort of player you run into in D3 that much, and Harvard's bigs would have had a lot tougher of a time blocking his hook.  I don't think Curry could have effectively defended him without leaving somebody else wide open.

You also have to take into account that Karraker was playing with Hollingsworth, who draws a lot of double teams and is not averse to kicking the ball out to open perimeter shooters, which may have helped get Karraker some more open looks. They are both great shooters, but Karraker is more a pure spot shooter, while Burke also has the ability to play some point and create his own shot off the dribble. Karraker is clearly a good player, and has had a tremendous career so far, but I just like Burke's game overall.
I agree that Karraker's extra 6 inches in height helps him in getting his shots.  Burke is the better dribbler and I'm happy to see him attack the defense off the dribble so defenders will hopefully open more space up within their defensive scheme.  IMHO, this space is critical for Burke to get his open looks.

I hope all of the talk regarding MIT's game with RIC is not distracting to for tonight's game against Tufts (potential trap game?).  I'm sure Coach Anderson will not allow this to happen.  Does anyone have any updates on the Tufts team?  I believe MIT has beaten Tufts the last 4 years, but Tufts won something like ten years in a row before that.  The Tufts team appears to be well coached (as is MIT's team) and last year's away game was very close.  This Tufts game may also be a benchmark game in discussions with Amherst, Middlebury, Williams, etc.  I'm sure Tufts will give their best effort.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pick and roll on November 27, 2012, 09:34:59 PM
New to Boards - saw MIT beat Tufts by 10 tonight - wondering if both Hollingsworth and Karraker are expected back this year?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on November 27, 2012, 10:04:39 PM
Quote from: pick and roll on November 27, 2012, 09:34:59 PM
New to Boards - saw MIT beat Tufts by 10 tonight - wondering if both Hollingsworth and Karraker are expected back this year?

I'm a Western student and LEC fan, so take this with a grain of salt, BUT....what I heard is that both are probably out until the 2nd half of the season (January/February) and if they do indeed comeback who knows how effective they'll even be.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pick and roll on November 27, 2012, 10:37:53 PM
Thanks - Tufts is a middle of the pack NESCAC team.  MIT will be a much different team this year without those two guys.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 28, 2012, 12:13:48 AM
Just keep in mind that Hollingsworth played the entire season last year with the injury that he had surgery on and is keeping him out now.  Averaging 17 points and 7 boards a game, going for 37 against Farmingdale in the playoffs, and so on, all done with the injury.  From what I have heard, he did not even practice last year, just played in games.  Yet, he was still effective.  From what it sounds like, they are in no rush to get him on the court right now, just letting him heal and giving him as much time as possible, but I have a hard time believing that he won't be playing when it counts.  And if he does play, he will be effective.  His game has never been dependent on athleticism anyway.  For anyone who has seen him play, he does not need to jump high or run fast to be effective.  He knows how to get position in the post and once he gets it in there he goes to work.  And if you leave him alone on the perimeter, he will consistently knock down one of the ugliest looking shots you've probably ever seen. There is nothing fancy about his game, the only word I can use to describe it is effective.

On the bright side, his current absence opens up about 30-35 minutes a game for all the young bigs on the team to get some experience, which will be invaluable come later in the season.  Outside of Tashman, every other big man MIT has is a freshman or sophomore with very limited game experience. In the current rotation, no player outside of Kates and Tashman has more than one year of experience playing for MIT.  With that said, MIT is still an extremely good team with the active roster they have now (don't forget that backup PG Paul Dawson has also been out the first few games), but when they get everyone back they will really be something special.  Hopefully none of the guys that are out suffer any more setbacks and get a chance to make another run at a conference and national championship.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
The NYTimes article describes the injuries in more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/sports/ncaabasketball/mit-enters-basketball-season-ranked-no-1-in-division-iii.html

I just can't imagine a guy being able to come back within the same year from TWO microfracture surgeries, so I'd imagine Karraker playing this year is a long shot.  A fractured foot repair is no picnic either, normally I'd say there is no way that someone could contribute in the same year as that type of surgery, but based on what Hugenerd is saying, sounds like Hollingsworth is used to playing through pain and that he may be effective even though limited to some degree.  If he can approximate the production he gave last year when he returns, suddenly MIT is a very different team.  As of now, relying way too much on two guys to produce, but I don't see many teams on their schedule who will provide a lot of competition, so if they can go, say, 2-1 vs. RIC and the two WPI games, and get Hollingsworth back for the post-season, they could easily have their full squad together and be well-positioned with a top seed.  New England just seems to be very, very top heavy this year, based on early results, so I expect that Albertus Magnus, Williams, Midd, Amherst and MIT will all post gaudy win-loss records.  I'm not sure who is less inclined to schedule the other (and maybe none of them want to play each other), but it would be nice if, one of these years, MIT played one or more of the top three from NESCAC. 

Still, I wouldn't rank MIT above Wisconsin-Whitewater or Virginia Wesleyan, both of whom, at this point, have just as much elite talent but more balance, at least until if and when Hollingsworth returns. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 28, 2012, 09:53:11 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
The NYTimes article describes the injuries in more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/sports/ncaabasketball/mit-enters-basketball-season-ranked-no-1-in-division-iii.html

I just can't imagine a guy being able to come back within the same year from TWO microfracture surgeries, so I'd imagine Karraker playing this year is a long shot.  A fractured foot repair is no picnic either, normally I'd say there is no way that someone could contribute in the same year as that type of surgery, but based on what Hugenerd is saying, sounds like Hollingsworth is used to playing through pain and that he may be effective even though limited to some degree.  If he can approximate the production he gave last year when he returns, suddenly MIT is a very different team.  As of now, relying way too much on two guys to produce, but I don't see many teams on their schedule who will provide a lot of competition, so if they can go, say, 2-1 vs. RIC and the two WPI games, and get Hollingsworth back for the post-season, they could easily have their full squad together and be well-positioned with a top seed.  New England just seems to be very, very top heavy this year, based on early results, so I expect that Albertus Magnus, Williams, Midd, Amherst and MIT will all post gaudy win-loss records.  I'm not sure who is less inclined to schedule the other (and maybe none of them want to play each other), but it would be nice if, one of these years, MIT played one or more of the top three from NESCAC. 

Still, I wouldn't rank MIT above Wisconsin-Whitewater or Virginia Wesleyan, both of whom, at this point, have just as much elite talent but more balance, at least until if and when Hollingsworth returns.

I'm familiar with the article.  It would be great if they can get Karraker back, but I feel more comfortable with them being able to replace his production than Hollingsworth's.  If Noel gets back this year, I like MIT's chances against anyone.  As I said in my previous posts, he is a very tough guy, and if it is possible for him to be on the court when it counts, he will be.

If you listen to Dave McHugh's interview of Coach Anderson from earlier this season, it sheds some light on the reason for not scheduling some teams, in his own words.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pick and roll on November 28, 2012, 05:48:02 PM
So is WPI the favorite with the Engineers dinged up?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 28, 2012, 08:21:54 PM
Quote from: pick and roll on November 28, 2012, 05:48:02 PM
So is WPI the favorite with the Engineers dinged up?

I know what you mean, but this is still confusing.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pick and roll on November 28, 2012, 09:18:25 PM
Sorry - to confuse - I guess it was a trick question. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 28, 2012, 11:05:17 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
I wouldn't rank MIT above Wisconsin-Whitewater or Virginia Wesleyan, both of whom, at this point, have just as much elite talent but more balance, at least until if and when Hollingsworth returns.

Also, not sure what has jumped out and impressed you so much about VWU and UWW...they both have 2 single digit wins against teams that had losing records last year, with at least one of those games at home. Neither team has shown any more consistency than MIT, but they don't seem to be getting questioned as much.

Meanwhile, MIT is doing exactly what they did last year, similar margins, similar scoring, similarly stingy defense, even without Hollingsworth or Karraker.  Last year they beat Curry and Tufts by 5 and 4, respectively, and they ended up doing alright for the season. This year they are missing half their upper classmen and still doing fine. I really don't think their goal is to go out there and blow every team out...as long as they are winning, I wouldn't get too excited about only winning by 8 or 10 points.

Anyway, should be a good test for the team on the road tomorrow night. Hopefully they can replicate their last result against RIC on their court...which was a win in the first round of the NCAAs Bartolotta's senior year (a year before Kates, Tashman, and Hollingsworth arrived, which I believe may have been Karraker's freshman season).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 28, 2012, 11:16:23 PM
You're kind of cherry-picking your stats here. VWC also has a win against a team that played in the national title game and UWW beat IWU on the road last night.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 28, 2012, 11:34:43 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 28, 2012, 11:16:23 PM
You're kind of cherry-picking your stats here. VWC also has a win against a team that played in the national title game and UWW beat IWU on the road last night.

First off, I didn't quote any stats, just made a true statement (they both do have single digit  wins against teams with losing records last year). Also, I didn't say they didn't have good wins, I said they haven't been consistent. You might expect a bit wider margin than 8 and 6 against two teams that had losing records last year, right after you beat the national runner up by 37. And you know as well as I do that said national runner up doesn't have a lot of the same cast on the court so far this season.  UWWs win last night was definitely a big one, but would not have been considered for the last poll, so going into the last poll they would have had 3 wins, 2 of them by single digits against teams with losing records last year, but I don't remember their ranking being questioned too much.  Either way, I did not mean to put down those teams with my comments, obviously very good teams...the overall message from my post was more about not scrutinizing MIT so much.  Sure, they have some injuries, a close win or two, but they are doing just as well as last year and things worked out pretty well for them then.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 28, 2012, 11:55:02 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 28, 2012, 11:34:43 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 28, 2012, 11:16:23 PM
You're kind of cherry-picking your stats here. VWC also has a win against a team that played in the national title game and UWW beat IWU on the road last night.

First off, I didn't quote any stats, just made a true statement (they both do have single digit  wins against teams with losing records last year).

That is the definition of cherry picking, just picking the one that fits your theory instead of the big picture.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on November 29, 2012, 12:11:46 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
The NYTimes article describes the injuries in more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/sports/ncaabasketball/mit-enters-basketball-season-ranked-no-1-in-division-iii.html

I just can't imagine a guy being able to come back within the same year from TWO microfracture surgeries, so I'd imagine Karraker playing this year is a long shot.  A fractured foot repair is no picnic either, normally I'd say there is no way that someone could contribute in the same year as that type of surgery, but based on what Hugenerd is saying, sounds like Hollingsworth is used to playing through pain and that he may be effective even though limited to some degree.  If he can approximate the production he gave last year when he returns, suddenly MIT is a very different team.  As of now, relying way too much on two guys to produce, but I don't see many teams on their schedule who will provide a lot of competition, so if they can go, say, 2-1 vs. RIC and the two WPI games, and get Hollingsworth back for the post-season, they could easily have their full squad together and be well-positioned with a top seed.  New England just seems to be very, very top heavy this year, based on early results, so I expect that Albertus Magnus, Williams, Midd, Amherst and MIT will all post gaudy win-loss records.  I'm not sure who is less inclined to schedule the other (and maybe none of them want to play each other), but it would be nice if, one of these years, MIT played one or more of the top three from NESCAC. 

Still, I wouldn't rank MIT above Wisconsin-Whitewater or Virginia Wesleyan, both of whom, at this point, have just as much elite talent but more balance, at least until if and when Hollingsworth returns.
I think everyone should assume that neither Hollingsworth nor Karraker will play this season.  I have truly enjoyed watching Hollingsworth play for MIT....smart, tough, very unorthodox in some ways, great hands and deft touch...truly a very unique D3 big guy who proved every time out that it's not necessarily who is "athletic' it's who knows how to play.   Having said that if they can only get one of them back, I'd prefer Karraker.  One of the things that MIT does this year ( and the reason, I think that Kates is scoring 20+ per game) is keeping the middle more open...more lanes for Kates and more opportunities for him to slash.  They won't have that with Noel in there....he clogs the middle, he's effective yes, but lessens the dynamism of Kates becuase if he is in there he has to have the ball...otherwise not much purpose...hence Kates has to defer which is an advantage to the opposition.
What they are missing on this year's team so far is a knock down shooter who will help spread the floor even more....that's where Karraker comes in.  Jimmy Burke is a fine player and very valuable....but contrary to what some have stated he is NOT adept at creating his own show and at 5'8" does not present the problems that the 6'5"  Karraker, also a catch and shoot guy, does.  Until one of their guys,,,maybe Pedley, maybe Johnson, mature enough to spread out and knock it down consistently MIT has somewhat of a lower ceiling without Karraker....and this would be true with or without the reappearance of Hollingsworth.  Truly, who would you rather be center your offense around?  Mitch or Noel?  It's a no brainer IMHO
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 29, 2012, 12:29:17 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 28, 2012, 11:55:02 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 28, 2012, 11:34:43 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 28, 2012, 11:16:23 PM
You're kind of cherry-picking your stats here. VWC also has a win against a team that played in the national title game and UWW beat IWU on the road last night.

First off, I didn't quote any stats, just made a true statement (they both do have single digit  wins against teams with losing records last year).

That is the definition of cherry picking, just picking the one that fits your theory instead of the big picture.

That depends on how you interpret the intent of my post.  If you interpret my post as trying to discredit VWU or UWW, then yes, in the case of VWU, there is the contradictory information about their win over Cabrini.  However, as of the last poll, I would not consider my comments as cherry picking with regard to UWW, because there really was not contradictory information to the statement.  In any case, though, my intent was not to discredit those programs' rankings, but to draw a comparison to MIT.  My initial comment of "Also, not sure what has jumped out and impressed you so much about VWU and UWW" was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, as it is the type of response MIT has been getting on the boards so far.  Therefore, my comment was a true statement drawing a parallel to the MIT squad.  I was just trying to make a point that the teams are not all that dissimilar, based on their results so far this season.  If MIT is able to pull off a win on the road at RIC tomorrow, they will be even more similar, as I would consider a win at RIC comparable to a win over Cabrini (#21 ranking vs. ORV #27). You are obviously free to interpet it as you may, but that was my intent. I wasn't trying to put down any team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 29, 2012, 01:15:51 AM
Quote from: remsleep on November 29, 2012, 12:11:46 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
The NYTimes article describes the injuries in more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/sports/ncaabasketball/mit-enters-basketball-season-ranked-no-1-in-division-iii.html

I just can't imagine a guy being able to come back within the same year from TWO microfracture surgeries, so I'd imagine Karraker playing this year is a long shot.  A fractured foot repair is no picnic either, normally I'd say there is no way that someone could contribute in the same year as that type of surgery, but based on what Hugenerd is saying, sounds like Hollingsworth is used to playing through pain and that he may be effective even though limited to some degree.  If he can approximate the production he gave last year when he returns, suddenly MIT is a very different team.  As of now, relying way too much on two guys to produce, but I don't see many teams on their schedule who will provide a lot of competition, so if they can go, say, 2-1 vs. RIC and the two WPI games, and get Hollingsworth back for the post-season, they could easily have their full squad together and be well-positioned with a top seed.  New England just seems to be very, very top heavy this year, based on early results, so I expect that Albertus Magnus, Williams, Midd, Amherst and MIT will all post gaudy win-loss records.  I'm not sure who is less inclined to schedule the other (and maybe none of them want to play each other), but it would be nice if, one of these years, MIT played one or more of the top three from NESCAC. 

Still, I wouldn't rank MIT above Wisconsin-Whitewater or Virginia Wesleyan, both of whom, at this point, have just as much elite talent but more balance, at least until if and when Hollingsworth returns.
I think everyone should assume that neither Hollingsworth nor Karraker will play this season.  I have truly enjoyed watching Hollingsworth play for MIT....smart, tough, very unorthodox in some ways, great hands and deft touch...truly a very unique D3 big guy who proved every time out that it's not necessarily who is "athletic' it's who knows how to play.   Having said that if they can only get one of them back, I'd prefer Karraker.  One of the things that MIT does this year ( and the reason, I think that Kates is scoring 20+ per game) is keeping the middle more open...more lanes for Kates and more opportunities for him to slash.  They won't have that with Noel in there....he clogs the middle, he's effective yes, but lessens the dynamism of Kates becuase if he is in there he has to have the ball...otherwise not much purpose...hence Kates has to defer which is an advantage to the opposition.
What they are missing on this year's team so far is a knock down shooter who will help spread the floor even more....that's where Karraker comes in.  Jimmy Burke is a fine player and very valuable....but contrary to what some have stated he is NOT adept at creating his own show and at 5'8" does not present the problems that the 6'5"  Karraker, also a catch and shoot guy, does.  Until one of their guys,,,maybe Pedley, maybe Johnson, mature enough to spread out and knock it down consistently MIT has somewhat of a lower ceiling without Karraker....and this would be true with or without the reappearance of Hollingsworth.  Truly, who would you rather be center your offense around?  Mitch or Noel?  It's a no brainer IMHO

I couldnt disagree with you more, on essentially every point you make.

1) With regard to Jimmy Burke, how do you support the claim that he cannot and does not create his own shots?  He is leading the team in free throws made so far this season (3 made per game) and is second in attempts (and the player leading the team in FTAs, Tashman, has played about 10 more minutes per game and is in the post all the time).  Do you think he is drawing fouls just catch and shooting?  Just as a comparison, Karraker averaged about half a free throw made and attempted per game last year.  In fact, Burke has already shot nearly as many FTs in 5 games as Karraker did in 31 games last year (17 vs. 19).  Go watch some video of Burke as a freshman, he had the ball in his hands in crunch time a whole lot, especially in the two WPI games (ask Coach Bartley if he thinks Burke can make his own shot).  In the game at MIT that year, Coach Anderson called isolations for Burke 3 times in a row, with no screen, down the stretch and Burke converted all 3.  I know that was 3 years ago, but he is doing similar things now (I just dont have any video from this season).  Karraker may be taller, which may help him get his shot off more easily, but 6'4" vs. 5'10" doesn't mean as much 23 feet from the hoop as it does under it.

2) The notion that you would rather have Karraker on the court instead of Hollingsworth is absolutely crazy.  Again, Karraker is great, he is a wonderful shooter when someone sets him up and he is open, but I dont remember many times when you could dump the ball down to Karraker and get an easy bucket.  Obviously Kates is going to score more if Hollingsworth is out, he is going to get more shots and be the main option on offense with him out.  You're also probably right about the driving lanes, but for me, do you really want your point guard having to score 25 points a night?  He has to work awful hard to run the offense, guard the other teams point, and now your asking him to lead the team in scoring also?  Might as well get him a mop and bucket and ask him to clean up the court after the game also.  With Hollingsworth, you get at least 15-20 offensive posessions a night where Kates doesnt have to do anything.  Maybe swing the ball around a few times, run the offense for 20 seconds, then dump it into Hollingsworth and let him make his own shot.  If he gets doubled, he kicks it out and someone else gets an open shot.  For Karraker to be effective, Kates still has to work his butt off to get him the ball in an open position.  Kates 'deferring' to Hollingsworth is no advantage to the opposition, its one more player the other team has to double...I have never seen Karraker doubled.  When Hollingsworth gets doubled, its more easy shots for perimeter shooters, and MIT is shooting 39% as a team from 3 so far this season.  Do you honestly believe that MIT makes the Final 4 last year without any contribution from Hollingsworth?  They may not make it out of the first round (they beat Skidmore by 7, Hollingsworth had 17...in the next round, they beat Farmingdale by 20, Hollingsworth had 37 and 12).

3) I would much rather center my offense around a dominant inside scorer.  The inside scorer gets easier shots, in addition to all the help he draws which opens up outside shots.  To have your scoring offense centered around your point guard puts a lot on the shoulders of your point guard.  I think Kates is up for that challenge, but he already handles the ball coming up the court essentially every play.  Now he has to slash and create throughout the game also? if you do that the whole season you are going to wear down your point guard.  Especially once Paul Dawson gets back, I think you are going to see Kates get more run at the off guard position, with either Dawson, Burke, or maybe even Frankel playing the point, just so he is more fresh at the end of games.  With Hollingsworth in there, you get a proven guy who is going to create easy shots for himself, and give everyone else a break. For me, its really a no brainer in the opposite direction, but you are more than entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to disagree with it.  And I truly would be surprised if we didn't see Hollingsworth at all this season (and I honestly don't know anything about his injury, more than anyone else on this board, I just know Noel from past seasons and I think he will do anything he can to get on the court). 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 09:06:23 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
The NYTimes article describes the injuries in more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/sports/ncaabasketball/mit-enters-basketball-season-ranked-no-1-in-division-iii.html

I just can't imagine a guy being able to come back within the same year from TWO microfracture surgeries, so I'd imagine Karraker playing this year is a long shot.  A fractured foot repair is no picnic either, normally I'd say there is no way that someone could contribute in the same year as that type of surgery, but based on what Hugenerd is saying, sounds like Hollingsworth is used to playing through pain and that he may be effective even though limited to some degree.  If he can approximate the production he gave last year when he returns, suddenly MIT is a very different team.  As of now, relying way too much on two guys to produce, but I don't see many teams on their schedule who will provide a lot of competition, so if they can go, say, 2-1 vs. RIC and the two WPI games, and get Hollingsworth back for the post-season, they could easily have their full squad together and be well-positioned with a top seed.  New England just seems to be very, very top heavy this year, based on early results, so I expect that Albertus Magnus, Williams, Midd, Amherst and MIT will all post gaudy win-loss records.  I'm not sure who is less inclined to schedule the other (and maybe none of them want to play each other), but it would be nice if, one of these years, MIT played one or more of the top three from NESCAC. 

Still, I wouldn't rank MIT above Wisconsin-Whitewater or Virginia Wesleyan, both of whom, at this point, have just as much elite talent but more balance, at least until if and when Hollingsworth returns.
You are correct that it may be next to impossible for someone to come back from two microfracture surgeries in the same year.  According to your posted article, it accurately depicts Jamie as needing microfracture surgery.  IOW's, he has been rehabbing his knees and I believe will play in January.  After Jamie's season/career is completed this year, I assume he will obtain the microfracture surgery mentioned in the article.

The article also accurately states that Noel played last year with multiple fractures in his right foot.  Hugenerd described Noel's game and how he could handle it again.  Noel's post game is definitely old school and an absolute pleasure to watch.  He is definitely a difference maker, with or without a broken foot.

Since MIT played a small rotation of players last year, it was difficult for some of the other players to get experience, so I believe there is some upside to these players (freshman and sophomores) that will pay dividends at the end of the year.  My primary concern about MIT is their wing defense.  Paul Dawson who was in the rotation last season as a freshman is probably the best on ball defender on the team.  IMHO, his return will help fill a big need for MIT.  I'm not familiar with RIC this year, but if they are similar to previous RIC teams, MIT will have some matchup concerns.  This will be a difficult road game for MIT, but I believe they have the talent and coaching to succeed.  Looking forward to the game this evening.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 29, 2012, 09:42:15 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 29, 2012, 01:15:51 AM

1) With regard to Jimmy Burke, how do you support the claim that he cannot and does not create his own shots?  He is leading the team in free throws made so far this season (3 made per game) and is second in attempts (and the player leading the team in FTAs, Tashman, has played about 10 more minutes per game and is in the post all the time).  Do you think he is drawing fouls just catch and shooting?  Just as a comparison, Karraker averaged about half a free throw made and attempted per game last year.  In fact, Burke has already shot nearly as many FTs in 5 games as Karraker did in 31 games last year (17 vs. 19).  Go watch some video of Burke as a freshman, he had the ball in his hands in crunch time a whole lot, especially in the two WPI games (ask Coach Bartley if he thinks Burke can make his own shot).  In the game at MIT that year, Coach Anderson called isolations for Burke 3 times in a row, with no screen, down the stretch and Burke converted all 3.  I know that was 3 years ago, but he is doing similar things now (I just dont have any video from this season).  Karraker may be taller, which may help him get his shot off more easily, but 6'4" vs. 5'10" doesn't mean as much 23 feet from the hoop as it does under it.

2) The notion that you would rather have Karraker on the court instead of Hollingsworth is absolutely crazy.  Again, Karraker is great, he is a wonderful shooter when someone sets him up and he is open, but I dont remember many times when you could dump the ball down to Karraker and get an easy bucket.  Obviously Kates is going to score more if Hollingsworth is out, he is going to get more shots and be the main option on offense with him out.  You're also probably right about the driving lanes, but for me, do you really want your point guard having to score 25 points a night?  He has to work awful hard to run the offense, guard the other teams point, and now your asking him to lead the team in scoring also?  Might as well get him a mop and bucket and ask him to clean up the court after the game also.  With Hollingsworth, you get at least 15-20 offensive posessions a night where Kates doesnt have to do anything.  Maybe swing the ball around a few times, run the offense for 20 seconds, then dump it into Hollingsworth and let him make his own shot.  If he gets doubled, he kicks it out and someone else gets an open shot.  For Karraker to be effective, Kates still has to work his butt off to get him the ball in an open position.  Kates 'deferring' to Hollingsworth is no advantage to the opposition, its one more player the other team has to double...I have never seen Karraker doubled.  When Hollingsworth gets doubled, its more easy shots for perimeter shooters, and MIT is shooting 39% as a team from 3 so far this season.  Do you honestly believe that MIT makes the Final 4 last year without any contribution from Hollingsworth?  They may not make it out of the first round (they beat Skidmore by 7, Hollingsworth had 17...in the next round, they beat Farmingdale by 20, Hollingsworth had 37 and 12).

3) I would much rather center my offense around a dominant inside scorer.  The inside scorer gets easier shots, in addition to all the help he draws which opens up outside shots.  To have your scoring offense centered around your point guard puts a lot on the shoulders of your point guard.  I think Kates is up for that challenge, but he already handles the ball coming up the court essentially every play.  Now he has to slash and create throughout the game also? if you do that the whole season you are going to wear down your point guard.  Especially once Paul Dawson gets back, I think you are going to see Kates get more run at the off guard position, with either Dawson, Burke, or maybe even Frankel playing the point, just so he is more fresh at the end of games.  With Hollingsworth in there, you get a proven guy who is going to create easy shots for himself, and give everyone else a break. For me, its really a no brainer in the opposite direction, but you are more than entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to disagree with it.  And I truly would be surprised if we didn't see Hollingsworth at all this season (and I honestly don't know anything about his injury, more than anyone else on this board, I just know Noel from past seasons and I think he will do anything he can to get on the court).

I've only caught two games thus far (Harvard and Curry).  Against Curry, he was 4-4 from the line...but all of those were in the last minute when Curry was fouling.  However, that *does* speak volumes to Jimmy's ball handling skills -- he's a much better ball handler than Karraker.  I don't know that I'd call him a second point guard, but I do remember that last year near the end of tight games when facing a press Paul Dawson would often be in there along with Kates, and the two of them would combine to break the press.  And come to think of it, near the end of the Curry game Burke was handling the ball a lot, with Kates playing off-guard.  Burke only had one shot against Tufts.

What Karraker could do that Burke cannot was draw a bigger defender out, which of course made life a bit easier down in the post.  If you have a hot outside shooter who's 6'4" or 6'5", he could disrupt opposing defenses just by being out there at the line -- opposing teams would need to put someone with decent size on him, and there aren't a lot of D3 teams who can field 4 players of that size.  So if someone stepped out to guard Karraker, it opened things up for everyone else.

Hollingsworth, of course, gave Kates one more really big option.  I don't think he interfered with Kates driving at all.  I can't even begin to count how many times last season Kates would drive hard for the rim, get tripled, go up as though to shoot, and dump it out (sometimes even across the lane!) to Hollingsworth for a ridiculously easy lay-in or hook.  I'm nervous about Kates being high scorer and hitting 20 every single game this season thus far (including Harvard).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 29, 2012, 09:49:42 AM
Quote from: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 09:06:23 AM
Paul Dawson who was in the rotation last season as a freshman is probably the best on ball defender on the team.

I remember the semifinal against Whitewater.  Paul had an empty stat line, and fouled out in something like 10 minutes against UWW.  However, he got a big standing O from the MIT crowd when he came out -- after Whitewater's big surge in the second half, he was the one who kept UWW's PG in check.  Every MIT fan there recognized what he did defensively there.  I wish I was shooting from the baseline, but being in the stands let me get some nice shots of Paul on D.

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753276987&k=7wrMgVp

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753273515&k=Wkpj9rJ
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 09:56:14 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 29, 2012, 01:15:51 AM
Quote from: remsleep on November 29, 2012, 12:11:46 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
The NYTimes article describes the injuries in more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/sports/ncaabasketball/mit-enters-basketball-season-ranked-no-1-in-division-iii.html

I just can't imagine a guy being able to come back within the same year from TWO microfracture surgeries, so I'd imagine Karraker playing this year is a long shot.  A fractured foot repair is no picnic either, normally I'd say there is no way that someone could contribute in the same year as that type of surgery, but based on what Hugenerd is saying, sounds like Hollingsworth is used to playing through pain and that he may be effective even though limited to some degree.  If he can approximate the production he gave last year when he returns, suddenly MIT is a very different team.  As of now, relying way too much on two guys to produce, but I don't see many teams on their schedule who will provide a lot of competition, so if they can go, say, 2-1 vs. RIC and the two WPI games, and get Hollingsworth back for the post-season, they could easily have their full squad together and be well-positioned with a top seed.  New England just seems to be very, very top heavy this year, based on early results, so I expect that Albertus Magnus, Williams, Midd, Amherst and MIT will all post gaudy win-loss records.  I'm not sure who is less inclined to schedule the other (and maybe none of them want to play each other), but it would be nice if, one of these years, MIT played one or more of the top three from NESCAC. 

Still, I wouldn't rank MIT above Wisconsin-Whitewater or Virginia Wesleyan, both of whom, at this point, have just as much elite talent but more balance, at least until if and when Hollingsworth returns.
I think everyone should assume that neither Hollingsworth nor Karraker will play this season.  I have truly enjoyed watching Hollingsworth play for MIT....smart, tough, very unorthodox in some ways, great hands and deft touch...truly a very unique D3 big guy who proved every time out that it's not necessarily who is "athletic' it's who knows how to play.   Having said that if they can only get one of them back, I'd prefer Karraker.  One of the things that MIT does this year ( and the reason, I think that Kates is scoring 20+ per game) is keeping the middle more open...more lanes for Kates and more opportunities for him to slash.  They won't have that with Noel in there....he clogs the middle, he's effective yes, but lessens the dynamism of Kates becuase if he is in there he has to have the ball...otherwise not much purpose...hence Kates has to defer which is an advantage to the opposition.
What they are missing on this year's team so far is a knock down shooter who will help spread the floor even more....that's where Karraker comes in.  Jimmy Burke is a fine player and very valuable....but contrary to what some have stated he is NOT adept at creating his own show and at 5'8" does not present the problems that the 6'5"  Karraker, also a catch and shoot guy, does.  Until one of their guys,,,maybe Pedley, maybe Johnson, mature enough to spread out and knock it down consistently MIT has somewhat of a lower ceiling without Karraker....and this would be true with or without the reappearance of Hollingsworth.  Truly, who would you rather be center your offense around?  Mitch or Noel?  It's a no brainer IMHO

I couldnt disagree with you more, on essentially every point you make.

1) With regard to Jimmy Burke, how do you support the claim that he cannot and does not create his own shots?  He is leading the team in free throws made so far this season (3 made per game) and is second in attempts (and the player leading the team in FTAs, Tashman, has played about 10 more minutes per game and is in the post all the time).  Do you think he is drawing fouls just catch and shooting?  Just as a comparison, Karraker averaged about half a free throw made and attempted per game last year.  In fact, Burke has already shot nearly as many FTs in 5 games as Karraker did in 31 games last year (17 vs. 19).  Go watch some video of Burke as a freshman, he had the ball in his hands in crunch time a whole lot, especially in the two WPI games (ask Coach Bartley if he thinks Burke can make his own shot).  In the game at MIT that year, Coach Anderson called isolations for Burke 3 times in a row, with no screen, down the stretch and Burke converted all 3.  I know that was 3 years ago, but he is doing similar things now (I just dont have any video from this season).  Karraker may be taller, which may help him get his shot off more easily, but 6'4" vs. 5'10" doesn't mean as much 23 feet from the hoop as it does under it.

2) The notion that you would rather have Karraker on the court instead of Hollingsworth is absolutely crazy.  Again, Karraker is great, he is a wonderful shooter when someone sets him up and he is open, but I dont remember many times when you could dump the ball down to Karraker and get an easy bucket.  Obviously Kates is going to score more if Hollingsworth is out, he is going to get more shots and be the main option on offense with him out.  You're also probably right about the driving lanes, but for me, do you really want your point guard having to score 25 points a night?  He has to work awful hard to run the offense, guard the other teams point, and now your asking him to lead the team in scoring also?  Might as well get him a mop and bucket and ask him to clean up the court after the game also.  With Hollingsworth, you get at least 15-20 offensive posessions a night where Kates doesnt have to do anything.  Maybe swing the ball around a few times, run the offense for 20 seconds, then dump it into Hollingsworth and let him make his own shot.  If he gets doubled, he kicks it out and someone else gets an open shot.  For Karraker to be effective, Kates still has to work his butt off to get him the ball in an open position.  Kates 'deferring' to Hollingsworth is no advantage to the opposition, its one more player the other team has to double...I have never seen Karraker doubled.  When Hollingsworth gets doubled, its more easy shots for perimeter shooters, and MIT is shooting 39% as a team from 3 so far this season.  Do you honestly believe that MIT makes the Final 4 last year without any contribution from Hollingsworth?  They may not make it out of the first round (they beat Skidmore by 7, Hollingsworth had 17...in the next round, they beat Farmingdale by 20, Hollingsworth had 37 and 12).

3) I would much rather center my offense around a dominant inside scorer.  The inside scorer gets easier shots, in addition to all the help he draws which opens up outside shots.  To have your scoring offense centered around your point guard puts a lot on the shoulders of your point guard.  I think Kates is up for that challenge, but he already handles the ball coming up the court essentially every play.  Now he has to slash and create throughout the game also? if you do that the whole season you are going to wear down your point guard.  Especially once Paul Dawson gets back, I think you are going to see Kates get more run at the off guard position, with either Dawson, Burke, or maybe even Frankel playing the point, just so he is more fresh at the end of games.  With Hollingsworth in there, you get a proven guy who is going to create easy shots for himself, and give everyone else a break. For me, its really a no brainer in the opposite direction, but you are more than entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to disagree with it.  And I truly would be surprised if we didn't see Hollingsworth at all this season (and I honestly don't know anything about his injury, more than anyone else on this board, I just know Noel from past seasons and I think he will do anything he can to get on the court).

1) In this Jimmy and Jamie comparison, both are great players.  Both are great shooters.  Jimmy is the better dribbler and Jamie is about 6" taller.  Jamie has made a lot of clutch shots over his 3-year career to date and has more 3-point shots than any player in MIT history.  Jimmy had a great freshman year shooting the basketball.  IMHO, both are better shooters than creators and often rely on punishing other teams for leaving them to double team other players.  I'm sure each has created their shot in a single coverage, but not consistently.  I don't remember coach calling plays for them to create very often.  I remember seeing a layup or 2 in Jimmy's highlights and he is a good dribbler, but I believe his shooting skills are his best weapon.  I also recall a few post up plays run for Jamie, especially against smaller opposing guards, but I believe his shooting skills are his best weapon.  Jamie can shoot over other guards because of his height and Jimmy can take a couple dribbles to help get open shots.  Here's hoping we can see both of them play together again.

2&3)  This is a post versus wing discussion.  Noel was an All-American and his offensive game against Farmingdale was one for the ages, as was Tash's defense against Farmingdale's 7-foot center.  Noel's offense begins with the proper entry pass, but his hook shot is as accurate as a go-to shot as there is on this team.  I'm inclined to go for post versus wing, but it really depends on who is more healthy in this instance.  Since both players are in their last seasons of basketball in their careers, I'm sure they will do everything they can to play.  As with the above, I'm hoping we can see both of them play again.

Big game tonight for MIT against RIC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 10:07:34 AM
Quote from: rlk on November 29, 2012, 09:49:42 AM
Quote from: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 09:06:23 AM
Paul Dawson who was in the rotation last season as a freshman is probably the best on ball defender on the team.

I remember the semifinal against Whitewater.  Paul had an empty stat line, and fouled out in something like 10 minutes against UWW.  However, he got a big standing O from the MIT crowd when he came out -- after Whitewater's big surge in the second half, he was the one who kept UWW's PG in check.  Every MIT fan there recognized what he did defensively there.  I wish I was shooting from the baseline, but being in the stands let me get some nice shots of Paul on D.

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753276987&k=7wrMgVp

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753273515&k=Wkpj9rJ

I remember that along with other games where he defended well.  Along with his ability to stay in front of his man defensively, he has great quickness.  I believe his skills will make the current team better and fill a need.  Personally, I enjoy watching good defense over offense.  I forgot what injury he has, but I don't believe it is serious.  I certainly wish he was in the lineup against RIC tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 29, 2012, 10:16:15 AM
Great points rlk and BBallers, I really hope we see both of them back also and, in the short term, for a win tonight!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 10:22:08 AM
Quote from: rlk on November 29, 2012, 09:49:42 AM
Quote from: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 09:06:23 AM
Paul Dawson who was in the rotation last season as a freshman is probably the best on ball defender on the team.

I remember the semifinal against Whitewater.  Paul had an empty stat line, and fouled out in something like 10 minutes against UWW.  However, he got a big standing O from the MIT crowd when he came out -- after Whitewater's big surge in the second half, he was the one who kept UWW's PG in check.  Every MIT fan there recognized what he did defensively there.  I wish I was shooting from the baseline, but being in the stands let me get some nice shots of Paul on D.

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753276987&k=7wrMgVp

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753273515&k=Wkpj9rJ

BTW, it isn't often mentioned, but your pictures are great and I enjoy looking at them.  Many thanks!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 29, 2012, 11:26:30 AM
Quote from: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 10:22:08 AM
Quote from: rlk on November 29, 2012, 09:49:42 AM
Quote from: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 09:06:23 AM
Paul Dawson who was in the rotation last season as a freshman is probably the best on ball defender on the team.

I remember the semifinal against Whitewater.  Paul had an empty stat line, and fouled out in something like 10 minutes against UWW.  However, he got a big standing O from the MIT crowd when he came out -- after Whitewater's big surge in the second half, he was the one who kept UWW's PG in check.  Every MIT fan there recognized what he did defensively there.  I wish I was shooting from the baseline, but being in the stands let me get some nice shots of Paul on D.

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753276987&k=7wrMgVp

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753273515&k=Wkpj9rJ

BTW, it isn't often mentioned, but your pictures are great and I enjoy looking at them.  Many thanks!

Thanks!

Can't make RIC tonight, but I'm planning to be at the Cage on Saturday for the Newbury game.  I'll have a pair of 7D's with me again, so I can get shots at both ends of the floor.  Incidentally, those photos may be used in any way for the benefit of MIT or by members of the team.

And I have to thank the good folks at MIT-DAPER who got me credentials for the Harvard game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on November 29, 2012, 12:08:42 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 29, 2012, 01:15:51 AM
Quote from: remsleep on November 29, 2012, 12:11:46 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
The NYTimes article describes the injuries in more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/sports/ncaabasketball/mit-enters-basketball-season-ranked-no-1-in-division-iii.html

I just can't imagine a guy being able to come back within the same year from TWO microfracture surgeries, so I'd imagine Karraker playing this year is a long shot.  A fractured foot repair is no picnic either, normally I'd say there is no way that someone could contribute in the same year as that type of surgery, but based on what Hugenerd is saying, sounds like Hollingsworth is used to playing through pain and that he may be effective even though limited to some degree.  If he can approximate the production he gave last year when he returns, suddenly MIT is a very different team.  As of now, relying way too much on two guys to produce, but I don't see many teams on their schedule who will provide a lot of competition, so if they can go, say, 2-1 vs. RIC and the two WPI games, and get Hollingsworth back for the post-season, they could easily have their full squad together and be well-positioned with a top seed.  New England just seems to be very, very top heavy this year, based on early results, so I expect that Albertus Magnus, Williams, Midd, Amherst and MIT will all post gaudy win-loss records.  I'm not sure who is less inclined to schedule the other (and maybe none of them want to play each other), but it would be nice if, one of these years, MIT played one or more of the top three from NESCAC. 

Still, I wouldn't rank MIT above Wisconsin-Whitewater or Virginia Wesleyan, both of whom, at this point, have just as much elite talent but more balance, at least until if and when Hollingsworth returns.
I think everyone should assume that neither Hollingsworth nor Karraker will play this season.  I have truly enjoyed watching Hollingsworth play for MIT....smart, tough, very unorthodox in some ways, great hands and deft touch...truly a very unique D3 big guy who proved every time out that it's not necessarily who is "athletic' it's who knows how to play.   Having said that if they can only get one of them back, I'd prefer Karraker.  One of the things that MIT does this year ( and the reason, I think that Kates is scoring 20+ per game) is keeping the middle more open...more lanes for Kates and more opportunities for him to slash.  They won't have that with Noel in there....he clogs the middle, he's effective yes, but lessens the dynamism of Kates becuase if he is in there he has to have the ball...otherwise not much purpose...hence Kates has to defer which is an advantage to the opposition.
What they are missing on this year's team so far is a knock down shooter who will help spread the floor even more....that's where Karraker comes in.  Jimmy Burke is a fine player and very valuable....but contrary to what some have stated he is NOT adept at creating his own show and at 5'8" does not present the problems that the 6'5"  Karraker, also a catch and shoot guy, does.  Until one of their guys,,,maybe Pedley, maybe Johnson, mature enough to spread out and knock it down consistently MIT has somewhat of a lower ceiling without Karraker....and this would be true with or without the reappearance of Hollingsworth.  Truly, who would you rather be center your offense around?  Mitch or Noel?  It's a no brainer IMHO

I couldnt disagree with you more, on essentially every point you make.

1) With regard to Jimmy Burke, how do you support the claim that he cannot and does not create his own shots?  He is leading the team in free throws made so far this season (3 made per game) and is second in attempts (and the player leading the team in FTAs, Tashman, has played about 10 more minutes per game and is in the post all the time).  Do you think he is drawing fouls just catch and shooting?  Just as a comparison, Karraker averaged about half a free throw made and attempted per game last year.  In fact, Burke has already shot nearly as many FTs in 5 games as Karraker did in 31 games last year (17 vs. 19).  Go watch some video of Burke as a freshman, he had the ball in his hands in crunch time a whole lot, especially in the two WPI games (ask Coach Bartley if he thinks Burke can make his own shot).  In the game at MIT that year, Coach Anderson called isolations for Burke 3 times in a row, with no screen, down the stretch and Burke converted all 3.  I know that was 3 years ago, but he is doing similar things now (I just dont have any video from this season).  Karraker may be taller, which may help him get his shot off more easily, but 6'4" vs. 5'10" doesn't mean as much 23 feet from the hoop as it does under it.

2) The notion that you would rather have Karraker on the court instead of Hollingsworth is absolutely crazy.  Again, Karraker is great, he is a wonderful shooter when someone sets him up and he is open, but I dont remember many times when you could dump the ball down to Karraker and get an easy bucket.  Obviously Kates is going to score more if Hollingsworth is out, he is going to get more shots and be the main option on offense with him out.  You're also probably right about the driving lanes, but for me, do you really want your point guard having to score 25 points a night?  He has to work awful hard to run the offense, guard the other teams point, and now your asking him to lead the team in scoring also?  Might as well get him a mop and bucket and ask him to clean up the court after the game also.  With Hollingsworth, you get at least 15-20 offensive posessions a night where Kates doesnt have to do anything.  Maybe swing the ball around a few times, run the offense for 20 seconds, then dump it into Hollingsworth and let him make his own shot.  If he gets doubled, he kicks it out and someone else gets an open shot.  For Karraker to be effective, Kates still has to work his butt off to get him the ball in an open position.  Kates 'deferring' to Hollingsworth is no advantage to the opposition, its one more player the other team has to double...I have never seen Karraker doubled.  When Hollingsworth gets doubled, its more easy shots for perimeter shooters, and MIT is shooting 39% as a team from 3 so far this season.  Do you honestly believe that MIT makes the Final 4 last year without any contribution from Hollingsworth?  They may not make it out of the first round (they beat Skidmore by 7, Hollingsworth had 17...in the next round, they beat Farmingdale by 20, Hollingsworth had 37 and 12).

3) I would much rather center my offense around a dominant inside scorer.  The inside scorer gets easier shots, in addition to all the help he draws which opens up outside shots.  To have your scoring offense centered around your point guard puts a lot on the shoulders of your point guard.  I think Kates is up for that challenge, but he already handles the ball coming up the court essentially every play.  Now he has to slash and create throughout the game also? if you do that the whole season you are going to wear down your point guard.  Especially once Paul Dawson gets back, I think you are going to see Kates get more run at the off guard position, with either Dawson, Burke, or maybe even Frankel playing the point, just so he is more fresh at the end of games.  With Hollingsworth in there, you get a proven guy who is going to create easy shots for himself, and give everyone else a break. For me, its really a no brainer in the opposite direction, but you are more than entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to disagree with it.  And I truly would be surprised if we didn't see Hollingsworth at all this season (and I honestly don't know anything about his injury, more than anyone else on this board, I just know Noel from past seasons and I think he will do anything he can to get on the court).
Well....glad to see some discussion generated on this.  Do I get any karma for that?  HN...geesh...calm down.  Are you angling for one of those talking heads point-counter point jobs?  You know...whomever volumizes wins.
PS  I've seen every game that JB. NH etc has played for MIT
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 29, 2012, 01:22:53 PM
Quote from: rlk on November 29, 2012, 09:42:15 AM
Hollingsworth, of course, gave Kates one more really big option.  I don't think he interfered with Kates driving at all.  I can't even begin to count how many times last season Kates would drive hard for the rim, get tripled, go up as though to shoot, and dump it out (sometimes even across the lane!) to Hollingsworth for a ridiculously easy lay-in or hook.  I'm nervous about Kates being high scorer and hitting 20 every single game this season thus far (including Harvard).

Here's the kind of thing I mean (in this case, from the NEWMAC final against Springfield): http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Springfield-20120226/21648637_pC28H4#!i=1726789309&k=6SDShMT
and this: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Springfield-20120226/21648637_pC28H4#!i=1726753668&k=PcchRrS (and look at the preceding few frames).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 29, 2012, 01:42:44 PM
...................and the winner for the longest posts ever - basically saying the same thing over and over is....the NEWMAC board!  Hooray..................

Nice pics though rlk - I "applauded" you.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 29, 2012, 02:06:17 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 29, 2012, 01:42:44 PM
...................and the winner for the longest posts ever - basically saying the same thing over and over is....the NEWMAC board!  Hooray..................

Nice pics though rlk - I "applauded" you.

We're engineers in addition to being Engineers.  We can discuss anything to death.

(although you should see the Grinnell discussion on the Midwest board!)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on November 29, 2012, 02:08:06 PM
I think Springfield and WPI are better than MIT right now.  Being # 1 in the nation is great for the league and MIT but I wanted to put my opinion in there.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 29, 2012, 04:42:15 PM
Quote from: NEWMACJACK on November 29, 2012, 02:08:06 PM
I think Springfield and WPI are better than MIT right now.  Being # 1 in the nation is great for the league and MIT but I wanted to put my opinion in there.

Bold NEWJACK - clearly wouldn't mind -  but in some distorted way - I hope you are wrong.  We pretty much know what WPI is - BEST case (emphasis on best case) is a first round win and maybe a second round shocker (not that I wouldn't take that in a second - I was hoping for a .500 season 3 weeks ago), but I really wish MIT was healthy enough to be "win it all " good!  That would be fun.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 29, 2012, 04:56:36 PM
Quote from: remsleep on November 29, 2012, 12:08:42 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on November 29, 2012, 01:15:51 AM
Quote from: remsleep on November 29, 2012, 12:11:46 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
The NYTimes article describes the injuries in more detail:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/sports/ncaabasketball/mit-enters-basketball-season-ranked-no-1-in-division-iii.html

I just can't imagine a guy being able to come back within the same year from TWO microfracture surgeries, so I'd imagine Karraker playing this year is a long shot.  A fractured foot repair is no picnic either, normally I'd say there is no way that someone could contribute in the same year as that type of surgery, but based on what Hugenerd is saying, sounds like Hollingsworth is used to playing through pain and that he may be effective even though limited to some degree.  If he can approximate the production he gave last year when he returns, suddenly MIT is a very different team.  As of now, relying way too much on two guys to produce, but I don't see many teams on their schedule who will provide a lot of competition, so if they can go, say, 2-1 vs. RIC and the two WPI games, and get Hollingsworth back for the post-season, they could easily have their full squad together and be well-positioned with a top seed.  New England just seems to be very, very top heavy this year, based on early results, so I expect that Albertus Magnus, Williams, Midd, Amherst and MIT will all post gaudy win-loss records.  I'm not sure who is less inclined to schedule the other (and maybe none of them want to play each other), but it would be nice if, one of these years, MIT played one or more of the top three from NESCAC. 

Still, I wouldn't rank MIT above Wisconsin-Whitewater or Virginia Wesleyan, both of whom, at this point, have just as much elite talent but more balance, at least until if and when Hollingsworth returns.
I think everyone should assume that neither Hollingsworth nor Karraker will play this season.  I have truly enjoyed watching Hollingsworth play for MIT....smart, tough, very unorthodox in some ways, great hands and deft touch...truly a very unique D3 big guy who proved every time out that it's not necessarily who is "athletic' it's who knows how to play.   Having said that if they can only get one of them back, I'd prefer Karraker.  One of the things that MIT does this year ( and the reason, I think that Kates is scoring 20+ per game) is keeping the middle more open...more lanes for Kates and more opportunities for him to slash.  They won't have that with Noel in there....he clogs the middle, he's effective yes, but lessens the dynamism of Kates becuase if he is in there he has to have the ball...otherwise not much purpose...hence Kates has to defer which is an advantage to the opposition.
What they are missing on this year's team so far is a knock down shooter who will help spread the floor even more....that's where Karraker comes in.  Jimmy Burke is a fine player and very valuable....but contrary to what some have stated he is NOT adept at creating his own show and at 5'8" does not present the problems that the 6'5"  Karraker, also a catch and shoot guy, does.  Until one of their guys,,,maybe Pedley, maybe Johnson, mature enough to spread out and knock it down consistently MIT has somewhat of a lower ceiling without Karraker....and this would be true with or without the reappearance of Hollingsworth.  Truly, who would you rather be center your offense around?  Mitch or Noel?  It's a no brainer IMHO

I couldnt disagree with you more, on essentially every point you make.

1) With regard to Jimmy Burke, how do you support the claim that he cannot and does not create his own shots?  He is leading the team in free throws made so far this season (3 made per game) and is second in attempts (and the player leading the team in FTAs, Tashman, has played about 10 more minutes per game and is in the post all the time).  Do you think he is drawing fouls just catch and shooting?  Just as a comparison, Karraker averaged about half a free throw made and attempted per game last year.  In fact, Burke has already shot nearly as many FTs in 5 games as Karraker did in 31 games last year (17 vs. 19).  Go watch some video of Burke as a freshman, he had the ball in his hands in crunch time a whole lot, especially in the two WPI games (ask Coach Bartley if he thinks Burke can make his own shot).  In the game at MIT that year, Coach Anderson called isolations for Burke 3 times in a row, with no screen, down the stretch and Burke converted all 3.  I know that was 3 years ago, but he is doing similar things now (I just dont have any video from this season).  Karraker may be taller, which may help him get his shot off more easily, but 6'4" vs. 5'10" doesn't mean as much 23 feet from the hoop as it does under it.

2) The notion that you would rather have Karraker on the court instead of Hollingsworth is absolutely crazy.  Again, Karraker is great, he is a wonderful shooter when someone sets him up and he is open, but I dont remember many times when you could dump the ball down to Karraker and get an easy bucket.  Obviously Kates is going to score more if Hollingsworth is out, he is going to get more shots and be the main option on offense with him out.  You're also probably right about the driving lanes, but for me, do you really want your point guard having to score 25 points a night?  He has to work awful hard to run the offense, guard the other teams point, and now your asking him to lead the team in scoring also?  Might as well get him a mop and bucket and ask him to clean up the court after the game also.  With Hollingsworth, you get at least 15-20 offensive posessions a night where Kates doesnt have to do anything.  Maybe swing the ball around a few times, run the offense for 20 seconds, then dump it into Hollingsworth and let him make his own shot.  If he gets doubled, he kicks it out and someone else gets an open shot.  For Karraker to be effective, Kates still has to work his butt off to get him the ball in an open position.  Kates 'deferring' to Hollingsworth is no advantage to the opposition, its one more player the other team has to double...I have never seen Karraker doubled.  When Hollingsworth gets doubled, its more easy shots for perimeter shooters, and MIT is shooting 39% as a team from 3 so far this season.  Do you honestly believe that MIT makes the Final 4 last year without any contribution from Hollingsworth?  They may not make it out of the first round (they beat Skidmore by 7, Hollingsworth had 17...in the next round, they beat Farmingdale by 20, Hollingsworth had 37 and 12).

3) I would much rather center my offense around a dominant inside scorer.  The inside scorer gets easier shots, in addition to all the help he draws which opens up outside shots.  To have your scoring offense centered around your point guard puts a lot on the shoulders of your point guard.  I think Kates is up for that challenge, but he already handles the ball coming up the court essentially every play.  Now he has to slash and create throughout the game also? if you do that the whole season you are going to wear down your point guard.  Especially once Paul Dawson gets back, I think you are going to see Kates get more run at the off guard position, with either Dawson, Burke, or maybe even Frankel playing the point, just so he is more fresh at the end of games.  With Hollingsworth in there, you get a proven guy who is going to create easy shots for himself, and give everyone else a break. For me, its really a no brainer in the opposite direction, but you are more than entitled to your opinion, just as I am entitled to disagree with it.  And I truly would be surprised if we didn't see Hollingsworth at all this season (and I honestly don't know anything about his injury, more than anyone else on this board, I just know Noel from past seasons and I think he will do anything he can to get on the court).
Well....glad to see some discussion generated on this.  Do I get any karma for that?  HN...geesh...calm down.  Are you angling for one of those talking heads point-counter point jobs?  You know...whomever volumizes wins.
PS  I've seen every game that JB. NH etc has played for MIT

I type fast and at 1 am its mainly stream of thought.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on November 29, 2012, 05:41:39 PM
Hugenerd is practically Hemingway compared with Gregory Sager when he gets on a roll! ;D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 29, 2012, 06:48:15 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 29, 2012, 04:42:15 PM
Quote from: NEWMACJACK on November 29, 2012, 02:08:06 PM
I think Springfield and WPI are better than MIT right now.  Being # 1 in the nation is great for the league and MIT but I wanted to put my opinion in there.

Bold NEWJACK - clearly wouldn't mind -  but in some distorted way - I hope you are wrong.  We pretty much know what WPI is - BEST case (emphasis on best case) is a first round win and maybe a second round shocker (not that I wouldn't take that in a second - I was hoping for a .500 season 3 weeks ago), but I really wish MIT was healthy enough to be "win it all " good!  That would be fun.

Not so sure that either WPI or Springfield is better than MIT if they were playing head-to-head today. 

WPI right now is relying on Coppola to do the majority of the scoring if the game is in doubt.  So far when he has been off, Longwell has stepped up and others have contributed here & there.  What they are missing is the inside game to go with the great guard play they are getting.  Do get me wrong 5-0 is great, but Keene played a horrible game against them and I thought Becker would give them a run, but I did not realize that Jerome Cohen is not playing there this year.  He was a big body (6'8", 270 or so) that played very well against the Engineers last year.

MIT still has the two-prong attack with Tashman inside.  Remember, He has already anchored a team that won the conference tournament with out Hollingsworth.  While I agree that Noel brings a lot of great qualities to the table, I firmly believe that Tashman is the real glue inside for MIT.  He is more physical, defends better and is a much better rebounder.

I would not look past Clark when conference play kicks in.  They have a lot of expereinced talent coming back Vayda looks like he is back to his normal self and DJ Bailey is playing very well on the inside.

I only saw the last 10 minutes of the Keene/Springfield game on the web, but it was yet again another badly coached and played game by the Owls.  I know that they always seem to start slow, but the quality of their play in tohse two games was just plain bad.  Springfield gave WPI fits last year and it will be interesting to see how they match up this year.  They are much like WPI in that they are depending heavily on Alex B. to carry the load.

I would also not count Babson out of the mix.  They are developing a new game down their based around Wickey. So even with the graduation of Carr &  Coburn and the apparent lack of Hollingsworth, there is still a lot of good big man play going on in the conference.

As far as MIT & the #1 ranking goes....The real question is if the voters knew MIT would be missing Hollingsworth & Karraker, would they have put them at #1?  IMO -No.  They are still obviously a very good club, but just as obviously they are not the best team in the country as it stands today.  Their schedule will give them the chance to stay #1 for a while unless the voters move someone else up.
HN, where is a link to the conversation that Coach Anderson had where he talked about MIT's scheduling?  Id love to listen to it cause its a shame with them having the talent they have had over the past 3 years that we did nto get to see them play a Williams, Middlebury or Amherst.  It would have made for some great games.

Good Luck to all the NEWMAC teams as non-conference play continues.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 29, 2012, 09:18:40 PM
Great game for RIC...they did what they had to do and shot real well from deep.  Given the final score, which was terrible for any MIT supporter, it wasnt all bad.  They only gave up 68 points, and that was with RIC shooting 10-22 from 3.  MIT was just horrible, really horrible, on offense.  Everyone not named Mitch, shot a combined 3-26...thats 11.5%...and they went a combined 0-9 from deep, for a whopping total of 17 points.  Kates played alright, he scored 27, made 4 threes, but its tough doing it all on your own.  The lack of scoring depth was evident, especially the lack of interior scoring. They just had no balance. Luckily, its only one game, and they will have plenty of opportunities to put this game behind them.  I would fully expect their ranking to fall into the teens and it deserves to fall that much, maybe more. Its still early, though, and they will have plenty of time to improve.  Hopefully Dawson and Levene will be back soon (I think they really missed both of them tonight, Levene is their most experienced 3/4 and Dawson would have helped match RICs athleticism).  I think the result will relp refocuse the team and luckily the have a chance to get back on track on Saturday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 29, 2012, 09:40:07 PM
Posted my comments of the MIT vs. RIC game tonight on the Little East board.  What makes this loss to RIC so surprising is that RIC won its last two home games by a total of 5 points.....and won its 4 previous games by a TOTAL of 16 points.  RIC has historically been a fine program and is well coached.  They are a quick team and played great defense tonight....even against Kates.....accordingly to Coach Walsh who was surprised that Kates scored 27 points.  As I posted on the LEC board.....IMO, MIT at this point of the season is a two man offensive team and one player did not shoot well tonight.  RIC made most of their outside shots by players wide open.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on December 01, 2012, 04:42:16 PM
Big bounceback by MIT, defeating Newbury 91-76.  Tashman led a nicely balanced attack with 22 points (and 14 rebounds, and 7 assists!), and Matt Redfield and Andrew Acker had 13 each inside to go with Jimmy Burke's 16 and Mitch Kates's 15.  Reinier Strobos also played well, although without a big line to show for it.

Paul Dawson's also back.  As usual, his line doesn't reflect his value on D and his ball handling.  He only had 2 points, but they were on a beautiful back door layup.  Have to do something about those fouls, though.

The real difference was in the intensity and balance.  Newbury wasn't getting uncontested looks anywhere, and MIT was fighting for every board and second chance.  The real story of the game: MIT won in the paint 40-24, 42-27 on the boards (14-8 O), 19-9 second chance, 34-11 from the bench, and 5-2 men in double figures.  If the Cardinal and Grey can post numbers like those consistently, we'll be fine.

Mitch played the whole game, but Paul and sometimes Jimmy brought the ball up quite a bit, giving him some rest.  He had his usual highlight moments, but the game wasn't going through him.  Tash also played the whole game.

Dennis Levene didn't play, and was in a boot.  I don't know the details, but it didn't sound very serious.

Photos available at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4913164868264.197949.1272423206&type=1 (low resolution) and http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Newbury-20121201 (higher resolution).  These photos may be used in any way for the benefit of MIT or by members of the team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on December 01, 2012, 10:16:26 PM
rlk: Would you be alright with us using a photo on D3hoops.com at some point if we wanted to put MIT on the front page?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2012, 10:33:47 PM
Pat, I am sure you saw this post, bust just in case you missed it.  Always good to get confirmation because the wording is a bit vague..."photos may be used in any way for the benefit of MIT."

Quote from: rlk on November 29, 2012, 11:26:30 AM
Quote from: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 10:22:08 AM
Quote from: rlk on November 29, 2012, 09:49:42 AM
Quote from: BBallers on November 29, 2012, 09:06:23 AM
Paul Dawson who was in the rotation last season as a freshman is probably the best on ball defender on the team.

I remember the semifinal against Whitewater.  Paul had an empty stat line, and fouled out in something like 10 minutes against UWW.  However, he got a big standing O from the MIT crowd when he came out -- after Whitewater's big surge in the second half, he was the one who kept UWW's PG in check.  Every MIT fan there recognized what he did defensively there.  I wish I was shooting from the baseline, but being in the stands let me get some nice shots of Paul on D.

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753276987&k=7wrMgVp

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753273515&k=Wkpj9rJ

BTW, it isn't often mentioned, but your pictures are great and I enjoy looking at them.  Many thanks!

Thanks!

Can't make RIC tonight, but I'm planning to be at the Cage on Saturday for the Newbury game.  I'll have a pair of 7D's with me again, so I can get shots at both ends of the floor.  Incidentally, those photos may be used in any way for the benefit of MIT or by members of the team.
And I have to thank the good folks at MIT-DAPER who got me credentials for the Harvard game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on December 01, 2012, 10:37:05 PM
I did see that post but I would never assume that that license would transfer to a third party.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on December 01, 2012, 10:45:35 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 01, 2012, 10:16:26 PM
rlk: Would you be alright with us using a photo on D3hoops.com at some point if we wanted to put MIT on the front page?

Yes (with credit).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2012, 10:54:53 PM
Great day for the NEWMAC, not perfect like they've had a few days this season, but 4-2 isn't bad, especially given the nature of the wins (well, one win in particular).   NEWMAC is now 31-12 on the season.

Congrats to Springfield on the big win. A night after falling to Westfield St. in OT, they came back strong against Amherst, beating the #6 ranked Lord Jeffs.  Only a few games so far this season, but I believe the NEWMAC is 5-2 against the NESCAC so far. Hopefully, Springfield can keep it up, but this was the start of a brutal week.  Counting yesterday's game, they have 5 games in 9 days, capped off by Williams a week from today.

MIT also bounced back, as they got contributions from nearly the whole rotation (sharp contrast to Thursday). Tashman had a big game, leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists (3 assists shy of a triple double).  Really good shooting out of Jimmy Burke, Matt Redfield, and Andrew Acker, who had 16 points (5-7 FG, 4-6 from 3), 13 points (6-7 FG), and 13 points (6-7 FG), respectively. Paul Dawson made his first appearance of the season, but Dennis Levene was still out.

WPI won in OT at Husson. Longwell and Coppola had 25 and 24, respectively. Babson beat Wesleyan behind 21 points from Matt Palazini. Wheaton and CGA each lost by double-digits.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2012, 10:57:48 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 01, 2012, 10:37:05 PM
I did see that post but I would never assume that that license would transfer to a third party.

You definitely know more about this stuff than I do, just wanted to make sure you saw it (I thought that that post may have prompted your question).

You'll definitely have a lot of selection now, given rlk's vast catalog of photos.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on December 01, 2012, 11:15:15 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 01, 2012, 10:57:48 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 01, 2012, 10:37:05 PM
I did see that post but I would never assume that that license would transfer to a third party.

You definitely know more about this stuff than I do, just wanted to make sure you saw it (I thought that that post may have prompted your question).

You'll definitely have a lot of selection now, given rlk's vast catalog of photos.

Unfortunately, this will probably be my last game until Jan. 12 (Babson), and then Feb. 2 (Springfield) and Feb. 9 (Clark).  At WPI on Jan. 19 is a possibility, but games during the week aren't normally feasible due to work (I made an exception for Harvard).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 01, 2012, 11:21:53 PM
Quote from: rlk on December 01, 2012, 11:15:15 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 01, 2012, 10:57:48 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 01, 2012, 10:37:05 PM
I did see that post but I would never assume that that license would transfer to a third party.

You definitely know more about this stuff than I do, just wanted to make sure you saw it (I thought that that post may have prompted your question).

You'll definitely have a lot of selection now, given rlk's vast catalog of photos.

Unfortunately, this will probably be my last game until Jan. 12 (Babson), and then Feb. 2 (Springfield) and Feb. 9 (Clark).  At WPI on Jan. 19 is a possibility, but games during the week aren't normally feasible due to work (I made an exception for Harvard).

Still, at 200-400 pictures a game, even a single game could be considered a vast catalog!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on December 01, 2012, 11:39:16 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 01, 2012, 11:21:53 PM
Quote from: rlk on December 01, 2012, 11:15:15 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 01, 2012, 10:57:48 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 01, 2012, 10:37:05 PM
I did see that post but I would never assume that that license would transfer to a third party.

You definitely know more about this stuff than I do, just wanted to make sure you saw it (I thought that that post may have prompted your question).

You'll definitely have a lot of selection now, given rlk's vast catalog of photos.

Unfortunately, this will probably be my last game until Jan. 12 (Babson), and then Feb. 2 (Springfield) and Feb. 9 (Clark).  At WPI on Jan. 19 is a possibility, but games during the week aren't normally feasible due to work (I made an exception for Harvard).

Still, at 200-400 pictures a game, even a single game could be considered a vast catalog!

That's true.  I actually had about 1600 raw frames; about 300 hit the cutting room floor right away, and then I picked from what was left (I guess you could say I shoot Grinnell-style, but with 48 GB of memory cards, I didn't fill even 1/3).  Having a second camera body lets me get shots I couldn't previously get (a pair of Canon 7D's with a 17-55 for offense and 70-200 for defense).  Today's game was fast-paced, which also helped boost my totals.  But I'm going to have to pick up another disk for my server before long.

I just wish they'd boost the lighting in the Cage by about a stop.  ISO 4000-6400 on the 7D is noisy, but certainly usable; I'd be much happier with 2000-3200.  I've found I really need 1/400 shutter speed to avoid motion blur, which is why I need such high ISO ratings even wide open.  And I can't afford a 5D mkIII, which would have no problem at those ISO ratings :-(  But the 7D is so much better than the 20D I was using until 3 years ago.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on December 01, 2012, 11:58:12 PM
I understand what you mean. I've given up shooting basketball with my D30. The 7D my brother uses is much better suited.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 02, 2012, 12:02:09 AM
I'll take your word for it....I don't get much more sophisticated than point and  shoot.

Here are some of my favorites from this season:

Harvard (The number of sequences of Kates beating his man with the dribble is amazing):
http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-20121109/26436069_RDDGBT#!i=2205953767&k=gFJXhJw

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-20121109/26436069_RDDGBT#!i=2205991100&k=4XsCw3j
(#1 on Harvard's expression in this one is great...)

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-20121109/26436069_RDDGBT#!i=2206003025&k=m6CHv5b

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-20121109/26436069_RDDGBT#!i=2205998385&k=GfT3Jvp

Curry:
http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Curry-Mens-20121124/26703072_9tVJM4#!i=2234574159&k=MK9hS8M

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Curry-Mens-20121124/26703072_9tVJM4#!i=2234575694&k=LgX8BSR

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Curry-Mens-20121124/26703072_9tVJM4#!i=2234453742&k=LmfsnJ5

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Curry-Mens-20121124/26703072_9tVJM4#!i=2234558706&k=FfNwK4w

Newbury:
http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Newbury-20121201/26834231_rJvLG7#!i=2247997727&k=VwrmF7p

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Newbury-20121201/26834231_rJvLG7#!i=2248006240&k=xGWbKqH

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Newbury-20121201/26834231_rJvLG7#!i=2248048326&k=DQ8BDdV

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Newbury-20121201/26834231_rJvLG7#!i=2248097456&k=thK8GJM

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Newbury-20121201/26834231_rJvLG7#!i=2248130622&k=B2t7mX5
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on December 02, 2012, 12:42:20 AM
Good week for Springfield wins against Amherst & the LEC favorite at the beginning of the year Keene State, though they don't look like the favorites right now.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Charles on December 02, 2012, 07:04:38 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 01, 2012, 11:58:12 PM
I understand what you mean. I've given up shooting basketball with my D30. The 7D my brother uses is much better suited.
I still use my flip phone....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 02, 2012, 10:41:03 AM
OOPs.....posted the win by Springfield on the LEC board last night....sorry!   Blame it on my depression yesterday.  Particulars on the "CAC" board and better yet on the Amherst website by now....at least to the individual stats and ebb and flow of the game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on December 02, 2012, 07:02:19 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 02, 2012, 12:02:09 AM
I'll take your word for it....I don't get much more sophisticated than point and  shoot.

Here are some of my favorites from this season:

Harvard (The number of sequences of Kates beating his man with the dribble is amazing):
http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-20121109/26436069_RDDGBT#!i=2205953767&k=gFJXhJw

Tommy Amaker really couldn't have been very happy watching a mere D3 point guard abuse his backcourt like that.  But I have to say that *I'm* very happy watching that (and sad that this is the last year I'll get to see it).

I have an old video clip of Kates doing that to Harvard his freshman year.  I thought it was Jeremy Lin guarding him, but it was actually Oliver McNally.  It was a great sequence -- MIT's passing got a bit twitchy, so Kates took the ball, backed it out to half court with McNally on him, dribbling casually for a while, faking to his left and then hitting the afterburner to his right.  He didn't get it in -- too much traffic in the lane -- but it shows just how lightning quick he really is.  I've tried posting it to my site; hopefully it will work:

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-Mens-Basketball/10786526_HrVt6D#!i=2249844747&k=57Pb4c2
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 02, 2012, 11:22:48 PM
Quote from: rlk on December 02, 2012, 07:02:19 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 02, 2012, 12:02:09 AM
I'll take your word for it....I don't get much more sophisticated than point and  shoot.

Here are some of my favorites from this season:

Harvard (The number of sequences of Kates beating his man with the dribble is amazing):
http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-20121109/26436069_RDDGBT#!i=2205953767&k=gFJXhJw

Tommy Amaker really couldn't have been very happy watching a mere D3 point guard abuse his backcourt like that.  But I have to say that *I'm* very happy watching that (and sad that this is the last year I'll get to see it).

I have an old video clip of Kates doing that to Harvard his freshman year.  I thought it was Jeremy Lin guarding him, but it was actually Oliver McNally.  It was a great sequence -- MIT's passing got a bit twitchy, so Kates took the ball, backed it out to half court with McNally on him, dribbling casually for a while, faking to his left and then hitting the afterburner to his right.  He didn't get it in -- too much traffic in the lane -- but it shows just how lightning quick he really is.  I've tried posting it to my site; hopefully it will work:

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-Mens-Basketball/10786526_HrVt6D#!i=2249844747&k=57Pb4c2

Jeremy Lin was guarding Noel Hollingsworth in that clip...interesting matchup.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 03, 2012, 01:55:07 PM
Wow some great "goings-on" this weekend!  Springfield is legit.  WPI keeps rolling - really big week for the Crimson.  At Slem State is never easy and will be played in the 80's - where WPI tends to fizzle if they are going to and then home for RIC.  Way ahead of myself but I would think it would be hard to find a tougher 9-0 start for anyone else in the country if we got there!

Only concern is the whole league having 3 or 4 losses in conference each and what that would do to a 2nd or 3rd team potential in the big dance..............Heck if MIT/WPI/Springfield even split with each other - you are talking about 2 losses each before playing a tough Babson, a really good (and big) Clark team, and CG who has proven on any given night.............tough stuff.

I am certainly not saying it is a tougher route than a Top NESCAC team would have but having to play everybody twice is a different kind of challenge.

Keep rolling NEWMAC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on December 03, 2012, 03:53:33 PM
What day is the WPI RIC game??  I didn't think they were playing this year, and I certainly don't remember seeing a RIC WPI game on the LEC schedule page.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 03, 2012, 09:26:13 PM
They play Thursday at WPI:

http://d3hoops.com/teams/WPI/men/2012-13/index
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 04, 2012, 01:02:25 PM
Good Luck To WPI Vs Salem St tonight.  I am in Boston today and hope to get done in time to go see the game.  I reied to watch the 2nd half of the game Vs Husson, but the video feed kept stalling.  It looked like Husson was working in conjunction with the local FOX channel up there send an HD video out on the net. WPI escaped with a close OT win.

Congrats to John Wickey on being named the Player Of the Week. Also to Springfield for moving in the polls right behind WPI.  MIT falls to 18, but could move up in the next poll.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 04, 2012, 09:48:36 PM
Springfield edged WNEU 73-71!!!! and UMB giving MIT a good game!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 04, 2012, 09:59:11 PM
MIT holds on for the win, 54-44, against UMB.  MIT started out the game in complete control, only giving up 11 points the first 21 minutes of the game, holding a 21 point lead at that point.  However, the wheels came off a bit from there, as UMB picked up the tempo and got back in the game.  Over the next 8 minutes, UMB went on a 20-5 run to cut the lead to 6, 37-31.  They would get it to as few as 5 over the last 10 minutes of the game, but strong rebounding by Tashman (18 on the day), good interior play by Matt Redfield, and some opportune shots by Kaitz, kept the visitors at arms length.  Kates lead the team again with 19 points (7-14 FGs), he has been the game high scorer in 7 of MIT's 8 games this season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on December 04, 2012, 11:53:37 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 04, 2012, 09:59:11 PM
MIT holds on for the win, 54-44, against UMB.  MIT started out the game in complete control, only giving up 11 points the first 21 minutes of the game, holding a 21 point lead at that point.  However, the wheels came off a bit from there, as UMB picked up the tempo and got back in the game.  Over the next 8 minutes, UMB went on a 20-5 run to cut the lead to 6, 37-31.  They would get it to as few as 5 over the last 10 minutes of the game, but strong rebounding by Tashman (18 on the day), good interior play by Matt Redfield, and some opportune shots by Kaitz, kept the visitors at arms length.  Kates lead the team again with 19 points (7-14 FGs), he has been the game high scorer in 7 of MIT's 8 games this season.

Rough shooting night from the field again for the Engineers (Just under 40% from the field just under 20% from 3) - HN, from the sound of your recap sounds like you watched the game - was this more a factor of good UMB defense or are we struggling to hit shots?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on December 05, 2012, 09:59:47 AM
Quote from: GoTech73 on December 04, 2012, 11:53:37 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 04, 2012, 09:59:11 PM
MIT holds on for the win, 54-44, against UMB.  MIT started out the game in complete control, only giving up 11 points the first 21 minutes of the game, holding a 21 point lead at that point.  However, the wheels came off a bit from there, as UMB picked up the tempo and got back in the game.  Over the next 8 minutes, UMB went on a 20-5 run to cut the lead to 6, 37-31.  They would get it to as few as 5 over the last 10 minutes of the game, but strong rebounding by Tashman (18 on the day), good interior play by Matt Redfield, and some opportune shots by Kaitz, kept the visitors at arms length.  Kates lead the team again with 19 points (7-14 FGs), he has been the game high scorer in 7 of MIT's 8 games this season.

Rough shooting night from the field again for the Engineers (Just under 40% from the field just under 20% from 3) - HN, from the sound of your recap sounds like you watched the game - was this more a factor of good UMB defense or are we struggling to hit shots?
I did not see the first half of the game, but the second half it appeared that MIT was struggling in their offensive sets with turnovers, offensive fouls, etc.  It did not seem like anyone from MIT (except Kates) could take RIC off the dribble and the only offense was to rely on Kates after the shot clock ran down to either score or drive and dish.  It is still early in the season and this is not the first time that the offense struggles, but Coach Anderson has it working by the conference games or the end of the season when it really counts.  MIT is really depending on Mitch and I was worried when he took a hard foul and was on the bench from about the 3 and a half minute mark until the last minute when MIT only had ~6 point lead.  MIT let RIC have some transition baskets and some layups.  As with many teams this season the opposing guards are able to penetrate too easily.  Luckily, RIC's guards did not appear to be very good shooters because they certainly had open looks.  Tashman and Redfield had good defense rebounding games with RIC bending the rims on their shots.  Redfield used his height and jumping ability to finish layups at a good rate.  Tashman played his usual good defensive game that is often not shown in the stats.  Kates (only MIT player in double figures in scoring this game) is really a difference maker for this team and is playing at a high level.  Hopefully, Mitch will get more help from his teammates so he can pick and choose when he scores or when big buckets are needed.  Salem State up next in another road game tomorrow.  Go Engineers!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 05, 2012, 10:23:16 AM
Quote from: GoTech73 on December 04, 2012, 11:53:37 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 04, 2012, 09:59:11 PM
MIT holds on for the win, 54-44, against UMB.  MIT started out the game in complete control, only giving up 11 points the first 21 minutes of the game, holding a 21 point lead at that point.  However, the wheels came off a bit from there, as UMB picked up the tempo and got back in the game.  Over the next 8 minutes, UMB went on a 20-5 run to cut the lead to 6, 37-31.  They would get it to as few as 5 over the last 10 minutes of the game, but strong rebounding by Tashman (18 on the day), good interior play by Matt Redfield, and some opportune shots by Kaitz, kept the visitors at arms length.  Kates lead the team again with 19 points (7-14 FGs), he has been the game high scorer in 7 of MIT's 8 games this season.

Rough shooting night from the field again for the Engineers (Just under 40% from the field just under 20% from 3) - HN, from the sound of your recap sounds like you watched the game - was this more a factor of good UMB defense or are we struggling to hit shots?

It didn't seem a lot of the younger guys were comfortable most of the night.  As BBallers stated, a lot of turnovers didnt help.  UMB has a bunch of athletic guys, especially around the basket, so some shots seemed rushed, and there were also some forced shots near the end of the shot clock.  Outside of Kates and Tashman, this is an inexperienced team and hopefully they will get more comfortable as the season progresses. It also didnt help that they shot uncharacteristically poor from the FT line (16-24).  Dennis Levene is still out also, and he is a consistent roation player who provides some help on both ends of the court.  More than anything, though, I think they are missing offensive balance.  They need to get some consistent inside scoring to balance the floor and get some of their perimeter players more open shots.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 05, 2012, 11:03:56 AM
Congrats to WPI on a real solid road win as well last night at Salem State.  Jumped out early and help on for dear life.

One more big test home against RIC tomorrow!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on December 05, 2012, 12:40:17 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 05, 2012, 10:23:16 AM

It didn't seem a lot of the younger guys were comfortable most of the night.  As BBallers stated, a lot of turnovers didnt help.  UMB has a bunch of athletic guys, especially around the basket, so some shots seemed rushed, and there were also some forced shots near the end of the shot clock.  Outside of Kates and Tashman, this is an inexperienced team and hopefully they will get more comfortable as the season progresses. It also didnt help that they shot uncharacteristically poor from the FT line (16-24).  Dennis Levene is still out also, and he is a consistent roation player who provides some help on both ends of the court.  More than anything, though, I think they are missing offensive balance.  They need to get some consistent inside scoring to balance the floor and get some of their perimeter players more open shots.

Who's got the best chance of providing that missing balance? Something that might improve once Levene returns? I need to watch a game or two here soon to get a feel for how some of these younger players play. Frustrating that MIT seems to be one of the few schools that charges to watch their home games online.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 05, 2012, 12:47:45 PM
Agree on the charge for a video feed.....one of last few schools in NE.  MIT had a relative "good" year on its investments....so a free website feed should be well within their budget.  Maybe I will make a remark on the matter when I make my annual gift!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 05, 2012, 02:36:31 PM
Quote from: amh63 on December 05, 2012, 12:47:45 PM
Agree on the charge for a video feed.....one of last few schools in NE.  MIT had a relative "good" year on its investments....so a free website feed should be well within their budget.  Maybe I will make a remark on the matter when I make my annual gift!

I dont think the athletics department budget is directly proportional to the growth of the Institute's endowment.  Don't forget MIT had to cut 8 sports not so long ago for budgeting reasons, so it may be a case where the service would not be offered at all if it was not self-sustaining.

Quote from: GoTech73 on December 05, 2012, 12:40:17 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 05, 2012, 10:23:16 AM

It didn't seem a lot of the younger guys were comfortable most of the night.  As BBallers stated, a lot of turnovers didnt help.  UMB has a bunch of athletic guys, especially around the basket, so some shots seemed rushed, and there were also some forced shots near the end of the shot clock.  Outside of Kates and Tashman, this is an inexperienced team and hopefully they will get more comfortable as the season progresses. It also didnt help that they shot uncharacteristically poor from the FT line (16-24).  Dennis Levene is still out also, and he is a consistent roation player who provides some help on both ends of the court.  More than anything, though, I think they are missing offensive balance.  They need to get some consistent inside scoring to balance the floor and get some of their perimeter players more open shots.

Who's got the best chance of providing that missing balance? Something that might improve once Levene returns? I need to watch a game or two here soon to get a feel for how some of these younger players play. Frustrating that MIT seems to be one of the few schools that charges to watch their home games online.

I had hopes for the kid from Greece, but he seems to be further away from being a regular contributor than I had originally thought.  Levene is a big kid, but his natural position is the wing, so he won't help as much with balance.  At this point, the guy has to be Tashman (until Hollingsworth can return).  He doesn't have to be the main scoring option, but if they ran a few plays for him where he could just make a strong drop step, pump fake, and score/get fouled, then the other team would have to respect that.  It seems Tash has recently been getting the majority of his scoring off secondary opportunities or when he has a gross mismatch.  He needs to be aggressive and assertive even when he is being guarded by an athletic big, because he will have the strength advantage against pretty much anyone he sees this season.  He can't settle for shots where he is falling away from the basket either.  Redfield and Acker aren't really guys you would run a post play for at their current stage of development, unless it were on a lob for a dunk.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on December 05, 2012, 03:40:39 PM
That's the reason I like LEC.tv.  It's free, the announcing is good, video quality is good, and the archives date back to like 2006.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 05, 2012, 04:47:22 PM
WPI89

I'm not counting it as a "solid" win, it was indeed a win and that part is good.

It was more like the old saying "live by the sword die by sword".  WPI may have the best overall guard group in the NEWMAC. When Coppola & Longwell are shooting well, the Engineers are going to be very hard to beat.  Aaron Davis is looking to be true PG in that he is looing to run the offense and distribute first.  Matt Harrington looks much more comfortable on the court and Zach Karalis has quietly become the 4th leading scorer.  Last night though, it was the case of 2 halves and WPI shot horribly in the 2nd half (29%).  It is at these times that you see where the lack of a consistent inside presence is a problem.  If the guards are not hitting the shots, they do not at this time have that reliable inside game to break a long scoring drought or get a high percentage shot on a critical possesion. At times, Kolb has given them this, but not consistently.

While Salem forced a couple of turnovers, blocked a couple of shots and rebounded well in that run during the 2nd half. On consectuive possesions, WPI had a turnover, a missed jumper, followed 4 straight missed 3's and another missed jumper before Coppola dished to Wesoloski for an easy 2. In that span, the lead went from 15 to 6 before Wesloski's bucket.  WPI has a number of slasher typpes who can get into the paint, they need to do a better job of getting the bigs involved when the help D comes at them.

8-0 is much better than I believed they would be at this point, but this is the 2nd game in a row they have had an 18 pt lead halfway through the 2nd half and let it get away.  RIC will indeed provide another test and the Engineers should be up for it.  The game at RIC last year was perhaps the team's worst performance of the year.

I am thinking that we may see no team with less than 3 losses in conference this year.  MIT, WPI, Babson, Clark & Springfield each have the ability to knock off any of the others this season. First place may come down to who can win out at home and go .500 on the road! 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 05, 2012, 05:04:11 PM
I love your standards MASSD3 and we may be splitting hairs on word usage but Salem has always been a very tough place to go into and come out with a win - they basically lose about 1 home game a year - it was over a year ago that they lost their last home game (to Tufts).

So while I get that WPI almost coughed away another huge lead - the fact is that they didn't - so I still call it a big win.  It will be even bigger when Salem State is 18-5 instead of 4-4.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on December 05, 2012, 05:10:37 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 05, 2012, 02:36:31 PM
Quote from: amh63 on December 05, 2012, 12:47:45 PM
Agree on the charge for a video feed.....one of last few schools in NE.  MIT had a relative "good" year on its investments....so a free website feed should be well within their budget.  Maybe I will make a remark on the matter when I make my annual gift!

I dont think the athletics department budget is directly proportional to the growth of the Institute's endowment.  Don't forget MIT had to cut 8 sports not so long ago for budgeting reasons, so it may be a case where the service would not be offered at all if it was not self-sustaining.


I definitely remember the cuts (was actually on the undergrad gov't athletics committee when they happened), but it's not like streaming video is on that scale in terms of cost. A couple students or a sports info staffer per game + an mediocre HD Camera + Ustream simply doesnt add up to a whole lot. With AmericaOne it's $7/game (more than the price of physical admission, i believe), and at least when I've used it for football it hasn't been HD, and has had problems cutting out as well.

There is the possibility of course that they are locked into some form of long term contract with AmericaOne, and they don't have the freedom to improve upon any of this.

Anyway, sorry about the rant, but it's been a pet peeve of mine for a couple years now... Thanks for the rundown of the big men, HN.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on December 05, 2012, 05:12:17 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 05, 2012, 05:04:11 PM
I love your standards MASSD3 and we may be splitting hairs on word usage but Salem has always been a very tough place to go into and come out with a win - they basically lose about 1 home game a year - it was over a year ago that they lost their last home game (to Tufts).

Here's to hoping it's nerd power week and the other Engineers make it 2 in a row tomorrow!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on December 05, 2012, 06:48:52 PM
Quote from: GoTech73 on December 05, 2012, 05:10:37 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 05, 2012, 02:36:31 PM
Quote from: amh63 on December 05, 2012, 12:47:45 PM
Agree on the charge for a video feed.....one of last few schools in NE.  MIT had a relative "good" year on its investments....so a free website feed should be well within their budget.  Maybe I will make a remark on the matter when I make my annual gift!

I dont think the athletics department budget is directly proportional to the growth of the Institute's endowment.  Don't forget MIT had to cut 8 sports not so long ago for budgeting reasons, so it may be a case where the service would not be offered at all if it was not self-sustaining.


I definitely remember the cuts (was actually on the undergrad gov't athletics committee when they happened), but it's not like streaming video is on that scale in terms of cost. A couple students or a sports info staffer per game + an mediocre HD Camera + Ustream simply doesnt add up to a whole lot. With AmericaOne it's $7/game (more than the price of physical admission, i believe), and at least when I've used it for football it hasn't been HD, and has had problems cutting out as well.

Game admission is free.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on December 05, 2012, 09:52:36 PM
Quote from: rlk on December 05, 2012, 06:48:52 PM
Game admission is free.

Interesting. I based that statement off the fact that football games are $5 for non students, surprised they differ, but cool!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on December 06, 2012, 12:58:55 AM
I think Western charges $3 or $5 for football, but the basketball is free.  Really, if 1 school should be charging in the Northeast it should be them; they have better seats (charback) then the local division college I go to down the street when there's no Western/LEC/other area game.  The price for that??  $10 to sit on a hard bench.  The price of a Western Connecticut basketball game (student or non student because I said they don't charge unless its an LEC tournament/NCAA game)??  $0 and you get to sit in a nice comfortable chair with a back rest.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 06, 2012, 08:56:39 AM
Quote from: 7express on December 06, 2012, 12:58:55 AM
I think Western charges $3 or $5 for football, but the basketball is free.  Really, if 1 school should be charging in the Northeast it should be them; they have better seats (charback) then the local division college I go to down the street when there's no Western/LEC/other area game.  The price for that??  $10 to sit on a hard bench.  The price of a Western Connecticut basketball game (student or non student because I said they don't charge unless its an LEC tournament/NCAA game)??  $0 and you get to sit in a nice comfortable chair with a back rest.

MIT is the same way, they have only charged in recent years when they hosted NEWMAC tourneys.  However, I believe in the years where they hosted the tourney, and had to charge for games, the webcast was free.

MIT also upgraded their seating recently from bench style to chairback style. You can see the new stands in the background of this picture:
http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Curry-Mens-20121124/26703072_9tVJM4#!i=2234404423&k=3bGtGfb
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 06, 2012, 11:04:00 AM
WPI charges for home games - it was $5 last year - have not been to a game this year yet.  I think students may be free.

Westconn is a great place to see a game - that is where I live now and I go all the time.  Grab neighbor buddies and the kids - get in free - they have a full service concession (hot dogs are $2 etc....),, can always sit right up near the action - although I must admit, we have not been back yet......post Daquan!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 06, 2012, 02:04:53 PM
WPI89

I am looking forward to heading over to Harrington tonight to watch this one.  Ramifications on this outcome are big given the fact both teams will could be in that top 10 or so in the NCAA Northeast Rankings in February.  We all know after last year how critical positioning in those rankings can be.
 

A win in this one and taking care of buisness against Fitchburg St. on Sat. will probably vault WPI into that Top 25.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 06, 2012, 09:09:03 PM
Great night for the NEWMAC, as Babson and WPI upset the #10 (@Amherst) and #14 (RIC) teams in the country, respectively.  NEWMAC holding their own against the NESCAC this year, now at 7-2.

Unfortunately, MIT couldnt contribute to the conference's big night, as they fell on the road by 5 to Salem State.  MIT will likely fall from the rankings next week, but I think we will see WPI, and possibly Springfield (who won against Trinity tonight), jump into the Top 25.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 07, 2012, 08:38:09 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 06, 2012, 09:09:03 PM
Great night for the NEWMAC, as Babson and WPI upset the #10 (@Amherst) and #14 (RIC) teams in the country, respectively.  NEWMAC holding their own against the NESCAC this year, now at 7-2.

Unfortunately, MIT couldnt contribute to the conference's big night, as they fell on the road by 5 to Salem State.  MIT will likely fall from the rankings next week, but I think we will see WPI, and possibly Springfield (who won against Trinity tonight), jump into the Top 25.

Huge,

Really sucks that MIT will again not have the services of key player that would likely have made them a candidate for a national championship this year :o
I have been a fan for a while, MIT has a wonderful program especially in view of the demanding academic responsibilities, and it is just a matter of time when Coach Anderson's program will take home the Walnut and Bronze!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 07, 2012, 09:11:43 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on December 07, 2012, 08:38:09 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 06, 2012, 09:09:03 PM
Great night for the NEWMAC, as Babson and WPI upset the #10 (@Amherst) and #14 (RIC) teams in the country, respectively.  NEWMAC holding their own against the NESCAC this year, now at 7-2.

Unfortunately, MIT couldnt contribute to the conference's big night, as they fell on the road by 5 to Salem State.  MIT will likely fall from the rankings next week, but I think we will see WPI, and possibly Springfield (who won against Trinity tonight), jump into the Top 25.

Huge,

Really sucks that MIT will again not have the services of key player that would likely have made them a candidate for a national championship this year :o
I have been a fan for a while, MIT has a wonderful program especially in view of the demanding academic responsibilities, and it is just a matter of time when Coach Anderson's program will take home the Walnut and Bronze!!!

Thanks for the comments.  However, I am still hoping that after the semester break, we will slowly see those guys coming back.  In both losses, MIT has had at least 3 of their rotation players out, who all return from last year.  Two of those are the seniors everyone is aware of, but Dennis Levene has also been out. 

I forgot to mention that Tashman really had a huge game last night (25 points and 13 boards), stepping up for the Engineers, but they unfortunately could not overcome poor outside shooting (3-19 from 3) and turnovers (Tashman had 7 himself, the team had 21).  Hopefully they can adddress those isssues, and close out the semester with a win over BSU next week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 07, 2012, 09:15:57 AM
Whoohoo.  Can't believe the Babson result.  Anyone have any insight?  I will go over to NESCAC and check on AMH63.

Way to go WPI!  MASSD3 - how big a concern is the rebounding - numbers seem crazy?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 07, 2012, 10:06:14 AM
Tremendous performance by WPI last night.  They lost another big lead (up 17 in the 1st half, and RIC got it 2 at 37-35 early in the 2nd), but shot themselves back into double digit lead.  Great atomosphere there last night.

They way they are playing right now as a unit, I'm not sure there is a better group of guards in the Northeast.  That may change as the season moves forward, but as it stands today, I would say they are the best.  Freshman Zach Karalis had his best game with 19 to lead the way and the Engineers shot a white hot 13 for 19 (68%) from beyond the arc. Karilis and classmate Aaron Davis combimed to go 8 for 9 from long distance.  They did a bit better inside as well as Ryan Kolb played a strong game.  The Engineers had 5 players score in double digits.

LOL, just saw your post WPI89.  I was trying hard not to put any "buts" on this....

Yes, the rebounding is a big concern in my view.  Kolb is by far their best guy on the glass, but he is often out on the perimeter.  The last two seasons they had a guy haul down over 200 boards, but he spent most of his time down low on both ends.  This year's squad is doing it in a diffent manner.  The guards are grabbing a lot of boards. Longwell is the teams 2nd leading rebounder.  He and Coppola have had a 10 rebound game this season.  RIC did not take advantage of a 21 to 8 differential in offensive rebounds.  Both teams tallied 11 2nd-chance points.  This will come back to haunt them if it continues to happen.

Bottm line right now, despite what I or others may think about any of WPI weaknesses, they simply overcoming them by out shooting their opponents.  They were 26th in the country in FG PCT going into last night.  Right now hard to argue with 9-0!


Also Congrats to Babson for their upset of Amherst on the Lord Jeff's court.  John Wickey continued his great early season play with 19 pts and 11 boards and the Beavers followed WPI's lead by shooting 12 for 22 from 3pt land.

Springfield defeats Trinity with Berthiaume having a bad night (6pts). Jordan Rote picked up slack with 22.  The Pride face Williams on Saturday and a win in that one will get them close to if not into the top 25.

Tough night for MIT.  It is pretty much just Kates & Tashman there.  While they may have some talent with all these other players so far no one is stepping up to take advantage of the opportunity to play.  HN, did Strobos get hurt?  He started but only played 3 minutes. Burke has to start bringing the game you think he has.  He has only played 2 good games so far and is shooting a woeful 38% from the field.  The Engineers badly need to have another scoring option.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 07, 2012, 11:08:40 AM
Not sure if Strobos is hurt or not, I didnt see the game. 

Burke hasnt been playing up to his potential, but I still think he is a very good player.  They still need more production from the wings, Pedley going 2-10 in 33 minutes hurts, especially when Kates didnt have his best offensive night.  With that said, 77 points is usually enough for an MIT squad to win a game.  In addition to turnovers, the typical defense you come to expect doesnt seem to have been there last night (Salem State shot 50% from the field).  It also seems like the refs were overly involved, as the teams combined for 58 FTs (prior to last night, the average number of combined FTs in games MIT had played in was 32). Some of those probably came at the end of the game, but thats still a lot of FTs.

Im still hopeful they can find themselves before conference play starts and contend for the conference championship.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 07, 2012, 11:20:05 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 07, 2012, 11:08:40 AM
Not sure if Strobos is hurt or not, I didnt see the game. 

Burke hasnt been playing up to his potential, but I still think he is a very good player.  They still need more production from the wings, Pedley going 2-10 in 33 minutes hurts, especially when Kates didnt have his best offensive night.  With that said, 77 points is usually enough for an MIT squad to win a game.  In addition to turnovers, the typical defense you come to expect doesnt seem to have been there last night (Salem State shot 50% from the field).  It also seems like the refs were overly involved, as the teams combined for 58 FTs (prior to last night, the average number of combined FTs in games MIT had played in was 32). Some of those probably came at the end of the game, but thats still a lot of FTs.

Im still hopeful they can find themselves before conference play starts and contend for the conference championship.

19 FT's the last 2 minutes.  Salem thrives in the 80's+ - they will do anything to get to the 80's - especially at home.  Their up-tempo plus all the turnovers spelled trouble.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ECSUalum on December 07, 2012, 11:39:56 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 07, 2012, 09:11:43 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on December 07, 2012, 08:38:09 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 06, 2012, 09:09:03 PM
Great night for the NEWMAC, as Babson and WPI upset the #10 (@Amherst) and #14 (RIC) teams in the country, respectively.  NEWMAC holding their own against the NESCAC this year, now at 7-2.

Unfortunately, MIT couldnt contribute to the conference's big night, as they fell on the road by 5 to Salem State.  MIT will likely fall from the rankings next week, but I think we will see WPI, and possibly Springfield (who won against Trinity tonight), jump into the Top 25.

Huge,

Really sucks that MIT will again not have the services of key player that would likely have made them a candidate for a national championship this year :o
I have been a fan for a while, MIT has a wonderful program especially in view of the demanding academic responsibilities, and it is just a matter of time when Coach Anderson's program will take home the Walnut and Bronze!!!

Thanks for the comments.  However, I am still hoping that after the semester break, we will slowly see those guys coming back.  In both losses, MIT has had at least 3 of their rotation players out, who all return from last year.  Two of those are the seniors everyone is aware of, but Dennis Levene has also been out. 

I forgot to mention that Tashman really had a huge game last night (25 points and 13 boards), stepping up for the Engineers, but they unfortunately could not overcome poor outside shooting (3-19 from 3) and turnovers (Tashman had 7 himself, the team had 21).  Hopefully they can adddress those isssues, and close out the semester with a win over BSU next week.

However, I am still hoping that after the semester break, we will slowly see those guys coming back.
I hope so, as it would be a fitting conclusion to a couple of great college athletic careers!!  Good Luck to MIT in the second half.  We need to bring the National Championship back to the North East 8-)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on December 07, 2012, 12:38:11 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 07, 2012, 11:20:05 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 07, 2012, 11:08:40 AM
Not sure if Strobos is hurt or not, I didnt see the game. 

Burke hasnt been playing up to his potential, but I still think he is a very good player.  They still need more production from the wings, Pedley going 2-10 in 33 minutes hurts, especially when Kates didnt have his best offensive night.  With that said, 77 points is usually enough for an MIT squad to win a game.  In addition to turnovers, the typical defense you come to expect doesnt seem to have been there last night (Salem State shot 50% from the field).  It also seems like the refs were overly involved, as the teams combined for 58 FTs (prior to last night, the average number of combined FTs in games MIT had played in was 32). Some of those probably came at the end of the game, but thats still a lot of FTs.

Im still hopeful they can find themselves before conference play starts and contend for the conference championship.

19 FT's the last 2 minutes.  Salem thrives in the 80's+ - they will do anything to get to the 80's - especially at home.  Their up-tempo plus all the turnovers spelled trouble.

MIT-Newbury was up-tempo also last Saturday.  The difference was that a lot more guys got into the act, so it was more than Kates or Kates-Tashman.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 07, 2012, 01:15:05 PM
Quote from: rlk on December 07, 2012, 12:38:11 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 07, 2012, 11:20:05 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 07, 2012, 11:08:40 AM
Not sure if Strobos is hurt or not, I didnt see the game. 

Burke hasnt been playing up to his potential, but I still think he is a very good player.  They still need more production from the wings, Pedley going 2-10 in 33 minutes hurts, especially when Kates didnt have his best offensive night.  With that said, 77 points is usually enough for an MIT squad to win a game.  In addition to turnovers, the typical defense you come to expect doesnt seem to have been there last night (Salem State shot 50% from the field).  It also seems like the refs were overly involved, as the teams combined for 58 FTs (prior to last night, the average number of combined FTs in games MIT had played in was 32). Some of those probably came at the end of the game, but thats still a lot of FTs.

Im still hopeful they can find themselves before conference play starts and contend for the conference championship.

19 FT's the last 2 minutes.  Salem thrives in the 80's+ - they will do anything to get to the 80's - especially at home.  Their up-tempo plus all the turnovers spelled trouble.

MIT-Newbury was up-tempo also last Saturday.  The difference was that a lot more guys got into the act, so it was more than Kates or Kates-Tashman.

I would like to think that more got into it, IMO Newbury is one of those teams MIT should be dropping in favor of a better non-conf. schedule.  They have been sub .500 for the past 4 seasons.  Again, it's just my opinion since I have no idea what kind of arrangements MIT has made with its local opponents, but it really is time to setup it up.  Look at what WPI & Springfield have been doing for the past few years and now this season Babson has stepped it up as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on December 07, 2012, 06:48:43 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on December 07, 2012, 01:15:05 PM
I would like to think that more got into it, IMO Newbury is one of those teams MIT should be dropping in favor of a better non-conf. schedule.  They have been sub .500 for the past 4 seasons.  Again, it's just my opinion since I have no idea what kind of arrangements MIT has made with its local opponents, but it really is time to setup it up.  Look at what WPI & Springfield have been doing for the past few years and now this season Babson has stepped it up as well.

I wouldn't say MIT's non-conference schedule is all that weak -- Tufts, Salem State, RIC, and Bridgewater State are not teams to be taken lightly (and then there's the Harvard exhibition).  There are some easy games in there, but by no means all.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 10, 2012, 08:50:48 AM
Buzzer beater to get to 10-0!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEYlyuVtfHU
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 10, 2012, 01:42:01 PM
WPI89

I spent my Sat. wrapping gifts and watching games on the net.

Great win for the Engineers and I believe we will see them in the top 25 today.  They hung in there after being down big early on and Fitchburg left the door open for them to make the game managable at the half. Great shot by Davis to make it a very enjoyable break for the team.  Like I said, they seem to be capable of shooting themselves out of any issues, certainly that has been the case so far.

Springfield got roasted by Williams and there was mention on the broadcast that Berthiaume has some kind of injury.  Not sure what it is though.  Any of the Pride faithful out there care to weigh in?  I know he has shot terrible the past 2 games.

WP89 - Did you see the game online as I did ?  If so, what was your opinion of Fitchburg's use of Valliere?

Also Congradualtions to  Babson's John Wickey for his 2nd consecutive Player Of The Week selection.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on December 10, 2012, 07:35:48 PM
Quote from: rlk on December 07, 2012, 12:38:11 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 07, 2012, 11:20:05 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 07, 2012, 11:08:40 AM
Not sure if Strobos is hurt or not, I didnt see the game. 

Burke hasnt been playing up to his potential, but I still think he is a very good player.  They still need more production from the wings, Pedley going 2-10 in 33 minutes hurts, especially when Kates didnt have his best offensive night.  With that said, 77 points is usually enough for an MIT squad to win a game.  In addition to turnovers, the typical defense you come to expect doesnt seem to have been there last night (Salem State shot 50% from the field).  It also seems like the refs were overly involved, as the teams combined for 58 FTs (prior to last night, the average number of combined FTs in games MIT had played in was 32). Some of those probably came at the end of the game, but thats still a lot of FTs.

Im still hopeful they can find themselves before conference play starts and contend for the conference championship.

19 FT's the last 2 minutes.  Salem thrives in the 80's+ - they will do anything to get to the 80's - especially at home.  Their up-tempo plus all the turnovers spelled trouble.

MIT-Newbury was up-tempo also last Saturday.  The difference was that a lot more guys got into the act, so it was more than Kates or Kates-Tashman.
I do not believe Strobos was hurt, but it appears coach may be shortening the leash for mistakes.  He started both halves, but was pulled after a turnover or error.  Before I make my next statement regarding the referees, I want to clarify that they did not cause MIT to lose in and of themselves.  However, I am disappointed when I see referees joke around with the home team players and tap them on the back as it gives a perception that they could be biased.  I do not believe they are intentionally biased, but they did anticipate a play before it actually happened.  I don't remember every bad call, but there was an over the back call on Redfield where there was absolutely no contact and a lot of space.  They let the Salem State guards play very physical while pressing.  Burke and Dawson brought the ball up court the majority of the time that I think was an excellent decision in trying to keep Kates fresh.  MIT needs Kates as fresh as possible.  Most of Kates' drives had significant contact with often no calls (that contributed to his poor shooting percentage), while Dawson had a very slight hand check that was called, so there was also some inconsistency.  BTW, there were several Salem State fans and former players who agreed with these opinions (so I'm not completely biased).

Tashman had a rare series of turnovers to start the game and was benched.  When he returned, he used his physical presence inside and was dominating.  If he sealed better and the guards were able to throw better post passes where Tash could of had 20 shots instead of 10, MIT would have won easily as Tash really played well underneath.  Redfield might have played his best game as he had several dunks that were open and rebounded well.  It was a physical game and MIT had a height advantage, but only had 2 more rebounds than Salem State.

There were some transition buckets that MIT allowed and there were some unfortunate turnovers.  Burke, Kates and Dawson played descent defense against the guards, but there were a lot of defensive mistakes that allowed Salem State to have uncontested shots.  MIT was able to beat the press for the most part (except a couple of turnovers), but did it on individual effort without the efficient passing that could have potentially created some easy shots.

Except for the loss, it was a close game that was entertaining and the Salem State fans were nice and reasonably objective.  Salem State plays well at home and MIT's earlier wins in this gym were very close.  I believe Salem State is a lot better team at home than their record indicates and MIT still has a target on their back because of their initial ranking.  I believe these games will help MIT improve much more than blowing out a weak team and they should be commended for improving their strength of schedule.  This type of game should help the team down the road.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 11, 2012, 09:53:29 AM
Congradulations to WPI for busting into the top 25 at #19!

Enjoy the break team and good luck on finals!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 11, 2012, 10:39:28 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on December 11, 2012, 09:53:29 AM
Congradulations to WPI for busting into the top 25 at #19!

Enjoy the break team and good luck on finals!

Ditto from me.  Unreal first 10 games.  Good luck on your finals/projects etc.........enjoy the holidays and come back hungry.  I remember how dark and dreary Worcester seemed with the empty campus when we had to come back on the 26th - the snow always seemed white and fun before Christmas and grey and dreary after.  However, we were never 10-0 back in the 80's - I am sure that is great motivation.  Great job boys - good luck getting back to 20 again this year!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on December 13, 2012, 10:37:18 PM
Looks like Matt Redfield and Jimmy Burke had nice games for MIT as they beat Bridgewater State 74-61.  Redfield had 18 points and 9 boards, the kind of game that the Engineers need from the young bigs.  Burke added 15.  Mitch Kates was quiet (11 points, 4 assists, 2 steals).

One more non-conference game, against LaVerne College in southern CA on Dec. 31, and then the conference games start.  A long trip for just one game, but there really wouldn't be much point in playing Caltech.  But I wonder if any of the Caltech folks will be scouting LaVerne, and say hello to Todd Cramer while they're at it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 14, 2012, 03:03:33 PM
Quote from: rlk on December 13, 2012, 10:37:18 PM
Looks like Matt Redfield and Jimmy Burke had nice games for MIT as they beat Bridgewater State 74-61.  Redfield had 18 points and 9 boards, the kind of game that the Engineers need from the young bigs.  Burke added 15.  Mitch Kates was quiet (11 points, 4 assists, 2 steals).

One more non-conference game, against LaVerne College in southern CA on Dec. 31, and then the conference games start.  A long trip for just one game, but there really wouldn't be much point in playing Caltech.  But I wonder if any of the Caltech folks will be scouting LaVerne, and say hello to Todd Cramer while they're at it.

Not to mention that Caltech's Head Coach, Oliver Eslinger, was an assistant/associate head coach at MIT for the better part of a decade.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 20, 2012, 12:05:37 PM
Coach Anderson got an early Christmas present this week, when former Cornell commit, 6'10" Tim Higgins, changed his choice to MIT.  It is listed on the Big East blog here, as he was recruited by some Big East schools as well:

http://www.nbebasketball.com/w3/2012-1220/recruiting-notebook-12202012-jabari-parker-decision-nearing-dakari-johnson-cuts-list-to-three/

Former Cornell announcement:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/post/paul-vi-c-tim-higgins-commits-to-cornell/2011/08/29/gIQAbCCFnJ_blog.html

He is a two-star recruit on scout.com:
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=5541447
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 20, 2012, 03:04:13 PM
More recruiting news out of the NEWMAC:

Looks like MIT is getting a 6'6" PF out of Fairfield Prep, Tim Batula, and Babson has picked up a commitment:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/2900/Early-Decision-Commitments.php
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ronk on December 21, 2012, 12:13:32 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 20, 2012, 12:05:37 PM
Coach Anderson got an early Christmas present this week, when former Cornell commit, 6'10" Tim Higgins, changed his choice to MIT.  It is listed on the Big East blog here, as he was recruited by some Big East schools as well:

http://www.nbebasketball.com/w3/2012-1220/recruiting-notebook-12202012-jabari-parker-decision-nearing-dakari-johnson-cuts-list-to-three/

Former Cornell announcement:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/post/paul-vi-c-tim-higgins-commits-to-cornell/2011/08/29/gIQAbCCFnJ_blog.html

He is a two-star recruit on scout.com:
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=5541447

  While he is on a strong high school team, he plays sparingly, so this is a potential player at the upper D3 level.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 21, 2012, 07:54:37 AM
Quote from: ronk on December 21, 2012, 12:13:32 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 20, 2012, 12:05:37 PM
Coach Anderson got an early Christmas present this week, when former Cornell commit, 6'10" Tim Higgins, changed his choice to MIT.  It is listed on the Big East blog here, as he was recruited by some Big East schools as well:

http://www.nbebasketball.com/w3/2012-1220/recruiting-notebook-12202012-jabari-parker-decision-nearing-dakari-johnson-cuts-list-to-three/

Former Cornell announcement:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/post/paul-vi-c-tim-higgins-commits-to-cornell/2011/08/29/gIQAbCCFnJ_blog.html

He is a two-star recruit on scout.com:
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=5541447

  While he is on a strong high school team, he plays sparingly, so this is a potential player at the upper D3 level.

When you have multiple D1 programs with interest in you (Ivy and Patriot league, mainly), it seems the potential is a bit more than that.  As you stated, his high school team is ranked top 12 by ESPN (they beat Oak Hill Academy a couple weeks ago) and he also plays on a top 10 AAU team, so he undoubtedly has some talent.

Another article, from the Cornell Blog, from last year:

http://cornellbasketball.blogspot.com/2011/08/cornell-receives-class-of-2013.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on December 21, 2012, 09:23:40 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 21, 2012, 07:54:37 AM
Quote from: ronk on December 21, 2012, 12:13:32 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on December 20, 2012, 12:05:37 PM
Coach Anderson got an early Christmas present this week, when former Cornell commit, 6'10" Tim Higgins, changed his choice to MIT.  It is listed on the Big East blog here, as he was recruited by some Big East schools as well:

http://www.nbebasketball.com/w3/2012-1220/recruiting-notebook-12202012-jabari-parker-decision-nearing-dakari-johnson-cuts-list-to-three/

Former Cornell announcement:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/post/paul-vi-c-tim-higgins-commits-to-cornell/2011/08/29/gIQAbCCFnJ_blog.html

He is a two-star recruit on scout.com:
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=5541447

  While he is on a strong high school team, he plays sparingly, so this is a potential player at the upper D3 level.

When you have multiple D1 programs with interest in you (Ivy and Patriot league, mainly), it seems the potential is a bit more than that.  As you stated, his high school team is ranked top 12 by ESPN (they beat Oak Hill Academy a couple weeks ago) and he also plays on a top 10 AAU team, so he undoubtedly has some talent.

Another article, from the Cornell Blog, from last year:

http://cornellbasketball.blogspot.com/2011/08/cornell-receives-class-of-2013.html

2 years before seems awfully early to commit...

Does anyone know why he opted for the 'tute?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on December 21, 2012, 09:23:27 PM
Hugenerd, it's really hard to tell what "interest" means, and how significant it is.  I hear about tons of NESCAC players who receive "interest" from Ivy League schools (I could name several on Williams alone), some of them end up great, some of them, not so much.  What's sort of odd is that a kid, like Higgins, with stratospheric grades and SAT who can hoops a little is even MORE desirable for Ivy schools than for many D-3 schools, owing to how Ivy admissions works ... from what I understand, they average academic data of kids they bring in in any given year, so one 1600 SAT kid who might end up as a bench warmer allows them to bring in someone lower on the academic scale. 

Now, Higgins is a strange case because he committed to Cornell so early, so perhaps he is a steal for MIT, or perhaps he did not develop as expected (or was someone they saw primarily as an academic admit), and he realizes that MIT gives him a better chance to play.  If he had firm OFFERS from multiple Ivy or Patriot schools, that would indicate that he is likely to be a very strong player.  And he may well be, I know nothing about him, so can't opine on what his potential is.  I write only to caution about putting too much stock in guys receiving "interest" from D-1 places, without actual offers ... because that is incredibly commonplace, and not terribly meaningful in isolation, in particular if tht interest is from Ivies. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on December 22, 2012, 03:14:25 PM
Here is an interview with Higgins from September of last year:

http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/articles/pvi-junior-recruited-to-ivy-league

He is quoted as saying: "I did have other schools within the Ivy, Patriot and Colonial leagues recruiting me."

I dont know much about him either, other than what you can find in the press.  I'm hoping he is on the par of a Hollingsworth type recruit, who could have gone to Ivy or Patriot League type schools.  In the case of Hollingsworth, it took him a year at Brown to figure out he would be better off at MIT.  Higgins may have just figured it out earlier.  Either way, he is a kid who is 6'10", grew 2 inches from his junior to senior year (so could still be growing), and will undoubtedly help fill the hole in the lineup that Tashman and Hollingsworth leave next season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 31, 2012, 12:56:41 PM
Congratulations to WPI for getting off to the best start in the program's history at 11-0!

One more out of conference game before the real tough sledding starts.  Their first conference game with Babson should be very interesting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 02, 2013, 10:52:56 AM
Let me just try to counter any unintentional hex Massd3 may have put on today's game by talking about the Babson game already.  it is always tough to come back on the bus from Maine with a win.  St Joe's has some nice wins this year already as well (Bowdoin, Bates, Becker).

12-0 would be sweet - hope it happens, but I don't have a great feeling.  2:00 start, early bus ride, nobody on campus, cold (as always in Maine) - can you say trap?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 02, 2013, 12:19:36 PM
WPI89......Hex?  For a well educated person, you do not think of such things do you?  Must be drinking too much of that "beer" in that NFL beer commercial.  In any case, it is good to see how the players play under adverse conditions....so to speak...before the conference scheduled games enter the picture.  In the end it is the conference title that gets WPI into the post season.  Still can complain to the coach for the scheduling.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 02, 2013, 01:02:18 PM
WPI89

Not trying to hex them at all, so far they have not come up against a team that has the inside game as their primary go to guy.  I did not check St. Joes roster 7 stats but now that i do, it does seem that their leading scorer is a 6'6" forward scoring17.2 ppg with 6.0 rpg.  So we may larn a little about their ability to defend a good inside game today. That was what I was eluding to in a earlier post about the Fitchburg game.  Fitchburg did not attempt to pound the ball inside where they had an advantage with (Valliere only had 4 FGAs, when he was avergaing 13 per game). Instead they tried to play shoot out with the WPI guards and the way that group is playing, that is a big mistake.

I was lookin forward to the Babson game because the Beaver's offense is built around Wickey and he has produced in a big way so far this season.  I was not trying to make light of a tough road game up north at all.  Good Luck To the Engineers this afternoon!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on January 02, 2013, 01:50:39 PM
It's such a trap game that the scoreboard already has them losing before the tipoff - 73-72.  Well no reason to play the game now  :o
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 02, 2013, 02:26:56 PM
Funny Madz! 

PS - $10.95 for the video from St. Joseph's - holy cow!!!!!!  At least I will get some stuff done at work.

I was happy about the quick start - up 10 early but now that I know they lose by 1........I guess the start does not matter!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 02, 2013, 02:52:24 PM
Hope there is an issue with the gym (or even better the live update) and not an injury or something.  Game has been "stuck" for 10-15 minutes at 2:14 in the first - WPI up 11.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on January 02, 2013, 03:05:27 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 02, 2013, 02:52:24 PM
Hope there is an issue with the gym (or even better the live update) and not an injury or something.  Game has been "stuck" for 10-15 minutes at 2:14 in the first - WPI up 11.

Maybe St. Joe's charges by the minute to use the basketball and WPI ran out of quarters.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 02, 2013, 03:07:24 PM
2-18 from 3!!!!!!!!!!!!

Up 5, 13 minutes to play.  Would take about 4 OT's to get this game into the 70's!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 02, 2013, 03:27:52 PM
12-0 - first time in school history!

Let the NEWMAC begin!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 02, 2013, 05:28:16 PM
WPI89......I know you don't care....FYI, WPI rises to #14 in today's D3hoops poll.  Congrats to your team in the game and the rankings.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 03, 2013, 12:44:55 PM
WPI89

Like you, I was not up for paying a fee like that to have the game running in the background for the most part while I was working. I'm not sure what St. Joes charges for addmission, but im guessing it was less than the fee to watch online.

Congrats to the Engineers for tying the school record for consectutive wins and for rising up to #14 in the polls.  Either my fears about their ability to defend a good low post game are completely unfounded, or St. Joes fall into the same category as Fitchburg in regard to understanding how to operate the inside game.   Personally, I hope its the former.

From the numbers, Ryan Kolb (13pts, 8 rbs, 3 assts) played very well as did Dom Mastascusa (10 pts, 5 rbs).  Freshman Zach Karalis contributed 11 pts as did Marco Coppola.  Coppola & Sam Longwell( 8pts, 7rbs, 4 assts)struggled from the floor going a combined 9 for 29.  Freshman PG Aaron Davis only played 13 minutes, all in the 1st half.  I hope this is not due to an injury.

WPI held Nickolas Jobin to 6 points on 2 for 7 shooting.  If they can do this to Wickey of Babson, then it should be a great ride as the conference games get going.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 03, 2013, 04:55:41 PM
WPI posters.....some info for your upcoming game with Babson.  In Babson's win against Amherst on the road, it was Babson's hot outside shooting and rebounding that did in Amherst.  Babson was 12 for 22 from outside, shooting better from three point range than overall.  They out rebounded Amherst 37-31.  It was an eight point lead at the half and an a 8-point win.  It was only Babson's 2nd win over Amherst in ten tries.  The LJ'd just got out hustled and outplayed by a smaller team in size but not in effort.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 05, 2013, 06:32:27 PM
MIT starts off conference play with a nice 84-47 W over Wheaton, including a torrid 43-21 second half.

Matt Redfield looks like he's finally breaking out, with three consecutive big games.  Given that Hollingsworth still isn't back, another inside threat to go along with Tashman is sorely needed, and it looks like Redfield may be the one.  Nice board work (40-26), but a bit of a concern that Wheaton got 12 O-boards.  But that was 12 out of 45 missed shots, while MIT got 7 O-boards from 20 missed shots, so perhaps not as big of a concern after all.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on January 07, 2013, 08:26:45 AM
Nice article in the Sun on the Wheaton/MIT game.  Good to see MIT finally put someone away and get the bench in the game.  Defensively this was a far better effort than the previous few but cleaning the boards is a concern. 

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/sports/local_sports/lyons-schooled/article_10433b2a-b274-599b-896c-bdeadaedc81b.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 07, 2013, 09:15:02 AM
WPI-Babson - OMG - anybody see it? 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 07, 2013, 10:44:03 AM
WPI89.....been awaiting your break down of the Babson-WPI mismatch!  Your school's SID was on last night's D3hoops broadcast to access the NE.  Where have you been? :D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 07, 2013, 01:27:43 PM
Coaching 5th grade hoops.  Watching my daughter play HS hoops.  Despite WPI's incredible season thus far - I have only seen a few games on video and none live yet.  Your boy Racy down has reeled off 4 or 5 very nice games in a row.  His "little" brother has become the 3rd option for the team as well.

Heading up to Worcester twice in February but nothing "live" until then.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 07, 2013, 01:44:50 PM
WPI89

I can't add anything on this game beyond the box score.  I spent my weekend enjoying the lovely strain of the flu running around the Northeast this winter.

It looks like they did a good job on Wickey (1 for 10 shooting) and Babson shot an embarassing 2 for 24 from beyond the arc.  Wish I had seen it, but alas...

MIT looks to have finally figured out their game some.  Matt Redfield appears to be eveloving into that 3rd scoring option and presence in the paint alond with Tashman.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 08, 2013, 01:14:57 PM
Congrats to WPI for reaching #8 in the D3Hoops poll.  I believe this is the highest ranking ever for the Engineers.

Also kudos to Matt Refield for being named NEWMAC Player Of The Week for the 2nd time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 08, 2013, 02:36:10 PM
You beat me to it Massd3 - I was going to ask you - I can't find any higher ranking?  They got to 15 with Ryan Cain and the team 2 years ago got to #13 in the country - I can't find anything higher than that.  Don't think the 1984 final 8 team was ever ranked that high (if there even were rankings).

Maybe Dave or Pat have a way to look it up but I couldn't find any top 10 rankings - although I feel like they may have snuck in there at some point in the recent past.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 08, 2013, 04:35:37 PM
Two years ago the team led by Robinson, Carr, Etten, Nadeu, etc got as high as #10 in week 11.

The 05-06 team led by Cain, Flynn, etc got to #13 in week 10.  I thought one of those teams led by Cain got to #9, but I may be mistaken.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 08, 2013, 04:37:09 PM
Big early (conference) season matchup tonight, with MIT @ Springfield.  Should be fun to see where the two teams stackup against eachother.  I hope MIT will be able to utilize their size advantage: Springfield doesn't play anyone over 6'5" and MIT starts 4 players 6'6" or taller (with 6 to 7 players that height or taller in the rotation, even in the absence of the injured Hollingsworth and Levene), with the other starter being Mitchell Kates.  The game will be Kates' 100th for his career (99th for Tashman, as he played one less game their freshman season).

Speaking of Kates, congrats to him for reaching 5th on the all-time scoring list, with 1490 points.  He is also now the career assists leader at MIT, as he closes in on 500 for his career (476 currently).  Kates entered the season already leading the MIT career steals list (he is currently at 228).  Congrats also to Will Tashman for moving into 2nd on the all-time rebounding list (870 currently) and moving into 18th on the all-time scoring list (1152 points).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 08, 2013, 10:04:16 PM
Crimson and Gray 14-0.  Gets interesting Thursday vs a Worcester State team playing well right now.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on January 08, 2013, 10:33:54 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 08, 2013, 10:04:16 PM
Crimson and Gray 14-0.  Gets interesting Thursday vs a Worcester State team playing well right now.

If Western Connecticut can beat them and Dartmouth only loses to them by 1 (who's atrocious) then I don't see how the #8 team in the country doesn't beat them either.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 09, 2013, 10:34:47 AM
Agreed but Worcester Sate also scored 100 at Trinity, lost to Magnus by 2, beat Springfield, crushed Clark, and beat St John Fisher.  Just seems like they may have a pretty high upside - albeit some major inconsistency.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 09, 2013, 10:35:44 AM
Springfield beats MIT in the 50's.  Nerd any detail? 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on January 09, 2013, 10:58:38 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 09, 2013, 10:34:47 AM
Agreed but Worcester Sate also scored 100 at Trinity, lost to Magnus by 2, beat Springfield, crushed Clark, and beat St John Fisher.  Just seems like they may have a pretty high upside - albeit some major inconsistency.

That's true.  Some teams just get up for big games, and especially an inter-city game like this one.  I mean look at Western: lost to AMC by 6, beat that Worcester team, beat Clark (both on the road), tied with Keene state at halftime albeit falling short at the end, but then they lose to Mitchell by 20, lose at home in back to back games to TCNJ & WNEU two bottom dwellers of their conferences.  That's why you play the game, I still think WPI takes them.

Also, not to nitpick, but they scored 100, but they went to Overtime.  Trinity scored 93, IIRC.  And that game wasn't a true road game either; it was played @ UMass-Dartmouth.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 09, 2013, 12:10:06 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 09, 2013, 10:35:44 AM
Springfield beats MIT in the 50's.  Nerd any detail?

Nope, other than MIT had 2 more starters out, Justin Pedley and Reinier Strobos, in addition to Dennis Levene and Paul Dawson (plus the obvious Karraker and Hollingsworth).  MIT was still up by 5 with about 3 minutes to play, but they were unable to close it out. Burke and Frankel had pretty decent nights for the Engineers, but Tashman and Kates had really poor shooting nights and Redfield had 6 turnovers.

I dont live in the area anymore so I dont really get to see any games. My hope now is that they can get healthy by the time the NEWMAC tourney comes around.  With 3 starters and 6 rotation players out, things are not looking good if they remain the way they are for the rest of the season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 11, 2013, 07:50:37 AM
15-0.

Again - didn't see the game but very much enjoyed the recap late last night.  Last few have been the same formula.  Take control early, leave no doubt late and get contributions from many.  At 9-8, WPI went on a 21-3 run and it was over.

Sure is a fun ride.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 12, 2013, 05:13:34 PM
Nerveless 3 by Jimmy Burke with 1.4 seconds left wins it for MIT over Babson.  He scored 2 more when MIT stole the inbounds pass and got fouled, so the final was 69-64.  Matt Redfield had another nice game; only 8 points, but 6 blocks and a nice jam (and an attempted alleyoop from Mitch Kates that got broken up).  Freshman Justin Pedley had 11 points on 3-4 from downtown.  Tash had 22, and Kates had 10 to go with 12 assists.  A scare late when Mitch went down, but went back in a few minutes later.

MIT had a big size advantage over Babson, but allowed entirely too many second chances.

Photos will follow later.  I got a clean shot at Jimmy's game-winner and also Redfield's slam.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 12, 2013, 05:56:02 PM
Sweet 16!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 12, 2013, 06:02:26 PM
Quote from: rlk on January 12, 2013, 05:13:34 PM
Nerveless 3 by Jimmy Burke with 1.4 seconds left wins it for MIT over Babson.  He scored 2 more when MIT stole the inbounds pass and got fouled, so the final was 69-64.  Matt Redfield had another nice game; only 8 points, but 6 blocks and a nice jam (and an attempted alleyoop from Mitch Kates that got broken up).  Freshman Justin Pedley had 11 points on 3-4 from downtown.  Tash had 22, and Kates had 10 to go with 12 assists.  A scare late when Mitch went down, but went back in a few minutes later.

MIT had a big size advantage over Babson, but allowed entirely too many second chances.

Photos will follow later.  I got a clean shot at Jimmy's game-winner and also Redfield's slam.

Burke is 16-28 from 3 in MIT's last 3 games.

rlk, do you know if he created the last shot himself or was setup?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 12, 2013, 06:27:39 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on January 12, 2013, 06:02:26 PM
Quote from: rlk on January 12, 2013, 05:13:34 PM
Nerveless 3 by Jimmy Burke with 1.4 seconds left wins it for MIT over Babson.  He scored 2 more when MIT stole the inbounds pass and got fouled, so the final was 69-64.  Matt Redfield had another nice game; only 8 points, but 6 blocks and a nice jam (and an attempted alleyoop from Mitch Kates that got broken up).  Freshman Justin Pedley had 11 points on 3-4 from downtown.  Tash had 22, and Kates had 10 to go with 12 assists.  A scare late when Mitch went down, but went back in a few minutes later.

MIT had a big size advantage over Babson, but allowed entirely too many second chances.

Photos will follow later.  I got a clean shot at Jimmy's game-winner and also Redfield's slam.

Burke is 16-28 from 3 in MIT's last 3 games.

rlk, do you know if he created the last shot himself or was setup?

Kates drove and dished it out to Burke, who was waiting and shot it right up.  You'll see (sort of) when the photos go up.

Babson immediately called TO.  During the TO, the ref was impressed.  No pressure at all.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 12, 2013, 07:08:40 PM
MIT-Babson photos are in the process of uploading.  They should be done by 9 PM ET or thereabouts.

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Babson-20130112/27525424_kNnscT#!i=2316663941&k=MZRv43n
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 12, 2013, 07:53:59 PM
Quote from: rlk on January 12, 2013, 06:27:39 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on January 12, 2013, 06:02:26 PM
Quote from: rlk on January 12, 2013, 05:13:34 PM
Nerveless 3 by Jimmy Burke with 1.4 seconds left wins it for MIT over Babson.  He scored 2 more when MIT stole the inbounds pass and got fouled, so the final was 69-64.  Matt Redfield had another nice game; only 8 points, but 6 blocks and a nice jam (and an attempted alleyoop from Mitch Kates that got broken up).  Freshman Justin Pedley had 11 points on 3-4 from downtown.  Tash had 22, and Kates had 10 to go with 12 assists.  A scare late when Mitch went down, but went back in a few minutes later.

MIT had a big size advantage over Babson, but allowed entirely too many second chances.

Photos will follow later.  I got a clean shot at Jimmy's game-winner and also Redfield's slam.

Burke is 16-28 from 3 in MIT's last 3 games.

rlk, do you know if he created the last shot himself or was setup?

Kates drove and dished it out to Burke, who was waiting and shot it right up.  You'll see (sort of) when the photos go up.

Babson immediately called TO.  During the TO, the ref was impressed.  No pressure at all.

Thanks
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 12, 2013, 09:50:07 PM
Quote from: rlk on January 12, 2013, 07:08:40 PM
MIT-Babson photos are in the process of uploading.  They should be done by 9 PM ET or thereabouts.

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Babson-20130112/27525424_kNnscT#!i=2316663941&k=MZRv43n

Everything's uploaded.  Enjoy.  Same basis as usual (Pat, yes, you're welcome to use them for d3hoops).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 14, 2013, 01:01:43 PM
Fellow Posters

I got to the WPI-Worcester St game last week and the Engineers looked very, very good.  The Lancers had no answer for the combo of Kolb (11pts/6 rbs/3 stls) and Longwell(14pts/4rbs) in the first half. The competetive aspect of the game was over with when Matt Harrington hit a 3-ptr that gave WPI a 35-15 lead.  While Worcester St. did cut the lead to 13 at one point in the 2nd half, you never had the feeling they were truly a threat and within 3 possesions the lead was back to 20 again.  Kolb continued to be a dominant force in the 2nd half with 11pts and 7 more boards.  Coach Bartley unloaded his bench and many of the reserves got in some good minutes.

Aaron Davis played another good game at point with 9 pts, 5 asts and 4 steals.  Coppola kicked with 9 points and Harrinton had 8.  Longwell finished with 18 to join Kolb in double figures and KJoe Wesoloski contributed 6 points and 5 boards.

I attempted to watch the game Saturday at Wheaton, but the video feed kept freezing up.  From what I could get from the video ansd its backed up by the numbers, both teams did not shoot well in the 1st half and thanks to Longwell's hot hand with 12 pts, the Engineers took a 26-21 lead into the half. In the second half, WPI played a little better better and Wheaton played a lot worse.  The Lyons shot 23% on 6 for 26. The outcome was settled about 8 minutes into the 2nd half.

Longwell carried the day with game highs of 24 points and 9 rebounds. Dom Mastacusa was the only other Engineer in double figures with 10 points.  Scott Faucher led the Lyons with 8 points and Eddie Capstick added 6 point to go with a team high 8 boards.

Big week for WPI coming up with 2 home games against Clark & MIT.

Keep up the good work!


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 15, 2013, 09:46:19 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on January 14, 2013, 01:01:43 PM
Fellow Posters



Big week for WPI coming up with 2 home games against Clark & MIT.

Keep up the good work!

Yes - a big week for the new #6 team in the country!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 15, 2013, 10:29:42 AM
WPI89.....nice to hear from you on your fine team.  Want to let you know that Walzy has reappeared and making up for lost time.  Get your bet down.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 17, 2013, 01:59:08 PM
17................. ;D

2 days straight of shooting drills in Harrington after 2 straight wins in the 50's!.

Can't see them getting to 20 unblemished.  MIT, Springfield, Babson next 3.................................
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on January 19, 2013, 02:47:43 PM
Nice battle going on at WPI today with a 3 pt game at halftime.  The refs going with the 2 wrongs make a right style of reffing with back to back clean blocks by WPI & MIT that were both called fouls.  Other than that it's been well played by both sides.  MIT going 1-11 from 3 pt line in the 1st half, we'll see if they pick it up in the 2nd to pull off the upset. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 19, 2013, 07:50:10 PM
18!

I am in awe of this team - they win big, they win close, they blow leads and then come back again, they extend close games with runs late, they win in the 50's, they win in the 80's - there is a clutch aspect to this team that has simply been missing from some of their really good WPI teams in the last 10 years.  The only thing I can figure out with regard to their consistency is that they are not reliant on 1 big player like some of their recent very good teams.

My video feed cut out after Burk's layup made it a 3 (maybe even 2) point game.  2 minutes of game clock later, WPI was back up 10!

Hope nobody pinches me - this is fun.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 21, 2013, 09:39:11 AM
Quote from: madzillagd on January 19, 2013, 02:47:43 PM
Nice battle going on at WPI today with a 3 pt game at halftime.  The refs going with the 2 wrongs make a right style of reffing with back to back clean blocks by WPI & MIT that were both called fouls.  Other than that it's been well played by both sides.  MIT going 1-11 from 3 pt line in the 1st half, we'll see if they pick it up in the 2nd to pull off the upset.
You are correct that they called bad fouls both ways when it came to those clean blocks.  I believe there were other clean blocks that were also inappropriately whistled as fouls.  Speaking from MIT's perspective, the worst 3 calls came at the end of the game when it was close.  Near the end of the game when MIT was getting a little momentum, Redfield had an easy layup where the shorter defender hit his arm just above Redfield's elbow that Redfield missed badly with no whistle.  With a couple minutes left and a 4 point WPI lead, Paul Dawson had the ball (I forgot if it was after a turnover or rebound) and was bodied by WPI player to the point where he was being pushed backwards while dribbling and unable to use his speed for one of the few MIT fast break opportunities.  Not only did they not call the body foul (no-calls are okay if consistent), but then called a foul on Dawson for pushing off with his offhand.  The worst was with about a minute left in the game and I believe a 4 point WPI lead where Kates drove the lane and dished to a wide open Dawson for a corner three point shot.  Dawson missed off the back of the rim and MIT got the rebound and quickly scored a layup that the refs ruled was a shot clock violation.  IOW's, all 3 refs apparently did not see Dawson's shot hit the rim or were afraid to make the right call.  A great game could have been a better game with competent officials.  With that said, I believe WPI would have won this game even if the officials made the right calls.  WPI is balanced and physical and truly worthy of their high national ranking.  Their student fans really get into the game that adds to the excitement.  I will look forward to seeing the future games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 21, 2013, 09:53:23 AM
Quote from: BBallers on January 21, 2013, 09:39:11 AM
Quote from: madzillagd on January 19, 2013, 02:47:43 PM
Nice battle going on at WPI today with a 3 pt game at halftime.  The refs going with the 2 wrongs make a right style of reffing with back to back clean blocks by WPI & MIT that were both called fouls.  Other than that it's been well played by both sides.  MIT going 1-11 from 3 pt line in the 1st half, we'll see if they pick it up in the 2nd to pull off the upset.
You are correct that they called bad fouls both ways when it came to those clean blocks.  I believe there were other clean blocks that were also inappropriately whistled as fouls.  Speaking from MIT's perspective, the worst 3 calls came at the end of the game when it was close.  Near the end of the game when MIT was getting a little momentum, Redfield had an easy layup where the shorter defender hit his arm just above Redfield's elbow that Redfield missed badly with no whistle.  With a couple minutes left and a 4 point WPI lead, Paul Dawson had the ball (I forgot if it was after a turnover or rebound) and was bodied by WPI player to the point where he was being pushed backwards while dribbling and unable to use his speed for one of the few MIT fast break opportunities.  Not only did they not call the body foul (no-calls are okay if consistent), but then called a foul on Dawson for pushing off with his offhand.  The worst was with about a minute left in the game and I believe a 4 point WPI lead where Kates drove the lane and dished to a wide open Dawson for a corner three point shot.  Dawson missed off the back of the rim and MIT got the rebound and quickly scored a layup that the refs ruled was a shot clock violation.  IOW's, all 3 refs apparently did not see Dawson's shot hit the rim or were afraid to make the right call.  A great game could have been a better game with competent officials.  With that said, I believe WPI would have won this game even if the officials made the right calls.  WPI is balanced and physical and truly worthy of their high national ranking.  Their student fans really get into the game that adds to the excitement.  I will look forward to seeing the future games.

BBaller - I missed from 4:30 down to 2 minutes (video feed issues) - and perhaps this is when all these calls happened?  After the 2 minute mark - the game was never in doubt and varied from 7-10 point lead.  Kates (I think Kates) hit the 3 at the buzzer to change a 9 point lead to a 6 point lead.  I agree that this was truly anyone's game until 2 minutes though and I really look forward to the rematch in Cambridge.  Watched 38 minutes and never really thought about the refs - they let both sides play and stayed out of the way in my opinion.

Student section was great for an early Saturday contest.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 21, 2013, 10:49:41 AM
WPI89....really fun when the contested games are in full swing are they not.  The MIT video feed will cost you though so better get your electronics in order to get your money's worth.
See that you took your winnings and ran....so to speak...on the "CAC" board.  Nice recovery!  If Amherst can get through the next few weeks....win at home and win another few road games......there is a strong chance that our schools will met again down the road.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 21, 2013, 02:52:13 PM
Yes but Walzy still owes me 2.5 karma dollars.........I'll be back and yes, I would think it a virtual lock that if WPI gets in and wins a tourney game - they would be playing a NESCAC team in round 2 - hopefully in Harrington.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 22, 2013, 09:10:44 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 21, 2013, 09:53:23 AM
Quote from: BBallers on January 21, 2013, 09:39:11 AM
Quote from: madzillagd on January 19, 2013, 02:47:43 PM
Nice battle going on at WPI today with a 3 pt game at halftime.  The refs going with the 2 wrongs make a right style of reffing with back to back clean blocks by WPI & MIT that were both called fouls.  Other than that it's been well played by both sides.  MIT going 1-11 from 3 pt line in the 1st half, we'll see if they pick it up in the 2nd to pull off the upset.
You are correct that they called bad fouls both ways when it came to those clean blocks.  I believe there were other clean blocks that were also inappropriately whistled as fouls.  Speaking from MIT's perspective, the worst 3 calls came at the end of the game when it was close.  Near the end of the game when MIT was getting a little momentum, Redfield had an easy layup where the shorter defender hit his arm just above Redfield's elbow that Redfield missed badly with no whistle.  With a couple minutes left and a 4 point WPI lead, Paul Dawson had the ball (I forgot if it was after a turnover or rebound) and was bodied by WPI player to the point where he was being pushed backwards while dribbling and unable to use his speed for one of the few MIT fast break opportunities.  Not only did they not call the body foul (no-calls are okay if consistent), but then called a foul on Dawson for pushing off with his offhand.  The worst was with about a minute left in the game and I believe a 4 point WPI lead where Kates drove the lane and dished to a wide open Dawson for a corner three point shot.  Dawson missed off the back of the rim and MIT got the rebound and quickly scored a layup that the refs ruled was a shot clock violation.  IOW's, all 3 refs apparently did not see Dawson's shot hit the rim or were afraid to make the right call.  A great game could have been a better game with competent officials.  With that said, I believe WPI would have won this game even if the officials made the right calls.  WPI is balanced and physical and truly worthy of their high national ranking.  Their student fans really get into the game that adds to the excitement.  I will look forward to seeing the future games.

BBaller - I missed from 4:30 down to 2 minutes (video feed issues) - and perhaps this is when all these calls happened?  After the 2 minute mark - the game was never in doubt and varied from 7-10 point lead.  Kates (I think Kates) hit the 3 at the buzzer to change a 9 point lead to a 6 point lead.  I agree that this was truly anyone's game until 2 minutes though and I really look forward to the rematch in Cambridge.  Watched 38 minutes and never really thought about the refs - they let both sides play and stayed out of the way in my opinion.

Student section was great for an early Saturday contest.
I appreciate the clarifications as I was not watching the clock closely.  Maybe my times were off and I will have to ask my son who attended the game with me.  Those calls were probably made in the 3 minute to 2 minute range as you suggested.  The precise timing maybe wrong, but after those three calls that were close together, MIT was in a foul quickly and chuck (quick 3 point shots) mode until the final score.  The game was within 4 points late in the game when these fouls were called.  Kates hit a couple of 3's near the end of the game that included the buzzer beater three you mentioned to bring the final score down under double figures.  There were also several clean blocks that were called as fouls (going both ways) and often called by the officials that were out of position.

There was some decent defense played early on, but it really appeared that both teams were tight and missed shots.  What bodes well for WPI in the next game is that Capolla appeared to have an off-game in this matchup and WPI still won.  Maybe it was the WPI fans or the quality of both teams, but this had the feel of a NCAA tournament game and was very entertaining.  I expect the next game to be equally entertaining.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 22, 2013, 11:06:08 AM
Agree - despite the low percentage from the floor from both teams - I got the impression throughout that it was because of the defensive intensity both ways.  You put it perfectly - it felt like a tourney game.

Fun to think of these 2 teams slugging it out at the highest possible level!

Any update on MIT's walking wounded?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 22, 2013, 11:33:24 AM
WPI89....posted on the "CAC" board that I will cover you if Walzy forgets.....do not expect he will.....see first half of my post.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 23, 2013, 08:27:43 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 22, 2013, 11:06:08 AM
Agree - despite the low percentage from the floor from both teams - I got the impression throughout that it was because of the defensive intensity both ways.  You put it perfectly - it felt like a tourney game.

Fun to think of these 2 teams slugging it out at the highest possible level!

Any update on MIT's walking wounded?
Noel appeared to still be hobbling, so I would not try to guess when or if he will return.  His low post offense is surely missed.  Jamie mentioned earlier and I believe it was reported in the newspaper that he may return in January, so my guess is he will return at some point.  Dennis Levene would definitely help, but I'm unsure of his return.  I was glad to be able to watch Paul Dawson play, especially on defense with his speed and effort.  The NEWMAC has to be one of the strongest conferences and, hopefully, that will be given consideration with the NCAA selection committee when considering at-large bids.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 23, 2013, 11:19:04 AM
WPI....good luck in the game tonight...though your team seems to win without luck. 
Still time to put your bet down for the BIG Amherst vs, Williams game tonight.  Oh yes, one can give a karma point only once in a 24 hour period...same for the other way.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 23, 2013, 12:10:54 PM
I am on it Amh63 - but not much confidence.  I figure it is a "free" 2-k's though - plus it is the first of what sohould be huge match-ups between Amherst/Williams/Middlebury - so I had to get in.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 24, 2013, 02:59:04 PM
19.............. ;D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 24, 2013, 03:53:43 PM
You are to much of a "newbie" to have a shout-out by an Amherst student.  Another thing if your daughter gets to play for Amherst :) :)
Anyway....a Karma point is on the way from me.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 24, 2013, 09:55:36 PM
Quote from: amh63 on January 24, 2013, 03:53:43 PM
You are to much of a "newbie" to have a shout-out by an Amherst student.  Another thing if your daughter gets to play for Amherst :) :)
Anyway....a Karma point is on the way from me.

It is not me - it is just the "street cred" that comes from backing a 19-0 team! 

Going to have to end this Manti relationship and actually meet you at some point Amh63!  Would be WPI's worst nightmare but maybe Amherst loses a couple of times down the stretch and gets sent to Worcester for a potential second round match-up (million miles ahead of myself - but pre-game meal is on me and I will see you there)!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 24, 2013, 09:57:00 PM
PS - still a chance of daughter playing college hoops but Amherst likely a good bit above our expectations.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 28, 2013, 01:57:47 PM
WPI should move to either 5 or 4 in the top 25 tonight - crazy!  At Babson, Coast Guard at home this week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ronk on January 28, 2013, 04:39:34 PM
 Here's a Washington Post Online story about future MIT player Tim Higgins-looks like he wanted to go to MIT all along, if accepted.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/post/paul-vis-tim-higgins-eager-to-focus-on-academics-basketball-at-mit/2013/01/25/aa803c66-6723-11e2-9e1b-07db1d2ccd5b_blog.html#   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 28, 2013, 10:31:07 PM
Quote from: ronk on January 28, 2013, 04:39:34 PM
Here's a Washington Post Online story about future MIT player Tim Higgins-looks like he wanted to go to MIT all along, if accepted.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/recruiting-insider/post/paul-vis-tim-higgins-eager-to-focus-on-academics-basketball-at-mit/2013/01/25/aa803c66-6723-11e2-9e1b-07db1d2ccd5b_blog.html#

Going to be quite a stack of bigs.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 31, 2013, 06:10:17 AM
20    8-)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on January 31, 2013, 12:54:07 PM
WPI,

Walzy posted Friday spreads on the NESCAC board if your interested.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 01, 2013, 09:48:15 AM
Thanks for the nudge 7.  it is like throwing darts for me at this point but I will likely head over and take my chances.....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 01, 2013, 10:33:38 AM
Chatted briefly with Ryan Cain last night about what he's doing now and what he remembers of the last time I was in Worcester:
http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2013/02/01/road-show-hoops-in-worcester/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 01, 2013, 10:42:45 AM
Thanks for sharing Pat!!!  Maybe back to Worcester in March? - I am predicting a WPI vs. NESCAC second round game in Harrington! 

Perhaps getting a bit ahead of myself but it is fun to dream.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 01, 2013, 10:47:56 AM
It's a long trip for me but I am sure WPI will be playing in the second round. Hopefully not a NESCAC team, though. I would think that meeting should be Sweet 16 or later.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 01, 2013, 11:06:23 AM
From your lips to the D3 gods ears............................
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Charles on February 01, 2013, 11:58:18 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 01, 2013, 10:47:56 AM
It's a long trip for me but I am sure WPI will be playing in the second round. Hopefully not a NESCAC team, though. I would think that meeting should be Sweet 16 or later.

Wondering if Springfield or MIT may disagree with that sentiment? Still alot of basketball to be played.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 01, 2013, 12:11:25 PM
Charles - the more the merrier.  Discussion has very little to do with Springfield or MIT.  Would love to get 2+ NEWMAC teams in the tourney.  Not assuming a NEWMAC championship in the slightest.  But it would sure take a historic type collapse at this point to keep WPI out of the big tournament.  Say they went 2-3 in their last 5 games and then lost the first round of NEWMAC.  Would 22-4 not still get them a bid?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Charles on February 01, 2013, 01:10:29 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 01, 2013, 12:11:25 PM
Charles - the more the merrier.  Discussion has very little to do with Springfield or MIT.  Would love to get 2+ NEWMAC teams in the tourney.  Not assuming a NEWMAC championship in the slightest.  But it would sure take a historic type collapse at this point to keep WPI out of the big tournament.  Say they went 2-3 in their last 5 games and then lost the first round of NEWMAC.  Would 22-4 not still get them a bid?

I would think that going 2-3 over the last 5 and losing in the fist round would keep WPI out. I think that with their SOS that 2 or 3 late losses wouldn't be very helpful. However, I always felt that it was good to lose before the tournament. Going undefeated is just too much pressure.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 01, 2013, 05:26:52 PM
In 2009-10, when the current group of MIT seniors were freshman, they lost 2 of their last 3 (D3 losses #2 and #3 on the season), including their first round NEWMAC tourney game, and were the last team into the tourney. Havent followed it too close this year, and dont know their SOS numbers, but with 4 losses they would probably be biting their nails a bit on selection day. 3 losses and I think they are comfortably in.

Im hoping to see two teams from NEWMAC in the tourney this year.  Real big game tomorrow with respect to who that 2nd team could be.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 02, 2013, 03:14:53 PM
WPI moves to 21-0, with an easy win over CGA today. Hope to see them pick up some #1 votes this week and possibly even move into the #1 overall spot. After what should be a cupcake at home against Wheaton, WPI plays the #2-#4 NEWMAC teams on the road to close out the season. If WPI were to fall at Springfield and MIT, and MIT wins out, I believe they would be tied in all tiebreaker criteria and hosting would go to a coin flip.

MIT was able take care of business at home over Springfield to take a strong hold of the #2 spot in the conference. Leading the way was Will Tashman with an all-around solid game. Hopefully they can keep things rolling and finish out the season with a string of wins. They only have one road game remaining, at Babson, followed by home contests against Clark and WPI (with a non-conference tilt against Wheelock sandwiched in). I'm hoping someone trips up WPI coming into that game so that MIT has a chance to get hosting rights for the conference tourney by winning that game.  As for the rest of the team, I haven't heard anything on the injury front as of late (Hollingsworth, Karraker, or Levene), but the new rotation seems to be working with Burke starting and Pedley coming off the bench. Should be an exciting end to the regular season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on February 02, 2013, 05:26:30 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 02, 2013, 03:14:53 PM
WPI moves to 21-0, with an easy win over CGA today. Hope to see them pick up some #1 votes this week and possibly even move into the #1 overall spot. After what should be a cupcake at home against Wheaton, WPI plays the #2-#4 NEWMAC teams on the road to close out the season. If WPI were to fall at Springfield and MIT, and MIT wins out, I believe they would be tied in all tiebreaker criteria and hosting would go to a coin flip.

MIT was able take care of business at home over Springfield to take a strong hold of the #2 spot in the conference. Leading the way was Will Tashman with an all-around solid game. Hopefully they can keep things rolling and finish out the season with a string of wins. They only have one road game remaining, at Babson, followed by home contests against Clark and WPI (with a non-conference tilt against Wheelock sandwiched in). I'm hoping someone trips up WPI coming into that game so that MIT has a chance to get hosting rights for the conference tourney by winning that game.  As for the rest of the team, I haven't heard anything on the injury front as of late (Hollingsworth, Karraker, or Levene), but the new rotation seems to be working with Burke starting and Pedley coming off the bench. Should be an exciting end to the regular season.

Was indeed a nice W in a hard-fought game.  Justin Pedley also had a very nice game for the Engineers, and Matt Redfield and Jimmy Burke also hit double figures.  "Springfield Pride" is right -- they never give up.

A lot better job controlling the boards (37-25, including 16-8 offensive).

Prepping the photos now; they will follow later.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on February 02, 2013, 06:30:37 PM
Quote from: rlk on February 02, 2013, 05:26:30 PM

Was indeed a nice W in a hard-fought game.  Justin Pedley also had a very nice game for the Engineers, and Matt Redfield and Jimmy Burke also hit double figures.  "Springfield Pride" is right -- they never give up.

A lot better job controlling the boards (37-25, including 16-8 offensive).

Prepping the photos now; they will follow later.

Photos are currently uploading to http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Springfield-20130202.  There will be 289 when done (probably around 8:30 or 9:00 PM ET).

The usual rules: they may be used by anyone affiliated with MIT, and d3boards/d3hoops may also use them.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 04, 2013, 03:22:25 PM
21 ;D

Had to post it just for karma purposes............been doing it since 18 I think?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 05, 2013, 08:39:57 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 02, 2013, 03:14:53 PM
WPI moves to 21-0, with an easy win over CGA today. Hope to see them pick up some #1 votes this week and possibly even move into the #1 overall spot. After what should be a cupcake at home against Wheaton, WPI plays the #2-#4 NEWMAC teams on the road to close out the season. If WPI were to fall at Springfield and MIT, and MIT wins out, I believe they would be tied in all tiebreaker criteria and hosting would go to a coin flip.

MIT was able take care of business at home over Springfield to take a strong hold of the #2 spot in the conference. Leading the way was Will Tashman with an all-around solid game. Hopefully they can keep things rolling and finish out the season with a string of wins. They only have one road game remaining, at Babson, followed by home contests against Clark and WPI (with a non-conference tilt against Wheelock sandwiched in). I'm hoping someone trips up WPI coming into that game so that MIT has a chance to get hosting rights for the conference tourney by winning that game.  As for the rest of the team, I haven't heard anything on the injury front as of late (Hollingsworth, Karraker, or Levene), but the new rotation seems to be working with Burke starting and Pedley coming off the bench. Should be an exciting end to the regular season.
Congrats to WPI for moving up to #2 in the country and to MIT for getting back into the rankings at #23.  Big match for MIT and WPI a week from Wednesday, but first MIT has to get by a pesky Babson team on the road tomorrow.  MIT only won by 5 earlier at home and Babson beat Amherst earlier this year.  Here's hoping multiple NEWMAC teams make the tournament.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 05, 2013, 09:00:18 AM
Quote from: BBallers on February 05, 2013, 08:39:57 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 02, 2013, 03:14:53 PM
WPI moves to 21-0, with an easy win over CGA today. Hope to see them pick up some #1 votes this week and possibly even move into the #1 overall spot. After what should be a cupcake at home against Wheaton, WPI plays the #2-#4 NEWMAC teams on the road to close out the season. If WPI were to fall at Springfield and MIT, and MIT wins out, I believe they would be tied in all tiebreaker criteria and hosting would go to a coin flip.

MIT was able take care of business at home over Springfield to take a strong hold of the #2 spot in the conference. Leading the way was Will Tashman with an all-around solid game. Hopefully they can keep things rolling and finish out the season with a string of wins. They only have one road game remaining, at Babson, followed by home contests against Clark and WPI (with a non-conference tilt against Wheelock sandwiched in). I'm hoping someone trips up WPI coming into that game so that MIT has a chance to get hosting rights for the conference tourney by winning that game.  As for the rest of the team, I haven't heard anything on the injury front as of late (Hollingsworth, Karraker, or Levene), but the new rotation seems to be working with Burke starting and Pedley coming off the bench. Should be an exciting end to the regular season.
Congrats to WPI for moving up to #2 in the country and to MIT for getting back into the rankings at #23.  Big match for MIT and WPI a week from Wednesday, but first MIT has to get by a pesky Babson team on the road tomorrow.  MIT only won by 5 earlier at home and Babson beat Amherst earlier this year.  Here's hoping multiple NEWMAC teams make the tournament.

Babson recently beat Springfield on the road also...they can be a dangerous team when they are playing well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 05, 2013, 11:30:07 AM
Quote from: Charles on February 01, 2013, 01:10:29 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 01, 2013, 12:11:25 PM
Charles - the more the merrier.  Discussion has very little to do with Springfield or MIT.  Would love to get 2+ NEWMAC teams in the tourney.  Not assuming a NEWMAC championship in the slightest.  But it would sure take a historic type collapse at this point to keep WPI out of the big tournament.  Say they went 2-3 in their last 5 games and then lost the first round of NEWMAC.  Would 22-4 not still get them a bid?

I would think that going 2-3 over the last 5 and losing in the fist round would keep WPI out. I think that with their SOS that 2 or 3 late losses wouldn't be very helpful. However, I always felt that it was good to lose before the tournament. Going undefeated is just too much pressure.

I don't think a 22-4 team stays at home. No chance.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 05, 2013, 12:26:48 PM
What a ride!!!  21-0!!!!!

Congratulations to WPI for being ranked #2 in the nation and also garnering 8 votes for #1.

No one saw this kind of season coming and I for one am most happy to be wrong!

I have been away for a time, the last game I was able to get to was MIT game.  It was a great game.  I will offer this up for those MIT fans still holding out for a Hollingsworth return - I do not see it happening and even if it does I can't believe he will very effective at all. That game was Jan. 19th and he was still on crutches and wearing a boot.  I did at time during the game see him get up off the bench without the crutches, but he moving very, very cautiously.  Very hard to think he could get back on the court for any really significant minutes and do the things he needs to do to be more effective than anyone who is now part of that playing rotation.

WPI is playing great defense this year on the perimeter led by freshmen PG Aaron Davis.  They lead the nation in defensive 3pt FG pct (26.6%),  33rd in overall FG pct (39.1%),  20th in scoring defense (59.3 ppg).  Offensively they rank 30th in the country in 3-pt FG pct (39.0%), They are tied for 12th in the country in turnover margin(+5.5 per game).   Davis is a true PG and a in your shorts defender all over the court.  He does not big scorer, he is a big time scorer.  His baskets always seem to come at critical moments in the game.  Joe Wesoloski & Ryan Kolb along with Chad LaBove have done a great job defensively on the interior.  Kolb has had a great season on both ends of the court.  Coppola and Longwell have complimented each other all season. Zach Karalis has given the Engineers another outside threat along with Matt Harrington. I dont think they have a game yet this season where all these young guns have misfired. As I stated earlier, taken as a complete group, they form the best guard group in the northeast.

I think this was the mistake MIT made in the first meeting.  Tashman & Redfield had 17 FGAs versus the team hoisting up 18 3s.  Many of those threes were not good shot selections and Tashman/Redfield seemed to spending most of the shot clock at or above the free throw line setting screens. I honestly thought MIT would pound the ball inside heavily.  Give the WPI interior players credit for making it difficult, but I would think the next meeting may focus more on it.  I am not sure that MIT can win a 3-pt shooting contest against WPI. The Worcester Engineers have 3 of the top 5 3-pt shooters in the conference.   

An area of concern is still rebounding as they are 234th in rebounding margin with a -.6.  So far they have been able to overcome this issue, but it will get magnified as post season play starts.

As far as NCAA tournament hopes go, as long as they do not fall to far in the regional rankings, remember last year! That being said, I do not think they will pick up 4 losses before the tournament selections are made and I would imagine they will host some opening round games as they did in 08-09 and 10-11.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on February 05, 2013, 01:54:04 PM
It's amazing just how high the overall talent level is these days.

When I was team manager for MIT in the mid 1980's, our best season was 7-16.  We had one or two guys over 6'5", and one of our starting forwards was 6'0" on a good day.  We lost more games than I'd like to remember by 30-40 points.

Completely different story now.  I'd estimate that today's MIT team is 30-40 points better than back then.  We gave Harvard a real game for 40 minutes (other than their big run midway through the first half), and we're not even tops in our conference.  Harvard has defeated a number of D1 teams by more than the 15 points they beat us by.  They had their starters and top reserves in until the last couple of minutes against us, and they really couldn't handle Mitch Kates.

The rest of the season will be very interesting, with a lot of very big games coming up.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 06, 2013, 03:01:05 PM
Yes RLK.  I remember the mid 80's well.  We were basically an ECAC team but the trips to MIT were always fun (and I think wins both times I went).

Wonder if there has ever been a conference with the pre-season number 1 team and maybe the end of the regular season #1 team - and have them be different teams (maybe UAA or whatever conference all the UW-Whatevers play in)?.  LOTS to do before that could happen but fun times for the NEWMAC for sure!



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on February 06, 2013, 10:26:27 PM
Pretty nice win for MIT today at Babson. MIT led wire to wire, jumping out to an 8-0 lead and never looking back. Early in the 2nd half the lead stretched to 26. Babson got within 11 at one point, but no closer down the stretch. Hot 3 point shooting really helped, with the Engineers ultimately hitting 44% from deep. Also, one of Babson's bigs, Wickey, got two very quick fouls early on, and that allowed MIT's frontcourt to do some damage.

Glad to see Tech gaining speed as opposed to slowing down during the home stretch.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 07, 2013, 09:58:05 AM
WPI89....Congrats to WPI for their top regional rankings!  Will help to get a post season nod.  Watch out, Amherst is barking at your heels for a spot....as well as the rest of the "CAC".  Critical games this weekend will be impacted by the storm coming.....will miss them since I have become a snow bird for awhile 8-)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 07, 2013, 10:47:25 AM
Yes Amh63 - I believe you could throw WPI and the big 3 from the NESCAC in a basket right now.  MIT is rounding into shape and not far off the big 4 if you ask me either.

I see Amherst has a nice easy weekend as well coming up!  Amazing stuff up here in the Northeast - hope we can get a few to make deep runs!

WPI has to run the gauntlet in the next 6 days (weather permitting) - playing the top 3 in the NEWMAC all on the road - then turn around and have to beat 2 of them (if not Clark) again next week.  Will be a very tough run heading up tot he big dance.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 07, 2013, 12:53:37 PM
Quote from: amh63 on February 07, 2013, 09:58:05 AM
WPI89....Congrats to WPI for their top regional rankings!  Will help to get a post season nod.  Watch out, Amherst is barking at your heels for a spot....as well as the rest of the "CAC".  Critical games this weekend will be impacted by the storm coming.....will miss them since I have become a snow bird for awhile 8-)

Since you brought up Amherst on the NEWMAC board, I have to note that Amherst is 0-2 against NEWMAC teams this year (and they have not even played the top two teams in the conference).  The've done a lot better against the rest of D3 (20-0), but they still are winless against the NEWMAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 07, 2013, 03:24:16 PM
WPI/Springfield moved to Sunday already.  Time TBD
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 08, 2013, 12:12:09 PM
According to the MIT basketball site, both the Saturday game against Clark and the Monday game against Wheelock have been postponed/rescheduled.

http://mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2012-13/schedule

MIT has announced that the Wheelock game will be played the following Sunday, Feb. 17.  There is no date announced for the Clark game, but it may be difficult to get that game in with the remaining games on both teams schedules and the way the schedule for the conference tourney is. 

Remaining game dates for both teams:

MIT 2/13, 2/17
Clark 2/13, 2/16
2/20 #4/#5 play in game

Based on that, the only way it looks like this game can get in is if one of the teams is ok with playing on back-to-back days.  That is, unless, MIT and Wheelock are willing to cancel their game (Wheelock also has games on 2/14, 2/16, and 2/19) and then MIT could play Clark on 2/18, with 2/17 and 2/19 open as rest days for both teams.

Based on this independent announcement, it also appears possible that the game may be cancelled:

http://mitathletics.com/genrel/2012-13/Snow_Feb8

If I were MIT, I would cancel the Wheelock game and try to get the Clark game in.  Wheelock already has 3 games in a 5 day span during that time, and this only adds a 4th, so it doesnt seem like it would be very beneficial for their team to play the game.  Further, the Clark game will be important in finalizing conference seeding, and gives them an opportunity to get another win against a good team.  In addition, playing a one win team at home is only going to hurt your post season chances at this point, as it is going to drop your weighted OWP a lot.  This game alone could drop their OWP 0.025 points, in other words from a ~0.555 to a ~0.530.  Based on all that, if I had to choose one game, I would try to get the Clark game in.  Obviously you've made a commitment, so if you could play both, you do.  But the way the schedule looks its seems tough to get both of them in.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 10, 2013, 04:31:57 PM
WPI falls at Springfield, which makes the last week of the season a bit more interesting. If MIT can also best them on Wednesday, after getting past Clark on Monday, the two teams would be tied atop the conference (if WPI also wins at Clark next Saturday).  I believe all tiebreakers would also be equal for the two teams, if that scenario played out (having split the head-to-head and both losing at Springfield).

In other related news, Brandeis lost to Case Western today. That counts as an in-region game for Brandeis because it is a conference game, so they now have 6 region losses, with games against WashU and at NYU still to come. I think it is possible for MIT to pass them this week in the regional rankings.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 11, 2013, 09:39:56 PM
MIT cruised past Clark tonight at home, 69-44.  In a game where Mitch Kates only played 15 minutes due to foul trouble, and never was able to get in a rhythm, Will Tashman was unstoppable.  He arguably had the best night of his career as he went for 26 points (10-14 from the floor, 6-6 from the stripe) and had 20 huge rebounds.  He nearly outrebounded the entire Clark team by himself (Clark had 24 as a team). In doing so, Tashman set the career rebounds mark for MIT, as he now has 974 boards for his career. Tashman is just 26 boards shy of becoming the first MIT 1000 point/1000 rebound player, and will have at least 3 games to get that mark (and hopefully several more than that).

Clark also could not matchup with MITs other starting big, Matt Redfield, who had 13 points (6-8 shooting) and 11 boards.

MIT has now put themselves in great position by setting up essentially a regular-season championship game with WPI on Wednesday.  A win and they are guaranteed a share of the regular-season conference crown (WPI still plays at Clark next Saturday). 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 12, 2013, 05:00:35 PM
Well, there is a balance to the universe I guess.  WPI's last loss came just a little over a year ago to Springfield in the NEWMAC Semis.  The record 22 game streak came to a close on Sunday with the exact same score as that game last season, 66-60.  It was also the Pride that ended the '10-'11 squad's 14 game win streak in Springfield.

I took a break from my snow removal tasks to watch the game online.  WPI played their usual good defensive game and created 24 turnovers, but other than Coppola & Mastascusa the offense pretty much vaporized.  They shot 35% from the field,  30% from beyond the arc including 1 for 11 in the 2nd half.  Take Coppola/Mastascusa out of the mix and the rest of the team shot 8 for 38 (21%) and 0 for 10 from 3-pt land. I have been touting them as the best overall guard group, but this was not the case on Sunday.  It was obvious they needed some interior scoring and it wasn't there.  Even though they tied up the Pride in the points in the paint category, virtually all of those points came on drives to the hoop or fast break opportunities, not from a low post game. They also got out-rebounded 39 to 30.  With all that, they still had plenty of chances to pull this one out.

Huge game tomorrow night in Cambridge as they must go into the Cage at MIT and win to clinch the regular season title and host the conference tournament.  Should be a tremendous game.  IF MIT really presses it's obvious interior advantage and does not settle for trying to play shoot out from the 3-pt line, I think they win and make WPI to beat Clark on Saturday to force what HN believes will be a coin toss to decide the #1 seeding.  If  Tashman has a game like he did last night(26 points/20 rebounds), MIT is going to be very hard to beat.

If however WPI's defense plays like it did in the first meeting this season, they have a good shot at sweeping MIT.  Sam Longwell will have to recover from his worst collegiate performance and Zach Karalis also needs to shake off a bad game.  Ryan Kolb will need to play at a very high level to match Tashman.

Enjoy the battle!




Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 13, 2013, 09:27:20 AM
What a world (conference) we now live in that WPI, after winning 22 in a row needs to win tonight in a very hostile gym in Cambridge just to win the regular season NEWMAC!

What a long way we have come.

Plus lets think about how great the next couple of weeks in NE D3 hoops should be.  The 3 NESCAC's going nuts, Springfield, MIT, and WPI vying for I hope at least 2 bids and throw in RIC, Magnus and the rest - holy cow.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 13, 2013, 11:56:43 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 13, 2013, 09:27:20 AM
What a world (conference) we now live in that WPI, after winning 22 in a row needs to win tonight in a very hostile gym in Cambridge just to win the regular season NEWMAC!

What a long way we have come.

Plus lets think about how great the next couple of weeks in NE D3 hoops should be.  The 3 NESCAC's going nuts, Springfield, MIT, and WPI vying for I hope at least 2 bids and throw in RIC, Magnus and the rest - holy cow.

I agree, should be fun.

Magnus may be in trouble though, their SOS is extremely low, and with their recent loss to Suffolk, I think they need a Pool A bid to get in.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 13, 2013, 02:00:51 PM
Northeast - Week 2

1 WPI 22-1 22-1
2 Amherst 21-2 21-2
3 Williams 18-3 20-3
4 Middlebury 18-1 21-1
5 Rhode Island College 20-3 20-3
6 MIT 16-4 17-4
7 Brandeis 16-6 16-6
8 Springfield 16-7 16-7
9 Curry 16-6 16-6
10 Westfield State 17-4 19-4
11 Eastern Connecticut 15-4 15-7
12 Albertus Magnus 20-2 20-3
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 13, 2013, 04:25:05 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 13, 2013, 02:00:51 PM
Northeast - Week 2

1 WPI 22-1 22-1
2 Amherst 21-2 21-2
3 Williams 18-3 20-3
4 Middlebury 18-1 21-1
5 Rhode Island College 20-3 20-3
6 MIT 16-4 17-4
7 Brandeis 16-6 16-6
8 Springfield 16-7 16-7
9 Curry 16-6 16-6
10 Westfield State 17-4 19-4
11 Eastern Connecticut 15-4 15-7
12 Albertus Magnus 20-2 20-3

I like to see that WPI's record vs. common opponents kept them ahead of Amherst (Amherst is 4-2, loss to Springfield on a neutral court and loss to Babson at home, and WPI is 8-1, with a loss at Springfield).  Everything else is almost a wash between WPI and Amherst, with WPI having the slight edge in WP and Amherst with the slight edge in SOS and results vs. regionally ranked opponents.

Looks like Brandeis' loss at Case Western was enough to knock them down a spot.  It will be interesting to see how they hold up, as they still have at least 2 tough games left on their schedule. 

Good to see Springfield move up also, despite the loss to MIT.

MIT is likely locked behind RIC because of the head-to-head result, therefore, there is not much room for movement for them upwards.  The most vulnerable team I see in the Top 5 is Middlebury, who now has two losses, an average SOS (0.521) and no wins vs. regionally ranked opponents (with only two games played against regionally ranked opponents).  If RIC continues to perform well, and Middlebury loses in their conference tourney, I wouldnt be surprised to see Middlebury slip a bit.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 13, 2013, 04:34:13 PM
This may seem trivial... but it does read "results vs. regionally ranked opponents" not record. I only say that because some people may take "record" and look at who has the better WP... when the criteria does not say that... it is only results meaning the number of games. We are already seeing some rankings where the number of games not the record seems to be a factor.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 13, 2013, 04:37:01 PM
In this case it is essentially trivial (WPI is 4-1, Amherst is 5-1), but I see how that in other situations in may not be.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 13, 2013, 04:39:46 PM
I suspect with every thing else being equal or offsetting one another... the WP won out the decision between Amherst and WPI.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 13, 2013, 04:44:47 PM
Amherst's loss to Babson at home has to also play some sort of tiebreaker.  WPI absolutely clobbered Babson both times they played, with an average score of 68.5 - 40.5 (+28). I know point differential and points allowed are not part of the criteria, but Amherst allowing 78 points in an 8 point loss at home is a bit shocking when compared to the WPI-Babson results (results against common opponents is a criteria, I believe).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 13, 2013, 04:46:48 PM
Yep... that is part or primary criteria: In-region results versus common regional opponents.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Charles on February 13, 2013, 06:30:49 PM
$7 to watch MIT-WPI?
Really, lousy feed and all?
You got to be kidding.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 13, 2013, 07:51:06 PM
Great win for MIT.

MIT really showed up defensively for about the first 37 minutes of the game, then it got a little dicey for the last 3 as both teams were a sloppy with the frantic pace when WPI was trying desperately to come back.  Tashman was on pace for another huge game, but picked up 3 fouls in the the first 8.5 minutes of the 2nd half, including his 3rd and 4th in about a 1.5 minutes span (13 points and 10 rebounds to that point, didnt pick up another stat the rest of the game).  That resulted in him sitting for about 9 minutes, which was a bit scary, as MIT seemed to be in control at that time.  Fortunately, Andrew Acker kept up the defensive intensity and made his layups to fill in nicely.  Justin Pedly was also huge, connecting on 6 threes, including one in the final minutes that helped push MITs lead to 10 when WPI had cut it to 7.  Mitch Kates had an all-around good game, with 16 points (4-7 FG), 9 assists, 6 boards, and 2 steals.   Hats off to WPI, as their comeback attempt was valiant, and MIT left the door open with a couple of turnovers and two missed front ends of 1 and 1s, but they were fortunate to close it out (WPI cut it to as few as 5, after trailing by 14 with 6 to play).  MIT held a huge rebounding average about 34 minutes into the game, but allowed WPI to close that gap with a flurry of offensive rebounds in the final minutes.  Matt Redfied was also solid, with 8 points and 9 boards.  Jimmy Burke was in foul trouble early, much like Kates was against Clark on Monday, and therefore never really found a rhythm.  Coppola and Kolb led WPI with 22 and 17 points, respectively.  Just as he was against the loss vs. Springfield, Sam Longwell was shut down (4 points).  Production from him appears to be important to WPIs success.

Great win for MIT!!  Now WPI is in a must win this Saturday to tie for the conference championship with MIT.  If they are able to win at Clark, I believe all tiebreakers will be even between the two teams, which I believe would result in a coin toss to determine the hosting site.

MIT closes out the regular season this Sunday against Wheelock at home.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 13, 2013, 10:12:37 PM
I forgot to mention this in my previous post, but obviously home court for the tourney would be huge for either MIT or WPI...both teams are undefeated at home this season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 14, 2013, 09:01:26 AM
Apparently there is a tiebreaker criteria I was unaware of.  I thought all tiebreakers had to do with conference games, but apparently non-conference common opponents is a tiebreaker, according to boston.com:

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/extras/colleges_blog/2013/02/mit_men_topple.html

"WPI (21-2, 9-2) can still secure home court in next week's NEWMAC tourney, however, with a win against Clark Saturday, with its sweep of nonleague foes Salem State and Rhode Island College serving as the tiebreaker (MIT lost to both teams)."
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 14, 2013, 09:24:42 AM
HN - was just going to write that WPI's website was saying they can secure a tie for reg season and home court in the NEWMAC tourney with a win at Clark - they did not however define how or why - so thanks for the 411.

Did not see any of the game last night - from 200 miles away - I am fine with both of WPI's 2 losses - they do need to get back on track on Saturday across town though.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 14, 2013, 12:33:21 PM
Some more recruiting news out of MIT.  They have picked up a commitment from Hunter Gatewood, a 6'5" 190 pound guard, out of Concordia in Houston:

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/tomball/sports/concordia-s-gatewood-eager-for-mit-engineering-basketball/article_d3783ed5-ac07-5400-8761-8bc3755e4704.html

According to this website, he is a top 30 prospect out of the Houston area (the previous article mentions D1 interest, but I cannot confirm that):

http://rcssports.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=312&Itemid=86

He is on the AAU team that won a national championship in 2010.  He is a two time TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) all-state selection, including 1st team this past year.

Some highlights here:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUTQK6OjugUoe2onuJ6cWhVQ
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on February 14, 2013, 01:01:22 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 14, 2013, 12:33:21 PM
Some more recruiting news out of MIT.  They have picked up a commitment from Hunter Gatewood, a 6'5" 190 pound guard, out of Concordia in Houston:

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/tomball/sports/concordia-s-gatewood-eager-for-mit-engineering-basketball/article_d3783ed5-ac07-5400-8761-8bc3755e4704.html

According to this website, he is a top 30 prospect out of the Houston area (the previous article mentions D1 interest, but I cannot confirm that):

http://rcssports.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=312&Itemid=86

He is on the AAU team that won a national championship in 2010.  He is a two time TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) all-state selection, including 1st team this past year.

Some highlights here:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUTQK6OjugUoe2onuJ6cWhVQ

Sounds promising.  I wonder if he knows that Billy Bender (and now David Bender) are also from Houston.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 15, 2013, 09:07:53 AM
Don't believe I posted this previously, but MIT also picked up another commitment back around the holidays, 6'8" Tim Butala from Fairfield Prep:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/2900/Early-Decision-Commitments.php

He looks like a pretty athletic big man from his junior year highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgCLuJ4tVGo
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 16, 2013, 03:43:00 PM
Clark up 27-24 on WPI at the half.  WPI took an early 15-8 lead, but a 19-6 run near the end of the half has put Clark ahead.  WPI made a 3 at the buzzer to account for the halftime margin.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 16, 2013, 04:44:18 PM
After building their lead to 7 points with about 8 minutes to play, it felt like Clark didn't make a shot the rest of the game, missing a bunch of FTs and settling for bad shots (in reality, they scored only 6 points over the last 8 minutes).  WPI will host next weekend's tourney, MIT will be the 2 seed, Springfield the 3, Clark the 4 and Babson 5.  Babson plays at Clark on Saturday to see who plays WPI in the Semis.  MIT/Springfield is set for next Saturday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 16, 2013, 06:18:50 PM
Whew...............back on track?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 16, 2013, 06:51:09 PM
OK - so Saturday night - coached a 5th grade victory, watched a HS playoff loss, and just read about WPI winning the NEWMAC.

Starting my second Harpoon and feeling reflective.  If any of the players or coaches are silly enough to actually ever read this running "blog", I just wanted to say congratulations.  What a truly spectacular year.  Exceeded even the wildest expectations anyone could have had.  Watched a number of games on video - can't wait to see my first game of the year next weekend truly live.

Hoping for a nice long run - very best of luck boys!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 17, 2013, 04:16:40 PM
FYI - WPI coach Chris Bartley will be on Hoopsville tonight. The show runs from 7-9 PM EST and Coach Bartley is scheduled to join us around 7:45 PM EST (though, we encourage you to watch the entire show). Below is the important information:

Show website: www.d3hoopsville.com (http://www.d3hoopsville.com)
Twitter: @d3hoopsville (http://www.twitter.com/d3hoopsville) or #hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville (http://www.facebook.com/Hoopsville)
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com

Hope you get the chance to tune in, but if you miss it the archive will be available shortly after the show has gone off the air tonight.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 17, 2013, 04:52:04 PM
Thanks Dave - I will be sure to listen in!  Tell coach B - all Alumni are very proud of the effort this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 17, 2013, 07:55:42 PM
MIT up huge on Wheelock right now.

Tashman only 4 rebounds away from 1000 for his career with 15 minutes to play.  MIT also closing in on a team single-game assists record (they are at 21, record is 30).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 17, 2013, 08:18:03 PM
MIT wins 76-34.  MIT ends up 2 assists short of tying their single game assist record.  Tashman finishes with 28 points and 19 rebounds.

Congrats to Tashman for becoming the first MIT player to reach the 1000 point and 1000 rebound plateau (thanks to Dave for the shout out during Hoopsville).

Also a big congrats to the other (active) senior on this season's roster, Mitch Kates.  He is the only MIT player to ever reach 500 assists or reach 250 steals, which goes along nicely with his 1600+ career points.

Both are currently top 10 all-time scorers at MIT (Kates currently 4th, Tashman 10th), while leading the respective career lists in the stats named above.

Today marked an end to their regular-season careers, but I'm hoping they still have another strong run in them this postseason.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on February 18, 2013, 09:20:50 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 17, 2013, 08:18:03 PM
MIT wins 76-34.  MIT ends up 2 assists short of tying their single game assist record.  Tashman finishes with 28 points and 19 rebounds.

Congrats to Tashman for becoming the first MIT player to reach the 1000 point and 1000 rebound plateau (thanks to Dave for the shout out during Hoopsville).

Also a big congrats to the other (active) senior on this season's roster, Mitch Kates.  He is the only MIT player to ever reach 500 assists or reach 250 steals, which goes along nicely with his 1600+ career points.

Both are currently top 10 all-time scorers at MIT (Kates currently 4th, Tashman 10th), while leading the respective career lists in the stats named above.

Today marked an end to their regular-season careers, but I'm hoping they still have another strong run in them this postseason.

Tash's 1000th rebound was off a missed layup by Kates (which conveniently bounced hard off the backboard right into his hands, if you get my drift, for his first career dunk).  I didn't get as clean a shot of it as I hoped, but it's still very apparent what happened.

Photos at http://rlk.smugmug.com/Other/MIT-Wheelock-20130217/28058014_QCdPbG#!i=2370242528&k=xS54jfV

Wasn't the cleanest or most elegant game I've ever seen.  MIT was a bit sloppy with the ball (Wheelock actually had more steals and fewer turnovers), but it was more of a fun game and a chance for some of the bench to get in on the act.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 18, 2013, 09:32:21 AM
HOOPSVILLE

Great job Dave - sorry I couldn't be on live but just finished listening to the archive.  +1 for the burger discussion at the end but back to even with the lame "engineer guaranteed victory".........:)

Question for all - any chance of getting 3 NEWMAC bids  Best shot is if Springfield were to beat MIT and then WPI in the final.  WPI should still be in and of course Springfield.  Would MIT get in at 20-5?  (I think yes)

MIT over WPI in final - they would both be in.  Springfield out.
WPI over MIT in final - they would both be in.  Springfield out
Springfield over WPI - could we get 3?
Clark/Babson win it over MIT - another chance at 3?

Hoping I don't have to sweat it if WPI should lose to Babson/Clark?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2013, 09:48:10 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 18, 2013, 09:32:21 AM
HOOPSVILLE

Great job Dave - sorry I couldn't be on live but just finished listening to the archive.  +1 for the burger discussion at the end but back to even with the lame "engineer guaranteed victory".........:)

Question for all - any chance of getting 3 NEWMAC bids  Best shot is if Springfield were to beat MIT and then WPI in the final.  WPI should still be in and of course Springfield.  Would MIT get in at 20-5?  (I think yes)

MIT over WPI in final - they would both be in.  Springfield out.
WPI over MIT in final - they would both be in.  Springfield out
Springfield over WPI - could we get 3?
Clark/Babson win it over MIT - another chance at 3?

Hoping I don't have to sweat it if WPI should lose to Babson/Clark?

I think 3 is possible if Springfield wins it, or if MIT is in the final and loses to Babson/Clark.

Here is the the nightmare scenario in my opinion:  Springfield beats MIT and then loses to WPI.  Because of the 2-1 head-to-head lead, Springfield gets ranked ahead of MIT in the region despite 3 more losses (which I hope would not happen, given the disparity in winning percentage between the two teams, however, crazier things have happened...look at Wesleyan from last year).  Then, you have an 8 loss Springfield team blocking anyone below them in the NE region rankings from getting considered for Pool C.  In that scenario, the conference only gets one team in.

I think that if MIT takes care of business on Saturday, they are in good shape to get a Pool C.  If they lose, I would prefer Springfield to win the tourney than to have the potential of them being ranked ahead of them in the region. WPI will get one of the first few Pool C spots, as would Amherst/Williams/Middlebury, so in that scenario MIT would be up for consideration with about 10 Pool C spots left, and I think they would get one.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2013, 12:39:17 PM
Congrats to Tashman for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week for the third time this year.  Definitely had a memoral week, averaging 22.3 point and 16 boards a game in 3 games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 18, 2013, 04:19:11 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 18, 2013, 12:39:17 PM
Congrats to Tashman for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week for the third time this year.  Definitely had a memoral week, averaging 22.3 point and 16 boards a game in 3 games.

Yes, Great Week.  He is the POY in my most humble opinion.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2013, 04:30:23 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 18, 2013, 04:19:11 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 18, 2013, 12:39:17 PM
Congrats to Tashman for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week for the third time this year.  Definitely had a memoral week, averaging 22.3 point and 16 boards a game in 3 games.

Yes, Great Week.  He is the POY in my most humble opinion.

I agree.  In conference only games, Tashman led the league in rebounding (by a pretty decent margin), led the league in FG%, was second in scoring, was third in FT%, was 7th in assists, and 5th in blocks.  He and Kates both had great seasons, but Tashman really came on strong and played his best through the conference slate.  I would expect Coach Anderson to nominate Tashman for MITs POY candidate, because, even though I know he values both of them equally on the team, Tashman's numbers give him a better chance of winning it.

The only other real candidate would be Berthiaume (who has averaged exactly 1 more ppg than Tashman in conference games this year), but I would take a guy that scores 17 ppg at 59.2% than someone who gives me 18 ppg at 41.7% any day.  The only other categories that Berthiaume leads Tashman in are 3FG% (Tashman barely took any of them) and steals (1.5 vs. 0.8)...Tashman even averaged more assists than Berthiaume.

I hope the coaches vote in Tashman's favor this year.  I really felt Kates deserved it last year, with the year MIT had and the numbers Kates put up, and it would be a shame if that repeated itself, especially with the historical precedent of how the coaches have voted for the POY from the top 2 teams in the past (last year it went to Berthiaume on the 3rd place team).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 18, 2013, 04:49:50 PM
WPI at 6, MIT at 19, and Springfield picking up some votes in the new Week 12 rankings.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 18, 2013, 05:23:03 PM
Great comeback win by WPI on Sat.

I attended the game along with a friend who was a Clark grad.  It was a very frustrating day for him.  All he kept saying was why shoot from the perimeter when you have Bailey inside who seemed to make things happen most times he got a touch in both matchups with WPI.  The Cougars could very well have beaten the Engineers both times except for the fact they cant seem to grasp where they have matchup advantages use them or disadvantages and compensate for them.  He was livid that it took so long for them make some kind of an adjustment to the WPI pressure.  20 turnovers in each of the two meetings  resulting in a 21 to 9 advantage in the first game and 19 to 10 in points off turnovers in game 2.  Looking at the box score afterwards, it does raise an eyebrow to look at the fact the Curley & Daprato each had more FGAs than Bailey.  Vayda has had a tough time with the Kolb/Wesloski duo this season. They have held him to a total of 7 points on 3 for 16 shooting in the 2 games.  All I could do was tell him they should have a 3rd shot at WPI on Saturday.

You do have to give a great deal of credit to the resolve of this WPI team. After Bailey's layup that gave Clark a 7 pt lead with 8 and half minutes to go, I really thought the Engineers may have lost the momentum for good.  The Clark bench and the building were fired up.  Three minutes later (4 TOs and a missed 1&1) it was a 5 point lead for WPI and it was Clark who had lost the momentum.  Zach Karalis had a a career game with 25 pts and was the driving force in final 5 minutes.  One concern for WPI is this was the third straight sub-par game for Sam Longwell.  He has shot 3 for 21 in the last 3 games and is visibly struggling with his shot.  For the Enginners to win the NEWMAC's AQ, they need him to return to form.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 18, 2013, 05:39:42 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 18, 2013, 04:30:23 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 18, 2013, 04:19:11 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 18, 2013, 12:39:17 PM
Congrats to Tashman for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week for the third time this year.  Definitely had a memoral week, averaging 22.3 point and 16 boards a game in 3 games.

Yes, Great Week.  He is the POY in my most humble opinion.

I agree.  In conference only games, Tashman led the league in rebounding (by a pretty decent margin), led the league in FG%, was second in scoring, was third in FT%, was 7th in assists, and 5th in blocks.  He and Kates both had great seasons, but Tashman really came on strong and played his best through the conference slate.  I would expect Coach Anderson to nominate Tashman for MITs POY candidate, because, even though I know he values both of them equally on the team, Tashman's numbers give him a better chance of winning it.

The only other real candidate would be Berthiaume (who has averaged exactly 1 more ppg than Tashman in conference games this year), but I would take a guy that scores 17 ppg at 59.2% than someone who gives me 18 ppg at 41.7% any day.  The only other categories that Berthiaume leads Tashman in are 3FG% (Tashman barely took any of them) and steals (1.5 vs. 0.8)...Tashman even averaged more assists than Berthiaume.

I hope the coaches vote in Tashman's favor this year.  I really felt Kates deserved it last year, with the year MIT had and the numbers Kates put up, and it would be a shame if that repeated itself, especially with the historical precedent of how the coaches have voted for the POY from the top 2 teams in the past (last year it went to Berthiaume on the 3rd place team).

I agree it is a 2 horse race this year between those two.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 19, 2013, 02:41:59 PM
Congratulations to Mitchell Kates of MIT for being selected as a 2nd-team Academic All-American by CoSIDA.

This continues a rich tradition that the NEWMAC has developed over the past few seasons.

2005-06 - 3rd Team AAA - Mike D'Auria - MIT
2007-08 - 1st Team AAA - Jimmy Bartolotta - MIT
2008-09 - 1st Team AAA - Jimmy Bartolotta - MIT
2010-11 - 2nd team AAA - Matt Carr - WPI
2011-12 - 1st Team AAA - Matt Carr -WPI


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on February 19, 2013, 03:36:06 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 19, 2013, 02:41:59 PM
Congratulations to Mitchell Kates of MIT for being selected as a 2nd-team Academic All-American by CoSIDA.

This continues a rich tradition that the NEWMAC has developed over the past few seasons.

2005-06 - 3rd Team AAA - Mike D'Auria - MIT
2007-08 - 1st Team AAA - Jimmy Bartolotta - MIT
2008-09 - 1st Team AAA - Jimmy Bartolotta - MIT
2010-11 - 2nd team AAA - Matt Carr - WPI
2011-12 - 1st Team AAA - Matt Carr -WPI

Also last year, Jamie Karraker and Noel Hollingsworth were 2nd team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 19, 2013, 04:24:35 PM
RLK

My Bad!  TY for the correction!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 20, 2013, 02:42:14 PM
No real surprises I guess - maybe RIC ahead of Midd?

Northeast – Week 3
1 Amherst 23-2 23-2
2 WPI 23-2 23-2
3 Williams 20-3 22-3
4 Rhode Island College 22-3 22-3
5 Middlebury 19-2 22-2
6 MIT 19-4 20-4
7 Springfield 18-7 18-7
8 Brandeis 17-7 17-7
9 Curry 18-7 18-7
10 Westfield State 19-4 21-4
11 Eastern Connecticut 18-4 18-7
12 Tufts 16-5 17-8
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 20, 2013, 03:19:18 PM
And MIT and Springfield are adjacent to eachother in the rankings.  Saturday's game could be big.  The reason I say 'could' is because I think it is still possible that MIT is still ranked above Springfield regardless of the outcome of Saturday's game (they would have 3 less losses and still finished above Springfield in the regular season rankings, if Springfield won on Saturday and lost Sunday making both teams in play for Pool C).  However, I obviously wouldnt want to bank on that.  If MIT wins Saturday, I think there is a good chance they are in the tourney, win or lose on Sunday.  I think Springfield needs to win the tourney to have a good shot (8 losses seems like it would keep them out, their SOS is good - 0.561, but not high enough that they would get in with 8 losses, in my opinion).  WPI will make it regardless of this weekend's results.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Charles on February 20, 2013, 04:24:09 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 20, 2013, 02:42:14 PM
No real surprises I guess - maybe RIC ahead of Midd?

Northeast – Week 3
1 Amherst 23-2 23-2
2 WPI 23-2 23-2
3 Williams 20-3 22-3
4 Rhode Island College 22-3 22-3
5 Middlebury 19-2 22-2
6 MIT 19-4 20-4
7 Springfield 18-7 18-7
8 Brandeis 17-7 17-7
9 Curry 18-7 18-7
10 Westfield State 19-4 21-4
11 Eastern Connecticut 18-4 18-7
12 Tufts 16-5 17-8

Sometimes stocking wins against easy opponents gets noticed by the NCAA more so the D3 Hoops top 25 ????
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 20, 2013, 04:25:28 PM
Or the voters on the poll are looking at data and information that the NCAA can't per criteria to make decisions - which I know to be true :).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 20, 2013, 10:39:12 PM

I think a team's going to need an SOS above .600 to get in with even 6 losses this year.  If you factor in the upsets, there's just so many gaudy records out there.

One thing to their advantage, though, they should be sitting on the table for quite a while.  Lot's of time for the committee to talk themselves into choosing them.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 20, 2013, 11:16:12 PM
If you mean nationally... I don't agree. First off, SOSs over .600 are rare. Secondly, we have seen lower SOSs with 6-losses make it before even with upsets. However, the closer to .500 a team's SOS gets, the chances go down as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 23, 2013, 02:33:59 PM
WPI big run - tied up with Babson with 3 minutes left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 23, 2013, 02:41:47 PM
Tied again......1:10 remaining.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 23, 2013, 02:46:57 PM
Rebound buzzer beater after they traded clutch 3's.  WPI vs MIT/Springfield winner tomorrow.  Harrington looked awesome - I will be there tomorrow.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on February 23, 2013, 04:52:13 PM
After leading for about 80% of the game, MIT simply could not get the ball in the hoop late in the second half, and Springfield made their clutch shots to win 68-60.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2013, 04:56:13 PM
Terrible finish for MIT, as they led by double digits on several occasions yet still could not convert down the stretch.  They seemed to get away from the interior game that earned them their lead, which ended up not working out as well.

WPI vs. Springfield tomorrow for the NEWMAC AQ.

MIT has to sweat it out now to see if they will get an at-large bid.  If WPI wins, it will be interesting to see how the committee ranks MIT and Springfield.  MIT currently has 2 less losses (if Springfield loses tomorrow, it will be 3), will the 2-1 head to head advantage get Springfield ahead of MIT in the region? If it does, both teams could be sitting at home next week.  If Springfield wins tomorrow, we could see 3 NEWMAC teams in the tourney.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 23, 2013, 06:34:16 PM
Wow - just home - read the recapps etc.........was thinking MIT would take care of business.  4 very high quality teams - could have EASILY been a Babson/Springfield final.

Massd3 - you going tomorrow?

Anyone in the Worcester area?  Is the snow an issue for tomorrow.

MIT supporters - how do you root tomorrow?  I can't make up my mind what would be better for you?  If Springfield wins, then you don't have to worry about them "blocking" you.  If WPI were to win resoundingly - then you still may not have to worry about that and it takes away the "3 team concern"
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 23, 2013, 08:07:41 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 23, 2013, 06:34:16 PM
Wow - just home - read the recapps etc.........was thinking MIT would take care of business.  4 very high quality teams - could have EASILY been a Babson/Springfield final.

Massd3 - you going tomorrow?

Anyone in the Worcester area?  Is the snow an issue for tomorrow.

MIT supporters - how do you root tomorrow?  I can't make up my mind what would be better for you?  If Springfield wins, then you don't have to worry about them "blocking" you.  If WPI were to win resoundingly - then you still may not have to worry about that and it takes away the "3 team concern"

I'd be less worried on Monday if Springfield wins tomorrow.  RIC already won their AQ today, Amherst or Williams will get another tomorrow.  Amherst/Williams, WPI, and Midd should all come off the board in the first 5-8 picks, leaving MIT in decent shape with about 10-12 spots remaining.  If WPI wins tomorrow, MIT is still in good shape as long as their winning percentage (would be 0.800, 20-5, vs. 0.704, 19-8) outweighs Springfield's head to head advantage (2-1). I think the SOS (maybe 0.01-0.02 advantage to Springfield) and vRRO (MIT is now 4-4, Springfield would be 4-6 with a loss to WPI) are about a wash between the two teams.  If the committee decides to rank Springfield ahead of MIT, then you probably see one less NE team in the tourney, so I really hope that they go with MIT ahead of Springfield. I'm just not confident that an 8 loss team will get an at-large bid.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 24, 2013, 06:12:10 PM
I've been looking more and more at the numbers, and I just can't see Springfield, and their 8 losses, jumping MIT in the regional rankings.  I know they now have the 2-1 head-to-head edge, but I dont think that trumps MIT's WP.  I think a 3 loss discrepency is significant. With that said, I don't think MIT will block Springfield's chances for a Pool C at all.  Williams and Midd should be 2 of the top 5 Pool C selections, and I think MIT will get in in the next 2-3 spots after that.  Therefore, Springfield should have about 12 spots left when they come to the table for consideration.  Hopefully the NEWMAC gets 3 teams this year (and all 3 do well).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Charles on February 24, 2013, 06:21:03 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 24, 2013, 06:12:10 PM
I've been looking more and more at the numbers, and I just can't see Springfield, and their 8 losses, jumping MIT in the regional rankings.  I know they now have the 2-1 head-to-head edge, but I dont think that trumps MIT's WP.  I think a 3 loss discrepency is significant. With that said, I don't think MIT will block Springfield's chances for a Pool C at all.  Williams and Midd should be 2 of the top 5 Pool C selections, and I think MIT will get in in the next 2-3 spots after that.  Therefore, Springfield should have about 12 spots left when they come to the table for consideration.  Hopefully the NEWMAC gets 3 teams this year (and all 3 do well).

5 Pool C selections in New England?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 24, 2013, 07:19:06 PM
Very possible, almost everyone on the Multi-region Pool C board agrees also, including Titan Q and Knightslappy (who have been tracking this stuff a lot more closely than I).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 24, 2013, 07:47:18 PM
Conference honors are handed out on Tuesday, here are my predictions:

POY: Will Tashman, MIT
ROY: Zach Karalis, WPI
COY: Chris Bartley, WPI

First Team:
Alex Berthiaume, Springfield
Mitchell Kates, MIT
Marco Coppola, WPI
Will Tashman, MIT
Brian Vayda, Clark

2nd Team:
Ryan Kolb, WPI
Jordon Rote, Springfield
John Wickey, Babson
Matt Redfield, MIT
Greg Marshall, CGA

I'm probably biased with the 3 MIT picks, let me know if you think I missed anyone.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 25, 2013, 09:53:15 AM
Have not seen nearly enough to comment on all NEWMAC teams.

Most every projection I have seen has all 3 in - however, a cautionary tale - most every projection had WPI in last year!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on February 25, 2013, 12:44:23 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 25, 2013, 09:53:15 AM
Have not seen nearly enough to comment on all NEWMAC teams.

Most every projection I have seen has all 3 in - however, a cautionary tale - most every projection had WPI in last year!

No worries this year! All 3 projected teams punched their ticket this year:

WPI will host SUNY Purchase
Springfield will host Ithaca
MIT will travel to St. Mary's (Md.)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 25, 2013, 12:47:01 PM
Springfield not only makes it, but they host Ithaca as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 25, 2013, 12:48:58 PM
Thrilled about all 3 in! 

My initial gut is that WPI does not have a favorable draw.  Will be back with some comments after some research.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 25, 2013, 01:09:09 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 25, 2013, 12:48:58 PM
Thrilled about all 3 in! 

My initial gut is that WPI does not have a favorable draw.  Will be back with some comments after some research.

I can't comment either because I only saw the right side of the bracket, missed all the teams on the left.  I do think they beat Purchase, not sure who the opponents are for round 2, however.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: T990 on February 25, 2013, 01:11:56 PM
see:

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2013/bracket-released

and

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2013/2013-mbb-bracket
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 25, 2013, 01:21:05 PM
WPI89.....you posted that you like the Middlebury vs. WPI possible matchup on the "CAC" board.  It seems that there is a possible Amherst vs. WPI matchup ahead if both teams play well in games ahead.  Your thoughts?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 25, 2013, 01:21:35 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 25, 2013, 12:48:58 PM
Thrilled about all 3 in! 

My initial gut is that WPI does not have a favorable draw.  Will be back with some comments after some research.

Ehh, now that I look at it, it's not that bad.  They'll have more problems with Randolph-Macon then Stevens, but I think they should get to the sweet 16.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 25, 2013, 01:56:04 PM
amh63 - yeah I figured they would have set it up to play one of the NESCACs in the sweet 16. Did not think it would be Ahmerst.

You can only play who they put in front of you but a very big SUNY Purchase team - a traditional power in Randolph Macon and then Amherst would be about as tough as it could get.

You have to love your draw?  Midd fans have to be ecstatic?  Maybe Williams not so much?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on February 25, 2013, 02:58:36 PM
An 8 loss team from the NEWMAC gets to host another 8 loss team?   how is this reasonable?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 25, 2013, 04:06:15 PM
WPI played 7 tourney teams this year (MIT, Springfield, RIC, Husson, Curry, Elms, Fitchburg) and 10 total games against tourney teams.  They beat them all - going 8-2 total.

That is a pretty good stat.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 25, 2013, 05:12:40 PM
Quote from: remsleep on February 25, 2013, 02:58:36 PM
An 8 loss team from the NEWMAC gets to host another 8 loss team?   how is this reasonable?

Geographic proximity? 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on February 25, 2013, 11:10:16 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 25, 2013, 05:12:40 PM
Quote from: remsleep on February 25, 2013, 02:58:36 PM
An 8 loss team from the NEWMAC gets to host another 8 loss team?   how is this reasonable?

Geographic proximity?

   then it must be the same logic used in sending 20-5 MIT to 23-4 St. Mary's College   haha....again, wow
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 26, 2013, 01:02:41 PM
2013 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team and Award Winners

NEWMAC Athlete of the Year:
Will Tashman, MIT

NEWMAC Rookie of the Year:
Aaron Davis, WPI

NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player:
Ryan Kolb, WPI

NEWMAC Coach of the Year:
Chris Bartley, WPI

NEWMAC Sportsmanship Award:
Coast Guard Academy

First Team All-Conference
John Wickey, Babson
Brian Vayda, Clark
Mitchell Kates, MIT
Will Tashman, MIT
Alex Berthiaume, Springfield

Second Team All-Conference
D.J. Bailey, Clark
Matt Redfield, MIT
Jordan Rote, Springfield
Marco Coppola, WPI
Ryan Kolb, WPI



I had 9 of the players right (I omitted DJ Bailey), but also had Coppola and Wickey switched. Davis from WPI wins ROY.

MIT gets good representation - Tash wins POY.  Kates and Tash make 1st team, Redfield make 2nd team.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: walzy31 on February 26, 2013, 01:07:16 PM
I've had a love-hate relationship with Mitchell Kates the past two seasons as I would see him floating around MIT's campus. Love his play but hated him because I wanted to see an Amherst / MIT match up and would be pulling for the purple and white. Now that the only way Mitchell would be squaring off against Amherst is in the National Championship game (which would be awesome for the region and for me), I feel comfortable in saying a few things about the kid:

He is a great person and it's great to find that special mix of a student-athlete who has:
1) Brilliance on the court
2) Intelligence in the classroom
3) Personality worth chatting with

That's all. A very nice kid, good representative of MIT, and also of the NEWMAC. I'm sad I don't get to see my schools square off.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: remsleep on February 26, 2013, 01:46:32 PM
Quote from: walzy31 on February 26, 2013, 01:07:16 PM
I've had a love-hate relationship with Mitchell Kates the past two seasons as I would see him floating around MIT's campus. Love his play but hated him because I wanted to see an Amherst / MIT match up and would be pulling for the purple and white. Now that the only way Mitchell would be squaring off against Amherst is in the National Championship game (which would be awesome for the region and for me), I feel comfortable in saying a few things about the kid:

He is a great person and it's great to find that special mix of a student-athlete who has:
1) Brilliance on the court
2) Intelligence in the classroom
3) Personality worth chatting with

That's all. A very nice kid, good representative of MIT, and also of the NEWMAC. I'm sad I don't get to see my schools square off.

Ditto that Walzy
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on February 26, 2013, 02:37:54 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on February 26, 2013, 01:02:41 PM
MIT gets good representation - Tash wins POY.  Kates and Tash make 1st team, Redfield make 2nd team.

Tash richly deserved POY.  He has had an absolutely brilliant season. Nice to see him get his 1000th rebound and 1st dunk on the same play (putting back a "missed layup" that just happened to bounce off right into his hands): http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Wheelock-20130217/28058014_QCdPbG#!i=2370242528&k=xS54jfV

Matt Redfield has really come into his own this season, from occasional sub to starter and a massive force in the post.  This really says it all: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Wheelock-20130217/28058014_QCdPbG#!i=2370051697&k=45Lq7LX

As far as Mitch goes, I don't have all afternoon to sort through photos and clips, but this one from his freshman year against Harvard says a lot, if any of you can get it to play (it isn't playing for me right now, for reasons I don't know).  He didn't make the shot, but you'll notice he blew by his defender like he was standing still.  You'll notice another well-known player on the floor... http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-Mens-Basketball/10786526_HrVt6D#!i=2249844747&k=57Pb4c2
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on February 26, 2013, 02:59:29 PM
Quote from: walzy31 on February 26, 2013, 01:07:16 PM
I've had a love-hate relationship with Mitchell Kates the past two seasons as I would see him floating around MIT's campus. Love his play but hated him because I wanted to see an Amherst / MIT match up and would be pulling for the purple and white. Now that the only way Mitchell would be squaring off against Amherst is in the National Championship game (which would be awesome for the region and for me), I feel comfortable in saying a few things about the kid:

He is a great person and it's great to find that special mix of a student-athlete who has:
1) Brilliance on the court
2) Intelligence in the classroom
3) Personality worth chatting with

That's all. A very nice kid, good representative of MIT, and also of the NEWMAC. I'm sad I don't get to see my schools square off.

All of them that I've met -- and I don't know any of them well, but they know me from shooting games and some team/alumni functions -- are great kids.  Just plain good folks, in addition to being top students and some of the best basketball players in D3 (giving the top of the Ivy League a tougher game than a lot of their D1 opponents did).  I don't know if any of the seniors will ever lace on a pair of sneakers on the court again, or follow in Jimmy Bartolotta's and Bill Johnson's footsteps and play or coach, but they're going to make their mark in the world.  Very sad that Noel Hollingsworth and Jamie Karraker didn't have an opportunity to play their final year.

Back in my era, we routinely got clobbered by Amherst.  One year we lost to them by 40 points, although the year before we somehow beat them 64-63 (one of the three best games when I managed the team, the other two being a 64-63 defeat of Brandeis on a buzzer beater turnaround by Mike McElroy and the other being a 1 or 2 point loss to Tufts my freshman year).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: CCC Talk on February 27, 2013, 08:57:37 AM
How about WPI not getting a single first team player- yet winning the league regular season and tournament titles...that's either a great coaching job or poor voting or a combination or both.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2013, 09:25:10 AM
Quote from: CCC Talk on February 27, 2013, 08:57:37 AM
How about WPI not getting a single first team player- yet winning the league regular season and tournament titles...that's either a great coaching job or poor voting or a combination or both.

WPI has their 4 top guys putting up similar numbers, and they are a younger team.  Its also easy to question the teams, but who would you take off the first team to replace with a WPI guy?  In my projections (posted earlier on this board), I had Coppola on the 1st team for Wickey, but Wickey was a 1st team player last year and had another great year.  WPI did pick up the ROY.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2013, 09:30:03 AM
The WPI starters will be filling up the all NEWMAC for the next 2-3 years if they continue to develop.  No issues with any of the voting this year from me.

But yes - just from a recruiting standpoint alone - Bartley gets tremendous credit.  He also gets the guys to play really hard every play, every night (at least form what I have watched).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2013, 10:27:09 AM
I just found out that Friday is the last day of the term at WPI (they work on 4 - 7 week terms) - then next week is break.

Usually a mass exodus - hope some of the students spend the one extra day on campus!

Any current students on this board - what is the talk?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 11:26:20 AM
First off, I want to congratulate WPI for winning the NEWMAC tournament and Ryan Kolb for being named Tournament MVP.  I was not in the area and had to watch online. Very dicey weekend for the Engineers, but like most of the season they found a way to win.

Congratulations also to Marco Coppola & Ryan Kolb for being selected as 2nd-team All-Conference, Aaron Davis for the Rookie of the Year and Coach Bartley for the COY.

Kudos to Will Tashman for the Player of the Year, Mitchell Kates, Bryan Vayda, Alex Berthiaume, and John Wickey for join Tashman as 1st team All-Conference players. HN - Wickey was a frosh last year and did not make any All-Conference team, that said I have no issue with him on 1st team & Copolla on 2nd team.

Congratulations also to MIT & Springfield for making the NCAAs. I believe it is a frst for the NEWMAC to have 3 teams in the dance.

I was reading some of the posts about how far WPI can go Sweet 16 match up with Amherst, etc.  While I understand the natural tendency to think about these things, I think we had better focus a lot more on their first round opponent.  I took a quick look at both team's stats and national standing in some of the key categories.  Purchase has a very big front line and their top 3 scorers are about equal in shot attempts with 2 of those bigs and a shooting guard accounting for 50% of their 72 ppg.  They also rebound very well as a team nearly 42 boards/game and are 24th in the country in rebound margin with +6.8.  WPI grabs 34 boards/game and sits 210th in margin with a -0.1.

Purchase is 3rd in the nation in defensive FG PCT and 30th in defensive 3pt FG PCT (WPI is 70th & 6th respectively).  Just taking a cursory look at it, it would appear this game will primarily be the WPI perimeter game Vs the Purchase inside game.  WPI will need to continue to generate turnovers (they are 10th in the nation in turnover margin) and shoot a high PCT.  At the free throw line it is kind of a wash with the Engineers also hold a relatively big margin in PCT (73.% Vs 66%), but Purchase gets 6 more attempts per game.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 12:02:54 PM
WPI89

   If the past is any indication, here are the attendance numbers for the last two times the Engineers hosted.

2008-09
    1st Round - 1100
    2nd Round - 1100

2010-11
    1st Round - 1500
    2nd Round - 1100

Now, we also have to factor in that this year there is only one other team at this site Vs in the past there were three other teams for that 1st round.  to compare, the attendance for the NEWMAC title game last weekend was 1800.  Another thing is many students may be expecting to come back from break to see the team hosting in the 2nd round next week.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2013, 12:09:55 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 11:26:20 AM
HN - Wickey was a frosh last year and did not make any All-Conference team, that said I have no issue with him on 1st team & Copolla on 2nd team.

Thanks for the correction, I don't know why I thought he was, may have been confused with his two early year Player of the Week awards.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 27, 2013, 12:18:56 PM
2013 NEWMAC Men's Basketball Academic All-Conference Team
Kenny Ross 2014 Babson
Adam Farina 2015 Babson
D.J. Bailey Gr. Clark
Nicholas DaPrato 2014 Clark
John Karas 2013 Clark
Andrew Musler 2014 Clark
Reed Powell Gr. Clark
Oliver Samples 2014 Clark
Brian Vayda Gr. Clark
Andrew Acker 2015 MIT
James Burke 2013 MIT
Noel Hollingsworth 2013 MIT
Jamie Karraker 2013 MIT
Mitchell Kates 2013 MIT
Nicholas Prus 2015 MIT
Matt Redfield 2015 MIT
Reinier Strobos 2015 MIT
Nicholas Sienkiewicz 2015 Springfield
Joe Wesoloski 2013 WPI
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2013, 12:58:34 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 12:02:54 PM
WPI89

   If the past is any indication, here are the attendance numbers for the last two times the Engineers hosted.

2008-09
    1st Round - 1100
    2nd Round - 1100

2010-11
    1st Round - 1500
    2nd Round - 1100

Now, we also have to factor in that this year there is only one other team at this site Vs in the past there were three other teams for that 1st round.  to compare, the attendance for the NEWMAC title game last weekend was 1800.  Another thing is many students may be expecting to come back from break to see the team hosting in the 2nd round next week.

1800 has got to be close to capacity for Harrington, no?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 02:07:48 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 27, 2013, 12:58:34 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 12:02:54 PM
WPI89

   If the past is any indication, here are the attendance numbers for the last two times the Engineers hosted.

2008-09
    1st Round - 1100
    2nd Round - 1100

2010-11
    1st Round - 1500
    2nd Round - 1100

Now, we also have to factor in that this year there is only one other team at this site Vs in the past there were three other teams for that 1st round.  to compare, the attendance for the NEWMAC title game last weekend was 1800.  Another thing is many students may be expecting to come back from break to see the team hosting in the 2nd round next week.

1800 has got to be close to capacity for Harrington, no?


If you check the D3Hoops.com team page for WPI, it lists the capacity for Harrington at 3000.  Remember they do not use those bleachers behind the team benches so I am figuring its rare to get 3000 in there.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2013, 02:10:01 PM
Hard to imagine - I did not see many empty seats with the 1800 there last weekend (at least on video).

Massd3 - you going Saturday?  I will be down at the Boynton at about 4:00 - would certainly enjoy buying you a beer.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 27, 2013, 02:11:02 PM
As a heads-up for those who don't already know, the Bracket Challenge is out! Our friends at d3photography.com manage our official picks contests:

http://d3photography.com/bracket_challenge/

Playing for pride, which means student-athletes and department personnel can participate.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2013, 02:18:30 PM
Pat

My understanding is that Emmert is looking into the improper distribution of Karma points - be careful!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 27, 2013, 02:32:23 PM
WPI89......Nice!....better than my post on the contest....which I did not see/read the last line.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 27, 2013, 02:35:18 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 27, 2013, 02:11:02 PM
As a heads-up for those who don't already know, the Bracket Challenge is out! Our friends at d3photography.com manage our official picks contests:

http://d3photography.com/bracket_challenge/

Playing for pride, which means student-athletes and department personnel can participate.
I've made my selections with Williams, Amherst, Middlebury and MIT in the final 4, but wouldn't be surprised if WPI and Springfield made it also.  Purely objective analysis without any bias.   ;)  I won't say who I chose to win, but I think it would be an easy guess.

The first game for underdog MIT in an away game against the 11th ranked St. Mary's will definitely be difficult.  If MIT wins a couple games, they could easily get a rematch against RIC.  I'm happy MIT is in the tournament.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 27, 2013, 03:23:02 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 02:07:48 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 27, 2013, 12:58:34 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 12:02:54 PM
WPI89

   If the past is any indication, here are the attendance numbers for the last two times the Engineers hosted.

2008-09
    1st Round - 1100
    2nd Round - 1100

2010-11
    1st Round - 1500
    2nd Round - 1100

Now, we also have to factor in that this year there is only one other team at this site Vs in the past there were three other teams for that 1st round.  to compare, the attendance for the NEWMAC title game last weekend was 1800.  Another thing is many students may be expecting to come back from break to see the team hosting in the 2nd round next week.

1800 has got to be close to capacity for Harrington, no?


If you check the D3Hoops.com team page for WPI, it lists the capacity for Harrington at 3000.  Remember they do not use those bleachers behind the team benches so I am figuring its rare to get 3000 in there.

I was at Cabrini last year.  Purchase brought about 50 people.  WPI may be slightly easier for them to get to, but I wouldn't expect a huge visiting crowd.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 04:02:39 PM
Hoops Fan

I realize it was a year ago, but what was your impression of the bigs from Purchase & their style of play?  I'm not certain who much different their team was last year.  The 7"1" center would have been freshman.


WPI89

Thanks you for the invite.  I greatly appreciate it, but my wife is aBabson grad and I am on the hook to attend the Babson games this weekend in Medford at Tufts.  I'll be following the NEWMAC mens teams as best I can from the game as we are assuming Babson will win their opening game.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 27, 2013, 04:17:58 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 04:02:39 PM
Hoops Fan

I realize it was a year ago, but what was your impression of the bigs from Purchase & their style of play?  I'm not certain who much different their team was last year.  The 7"1" center would have been freshman.

I'd have to compare rosters.  I know they graduated quite a bit, if I recall - they had a senior guard who was the star of the team and pretty much kept them in the game when their discipline was lacking.

Ok, so in looking back it was actually two years ago I saw them at Cabrini - I guess the seasons run together.  I doubt my roster advice will be of much help with two years difference.  It appears they didn't have a single freshman or sophomore on the 2011 squad, so it's all new faces.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 28, 2013, 12:30:23 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 27, 2013, 04:17:58 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 04:02:39 PM
Hoops Fan

I realize it was a year ago, but what was your impression of the bigs from Purchase & their style of play?  I'm not certain who much different their team was last year.  The 7"1" center would have been freshman.

I'd have to compare rosters.  I know they graduated quite a bit, if I recall - they had a senior guard who was the star of the team and pretty much kept them in the game when their discipline was lacking.

Ok, so in looking back it was actually two years ago I saw them at Cabrini - I guess the seasons run together.  I doubt my roster advice will be of much help with two years difference.  It appears they didn't have a single freshman or sophomore on the 2011 squad, so it's all new faces.

I think Charney their coach gets a lot of JUCO's.  From what I remember looking at their roster when I went to their game vs. William Paterson last season they had a ton of juniors and seniors but almost none underclassmen.  I think that team Hoops Fan is talking about from 2011 had about 7 or 8 seniors, IIRC.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 28, 2013, 09:13:35 AM
Quote from: 7express on February 28, 2013, 12:30:23 AM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on February 27, 2013, 04:17:58 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on February 27, 2013, 04:02:39 PM
Hoops Fan

I realize it was a year ago, but what was your impression of the bigs from Purchase & their style of play?  I'm not certain who much different their team was last year.  The 7"1" center would have been freshman.

I'd have to compare rosters.  I know they graduated quite a bit, if I recall - they had a senior guard who was the star of the team and pretty much kept them in the game when their discipline was lacking.

Ok, so in looking back it was actually two years ago I saw them at Cabrini - I guess the seasons run together.  I doubt my roster advice will be of much help with two years difference.  It appears they didn't have a single freshman or sophomore on the 2011 squad, so it's all new faces.

I think Charney their coach gets a lot of JUCO's.  From what I remember looking at their roster when I went to their game vs. William Paterson last season they had a ton of juniors and seniors but almost none underclassmen.  I think that team Hoops Fan is talking about from 2011 had about 7 or 8 seniors, IIRC.

Yeah, it was all juniors and seniors.  This year's roster has a good number of underclassmen, but it seems like many of their best players are transfers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NYHOOPS8 on February 28, 2013, 11:10:05 AM
Not meant to flame but WPI will have their hands full with Purchase. Purchase has been playing very well as of late. It's going to be a tougher game than WPI fans may realize.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2013, 11:12:30 AM
Not sure what fans you are referring to too - I have been crying form the mountain that we got a brutal draw.

Purchase is a big team nightmare for WPI.

MASSD3 - the only other WPI fan consistently on here, wrote an essay on how tough the match-up is..............
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NYHOOPS8 on February 28, 2013, 11:37:45 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 28, 2013, 11:12:30 AM
Not sure what fans you are referring to too - I have been crying form the mountain that we got a brutal draw.

Purchase is a big team nightmare for WPI.

MASSD3 - the only other WPI fan consistently on here, wrote an essay on how tough the match-up is..............

General observation from reading some of the posts....This is a scary game for WPI. I saw Purchase in their conference final vs Farmingdale St and came out impressed; even with the fact that Farmingdale's NBA prospect AJ Matthews had 28 and 17. WPI needs to thoroughly dominate the backcourt to hold off the upset. Purchase has some guys that needed to gel through time and it looks like it is coming to fruition.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2013, 01:18:33 PM
Somebody giving you a negative karma point already NY8? Probly those mean NESCAC guys - I will give you +1 to get back on even footing.

Not exactly breaking new basketball ground here but WPI can play with anybody and beat most if they are shooting the 3 ball well.  They average over 20 3's a game and have had 2 games where they are 13-19 from 3 and multiple games where they have struggled.

A struggle on Saturday could mean an early exit.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 28, 2013, 01:36:03 PM
NYHOOPS8

Thanks for your input.  I have not seen as many WPI games in person this year as I would have liked due to other issues, but I think everyone knew they would be vunerable this year on the inside.  For all the talk about others, most of it deserved by the way, the real glue that has held this team together is the play of Joe Wesoloski inside on the defensive end.  This is a guy who had a disappointing junior year playing in 19 games last year only averaging averaging 6.6 mpg. I truthfully figured he would have been a bigger part of the mix last year.  Give him a lot of credit for hanging in there and making the most of his chances this season.  While not the shot blocker or rebounder that Carr was, he has done a great job filling the void that was left defensively inside.  His and Ryan Kolb's play inside have allowed the Engineers to do what they needed to when they needed to.  Another aspect that has helped WPI interior defense this year is much better defensive play in the backcourt. They have made it much more difficult to get the ball inside.

All that being said, the real key to operating a good low post game in appropriate court spacing and providing good clearouts when you need to.  Many teams that WPI faced this season really had no feel for this at all and made it very easy to double any quality big down low.  I cant count how many time I have seen a big have the ball right around the block with a teammate within 5 feet of him!

Not knowing anything but what little I can glean from stats, I would say Purchase can be a real nightmare for the Engineers if they can make their obvious interior advantage work for them. Joe W. has indeed had a great senior season, but it is asking a lot of him to guard a 7'1" kid knowing there is also a 6'8" or 6'7" guy lurking to attack the boards.  I wonder if Coach Bartley is working on some sort of zone defense.  I know he is not big on zone, but this may be a situation where it is called for. 

The officating will determine a lot too.  If they let the teams play (like the WPI/Amherst game of 2 years ago) that will favor Purchase as their bigs will probably not face a lot of foul difficulty.  How well do they handle penetrating guards and forwards?  Do they stay down or over commit to try to block a shot?  If it is called very close though, the WPI slashers may get those bigs in foul trouble.  If WPI gets into the bonus early that is good for them as this team is one of Barley's best on the FT stripe.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NYHOOPS8 on February 28, 2013, 02:06:52 PM
Maybe it is some sort of initiation to the boards  ;). I have been a lurker for years but never cared to post because of my coaching position. "Retirement" and loving postseason basketball made me want to contribute to the boards.

Now onto Purchase....Davis is a load down low but he is not your conventional post up guy who is an automatic basket if he gets in the paint. Purchase plays like your typical city team but isn't overly undisciplined. They are susceptible to giving up the 3; if you shoot it well, you can beat them. The bigs are prone to foul trouble but seems like they like to play only one at a time.

I expect a close game if Purchase doesn't go up and down with WPI. WPI will be better suited getting the game to a fast pace.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on February 28, 2013, 06:47:41 PM
Will Tashman on Hoopsville tonight. Maybe Dave can comment on what time he will be on?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2013, 09:08:37 AM
Pat C - lots of love to the Northeast in your preview article - NICE!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2013, 10:11:47 AM
OK - busy morning and then heading up to Worcester - best of luck to the NEWMAC 3!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 03, 2013, 10:26:52 AM
WPI.....nice solid win for your school!...on a night that other top NE teams had close games or lost.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 03, 2013, 10:33:19 AM
Yeah - Amh63 - thanks.

Game went about as I had expected (hoped) - back and forth for the first 15 minutes - at times Purchase dominated with their size - multiple put backs to stay right in the game.  WPI then hit 4 or 5 3's in a row to go up 12 at the half.  Purchase made one run - got it to 7 with the ball but never challenged after that.

Purchase's 6'8" wide body (#44) was scarier than their 7 footer.  44 got in some foul trouble and also seemed disinterested at times.  He didn't but I could have seen him take over in stretches.

Been saying it over and over (and echoing MASSD3) but if this team knocks down enough shots - they can and will play with anyone!

Hope we host Randolph-Macon next!  I guess we find out around 1 today?

Gotta go check out NESCAC......should be some pretty loud exhales!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 03, 2013, 12:02:08 PM
I would be pretty surprised if you aren't hosting Randolph-Macon... who was #8 in the final South Regional Rankings.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 03, 2013, 01:30:42 PM
WPI is hosting.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 03, 2013, 03:36:20 PM
Thanks Dave!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2013, 09:40:36 AM
WPI game is at Assumption?  Anybody know why?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: FanJacket on March 05, 2013, 09:45:56 AM
It looks like the Mass state championships are scheduled @ WPI during the week and weekend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2013, 09:51:47 AM
Thanks - that's what I figured but couldn't find it anywhere.  Kind of sucks - WPI 15-0 at Harrington this year!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 05, 2013, 10:15:10 AM
There's a robotics competition being held at WPI this weekend, which is why they didn't file to host on campus.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on March 05, 2013, 10:29:59 AM
Displaced in favor of a robotics competition?  That is truly awesome ... one for the only in D-3 files ...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 05, 2013, 10:35:48 AM
Yeah, no doubt. :)

I suspect if they had known the NCAA format was going to change, they might not have thrown their names in to host this. Since it would have conflicted with a sectional they would have been unlikely to host, I'm sure the facility seemed available.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 05, 2013, 11:41:21 AM
As far as not being able to play in Harrington, I suppose that is not surprising since I do not know of anyone who thought WPI would be in this position back in November or even earlier when WPI probably need to decide about hosting the robotics competetion.


WPI89

As far as packing people into Harrington goes, it appears the high school kids do  better job of it than the Engineers - This story from the Telegram on the high school tournaments :

http://www.telegram.com/article/20130304/NEWS/103049839/1009/SPORTS

It says that the crowd was 2,880.  This game was won on a buzzer beater 3ptr by Ken Harrington, possibly WPI's Matt Harrington's younger brother or cousin.

I think it might be time to put that fun label of "Team of Destiny" on this year's Engineers.  Not sure if that means a ride to Salem, VA, but these guys just find a way to win games.  I wasn't there as other commitments had me watching the Babson women over the weekend, but from the box score it is obvious that Coppola, Longwell & Kolb shot the ball extremely well.  Obviously Purchase did not handle the ball well as they got crushed 25 to 9 on pts off turnovers.  WPI89 can probably chime in on the defensive effort inside from Wesoloski & crew. 

The Babson women really struggled with Tufts on Saturday, so now WPI is the only NEWMAC basketball team still playing. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 05, 2013, 12:21:13 PM
Hopefully WPI makes it at least to Salem -- it would be great to see Engineers again in the top ranks of the tournament, even if they're the wrong Engineers :-)

If they do, I strongly encourage every WPI alum or other fan to pony up for the trip.  It was a tremendous experience last year, even if we did get knocked out by Whitewater, and you never know when or if there will ever be an opportunity to see your team on such a big stage.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2013, 01:14:56 PM
Wow - my roommate senior year was part of a team that built a solar powered car that won some 2000 mile race across Australia and I know the robot thing has grown in popularity......but it is kind of a shame.

Oh well - most students are not back next Saturday anyway and the crowd last Saturday was pedestrian (let me say - those students that were there, were enthusiastic - just not many of them there).

RLK - we would have to get by this weekend and then likely at Amherst to get to Salem.  Was just talking this morning about going up to Amherst if we are there - not sure yet about Salem.

MASSD3 - Looked like an amazing atmosphere for the HS game - can't believe Harrington fits that many.  We used to be filled like that - once a year for the Clark game in the 80's. 

I will say that the Purchase bigs did not exactly "go after it" for 40 minutes, although both are better than adequate offensive players and #44 was as good an offensive post player as we will see.  Kolb, Mastascusa, Wesolowski, and even Karalis did enough pushing around, boxing out , and utilizing fouls in good situations to neutralize for the most part.  Many of Purchase's offensive rebounds were in sequence (ie - miss, rebound, miss, rebound......I swear they had one possession with 5 offensive rebounds and still did not score) - so not as damaging as a miss and a put back all night long.

Pat - one more win and maybe a theme article next week about being shoved out of 15-0 Harrington for a robotics competition! (you are going to have to fill space for 6 days)?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2013, 03:16:19 PM
PS - I didn't mean "even Karalis" like that was a surprise - just that he was giving up 5" and 8" respectively!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 06, 2013, 09:13:40 AM
Quote from: rlk on March 05, 2013, 12:21:13 PM
Hopefully WPI makes it at least to Salem -- it would be great to see Engineers again in the top ranks of the tournament, even if they're the wrong Engineers :-)

If they do, I strongly encourage every WPI alum or other fan to pony up for the trip.  It was a tremendous experience last year, even if we did get knocked out by Whitewater, and you never know when or if there will ever be an opportunity to see your team on such a big stage.
Agree about wrong Engineers  :) but best of luck to WPI.  Keep winning and make NEWMAC proud!  I know Randolph-Macon has a good history, but I believe WPI will handle the nationally unranked (by D3 Hoops) team that was the ninth seeded team from the South Region and who has 9 losses.  From what I have seen of WPI (2 games), they have a lot of scoring options and play good defense with good chemistry.  I hope their consistent play continues and I also hope their student fans are as active as they are at home games because it provides a great atmosphere and helps motivate the team.  The St. Mary's team had similar vociferous fans.  Best of luck and please post about the game.  Not looking ahead, but the potential game against Amherst will be one for the ages.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 07, 2013, 12:04:57 PM
Quote from: BBallers on March 06, 2013, 09:13:40 AM
Agree about wrong Engineers  :) but best of luck to WPI.  Keep winning and make NEWMAC proud!  I know Randolph-Macon has a good history, but I believe WPI will handle the nationally unranked (by D3 Hoops) team that was the ninth seeded team from the South Region and who has 9 losses.  From what I have seen of WPI (2 games), they have a lot of scoring options and play good defense with good chemistry.  I hope their consistent play continues and I also hope their student fans are as active as they are at home games because it provides a great atmosphere and helps motivate the team.  The St. Mary's team had similar vociferous fans.  Best of luck and please post about the game.  Not looking ahead, but the potential game against Amherst will be one for the ages.

They are, they are, they are, they are, the wrong Engineers
They can't, they can't, they can't, they can't demolish 40 beers
So stay, so stay, so stay, so stay at home along with them
For we don't give a d**n if any old man don't give a d**n about them!

Seriously, good luck to WPI at Randolph-Macon!  Somebody has to cut those NESCAC lads down to size and show the rest of hoopdom that we mean business.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 07, 2013, 12:15:03 PM
Rik.......nice energy!   Where does the the cheer/song originate?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 07, 2013, 12:34:10 PM
Quote from: amh63 on March 07, 2013, 12:15:03 PM
Rik.......nice energy!   Where does the the cheer/song originate?

The Engineers' Drinking Song was first sung at MIT, but many engineering schools (and combat engineer units) have also adopted it.  That's just the refrain...many of the verses are not family-friendly.  MIT and (I think) WPI sing it to The Son of a Gambolier; most everyone else seems to use the Battle Hymn of the Republic as the melody.

Somehow, year after year WPI seems to be the one team that gives us fits on the court.  Even last year, they were the only team that beat us during the regular season (and in the Cage, to boot).  For once, I'm going to be rooting for WPI to give other people fits.

It's a bit of a tradition, by the way, to come up with new verses for particular reasons.  I came up with some basketball-oriented ones, but they never seem to have taken root.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2013, 04:07:12 PM
We had always called it Godiva's hymn.  There are hundreds of verses, many written, many sang one night and long forgotten.

In my day most of the verses were about doing bad things to guys from Clark (Clarkies)........................
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 07, 2013, 06:04:33 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 07, 2013, 04:07:12 PM
We had always called it Godiva's hymn.  There are hundreds of verses, many written, many sang one night and long forgotten.

In my day most of the verses were about doing bad things to guys from Clark (Clarkies)........................

Ours are about that little red brick college up the creek, UpChuck River Community College or whatever its name is.  I suspect they're actually the exact same verses, in fact.

(Lady Godiva is the patron of engineers everywhere, for whatever reason.)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 09, 2013, 01:40:49 PM
If a tree falls in the NEWMAC forest, does anybody hear it?

Board has been a trickle..................good luck this evening to the Crimson and Grey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: donho on March 09, 2013, 04:42:40 PM
WPI89, the JACKETS are coming to get you!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 09, 2013, 06:29:35 PM
Donho - we're ready.  Should be fun.  Don't know a ton about this R-M team - in the past the athleticism would scare me.

I still think the story of this game will be 3's.  If WPI takes 20+ and hits 40%+, I like our chances.  Again - I know that is not exactly going out on a limb.............................

Hoping for like 11 for 25 and a 72-64 win.

Good luck DH.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: donho on March 09, 2013, 06:44:24 PM
These Jackets have won 13 of 14 and will play you nose to nose. Hoping for a well fought game from both teams.but I hope the  jackets come out on top
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 09, 2013, 07:47:40 PM
Looking too athletic for us Don.  Also - we are 1 for our last 8 from 3 AFTER GOING 2-2.

First 4 minutes are huge




Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on March 09, 2013, 07:54:37 PM
R-M looks really good.  Tough draw.  My team drew a state college in upstate NY.  Feeling lucky after watching the first half.
Go WPI!  Win this for New England.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: donho on March 09, 2013, 08:03:26 PM
 I  am liking what I see 89!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 09, 2013, 08:57:34 PM
Congrats Don.  Excuse is I wish we were in our own gym tonight.  Reality is too many athletes.  Will step up in class next week in central Mass.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: donho on March 09, 2013, 09:02:39 PM
 looks like the ODAC will be sending two teams that way next weekend as VWC just won, so they will play Williams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 2RMCFans on March 09, 2013, 10:46:39 PM
WPI might have been looking past the Jackets.    R-MC dominated overall tonight & even beat them on their specialty 3's but congrats to the Engineers on their great season!

Another long trip ahead for R-MC this coming weekend & also for the Marlins.  Congrats to the ODAC! 

GO JACKETS!!!  GO MARLINS!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Matt Letourneau on March 10, 2013, 12:08:30 AM
Eh, what might have been...my Cardinals beat RMC this year...now hopefully my St. John's Pioneers win the CMASS D1 HS title on that WPI court tomorrow. 

Anyway, just wanted to congratulate Williams on the win.  I wish we had been able to have our five best guys on the floor for this game, but things happen and sometimes breaks don't go your way.  Even without Shawn Holmes, we were hanging in there until Chris went out.  There is no underestimating how important Shawn was to Catholic this year---the quickest guy on the team and probably the most fearless.  Obviously, Chris is our defensive anchor and has become a really polished interior player.  Who knows what would have happened if we had both or even Chris for the whole contest--I really think it was 50-50 and we may have won.  But I do appreciate the respect that the Williams fans have shown Catholic on the boards today and I wish the Ephs well as they move on.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: donho on March 10, 2013, 08:27:57 AM
The r-mc team catholic beat and the r-mc team from last night are not the same team!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 10, 2013, 02:23:36 PM
Eh... having seen them... they are the same team... they have just figured some things out. However, what they didn't do well at the beginning of the year still shows up... if they are pressing and not hitting from outside, they can't win... and RMC can get cold from outside quick.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: donho on March 10, 2013, 02:28:15 PM
Yes Dave I have seen them plenty this year. What I was saying is that are playing at a higher level.Oh by the way any team can get cold quickly!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 10, 2013, 08:45:40 PM
No more ball 'til fall  :'( :'( :'(  It seems like just yesterday I was getting all ginned up for the MIT-Harvard opener.  Nothing to do for it but watch the rest of the tourney play itself out and hope some of the other northeast teams advance.

People are always really surprised that I don't care very much about D1 and pro ball.  After seeing the D3 game from as close up as I have (managing the MIT team during my student days, and these days photographing it from the baseline), there's just a connection there that I don't have with D1 and pro.  And while the players might not be quite so athletic, nobody can tell me that the quality of play at the higher levels of D3 gives up anything to D1, and I've seen more than enough sloppy pro ball (throw up the first halfway open shot, or toss an alleyoop and hope for the best).  Players like Kates, Tashman, Berthiaume, Kolb, and Coppola give up nothing in basketball skills to anyone at any level.

Yes, we lost to Harvard, which is an above-average D1 team, but there was absolutely no fear out there, and Harvard knew that it wasn't a scrimmage they were playing.

Well, look forward to next year.  Going to be a tough one for the Engineers, with an all-underclass team, but that's what we thought four years ago too.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 13, 2013, 07:39:15 PM
Congratulations to all of the D3 Hoops All-Regional teams and the large NEWMAC representation!
D3hoops.com 2013 men's All-Northeast Region team
Players were nominated for these awards by the Sports Information Directors at the various schools.

Player of the Year: Aaron Toomey, G, Amherst
Coach of the Year: Mike Maker, Williams
Rookie of the Year: Tom Palleschi, C, Tufts

First team     
Pos. Player School Yr. Hometown
G
Aaron Toomey
Amherst
Jr.
Greensboro, N.C.

G
Tahrike Carter
Rhode Island College
Sr. Brooklyn, N.Y.

F
Will Tashman
MIT
Sr. Atherton, Calif.

F
Willy Workman
Amherst
Sr. Northampton, Mass.

C
Michael Mayer
Williams
Jr. Durham, N.C.

Second team     
Pos. Player School Yr. Hometown
G
Joey Kizel
Middlebury
Jr. Short Hills, N.J.

G
Mitchell Kates
MIT
Sr. Colts Neck, N.J.

G
Alex Berthiaume
Springfield
Sr. Springfield, Mass.

F
Anthony Click
Anna Maria
Sr. Springfield, Mass.
F
Taylor Epley
Williams
Jr. Louisville, Ky.

Third team     
Pos. Player School Yr. Hometown
G
Lee Vazquez
Westfield State
Sr. Attleboro, Mass.

G
Sedale Jones
Curry
Sr. Pittsfield, Mass.

G
Nolan Thompson
Middlebury
Sr. Akron, Ohio

F
Mark Comstock
Castleton State
Sr. Rutland, Vt.

C
Peter Kaasila
Amherst
Sr. Plaistow, N.H.

Fourth team     
Pos. Player School Yr. Hometown
G
Darius Watson
Albertus Magnus
Jr. New Britain, Conn.

G
Marco Coppola
WPI
So.
Watertown, Mass.

G
Gabriel Moton
Brandeis
Jr. St. Petersburg, Fla.

F
Joshua Ford
Mitchell
Jr. Jersey City, N.J.

C
Matt Devine
Westfield State
Sr.
Pembroke, Mass.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 13, 2013, 07:45:23 PM
My apologies for the formating when I copied and pasted the information, but NEWMAC was represented in the All Northeast Region Team by:

Will Tashman, MIT - 1st Team
Mitch Kates, MIT - 2nd Team
Alex Berthiaume, Springfield - 2nd Team
Marco Coppola, WPI - 4th Team

It was fun watching these players perform this season and they should be congratulated!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEWMACJACK on March 13, 2013, 09:48:28 PM
no Brian Vayda?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 14, 2013, 07:57:55 AM
I think it is almost silly that Bartley did not win COY.  Did he pee in someones coffee?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 14, 2013, 10:17:43 AM
WPI 89....poster on the CAC board raised the same point....based on a criteria cited by Pat C. Of D3.
Oh yes...thanks for your confidence for the Jeffs.   Really wanted to see a game between our schools.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 14, 2013, 04:09:15 PM
First off, Congradulations to WPI on a record setting season in terms of rthe winning streak and overall wins.  Congrads also to Marco Coppola for getting a 4th-team All-Regaion nod.

Also All-Region kudos go out to Will Tashman (1st team), Mitchell Kates (2nd team) and Alex Berthiaume (2nd Team).

I went to the 2nd half of the game last weekend after seeing online that there was seating available (lot of talk around Worcester that it might sellout). This game was my fear for this team all year.  They should be commended for not having hit them earlier in the season.  Even though Randolph-Macon did not hold a big size advantage, they completely dominated the glass (42-23) and the interior play.  This could have turned into a blow out if not for R-M's turnovers (18 - many of them unforced) as WPI had a 13 pt advantage in points off turnovers.

Ryan Kolb & Dom Mastascusa kept the Engineers in the game in the first half as they combined for 18 of the team's 30 points on 8 of 13 shooting.  The rest of the team shot 4 for 16.  In the 2nd half, Kolb & Coppola both shot 50% shooting a combined 11 for 22 to provide 27 of 38 poinrs.  The only other Engineer to score was Zach Karalis who went 3 for 8, all from beyond the arc.  For the game he was 4 for 13, well below his normal percentages.  It was another tough game for Sam Longwell as he went 1 for 7 for 2 pts.  PG Aaron Davis did not provide much scoring but did dish out 6 assists with only one turnover.  It was also a horrific night on the FT line for WPI going 6 for 13 (46%).

R-M was well balanced on the scoring end and boxed out well all night.  They were very impressive down the stretch on the line as well. They were 17 for 23 for the game, including 8 for 10 in the final 2 minutes.  I was very impressed with sophmore Joe Hassell.  He provided 18 pts/6 boards off the bench. Andre Simon had a game high 11 boards. In all the Yellow Jackets had four players pull down more boards than the top rebounder for WPI (Kolb-5).  They shot the lights out with every player who took a shot going for 50% or more, except for Connor Sullivan who went 4 for 10 with all his misses being 3ptrs.

You have to give a lot of credit to Randolph-Macon going on a long road trip for the 2nd straight week and winning. They did what WPI had been doing most of the year - finding a way to win when they needed to.  Cinderella's slippers will certainly fit if they can do it a 3rd time in 3 weeks. Good Luck to them this weekend at Amherst, they are going to need all they can get.

amh63

It pains me to say this, but after watching Amherst a couple of times the in past few weeks online, I do not think the Lord Jeffs would have struggled too much with the Engineers.  The only chance the Engineers would have had would be to shoot an ungodly percentage, create a large differential in points off turnovers and hope that Amherst would shoot as badly as they did in the games with Springfield and Babson early on.  That front line with Kaasila & Workman together with guards Toomey, Williams and Kalema coming off there bench is just too much overall athleticism and power for the Engineers.  This team can get its scoring from every position on the court.  I did see much of that great game Kaasila had against Middlebury.  When the LJ's need him to produce big, he does.  The Lord Jeffs also have a lot of other talented players that contribute as well, but I believe Kaasila & Workman would have had big games and that would have opened up the outside for Toomey & crew. I saw some of their game with Plattsburgh, and you could tell they lost focus a bit because they knew the could handle the Cardinals easily.  When Plattsburgh took advantage of Amherst sleep-walking, the LJ's were able to do what most teams can't - snap the switch back to on and pull away.



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 14, 2013, 04:41:04 PM
Mass_d3fan.....Thanks for your gracious view for the Amherst team.  Always enjoy an independent observer's insight.  Yes. "Big Pete" as we refer to Peter Kaasila, is your best example of a classic center.  If I recall, you do like an offense to go inside to score if it is available.  Amherst Coach Hixon does also.  If an inside game is established then it opens up all sorts of options...drive and dish, kick out to open shooters.  A real posting #5 will box both box out to open the lanes to scorers and team mates to rebound....of course, block shots, etc.  Yes, Amherst has at least five players that can score in double figures at the same time.  But it is important to be aware that it is also a good defensive team now.
Any way, nice to hear from you again.  Hoping to see the Jeffs win Sat....have already booked me room to Salem.  With 8 teams going this year...rooms are going to be tight.  It is to be noted that the WBB team is going to its 5th straight Final 4.  Lots of BB games for me to watch.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: donho on March 14, 2013, 06:31:27 PM
Mass_d3fan, lucky we will take.however it has been flat out HARDWORK and pretty darn good coaching that have gotten the Jackets to this point. Hoping to watch a good one Saturday!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 15, 2013, 01:55:14 PM
Nicely made highlight video of Mitch Kates:

http://vimeo.com/61886886
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 22, 2013, 09:43:06 AM
Does MIT's Massey rating (and by association WPI's) go up after Harvard's big win last night?  ;D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 25, 2013, 08:06:50 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 22, 2013, 09:43:06 AM
Does MIT's Massey rating (and by association WPI's) go up after Harvard's big win last night?  ;D
I would love to see both teams play more Division I schools, but I imagine that most D1 schools avoid good D3 programs.  I believe they would compete well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 28, 2013, 09:48:34 PM
Congrats to Will Tashman for being named 2nd team All-American.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on April 14, 2013, 01:08:20 PM
Looks like Mitch Kates and Will Tashman will be together on the court once more!  They're both playing for the US in the Maccabi Games this summer in Israel.  http://www.maccabiusa.com/seclect-a-sport/basketball/581-usa-basketball-team.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on April 17, 2013, 11:53:03 AM
I haven't heard anything directly, but I've seen facebook photos suggesting that the MIT basketball team is fine.  Most of them live in a fraternity on Bay State Road, which is the other side of Mass. Ave. from where the bombs went off.

I hope everyone from Emerson is also OK.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on April 17, 2013, 02:10:42 PM
7 students at Emerson were injured... treated at a hospital... and released on Monday evening at some time.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on April 17, 2013, 05:25:27 PM
Quote from: rlk on April 17, 2013, 11:53:03 AM
I haven't heard anything directly, but I've seen facebook photos suggesting that the MIT basketball team is fine.  Most of them live in a fraternity on Bay State Road, which is the other side of Mass. Ave. from where the bombs went off.

I hope everyone from Emerson is also OK.

I've since heard from one member of the team that nobody he knew was hurt, and I've seen a letter from MIT president Rafael Reif that no member of the MIT community was among the direct casualties.

I hope the Emerson students who were injured are doing well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 21, 2013, 01:58:31 PM
Mitch Kates and Will Tashman are getting an extension on their basketball careers.  They're playing for the US in the Maccabiah Games (an Olympics-type event for Jews and Israeli citizens).  See http://www.maccabiusa.com/seclect-a-sport/basketball/581-usa-basketball-team.html .  Mitch's sister Jackie is on the women's team.

They've been blogging sporadically: https://bobisrael.wordpress.com/

Looks like they lost their first pool game to Argentina: http://www.maccabiah.com/Data/Uploads/basketball%20open%20men.pdf .  They're playing Germany today and Australia Tuesday.  Unfortunately, I haven't had much luck finding a box score.  It looks like the rest of the roster is mostly D1 players (or alums) -- see http://basketball.eurobasket.com/Israel/news/USA_Open_Mens_Hoops_Maccabiah_Roster_Revealed/314096

We at MIT have been extraordinarily fortunate to have them for the past 4 years.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 23, 2013, 02:44:54 PM
Quote from: rlk on July 21, 2013, 01:58:31 PM
Mitch Kates and Will Tashman are getting an extension on their basketball careers.  They're playing for the US in the Maccabiah Games (an Olympics-type event for Jews and Israeli citizens).  See http://www.maccabiusa.com/seclect-a-sport/basketball/581-usa-basketball-team.html .  Mitch's sister Jackie is on the women's team.

They've been blogging sporadically: https://bobisrael.wordpress.com/

Looks like they lost their first pool game to Argentina: http://www.maccabiah.com/Data/Uploads/basketball%20open%20men.pdf .  They're playing Germany today and Australia Tuesday.  Unfortunately, I haven't had much luck finding a box score.  It looks like the rest of the roster is mostly D1 players (or alums) -- see http://basketball.eurobasket.com/Israel/news/USA_Open_Mens_Hoops_Maccabiah_Roster_Revealed/314096

We at MIT have been extraordinarily fortunate to have them for the past 4 years.

So far the US team lost to Argentina 86-83 (Tash had 17 points), beat Germany 89-55 (no box score), beat Australia 111-57 (Kates had 14), and just today beat Russia 84-31 (Tash had 10).  So it certainly looks like they're making solid contributions on a D1-dominated team.  I was expecting Russia to be a strong team, after winning their first three games, but apparently not.

They have one more game left in group play, against Guinea-Bissau, which has already lost to Russia, Argentina, and Germany by 40+ points.  Assuming Argentina beats Russia tomorrow, they'll win the pool 5-0 and we (assuming we beat Guinea-Bissau) will be 4-1.  If Argentina loses to Russia, all three teams will be 4-1.  I wonder how they'd break a tie.  If it's point differential, we should be in good shape, since we lost to Argentina by 3 and beat Russia by 53.

From there on out, it gets complicated, as they say.  The semis are on Sunday, I presume it's the winner of group A against the runnerup of group B and vice versa.  On Monday, there are four(!) games: final, places 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8 (however they figure that out).

There haven't been a lot of close games in our bracket other than our loss to Argentina.  There's basically Argentina and the US, and everyone else.  Russia looks to be the best of the rest.

http://live.maccabiah.com/GameSelect.aspx?sportType=Basketball&id=63
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 24, 2013, 11:32:26 AM
Quote from: rlk on July 23, 2013, 02:44:54 PM
So far the US team lost to Argentina 86-83 (Tash had 17 points), beat Germany 89-55 (no box score), beat Australia 111-57 (Kates had 14), and just today beat Russia 84-31 (Tash had 10).  So it certainly looks like they're making solid contributions on a D1-dominated team.  I was expecting Russia to be a strong team, after winning their first three games, but apparently not.

They have one more game left in group play, against Guinea-Bissau, which has already lost to Russia, Argentina, and Germany by 40+ points.  Assuming Argentina beats Russia tomorrow, they'll win the pool 5-0 and we (assuming we beat Guinea-Bissau) will be 4-1.  If Argentina loses to Russia, all three teams will be 4-1.  I wonder how they'd break a tie.  If it's point differential, we should be in good shape, since we lost to Argentina by 3 and beat Russia by 53.

From there on out, it gets complicated, as they say.  The semis are on Sunday, I presume it's the winner of group A against the runnerup of group B and vice versa.  On Monday, there are four(!) games: final, places 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8 (however they figure that out).

There haven't been a lot of close games in our bracket other than our loss to Argentina.  There's basically Argentina and the US, and everyone else.  Russia looks to be the best of the rest.

http://live.maccabiah.com/GameSelect.aspx?sportType=Basketball&id=63

US beat Guinea-Bissau 141-66.  Mitch had 15 and Tash had 13 (and apparently the only foul by the US team).  Nobody scored more than 21.  Must have been wild and woolly.  http://live.maccabiah.com/ShowGame.aspx?gameId=af92915f-84d6-e211-b658-0050568e71c3

Russia's actually leading Argentina 51-42 in the third quarter.  http://live.maccabiah.com/ShowGame.aspx?gameId=ff0540a0-d9d0-e211-b658-0050568e71c3 .  If Russia does hang on, assuming that point differential is the first applicable tiebreaker, then we win the group handily (we lost to Argentina by 3 and beat Russia by 53).  Our total point differential is 213; going in to the final pool game, Argentina was +88 and Russia +19.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 24, 2013, 12:59:13 PM
Quote from: rlk on July 24, 2013, 11:32:26 AM

US beat Guinea-Bissau 141-66.  Mitch had 15 and Tash had 13 (and apparently the only foul by the US team).  Nobody scored more than 21.  Must have been wild and woolly.  http://live.maccabiah.com/ShowGame.aspx?gameId=af92915f-84d6-e211-b658-0050568e71c3

Russia's actually leading Argentina 51-42 in the third quarter.  http://live.maccabiah.com/ShowGame.aspx?gameId=ff0540a0-d9d0-e211-b658-0050568e71c3 .  If Russia does hang on, assuming that point differential is the first applicable tiebreaker, then we win the group handily (we lost to Argentina by 3 and beat Russia by 53).  Our total point differential is 213; going in to the final pool game, Argentina was +88 and Russia +19.

Russia hung onm, although Argentina put on quite a rally during the 4th quarter.  It was 60-51, then a few minutes later 60-59.  It doesn't look like Russia ever lost its lead, but it stayed close.

So I wonder how they're going to seed the finals.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 28, 2013, 02:18:43 PM
Quote from: rlk on July 24, 2013, 12:59:13 PM
Quote from: rlk on July 24, 2013, 11:32:26 AM

US beat Guinea-Bissau 141-66.  Mitch had 15 and Tash had 13 (and apparently the only foul by the US team).  Nobody scored more than 21.  Must have been wild and woolly.  http://live.maccabiah.com/ShowGame.aspx?gameId=af92915f-84d6-e211-b658-0050568e71c3

Russia's actually leading Argentina 51-42 in the third quarter.  http://live.maccabiah.com/ShowGame.aspx?gameId=ff0540a0-d9d0-e211-b658-0050568e71c3 .  If Russia does hang on, assuming that point differential is the first applicable tiebreaker, then we win the group handily (we lost to Argentina by 3 and beat Russia by 53).  Our total point differential is 213; going in to the final pool game, Argentina was +88 and Russia +19.

Russia hung onm, although Argentina put on quite a rally during the 4th quarter.  It was 60-51, then a few minutes later 60-59.  It doesn't look like Russia ever lost its lead, but it stayed close.

So I wonder how they're going to seed the finals.

Looks like the seeding was in fact by point differential.  The semis were therefore US-Israel and Argentina-France (France won group B).  The US won its semi, 77-73, so it was a very close game.  Mitch Kates didn't have that big of a game (6 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 4 steals), but Tash had 16 points and 17 boards.  If I'm interpreting the box score correctly (which can be found at http://live.baskethotel.com/ibba/ -- you have to click on the game and then the box score, since it's all a flash app), they both started.

Tash didn't have a very good shooting night, though (4/12 from the floor, 8/12 from the line), but Team USA didn't as a whole (40% from the floor, 72% from the line).  In any event, they're clearly not at all out of their depth.

Argentina's leading France with about 6 minutes to go, 70-63.  So we may have a rematch.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on July 29, 2013, 09:39:30 PM
Quote from: rlk on July 28, 2013, 02:18:43 PM
Looks like the seeding was in fact by point differential.  The semis were therefore US-Israel and Argentina-France (France won group B).  The US won its semi, 77-73, so it was a very close game.  Mitch Kates didn't have that big of a game (6 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 4 steals), but Tash had 16 points and 17 boards.  If I'm interpreting the box score correctly (which can be found at http://live.baskethotel.com/ibba/ -- you have to click on the game and then the box score, since it's all a flash app), they both started.

Tash didn't have a very good shooting night, though (4/12 from the floor, 8/12 from the line), but Team USA didn't as a whole (40% from the floor, 72% from the line).  In any event, they're clearly not at all out of their depth.

Argentina's leading France with about 6 minutes to go, 70-63.  So we may have a rematch.

US beat Argentina 87-76 in the final.  Go to http://live.baskethotel.com/ibba/, look for the arrows at the bottom of the page, and click on the right arrow to go to page 2.  Mitch and Tash didn't start the game, but they both had good minutes; Tash was on the floor almost 37 minutes, and had a nice game (12 points, 7 boards).  Mitch didn't put up big numbers, but he did have a team-high 6 assists, and it's often hard to judge how a point guard contributed just based on the numbers (the US had 4 guys in double figures, so there was no shortage of options).

Press releases at http://www.maccabiah.com/news-item/usa-men-team-wins-the-basketball-gold-medal and http://www.maccabiah.com/news-item/maccabiah-news-update---29-7-2- .  I'm sure there were lots of scouts, and I wonder if either of them will play overseas next year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on July 30, 2013, 04:28:58 PM
Thanks for the recaps on all the Maccabiah games guys - fun read.  Should be some schedules coming out soon - look forward to talking hoops in the coming months.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on August 01, 2013, 05:20:49 PM
Both the MIT players were pivotal for the USA team in the Maccabi finals and semifinal. 

Will was the dominant inside force for the US team with 16 points and 17 rebounds against Israel. The Israeli point guard was Tom Mayaan - played last year at Seton Hall. Overall Will was probably the team MVP as the other starting big - Ben Carter from Oregon - played mostly a perimeter game.  Will started every game for the USA team. The MVP was given to Danny Rubin from Boston College who had a great finals.

Mitch came off the bench backing up Stuart Douglas formerly of Michigan who played last year in Spain professionally.  Although not starting he played point most of the game and finished all games.  In the final Douglas fouled out on an offensive foul and a curse leaving Mitchell to play the entire second half against an Argentina team featuring mostly pro players. 

We can be very proud of how Will and Mitch represented their country, NEWMAC league and MIT.
 

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on August 02, 2013, 10:00:47 AM
Quote from: toooldtoplay on August 01, 2013, 05:20:49 PM
Both the MIT players were pivotal for the USA team in the Maccabi finals and semifinal. 

Will was the dominant inside force for the US team with 16 points and 17 rebounds against Israel. The Israeli point guard was Tom Mayaan - played last year at Seton Hall. Overall Will was probably the team MVP as the other starting big - Ben Carter from Oregon - played mostly a perimeter game.  Will started every game for the USA team. The MVP was given to Danny Rubin from Boston College who had a great finals.

Mitch came off the bench backing up Stuart Douglas formerly of Michigan who played last year in Spain professionally.  Although not starting he played point most of the game and finished all games.  In the final Douglas fouled out on an offensive foul and a curse leaving Mitchell to play the entire second half against an Argentina team featuring mostly pro players. 

We can be very proud of how Will and Mitch represented their country, NEWMAC league and MIT.


Were you fortunate enough to be there?  I haven't seen this level of detail anywhere.

Apparently a lot of international bigs play a very perimeter-oriented game, where Tash is a classic American low post player.  Looking at the numbers, at least, I have to figure opponents had to double him up a lot of the time, which surely opened things up for guys like Rubin and Douglass.

I wonder what their plans are going forward.  I know Mitch's resume on-line only mentions that he was captain of the basketball team and one or two of his biggest awards, but given what you said I'd be very, very surprised if at least a few Israeli teams aren't interested.  Those two have become best friends over their 4 years at MIT, and I suspect that particularly if someone offers them a chance to extend their careers together they'd find it very hard to say no.  They can always go into their engineering fields (CS for Mitch, materials for Tash), but they won't have a lot of chances to play competitive basketball.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on August 06, 2013, 11:26:51 AM
MIT announced its recruiting class.  Looks like a couple more bigs (a pair of 225 lb. Tims, one 6'8" and one 6'10").

http://mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2013-14/releases/20130806t9z75q
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on August 06, 2013, 01:56:12 PM
Great recruiting class for MIT.  Here is an interesting article about Higgins, the 6-10 player from VA.
http://www.sungazette.net/mclean-greatfalls-vienna-oakton/sports/local-basketball-player-head-to-cornell/article_8bf0bca7-a337-5a35-89ec-8a7000ce103a.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on August 06, 2013, 06:42:12 PM
MIT's not going to lack for size, that's for sure!

Assuming everyone plays, there will be 2 6'10" (Lampros Tsontzos, Tim Higgins) and 5 6'8" (Matt Redfield, Dennis Levene, Miles Nolting, Andrew Acker, and Tim Butala).  Redfield is surely going to anchor the frontcourt; he caught fire the second half of last season.  But they're short on experienced guards.  Paul Dawson is an excellent ballhandler and on-ball defender, but he's not Mitch Kates (then again, there aren't a lot of guys who are, at least in D3).  Ryan Frankel is going to be the backup PG.  Justin Pedley's natural position is forward, and I think he was power forward in HS, but he's got a good outside touch, is mobile, and I suspect he's going to be called upon to play a lot of 2.  Todd Cramer (who was a star at Caltech, but got very little playing time last season after he transferred) and Nicholas Prus are the only other returning guards.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on August 14, 2013, 03:37:28 PM
Many schedules posted.  I see both WPI and MIT will play Tufts.  Springfield goes to Williams also.  At a quick glance, I did not see any other top tier vs. top tier NEWMAC/NESCAC match-ups - at least measured from the last couple of years.

MIT tips again against Harvard as well.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on September 04, 2013, 10:07:49 AM
Quote from: rlk on August 06, 2013, 06:42:12 PM
MIT's not going to lack for size, that's for sure!

Assuming everyone plays, there will be 2 6'10" (Lampros Tsontzos, Tim Higgins) and 5 6'8" (Matt Redfield, Dennis Levene, Miles Nolting, Andrew Acker, and Tim Butala).  Redfield is surely going to anchor the frontcourt; he caught fire the second half of last season.  But they're short on experienced guards.  Paul Dawson is an excellent ballhandler and on-ball defender, but he's not Mitch Kates (then again, there aren't a lot of guys who are, at least in D3).  Ryan Frankel is going to be the backup PG.  Justin Pedley's natural position is forward, and I think he was power forward in HS, but he's got a good outside touch, is mobile, and I suspect he's going to be called upon to play a lot of 2.  Todd Cramer (who was a star at Caltech, but got very little playing time last season after he transferred) and Nicholas Prus are the only other returning guards.
I have heard that Nicholas Prus is taking advantage of the exchange student program and will be studying this year at Cambridge University in England, but hopefully he returns next season.  Pasted below is MIT's roster:
2013-14 MIT Men's Basketball Roster


No.  Name  Pos.  Cl.  Ht.  Wt.  Hometown/High School 
11  David Bender  G  Jr.  6-6  190  The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands College Park 
12  Paul Dawson  G  Jr.  5-10  160  Stone Mountain, Ga. / Greater Atlanta Christian 
14  Ryan Frankel  G  So.  5-11  175  New York, N.Y. / Collegiate School 
20  Justin Pedley  F  So.  6-6  210  Kennewick, Wash. / Kamiakin 
22  Todd Cramer  G  Sr.  6-4  210  Philadelphia, Pa. / Chestnut Hill Academy 
23  Nicholas Prus  G  Jr.  6-4  200  Arlington Heights, Ill. / Buffalo Grove 
24  Matt Redfield  F  Jr.  6-8  210  Los Altos, Calif. / Gunn 
25  Dennis Levene  SF  Jr.  6-8  230  Weston, Conn. / Choate Rosemary Hall 
31  Russell Johnson  SF  So.  6-6  210  New York, N.Y. / Riverdale Country School 
42  Reinier Strobos  F  Jr.  6-7  205  New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon 
45  Andrew Acker  F  Jr.  6-8  235  Merion Station, Pa. / The Haverford School 
50  Miles Nolting  F  So.  6-8  235  Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / Pine Crest 
52  Lampros Tsontzos  C  So.  6-10  225  Amarousion, Greece / 3rd Lyceum 
   Tim Butala  F  Fr.  6-8  225  Monroe, Conn. / Fairfield College Prep 
   Hunter Gatewood  G  Fr.  6-5  190  Tomball, Texas / Concordia Lutheran 
   Tim Higgins  C  Fr.  6-10  225  Great Falls, Va. / Paul VI Catholic 
   Garrett House  F  Fr.  6-4  200  Lathrup Village, Mich. / The Roeper School 
   Phillip Ou  G  Fr.  6-3  190  Rosemead, Calif. / Polytechnic School 
   Dakota Pierce  G  Fr.  6-3  190  Thousand Oaks, Calif. / Thousdand Oaks 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on September 30, 2013, 02:35:22 PM
An interview with Kates and Tashman about their Maccabiah experience: http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2013/09/kates-and-tashman-bring-home-gold-medal.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on October 15, 2013, 10:51:14 AM
A little last minute coaching news, Rob Southall leaves WPI and takes the head job at Elms.

http://hoopdirt.com/blog/82ca4950/daily-dirt-10-15-13/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on October 16, 2013, 09:24:59 AM
I was going to ask if anyone had any insight into incoming freshmen and their possible impact on the various teams, but madzillagd has the big news.

Due to changes in my personal life, I am no longer in the greater Worcester area and had not heard anything at all about Coach Southall leaving WPI.  He certainly appeared to me to be a very important factor in their recruiting and player development.  Congradulations to him on getting an opportunity to run his own program.

Any hints on who steps into the #2 seat for the Engineers?  The website shows Bill Gibbons and former players Ryan Cain & David Brown as the other coaches.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on October 18, 2013, 08:53:13 PM
It's starting!

http://www.mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2013/10/mit-basketball-day-1.html
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on October 21, 2013, 09:03:23 PM
On the NESCAC board there is beginning to be some talk about New England pre-season ratings. Of course we have the usual 3,  Amherst, Williams and Middlebury with a strong sense that Tufts is emerging.
The NEWMAC, and especially its 'Tech' Schools, have been as good or better than our league recently.  What do you think the region looks like going into November?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on October 29, 2013, 03:38:46 PM
Congrats to WPI for starting the year off at #9 in the D3Hoops.com preseason poll.

I believe this is the highest ever preseason ranking for the Engineers.

I dont think their schedule presents any real threats to having another 20+ win season.  If they find a viable presence for the 5, they should be in a great position to finally crack through and get to the Sweet 16.  MIT may be their only real test until March.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 07, 2013, 10:54:38 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on October 29, 2013, 03:38:46 PM
Congrats to WPI for starting the year off at #9 in the D3Hoops.com preseason poll.

I believe this is the highest ever preseason ranking for the Engineers.

I dont think their schedule presents any real threats to having another 20+ win season.  If they find a viable presence for the 5, they should be in a great position to finally crack through and get to the Sweet 16.  MIT may be their only real test until March.

Congratulations to WPI for topping the NEWMAC preseason poll, although not unexpected.  Rankings are pasted below:

2013-14 NEWMAC Preseason Men's Basketball Poll (first-place votes)

1. WPI (7)

2. MIT

3. Babson (1)

4. Springfield

5. Clark

T6. Coast Guard

T6. Wheaton

8. Emerson
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on November 11, 2013, 10:58:49 AM
I'm assuming the WPI folks already know this but here's an article on the 'new' assistant Ryan Flynn...

http://hoopdirt.com/news/89f2ff32/wpi-hires-assistant/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on November 14, 2013, 12:53:40 PM
Big news out of Worcester is that WPI's Marco Coppola is out for the year due to an ankle injury. According to an article in today's Worcester Telegram, he will be undergoing surgery on Friday.  The article features the Engineer's Ryan Kolb who will now be WPI's top scoring option.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20131113/NEWS/311149823/1009/SPORTS

Also, the Engineer's roster is up and it reveals that Kolb may be having to defend opposition centers as WPI did not pick up any big men in the recruiting class of 6 freshmen.  They only have two players(6'7"Chad LaBove and 7'3"Mark Overdevest) on the roster bigger than Kolb.  Neither has played many minutes during their time with the Engineers. Ryan stepped up his game in a big way last year, especially down the stretch.  He is a strong player who can also has good range making 36 3-pointers last year.  It will be interesting to see how he adapts to having to play the 5.  WPI has had 2 very good defensive centers during Kolb's previous 3 seasons that allowed him to match up with players his size or smaller.  The good news is that he did play well against MIT's front line including Wil Tashman.

From the article, it would appear the Engineers will also rely on 6'5" Dom Mastascusa in the front court.  I would guess that Zach Karalis would move into Coppola's starting position at guard.  I would expect that it will be Aaron Davis (PG) and Sam Longwell will to round out the starting lineup.

I wonder how much the new emphasis on the hand check will affect Engineers. Anyone know if this is going to have the impact in D3 that it appears to be having at the D1 level?



Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 14, 2013, 05:00:05 PM
Wow that is devastating.  I was coming on here to write how I thought Coppola was likely just outside the All American list and then I read MASS D3's news.

I would think that takes WPI's upside from "NEWMAC undefeated - sweet 16 type team" - to  "compete for the NEWMAC auto bid with at least MIT and Babson".
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on November 14, 2013, 06:20:25 PM
Sorry to hear about Coppola.
WPI has been so strong lately.  Teams with quality depth seem to come through these setbacks surprisingly well.  You may be pleasantly surprised.  I hope so.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on November 14, 2013, 07:45:52 PM
Quote from: middhoops on November 14, 2013, 06:20:25 PM
Sorry to hear about Coppola.
WPI has been so strong lately.  Teams with quality depth seem to come through these setbacks surprisingly well.  You may be pleasantly surprised.  I hope so.

Even high quality programs with traditional depth can't always overcome such setbacks.  In 2012 I saw IWU vs. UWSP (a traditional power and multiple national champion).  Without Ty Tillema, UWSP was not even a decent tourney team, much less a threat.  I was never worried about the game after 2-3 minutes.  (Without their star, UWSP was a distant 4th in that first-round foursome (even though one of the teams was from the overall vastly inferior SLIAC).

Last season, IWU (a perennial power in the CCIW) lost their QB in the 7th game of the fball season; we immediately dropped from 6-0 to 6-4.  The new QB looks promising eventually, but was definitely not ready for prime time.  Sometimes losses of key players are irreplaceable.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: marketherrien on November 15, 2013, 03:56:21 PM
A cheap plug if you will -

The Worcester Area College Basketball (coaches) Association revived its awards program last year and, for the second consecutive year, is  complimented with a Twitter account - @WACBAHoops https://twitter.com/wacbahoops (https://twitter.com/wacbahoops)

The feed features daily news, scores, recaps and more for all nine NCAA men's and women's basketball programs in Worcester County: Anna Maria, Assumption (DII), Becker, Clark, Fitchburg State, Holy Cross (DI), Nichols, WPI and Worcester State.

Matt Noonan (@NoontimeSports), as heard on Hoopsville, selects the weekly men's and women's players of the week and an honor roll for each gender. Along with the weekly release there will be standings and statistical leaders for points, rebounds and assists. Both will are slated to be released on Monday afternoons.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on November 16, 2013, 09:42:48 PM
WPI put up 100 on RPI.  No overtime.  Whoa!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on November 17, 2013, 05:31:46 AM
Quote from: middhoops on November 16, 2013, 09:42:48 PM
WPI put up 100 on RPI.  No overtime.  Whoa!

The Liberty League of which RPI is a member will not be a strong league this year. RPI gave up 105 points to your Panthers last year among others. Heck even Sage beat them by outscoring them 94-89 last year,  and Caltech put up 97 against them in a loss. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on November 19, 2013, 02:40:53 PM
Quote from: magicman on November 17, 2013, 05:31:46 AM
Quote from: middhoops on November 16, 2013, 09:42:48 PM
WPI put up 100 on RPI.  No overtime.  Whoa!

The Liberty League of which RPI is a member will not be a strong league this year. RPI gave up 105 points to your Panthers last year among others. Heck even Sage beat them by outscoring them 94-89 last year,  and Caltech put up 97 against them in a loss.
Agreed.  RPI was really a run-and-gun team (without a lot of defense) when they last played MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 20, 2013, 10:43:11 AM
Quote from: BBallers on November 19, 2013, 02:40:53 PM
Quote from: magicman on November 17, 2013, 05:31:46 AM
Quote from: middhoops on November 16, 2013, 09:42:48 PM
WPI put up 100 on RPI.  No overtime.  Whoa!

The Liberty League of which RPI is a member will not be a strong league this year. RPI gave up 105 points to your Panthers last year among others. Heck even Sage beat them by outscoring them 94-89 last year,  and Caltech put up 97 against them in a loss.
Agreed.  RPI was really a run-and-gun team (without a lot of defense) when they last played MIT.

That's putting it mildly.  They put up 75 points on us, which was the most anyone but WPI scored on us that year (of course, given that we scored 104, that didn't really hurt us).  That was two years ago so it doesn't directly mean all that much today, but WPI scoring 100 against that system is neither here nor there.  I photographed it and recall that it was a fun game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on November 22, 2013, 12:03:39 PM
Surprised to see that MIT lose to Bridgewater last night.  Is Bridgewater a top quality team or is MIT feeling the pain of rebuilding after losing Kates and Tashman?  The Engineers appear to be loaded with very young talent.   Any analysis(es)?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on November 30, 2013, 10:50:43 PM
Nice win by MIT 54-38 over Rhode Island College today at the Cage.  The first half was close until the last couple of minutes, when MIT hit 3 straight shots to go up by 6.  MIT continued its run to start the second (10-2), after which it stayed a 10-16 point game the rest of the way.  The offense looked quite good for the team having to get used to playing without Kates and Tashman, with 4 men in double figures (Matt Redfield 14, Andrew Acker 11, Justin Pedley 11, and freshman Dakota Pierce with 10), and Redfield adding 17 rebounds and Acker another 14.  Turnovers were a problem, with a -2 differential.  The Anchormen had problems from the line (5-14), but the Engineers only went 3-14 from downtown.  Justin Pedley would have easily scored 20 if his 3 went down.  It will.  Acker had a nice dunk in the second half that unfortunately due to a camera mixup I didn't get.

The big story in my mind was MIT's defense, particularly its interior defense.  RIC shot 27% overall and 20% in the second half, but a lot of that was MIT's bigs (particularly but not exclusively Redfield and Acker) clogging the lane.  MIT owned the boards 42-28.  If they play like this the rest of the season things will be all right.

Game photos: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-RIC-20131130/34737718_MVWQ4t#!i=2940327647&k=5TZrNkW .  As usual, these photos may be used with attribution by anyone associated with MIT for the benefit of MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on December 03, 2013, 01:45:35 PM
Best non-conference test for WPI tonight in Worcester Vs. Tufts.  The Engineers are still adjusting to the loss of Coppola, and obviously Tufts makeup is quite a bit different too.

Both teams have had players step.  WPI is getting great play from Ryan Kolb, Sam Longwell & Zach Karalis.  Kolb is averaging 18.4 ppg, 5.8rpg.  Longwell is at 15.8 and leading in rebounding at 7.2 per game.  Karalis has taken Coppola's starting spot and filling the scoring void with 15.2 ppg.  The Engineers are getting a boost off the bench from freshman Sean Doncaser who has gone for double digits twice and 9 in one other game.

This should be a good benchmark game for both teams as we hit the halfway point of the non-conference schedule for the NEWMAC teams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 04, 2013, 09:42:02 AM
I "watched" last night on the stat line until about 10 minutes left.  WPI was up 16 and showed no signs of being threatened.  Any NESCAC guys see this game? - I'd love to know what happened the last 9:30 - besides of course WPI not hitting a single shot!

A month from now it is a win against a good NESCAC team.  Today, I have mixed emotions - great start, scary finish.

Under Bartley we do seem to find ways to win, which continues to be fun.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 04, 2013, 04:37:01 PM
WPI89....in response to your last post on the CAC board....do not worry about your points from my direction.  Not a poster that is an Amherst recruiter :)
WRT your schedule related comment....which I do not really understand the inference...truly...there is a problem of sorts for coaches of highly ranked teams in general and Amherst's coach in particular.  IMO, Amherst had a hard time to get local teams to play in its tip-of tournament, it seems.  Springfield was in last season and won but did not return this season with a team that seems to be a good one.  Amherst lost 3 starters from its title team and has to blend/build a new team this season.  Yes, Amherst has talented players returning and a talent filled recruiting class.  Still, it takes time to evaluate and build a team for this year....early season games with non conference schools.  CAC teams start practice about a week later than other conferences it must be noted.  I do wish that WPI could play against Amherst each year vice in the post season.  The same goes with MIT.  The tip off Tournament is always available.  ECSU finally is on the schedule as RIC.  Seems both RIC and MIT is down a little this season based on early season games.  Oh yes, SVT, a normal pushover has grownup this season and beat its normal bully Williams.  I guess, that is part of a coach's job when scheduling early games...avoiding hard games during a building period.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 05, 2013, 10:20:43 AM
amh63 - I am certainly not familiar enough anymore with the trials and tribulations of scheduling for D3 teams.  As to weather Amherst struggles to get "Hard" teams to schedule them or chooses the route, I couldn't begin to know.  A program like WPI seems to be just on the edge of "having" to schedule tough out of conference games in order to have a shot at an at large bid - see 2 years ago - 20 wins - beat 8 tourney teams and no at large bid.  (to be fair - I guess it was 18 wins before the ECACs).

Amherst has earned the luxury of perhaps being able to build up to the NESCAC games by scheduling a few lighter opponents.  Plus when you add in the NESCAC opponents year in and and out - even if Amherst schedules fairly light pre-conference - they are still going to have plenty of challenges along the way.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 05, 2013, 10:23:54 AM
Question Amh63 (or any Amherst guys) - does Amherst have a JV team and are their kids playing JV that may not be listed on the Varsity roster?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 05, 2013, 11:25:29 AM
WPI89......to the best of my knowledge, No.  But who knows what they do with a long bench.  The "bench" players, including FYs' get their trail during every practice....playing against talented, experience players.  Actually,imo, evaluation of new players during lighter opponents is more to see how they work with their team mates and more on the defensive side.  Of course, the "new emphasis of rules" during game conditions is a challenge for all wrt to defense, etc.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 07, 2013, 08:22:11 PM
This a repost of an earlier post today that I deleted.  Dumb Dumb me!
Anyway, Emerson beat Amherst at Emerson this afternoon 90-79.  According to the announcers it was the highest total to date by Emerson and the lowest total by Amherst to date.  According to the announcers...Emerson was picked last in your pre-season poll.  Watch out, for Emerson has beaten both Tufts and Amherst....two NESCAC upper tier teams in pre-season polls.  Found out that they left the GNAC for the NEWMAC and that their HBC is a big time former Div 1 coach....coach is recruiting well and wants to compete for the title in the near future.
Oh yes....Springfield gave Williams a very competative game in Willy Town today.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 07, 2013, 09:34:27 PM


Looks like a NEWMAC resurgence.  WPI winning despite losing their best player.  Emerson takes out preseason #1.  Babson is playing well.  MIT rebuilding, but still a tough out.  Springfield went to Williamstown today and kept it close.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on December 09, 2013, 12:34:12 PM
Quote from: BBallers on November 07, 2013, 10:54:38 AM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on October 29, 2013, 03:38:46 PM
Congrats to WPI for starting the year off at #9 in the D3Hoops.com preseason poll.

I believe this is the highest ever preseason ranking for the Engineers.

I dont think their schedule presents any real threats to having another 20+ win season.  If they find a viable presence for the 5, they should be in a great position to finally crack through and get to the Sweet 16.  MIT may be their only real test until March.

Congratulations to WPI for topping the NEWMAC preseason poll, although not unexpected.  Rankings are pasted below:

2013-14 NEWMAC Preseason Men's Basketball Poll (first-place votes)

1. WPI (7)

2. MIT

3. Babson (1)

4. Springfield

5. Clark

T6. Coast Guard

T6. Wheaton

8. Emerson

Hey All,

NEWMAC coaches may have to revisit Emerson in the 8th spot. They are well Jim O'Brien completely turn the roster around, he has players from all over the country. I think the NEWMAC will have a strong showing within the region.  Good luck to all the teams! 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: gordonmann on December 30, 2013, 10:56:59 PM
Big ups to the NEWMAC for an impressive non-conference showing.

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2013/12/dec30-wrapup
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 05, 2014, 04:24:53 PM
Hoopsville is back on the air tonight and starting the usual twice-a-week format. Tune in to hear from a number of coaches including WPI's Chris Bartley.

Show starts at 7 PM EST and Coach Bartley will be in the first thirty minutes of the program.

You can tune in here: www.d3hoopsville.com (http://www.d3hoopsville.com)

You can also follow us and be social on Twitter (@d3hoopsville (http://www.twitter.com/d3hoopsville) and #Hoopsville) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/Hoopsville (http://www.facebook.com/Hoopsville)). You can even email us at hoopsville@d3hoops.com.

Thanks and enjoy the show!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 06, 2014, 01:55:31 PM
Thanks Dave - I missed it live but just listened to Coach Bartley - he is a great listen.  I am sure Coppola loves that he used the Gronk reference!

Great job as always.

I assume a new top 25 later today?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 06, 2014, 02:13:30 PM
I always enjoy listening and talking to Coach Bartley... and I agree with the Gronk thought.

Thanks for tuning in.

New Top 25 comes out later today, yes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GoTech73 on January 08, 2014, 10:01:17 PM
Just saw the score/press release from the MIT/Clark game tonight - Final was 63-36, MIT held Clark to just 19% from the floor! Did anyone happen to watch any of the game? Curious if MIT's defense is really that good, or if Clark just had a really bad day?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 08, 2014, 10:40:44 PM
Quote from: GoTech73 on January 08, 2014, 10:01:17 PM
Just saw the score/press release from the MIT/Clark game tonight - Final was 63-36, MIT held Clark to just 19% from the floor! Did anyone happen to watch any of the game? Curious if MIT's defense is really that good, or if Clark just had a really bad day?

I wasn't there, unfortunately.  But I suspect MIT's D was a big part of it.  MIT's D is ranked #2 in the country, and held RIC to 38 points (granted, RIC isn't what they sometimes are).  Redfield had 5 blocks out of a total of 8 by the Engineers, and MIT clobbered Clark on the boards.  Remember that MIT starts 3 6'8" players and has another 6'8" and 2 6'10" players in reserve.  They'll be a bit more vulnerable to a strong outside team, I suspect.  The throwdown against WPI on Saturday will be interesting.

The other thing I really liked to see is the bench depth, which is something MIT has lacked even in the great Final Four run a couple of years ago.  Ryan Frankel and Dakota Pierce both scored in double figures, and Russell Johnson and Lampros Tsontzos both contributed double figure minutes.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 09, 2014, 10:06:20 AM
2 convincing wins leading up to the first WPI/MIT game this weekend.  Will be fun - I hope to catch the broadcast.  WPI shot lights out from 3 at Springfield and MIT apparently made all of the Clark players shoot with their left hands or something?

Will be a really fun next 7 weeks.  Also enjoying the minor chaos over on the NESCAC side of things.  Still feel like their little brother (and certainly will until more NEWMAC damage can be done in the post season) but things seem to be evening out some over the past couple of years.

Imagine if we could have an early season night or 2 nights where we match up all the NESCAC and NEWMAC teams against each other (like the Big 10 - ACC thing they do) - would be fun. 

Amherst-WPI.  Williams-MIT.  Middlebury-Babson. Tufts-Springfield.  Wesleyan-Clark.  Trinity-Emerson.  Bates-Coast Guard.  Sorry Colby Hamilton CC etc, we ran out of teams............but wouldn't that be fun!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 09, 2014, 11:14:57 AM
Wheaton-Colby.  Sorry Wheaton - didn't leave you out for any reason other than early alzheimers.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 09, 2014, 04:39:47 PM
Quote from: rlk on January 08, 2014, 10:40:44 PM
Quote from: GoTech73 on January 08, 2014, 10:01:17 PM
Just saw the score/press release from the MIT/Clark game tonight - Final was 63-36, MIT held Clark to just 19% from the floor! Did anyone happen to watch any of the game? Curious if MIT's defense is really that good, or if Clark just had a really bad day?

I wasn't there, unfortunately.  But I suspect MIT's D was a big part of it.  MIT's D is ranked #2 in the country, and held RIC to 38 points (granted, RIC isn't what they sometimes are).  Redfield had 5 blocks out of a total of 8 by the Engineers, and MIT clobbered Clark on the boards.  Remember that MIT starts 3 6'8" players and has another 6'8" and 2 6'10" players in reserve.  They'll be a bit more vulnerable to a strong outside team, I suspect.  The throwdown against WPI on Saturday will be interesting.

The other thing I really liked to see is the bench depth, which is something MIT has lacked even in the great Final Four run a couple of years ago.  Ryan Frankel and Dakota Pierce both scored in double figures, and Russell Johnson and Lampros Tsontzos both contributed double figure minutes.
I tried to see the game, but the video kept freezing.  Too bad they keep increasing the prices and lower the quality.  I believe it was a combination of things.  First of all, if you continue to drive to the basket straight at Redfield, then you will probably get it swatted back to you.  He is a junior and has done this in the previous years, so it shouldn't be a secret to anyone.  Of course, MIT's deliberate offense contributes to lower scores.  Third, Clark did miss some open looks and it kind of snowballed on them.  Fourth, MIT's defense appears to be improved, but it will have to continue to improve to have a shot at the NCAA's.  I believe MIT's best two games were last night and against RIC.  I agree with you that RIC is not nearly as strong as they had been in previous years.  I also agree that MIT's bench has a lot of talent, but Coach Anderson typically has a smaller rotation, except in blowouts and with foul trouble.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 09, 2014, 04:52:22 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 09, 2014, 10:06:20 AM
2 convincing wins leading up to the first WPI/MIT game this weekend.  Will be fun - I hope to catch the broadcast.  WPI shot lights out from 3 at Springfield and MIT apparently made all of the Clark players shoot with their left hands or something?

Will be a really fun next 7 weeks.  Also enjoying the minor chaos over on the NESCAC side of things.  Still feel like their little brother (and certainly will until more NEWMAC damage can be done in the post season) but things seem to be evening out some over the past couple of years.

Imagine if we could have an early season night or 2 nights where we match up all the NESCAC and NEWMAC teams against each other (like the Big 10 - ACC thing they do) - would be fun. 

Amherst-WPI.  Williams-MIT.  Middlebury-Babson. Tufts-Springfield.  Wesleyan-Clark.  Trinity-Emerson.  Bates-Coast Guard.  Sorry Colby Hamilton CC etc, we ran out of teams............but wouldn't that be fun!
I think Clark just had an off night and some poor shot selections, but MIT is big and active.  I'm glad that the NEWMAC is stronger and will hopefully continue to strengthen.  Your idea about the NESCAC-NEWMAC playing each other like the Big 10-ACC, especially with your pairings, would be fantastic to watch.  I agree with our little brother comparison, but if the NEWAC keeps improving and the AD's (from both conferences) get some guts, then maybe it could happen.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 15, 2014, 09:13:47 AM
Large game against Babson tonight - good luck boys.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 15, 2014, 11:33:21 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 15, 2014, 09:13:47 AM
Large game against Babson tonight - good luck boys.
I think WPI would definitely be favored, especially at home.  Babson is having a very good year as is the whole NEWMAC conference teams.  Should be a good game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 15, 2014, 08:54:49 PM
Just win baby!  1 more tonight.  I saw the last 4 sloppy minutes but I will take it for sure!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on January 16, 2014, 02:25:59 PM
Congrats to WPI.  Good game.  Babson made it close at the end.  The NEWMAC is a very tough league to run the table.  Looking forward to many more good games.
I wish Middlebury played WPI.  Not that I think we'd necessarily win, just that these two teams have looked relatively even in recent years.  Even in a down year, Midd might rise to the level of their opponent's play.  Maybe someday.....
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 17, 2014, 04:47:21 PM
Found it Pat - thanks!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 18, 2014, 09:59:20 PM
MIT defeated Springfield College 55-51 in a hard-fought men's basketball battle that went down to the final seconds. The aptly-named Springfield Pride never led, but as usual never gave up. MIT was paced by sophomore Justin Pedley's 7-14 effort from downtown with a total of 27 points. Pedley also iced two free throws in the final 2 seconds to finally seal the win. Freshman Dakota Pierce added 12 for the Engineers, and Andrew Acker hauled down 12 rebounds to complement his 8 points.

Springfield placed 3 in double figures, led by Nick McKenna's 14.

MIT's defense, as usual, was superb.  Springfield had averaged 83 points coming in and had not scored less than 61 (against WPI).  They couldn't establish an inside game against our front line at all.  Our offense basically revolved around the outside game, though, and  if Pedley hadn't been absolutely on fire the game would have been very different.  Redfield fouled out early in the second half, which definitely made things more difficult for us.  We never trailed, but they tied it up at 41 midway through the second half, and it would be 2 minutes before anyone would score again. 

Springfield definitely takes its nickname (the Pride) seriously.  They do not give up.  They had a lot of fans make the trip to Cambridge.

Game photos at http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Springfield-20140118/36125690_j2J2ng#!i=3029274642&k=Tx4f6Fm .  Pat et al, please feel free to use these (with attribution) on d3hoops.  I'd prefer if possible that you link so I can get traffic metrics.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 19, 2014, 11:41:00 AM
Great pics RLK. 

WPI keeps rolling :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 20, 2014, 05:39:02 PM
WPI.....see your team is having a great season to date.   Just gathering some data.  Maybe you can help.  Does the NEWMAC hold a tourny to determine the AQ to the post season?  If it does, where is it held?   Aware that WPI has a facility that can host a NCAA regional....size wise.  Do you know if WPI has put in an application to be an candidate for such a site?    Thanks,
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 20, 2014, 08:14:15 PM
Quote from: amh63 on January 20, 2014, 05:39:02 PM
WPI.....see your team is having a great season to date.   Just gathering some data.  Maybe you can help.  Does the NEWMAC hold a tourny to determine the AQ to the post season?  If it does, where is it held?   Aware that WPI has a facility that can host a NCAA regional....size wise.  Do you know if WPI has put in an application to be an candidate for such a site?    Thanks,

NEWMAC holds a tournament with the top 5 (first round play-in).  I don't know if that's changing this year with the expansion to 8 teams.  Until 2010, all 7 teams played, with the #1 team receiving a quarterfinal bye.

The tournament is hosted by the school with the best conference record.  If there's a tie, at least one tiebreaker for hosting is record against common opponents (I believe head to head record is first tiebreaker, but I don't know).  That's why WPI hosted the tournament last year: MIT and WPI were both 10-2 in the conference, but there was one common opponent (Salem State, I think) that WPI beat and MIT lost to.  However, MIT and WPI were considered regular season co-champions.

NEWMAC is much more geographically compact than NESCAC.  The geographic extremes are MIT (with Emerson a very, very close second) and Coast Guard, which are about 2 hours apart.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 21, 2014, 09:26:26 AM

I heard they were going to a full 8 team tournament, but it wasn't from an official source or anything.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 21, 2014, 09:55:31 AM
Rik...thanks for the info.  To host a  NCAA tourny, a facility must be able to handle a desired crowd size.  To host a conference tourny, does seating capacity, or other criteria enter?  For example, Emerson's gym is someone limited wrt to seating.  Do not know if parking enters.  If it does, how is the location determined.
Awhile back, Amherst went to WPI to play them in a post season game...about 4 years ago, maybe.  Nice size place and fine video coverage and crowd.  Do not know about parking :)...being in an urban area like Tufts where finding spaces can be expensive.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 21, 2014, 11:01:04 AM
Quote from: amh63 on January 21, 2014, 09:55:31 AM
Rik...thanks for the info.  To host a  NCAA tourny, a facility must be able to handle a desired crowd size.  To host a conference tourny, does seating capacity, or other criteria enter?  For example, Emerson's gym is someone limited wrt to seating.  Do not know if parking enters.  If it does, how is the location determined.
Awhile back, Amherst went to WPI to play them in a post season game...about 4 years ago, maybe.  Nice size place and fine video coverage and crowd.  Do not know about parking :)...being in an urban area like Tufts where finding spaces can be expensive.

[incidentally, it's rlk, not rik]

I believe that the only criterion for hosting the conference tournament is regular season champion plus any tiebreakers.  MIT's facility (Rockwell Cage) doesn't have a lot of capacity, and has its own parking problems, but we've hosted the tournament (most recently in 2012, when we went to the Final Four -- that was quite a wild ride).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 21, 2014, 12:03:06 PM
RLK.....sorry about that....not paying attention...plus any other factors that comes with age.  Remember the year.  Wanted to have Amherst play MIT in Lancaster that year.  Saw MIT beat Staten Island  I believe.  Even sat on the MIT side....received several graduate degrees from MIT awhile back.  Wow, parking is a problem around the gym facilities.  Were parking garages added recently nearby.  Think I'm still a member of the COOP....with parking discounts?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 21, 2014, 01:09:36 PM
Quote from: amh63 on January 21, 2014, 12:03:06 PM
RLK.....sorry about that....not paying attention...plus any other factors that comes with age.  Remember the year.  Wanted to have Amherst play MIT in Lancaster that year.  Saw MIT beat Staten Island  I believe.  Even sat on the MIT side....received several graduate degrees from MIT awhile back.  Wow, parking is a problem around the gym facilities.  Were parking garages added recently nearby.  Think I'm still a member of the COOP....with parking discounts?

No new parking.  There's still the garage ($5), or street parking ($2 for a 2-hour meter).

Yup, we beat Staten Island prior to Franklin & Marshall.  Staten Island had a huge center, as I recall (A.J. Matthews?), who was nicely contained by Will Tashman.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on January 21, 2014, 02:12:42 PM
Quote from: rlk on January 21, 2014, 01:09:36 PM
Quote from: amh63 on January 21, 2014, 12:03:06 PM
RLK.....sorry about that....not paying attention...plus any other factors that comes with age.  Remember the year.  Wanted to have Amherst play MIT in Lancaster that year.  Saw MIT beat Staten Island  I believe.  Even sat on the MIT side....received several graduate degrees from MIT awhile back.  Wow, parking is a problem around the gym facilities.  Were parking garages added recently nearby.  Think I'm still a member of the COOP....with parking discounts?

No new parking.  There's still the garage ($5), or street parking ($2 for a 2-hour meter).

Yup, we beat Staten Island prior to Franklin & Marshall.  Staten Island had a huge center, as I recall (A.J. Matthews?), who was nicely contained by Will Tashman.
I believe that was Farmingdale College that A.J. Matthews (All American) played for and it was a great game by MIT as I believe Hollingsworth put up 30 something points on him offensively and Tashman put the clamps down on him defensively.  A.J. Matthews had extreme physical skills (I believe he is playing in the NBAD league now), but he got really frustrated with Tashman's defense.  Appreciate you bringing that good memory back to me.   :)

BTW, the only reason WPI may not host an NCAA game is that their Women's team is also a powerhouse and one year when both mens and womens WPI teams were offered to host NCAA playoff games, WPI had to choose (I believe the women won out and WPI men's team had to start on the road).  WPI's gym and fan support are top notch and I anticipate they will be hosting this year and hopefully the NEWMAC will have at least 3 NCAA qualifying teams this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 21, 2014, 03:23:46 PM
Actually... the schools do not have to choose, the choice is made by the NCAA per the year. According to an old handbook (because I can't find it in this year's handbook for some reason), the men have the priority in even years for the first weekend... the women have the priority for the second weekend. In odd years, the women have priority in the first weekend and the men have it in the second weekend. So this year... men have the priority in the first weekend and women in the second.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on January 21, 2014, 03:45:13 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 21, 2014, 03:23:46 PM
Actually... the schools do not have to choose, the choice is made by the NCAA per the year. According to an old handbook (because I can't find it in this year's handbook for some reason), the men have the priority in even years for the first weekend... the women have the priority for the second weekend. In odd years, the women have priority in the first weekend and the men have it in the second weekend. So this year... men have the priority in the first weekend and women in the second.

So, were skipping over 2013 entirely and staying with the even numbered years than.  With the "1 game a weekend" setup on the men's side last year, we didn't have to worry about if a school's women team (Wash U, Amherst, Hope, Calvin, etc) was as good as the men's was because both the men & women could host BOTH first & second round games last year (2 women's games on Friday, than a women's game men's game on Saturday).  At least I thought that's what it was, someone correct me if I'm wrong
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 21, 2014, 03:50:10 PM
Right... assuming we are skipping over 2013 due to the fact you change everything if you did. Last year the only time a men's team might not have had the chance to host one of those weekends is if the committee(s) felt the school could not host all three women's teams and an additional men's team due to the facilities (six teams counting their own with practices and games). However, I don't think that ended up being a problem at the schools like Amherst who were in those situations.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 22, 2014, 11:29:38 AM
Amh63 - all seems covered pretty well above.  I do not think there is any change to the NEWMAC tourney since adding Emerson.  1,2,3 seeds get a bye into semis and 4 plays 5 to get in.  #1 seed hosts semis and final on March 1 and 2.

http://newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/championships/2013-14/2014_mbkbbracket.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 22, 2014, 02:32:58 PM
WPi89...and all the rest. Thanks for the info!  Just preparing for an possible WPI vs. Amherst encounter in the post season.  Place unknown for now.  The conference battles are heating up...tough and good games ahead in both of our conferences .
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 23, 2014, 09:51:26 AM
15!  Congrats to Sam Longwell for I have to believe a career high 31 last night against Clark.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 26, 2014, 12:03:42 AM
MIT-Emerson game photos: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Emerson-hoops-20140125/36338220_SNn6Nk#!i=3042077157&k=vgkP7Vg

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 26, 2014, 02:15:41 PM
Another Hoopsville episode is lined up for tonight (Sunday, January 26). Join us as we catch up on the last few days and talk to Babson MBB coach Stephen Brennan and the following guests:

- #11 York (Pa.) WBB coach Betsy Witman
- Marian MBB coach Mark Boyle
- #13 Montclair St. WBB coach Karin Harvey
- Guilford MBB coach Tom Palombo
- Plus we introduce you to Division III athletes, a capella, and a great recruiting tool for Washington College.

You can tune into Hoopsville on our website (http://www.d3hoopsville.com) or here (http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2013-14/jan23).

Also don't forget to interact with the show via:
- Twitter: @d3hoopsville (http://www.twitter.com/d3hoopsville) or #Hoopsville
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville (http://www.facebook.com/Hoopsville)
- Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com

And don't forget to consider helping Hoopsville. We have an ongoing fundraising campaign to help improve the show. For more information read our blog story (http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2014/01/12/hoopsville-we-need-your-help/) or go to our fundraising website (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/hoopsville-fundraising-project/x/6029509).

Thank you and enjoy the show!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 28, 2014, 02:50:21 PM
WPI89.....FYI, your Amherst "recruit" MR. Racy can be seen briefly in a video preview of the Williams game.  He is on the right side of the line as the Amherst starters are announced....during the Williams game in LeFrak.  I picked him out by reading his name on the jersey :)  Maybe a preview of a future game with WPI.  Also a little of the WBB game.  Amherst's All American forward was out due to injury for the game up in Willy Town.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 28, 2014, 03:07:52 PM
Thanks for the update Amh63!  His partner in crime down here last year is actually getting good minutes at the University of Vermont as a Freshman this year. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 29, 2014, 10:18:15 AM
WPI89....forgot to point out the video can still be found on the Amherst website athletic section.   Need you to post the name of the other student/classmate of Racy at Ridgefield? HS.  Since he is playing well at the UVM, some of the Vermont based posters on the CAC board may be interested.  me, I hope your UVM "recruit" is doing well in school...maybe He will like to transfer to Amherst  ;D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 29, 2014, 11:12:59 AM
Amh63 - thanks again.  Kurt Steidl graduated with Racy last year and is a freshman at UVM.

http://uvmathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2251&path=mbball
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on January 29, 2014, 01:27:04 PM
I'm a UVM ticket holder.  Steidl is contributing way ahead of schedule.  He is clearly their best outside threat, although he can score a ton of ways.  Middlebury coach Jeff Brown said he judged Steidl and Duncan Robinson from Williams to be equal two seasons ago.  I can see why, now.  Robinson would be a stud in many D1 programs, as Steidl will be.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on January 29, 2014, 04:13:49 PM
Congratulations to Sam Longwell for being named NEWMAC Player of the Week.  He is the first WPI player to garner the award this season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 01, 2014, 02:20:03 PM
Someone here MUST want to get dinner for two to Bartley's Burger Cottage in Cambridge... all you have to do is donate $100 to the Hoopsville Fundraising Campaign and select the perk and you get the dinner (which includes two burgers, fried and two frappes) plus a Hoopsville t-shirt and other thanks - just make sure you select the "Burgers and Basketball" perk.

Only ONE available! Contribute here: http://igg.me/at/Hoopsville/x/6029509 (http://igg.me/at/Hoopsville/x/6029509)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 03, 2014, 11:33:22 AM
Sorry Dave - pretty slow on the NEWMAC board this year.  We lost HugeNerd (anyone seen or heard from him?).

Glad your campaign met it's goals - good luck crushing it this week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 03, 2014, 03:42:53 PM
Nice Win for WPI on Sat. against Springfield.  Great game from Dom Mastascusa - 19pts, 3 blks.  The Engineers have a huge lead in the conference now.  Also with the Amherst loss to Colby, WPI should be sitting atop the regional rankings (I think those come out this week).

If you are a Pride supporter though you have to be asking yourself ... In a game where we shot 36% as a team - Why does the conference leader in FG% get only 4 FGAs?  WPI's defense can account for some that, but certainly not all of it.  Huge blown opportunity for the Pride.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 06, 2014, 10:26:59 AM
Emerson coming to Harrington today for an early evening game to make up the postponed game from last night.  Have not seen re-schedule info for any other NEWMAC games yet.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 06, 2014, 10:58:06 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 06, 2014, 10:26:59 AM
Emerson coming to Harrington today for an early evening game to make up the postponed game from last night.  Have not seen re-schedule info for any other NEWMAC games yet.
MIT's game at Springfield has been moved from yesterday to tonight.  Hope MIT plays as well as WPI did, but I expect Springfield to play much better than they did in their earlier game at MIT.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 06, 2014, 08:16:10 PM
WPI89.....It happens to the best of teams.  Join the club.  Teams can just go flat at times.  Look on the positive side,,,you still have the conference top spot going forward with respect to the tournament.  If Amherst holds serve in it's next 3 home games, they will host the conference tournament.  Think WPI is in the same position.  Good spot to be. Heard an interview by the HBC of Babson durning halftime of the Babson game.  No one wants to play WPI and the other conference teams are trying to get into the best position to avoid playing your team in the 2nd round?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on February 06, 2014, 09:49:30 PM
Emerson adds another upset to their resume as they topple WPI from the conference unbeaten ranks with a 71-67 victory in Worcester.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 07, 2014, 09:02:55 AM
Amh63 and Magic - yup.  Could see this coming a mile away.  I actually would have predicted a squeaker of a win against Emerson and then at least 1 loss at Babson or at MIT - WPI's next 2 games.

Hopefully this snaps them out of their mini-funk (they have been winning but not playing at crisply or with the intensity they did before Christmas).

Trying not to make too much out of 1 loss...........hopefully it is just that.


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 10, 2014, 09:21:37 AM
Uh-Oh!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 10, 2014, 09:25:33 AM
Anybody know the second tie-breaker for the conference?  Say WPI and Babson both end up 11-3 and split their 2 games - how do they decide the 1 seed and host for the NEWMAC?

I will do some research later int he day but if anyone knows - let me know - thanks.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 10, 2014, 10:29:35 AM
I can't find it online... but most conferences look at head-to-head and if that doesn't decide things, look at results versus other conference teams starting at the top and working their way down.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 10, 2014, 10:52:21 AM
Indeed the NEWMAC does start with the record versus conference opponents starting at the top and working their way down until they break the tie. If they still have a tie, they go to common non-conference opponents.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 10, 2014, 10:54:57 AM
Thanks Dave.  I found the 2009 NEWMAC handbook and it looks like the second tie-breaker after H2H is actually overall record (if that can be right?) and then what you describe above.  So if WPI and Babson tie - they would look at overall record and then start with games against the 3rd place finisher, 4th place finisher and so on.

Although I will admit - it is not completely clear to me.

http://scripts.mit.edu/~hwtaylor/xc/2008/newmac08/NEWMACHandbook12.pdf  (page 24)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on February 10, 2014, 11:03:55 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 10, 2014, 10:54:57 AM
Thanks Dave.  I found the 2009 NEWMAC handbook and it looks like the second tie-breaker after H2H is actually overall record (if that can be right?) and then what you describe above.  So if WPI and Babson tie - they would look at overall record and then start with games against the 3rd place finisher, 4th place finisher and so on.

Although I will admit - it is not completely clear to me.

http://scripts.mit.edu/~hwtaylor/xc/2008/newmac08/NEWMACHandbook12.pdf  (page 24)

Last year MIT and WPI had identical conference records and split head to head.  The tiebreaker (that I was told) was record against common non-conference teams -- you beat Salem State and we lost to them.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 10, 2014, 01:22:59 PM
That criteria would not solve a Babson/WPI tie this year.  No losses to common non-conference opponents.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on February 10, 2014, 02:34:48 PM
Some fun statistical drama, here. 
Do it like MLB and have a one game playoff a day after the last conference game.
Sounds silly but after seeing two teams get tied in our league standings on a bench technical; you gotta admit it's a more satisfying finish.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 10, 2014, 04:04:54 PM
If the tie can't be broken... they go to a coin flip as they did a few years ago.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 10, 2014, 04:34:05 PM
Let's get Dave to wear his fur coat and flip the coin!  (Joe Namath reference for those that missed the SuperBowl coin toss)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 10, 2014, 05:18:42 PM
LOL outstanding!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 10, 2014, 05:26:40 PM
How much does Pat C. hire out for ...fur coat and all...in flipping coins.?  Seems that in the East region...NYState schools board they are having the same discussions as here....criteria in case of ties, going to conference rule books and finally to coin flips.  It must be that time of the season!(//)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 10, 2014, 05:45:32 PM
Very tough week for Engineers - WPI falls down to #12 in the latest D3hoops poll.  They should be able to make some of that back up as they have MIT, Coast Guard, Wheaton & Clark remaining on the schedule.  I do not believe MIT can beat them and they should dispatch the other 3 easily.  They should finish with the #1 seed for the conference tournament, but there are three teams in Emerson, Springfield and Babson who can defeat them in that opening game (Semi-final round).  Some good news for the team though – I believe both Ryan Kolb & Sam Longwell are closing in on 1,000 career points.

The question now is how far they fell in the regional rankings that come out on Wednesday.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 11, 2014, 12:16:49 AM
I would expect the NEWMAC to help with the costs of the coat - even if it is a rental :).

The coin flip is usually the best option to break the tie if you have exhausted all other options. However, let me share with you a few other ways I have seen over the years:

- In the Capital Athletic Conference (the actual CAC, despite NESCAC fans efforts LOL) a few years back, they used to have all of the schools pull a number out of a hat during the meetings ahead of the academic year. Whatever number the school pulled would be their number the rest of the year and if they were ever involved in a tie-breaker that went that far... they would compare their number to the other participants in the tie-breaker. The one with the better number (i.e. 1 being the best) would win the tie-breaker. That was eventually done away with when it was pointed out that one school could have an unfair advantage for the entire year in all sports - now they flip a coin, I believe.
- Some conferences in some sports actually indicate whoever is higher ranked in the D3(pick-a-sport) Top 25 gets the nod.
- The OAC in football actually has the coaches not involved with the tie-breaker secretly vote on who they think should get the automatic bid for the NCAA tournament.
- Some conferences used to/still do eliminate the team that made the NCAA tourney automatically the last time to give the other team the opportunity.

So the coin flip... not a bad option :).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 13, 2014, 09:09:32 AM
VERY big win yesterday for WPI.  Thanks MASSD3 for giving me the confidence on the bounce back.

Not really bothered by the regional rankings.  Next 3 weeks will take care of early anomalies.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 14, 2014, 05:29:48 PM
The best thing for the team now is to focus on winning out and build toward the post-season.  Win the Automatic bid and things will take care of themselves - most likely in  the form of another hosting on the opening weekend.

The regional rankings may or may not be an issue if they lose in the semis of the NEWMAC tournment though.  IF things hold true to form the remiander of the season, it is likely they will have to go through Springfield & Babson to get that Pool A slot.  They really need to tighten things up and blow out the opposition in the these last 3 regular season games and be hitting on all cylinders going into that tournament.  The last few games it has looked like they are just doing enough to get by - and that has bitten them twice already.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 17, 2014, 10:38:41 AM
Congratulations to WPI for winning 20 or more games for the 11th consecutive season with their 56-45 win over Coast Guard.  The team is still struggling though. Hopefully with senior day and the regular season wrap up with Clark this week, they can get thing back on track. I did not see the game online, but curious if anyone did.  I was very curious to see Kolb's stat line.  Only 3 minutes in the 2nd half of a contested game.  Hopefully is was nothing more that something like the flu that limited his playing time. 

Upon further review, my original assessment has been overturned.

The Engineers will NOT have to face Springfield & Babson in the NEWMAC tournament.  If the current standings hold, WPI will play the winner of the MIT-Emerson 1st round game and Springfield & Babson will face each other in the semis.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 19, 2014, 09:15:06 AM
The way I have it figured is WPI's magic number is 1.  1 combo win or Babson loss in the 2 games this week and WPI wins and hosts, I think?

Split H-2-H.
No common opponent non-conference losses.
Both teams 2-0 vs MIT (if Babson wins Saturday).
Then you follow it down and the loss by Babson to Springfield, which should be the difference.

I have tried to look at everything - including the fact that Emerson could still tie Springfield - but Springfield beat them twice and holds that tiebreaker.  If Emerson got ahead of Springfield the tie-breaker would switch.

Be a lot easier if WPI just wins out but I think they clinch tonight with a win at home vs. Wheaton.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 19, 2014, 09:17:33 AM
PS - if you have the type of job that could can put video streaming up in the background - I highly recommend putting on the Russia-Finland hockey game.  Finland up 3-1, early 3rd - Russia is throwing everything the Kremlin can provide at Tuukka Rask (who is standing on his head)!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 20, 2014, 09:53:45 AM
I think WPI wrapped up hosting rights last night - but I still can not confirm.  All articles talk about a "share of the title" and "in a position to host".

Anyone see anything definitive?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 20, 2014, 12:10:13 PM
WPI89

I would not worry.  In 2002-03 Clark beat WPI twice, since then they have only won 4 other times.  The last time was the 2009-10 NEWMAC Championship game.  I expect WPI to win walking away.

Any predictions on All-conference and the other awards?

1st Team
J. Flannery (Babson)
S. Longwell (WPI)
J. Wickey (Babson)
R. Burke (Springfield)
M. Thorpe (Emerson)

2nd team
R. Kolb (WPI)
M. RedField (MIT)
N. Deprato (Clark)
A. Gregory (Wheaton)
A. Musler (Clark)

POY – J. Flanney (Babson)
COY – S. Brennan (Babson)
ROY - J. Flanney (Babson)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEHoopsFan99 on February 20, 2014, 12:23:07 PM
You're missing Kenny Ross whose leading all 3 divisions in assist to turnover ratio, he's the captain and arguably the reason why they're doing so well (he and Flannery). By far the best PG in the conference
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 22, 2014, 05:12:26 PM
WPI to host - I will be in Worcester next Saturday!

Only saw last minute of Clark game - another really low scoring game.

Anyone out there watch?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 24, 2014, 01:11:59 PM
Here is where SOS can be dangerous when it has such weight for the regional rankings.

WPI had 11 non-NEWMAC games to start the season.  The teams combined this year to go 112-158. However - the record of those same 11 teams for 2012-13 was 174-127.  This includes anomalies like Curry going from 21-8 to 5-20.  Fitchburg St going from 16-11 to 2-22.  Newbury going from 14-12 to 3-22.  Keene going from 16-11 to 8-16.  RPI going from 17-10 to 8-17.

So yes WPI's schedule turned out to be weak but other than scheduling one (or more) of the NESCAC big 3 - I am not sure it was their fault. 

I would love to see WPI vs Amherst, Williams, Midd on a rotating basis every 3 years - no idea why it has been so long since they got together.  I would think at this point there should be no worries by either side as to a "nothing to gain, everything to lose" concern.  While Amherst has been above the fray for a bit now - I would think either Williams or Midd would love to have a December win against WPI on their resume and certainly WPI would in reverse.

Seems like all will take care of itself - but it would be tough to punish schools strictly on strength of schedule when it can be so out of their control.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 25, 2014, 11:51:02 AM
If a tree falls on the NEWMAC Board, would anybody hear it?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on February 25, 2014, 12:02:38 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 25, 2014, 11:51:02 AM
If a tree falls on the NEWMAC Board, would anybody hear it?
Yes.  More of us are following you than you might guess.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 25, 2014, 12:15:32 PM
So true...midhoops!

WPI89....So you will be at WPI for the game.  Need to check the time.  I'm up for the weekend games in LeFrak.
If the timing is ok....I may drop over.  Hope the ticket is not too steep and parking is available :)  In any case...good luck to your "engineers"?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 25, 2014, 04:30:22 PM
 I read everyday WPI... I just don't post because I don't have enough knowledge... Sorry..

But, I am all over your post. You do a great job setting up the season (not just for WPI) but the entire conference.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on February 25, 2014, 04:40:48 PM
Quote from: amh63 on February 25, 2014, 12:15:32 PM
So true...midhoops!

WPI89....So you will be at WPI for the game.  Need to check the time.  I'm up for the weekend games in LeFrak.
If the timing is ok....I may drop over.  Hope the ticket is not too steep and parking is available :)  In any case...good luck to your "engineers"?

Amh, not entirely sure, but I'm pretty sure the games are 1 & 3 on Saturday, while the NESCAC games are 2/4, so you might be out of luck.  Sorry :(
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 25, 2014, 05:09:53 PM
Thanks guys.

AMH63 - WPI vs. MIT/Emerson winner is at 1 and the Babson/Springfield game is scheduled for 3.

Tickets are crazy cheap but parking is a pain.  Likely would need to find a spot on the street.  Spring Break is the next week (classes end March 6) - so campus should be hopping.

I will be at the Boynton - local pizza/pub down the hill from WPI (5 minute walk up the hill to Harrington) shortly after 11 on Saturday - I would love to buy you a beer - as the saying goes - it will already be late afternoon somewhere!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEHoopsFan99 on February 26, 2014, 01:26:32 AM
Babson PG featured on the front page of D3Hoops. Very interesting story! Now I'm starting to get why they've had such a turnaround as of late

http://www.d3hoops.com/columns/around-the-region/east-northeast/2013-14/babson-kenny-ross-i-ii-iii
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 26, 2014, 01:19:27 PM
WPI89.....Thanks for the invite....was not looking for it :)  My plane comes into Bradley just before noon....so I should be up at Amherst about 1 PM.  Amherst is hosting. with their game starting at 2PM.  The Williams vs Middlebury game starts at 4PM.   Our tournaments overlap.  Plan to meet up with a bunch of Middlebury posters/fans for beer on me afterwards.  You are most welcome to join after your game....though it will be a long day.  Tickets at LeFrak may cost me money!....3 bucks!  Guess it is to pay for the refs/cops and help.  Students with ID are free.....you can pass for one but do not know how you can get one....maybe get Racy to slip you his :)   Just a thought.  Update!  Adult tickets are 6 big ones.....need to take out a loan here.

NEHoopsfan.....Babson also has a great front court freshman who maybe up for ROY in the conference among many other regional awards.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2014, 11:21:28 AM
MIT beats Emerson.  Sets up WPI-MIT.  Just about the match-ups we would have predicted 4 months ago.  I actually went into last night thinking Emerson may beat MIT though.

Followed the stat-cast on my phone last night.  MIT never trailed after 13-12 early.  Fairly comfortable despite a few runs mid second from Emerson.  If MIT shoots the 3-ball like they did last night, they will stay with WPI - who has been struggling to score as of late.  Game in the low to mid 60's will be interesting.  If WPI gets up over 70 - they could win comfortably.

In a "way-over-thinking-it" sort of way - I was rooting for MIT last night.  I do not think a loss Saturday to MIT keeps WPI from a pool C bid (it is tough to beat any decent team 3 times!).  Picture would have gotten fuzzier if WPI lost to Emerson Saturday for the second time.

Will be fun.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on February 27, 2014, 02:04:02 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 27, 2014, 11:21:28 AM
MIT beats Emerson.  Sets up WPI-MIT.  Just about the match-ups we would have predicted 4 months ago.  I actually went into last night thinking Emerson may beat MIT though.

Followed the stat-cast on my phone last night.  MIT never trailed after 13-12 early.  Fairly comfortable despite a few runs mid second from Emerson.  If MIT shoots the 3-ball like they did last night, they will stay with WPI - who has been struggling to score as of late.  Game in the low to mid 60's will be interesting.  If WPI gets up over 70 - they could win comfortably.

In a "way-over-thinking-it" sort of way - I was rooting for MIT last night.  I do not think a loss Saturday to MIT keeps WPI from a pool C bid (it is tough to beat any decent team 3 times!).  Picture would have gotten fuzzier if WPI lost to Emerson Saturday for the second time.

Will be fun.

Emerson's a strange team.  They've slain two giants, but they're only 13-13 overall and 6-8 NEWMAC and didn't look very impressive when we (MIT) beat them 71-66 despite a sloppy game on our part (we beat them 80-61 in their gym, although that wasn't representative).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on February 28, 2014, 03:43:53 PM
Nice article on Chad Labove and Matt Harrington of WPI.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20140225/COLUMN11/302269952/1009/SPORTS

The article also reveals a couple of disturbing pieces of information for WPI fans.  Both Ryan Kolb and Aaron Davis are injured.  This explains recent subpar games for Kolb as well as the absence of Davis over the past few games. Hopefully this week of rest has helped both.  Kolb has only scored 12 pts in the last 3 games on 4 of 21 from the field.  The article says Davis is questionable for the NEWMC tournament.

This team has struggled to win recently. I watched the Clark game last weekend online and came away very unimpressed.  In a game that should have been an easy victory,  they surrendered an early 20-5 lead and Clark had the ball with under 2 minutes to go with a chance to tie the game.  Big performances by Longwell and Mastacusa brought home the win for the Engineers.

I think they win tomorrow, but I think they lose to Babson on Sunday if the Beavers defeat Springfield .


Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2014, 10:59:04 AM
Walking down the hill on campus. MIT bus just pulled up. Getting excited. Will be fun!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2014, 01:36:03 PM
29-29 at the half. Great d. Ugly o?  Going with ugly o. MIT pg Frankel best player on court. Davis in and out with knee.  Wpi makes some 3's we are ok.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2014, 02:07:15 PM
Omg all MIT!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2014, 02:48:07 PM
 ???
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on March 01, 2014, 02:59:34 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 01, 2014, 02:48:07 PM
???

Better be rooting for some conference leaders to win their conferences.

MIT just controlled the pace, very methodical and converted everything it felt like.  61% vs 20% will do it every time.  Even with 10 mins left if felt like it was over because MIT was milking the clock so well. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 01, 2014, 05:05:37 PM
 ;D ;D ;D

My eyes are popping out of my skull.  I couldn't believe that box score.  That had to have been the best half of basketball our guys have played all year.  MIT's obviously a D-oriented team, but holding WPI to 17 in that second half must have been something else.

Andrew Acker is running for UAP  (undergraduate association president). If that doesn't seal his win...

Meanwhile I'm stuck in Brookline with this never-ending cold.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 01, 2014, 06:29:03 PM

Williams and Brockport both avoided scares today.  I wonder if Middlebury's performance will move them up the rankings, though.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2014, 08:53:40 PM
Back home in CT.  Wow what a mess.  I am going to stay completely radio silent until after the picks next week.

Good luck to all teams still playing tomorrow.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2014, 02:45:42 PM
With the win today, I believe its 6 years in a row that MIT has either won the NEWMAC tourney or regular-season crown (at least shared the title) and made the NCAA tourney.  Congrats to MIT.


As for the game, I was able to watch online today, and the tempo was controlled almost throughout by MIT.  The score was close at times, but the game was played at MIT's pace.  To this end, I think Springfield's decision to go to zone about 8 minutes into the game was critical.  At that point, MIT was up 19-14, but the game was more up tempo, which is Springfield's style (if you translate the score from the first 8 minutes to a 40 minute game, your looking at scoring in the 70s, 80s, or 90s).  However, once Springfield went to the zone, even though it curbed some of MITs interior scoring, MIT was able to milk the clock (as they love to do) and Springfield was never really in their offense flow the rest of the game.  I don't know if the result would have been different either way, but that stuck out to me.

Hopefully MIT gets shipped out of the region and can have a nice run in the tourney. Congrats again to everyone on the MIT squad.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 02, 2014, 05:04:25 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 02, 2014, 02:45:42 PM
With the win today, I believe its 6 years in a row that MIT has either won the NEWMAC tourney or regular-season crown (at least shared the title) and made the NCAA tourney.  Congrats to MIT.


As for the game, I was able to watch online today, and the tempo was controlled almost throughout by MIT.  The score was close at times, but the game was played at MIT's pace.  To this end, I think Springfield's decision to go to zone about 8 minutes into the game was critical.  At that point, MIT was up 19-14, but the game was more up tempo, which is Springfield's style (if you translate the score from the first 8 minutes to a 40 minute game, your looking at scoring in the 70s, 80s, or 90s).  However, once Springfield went to the zone, even though it curbed some of MITs interior scoring, MIT was able to milk the clock (as they love to do) and Springfield was never really in their offense flow the rest of the game.  I don't know if the result would have been different either way, but that stuck out to me.

Hopefully MIT gets shipped out of the region and can have a nice run in the tourney. Congrats again to everyone on the MIT squad.

Also the 6th straight 20 win season, dating back to Jimmy Bartolotta's senior year.  Guess there's no such thing as too much D or too many bigs.  Redfield's in foul trouble, Acker takes control of the situation.  MIT really picked the right time to catch fire.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 02, 2014, 11:04:39 PM
Quote from: madzillagd on March 01, 2014, 02:59:34 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 01, 2014, 02:48:07 PM
???

Better be rooting for some conference leaders to win their conferences.

MIT just controlled the pace, very methodical and converted everything it felt like.  61% vs 20% will do it every time.  Even with 10 mins left if felt like it was over because MIT was milking the clock so well.
I think MIT played its best game of the year (by far) against WPI in the NEWMAC tournament and hope they can continue.  MIT also played well against Springfield, but not as good as against WPI.  I am listening to Hoopsville online now and asked why there couldn't be 3 at large NEWMAC teams because Babson, WPI and Springfield were in the top 6 in the Northeast.  I mentioned that the NEWMAC should be one of the top conferences this year, but they thought top 10.  Besides the Northeast Region rankings, if MIT can now be ranked (with their tournament wins and win against Rhode Island College), then those 3 schools 5-1 record against MIT in the regular season should help them.  Our #5 team (Emerson) beat Amherst and Tufts.  Bottom line is that they opined that 3 NEWMAC teams would make it, MIT and ???
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2014, 11:55:07 PM
D3hoops projecting 4 NEWMAC teams in the tourney...with Springfield getting the final spot.

http://d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2014/projected-mens-bracket
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 03, 2014, 12:52:28 PM
Wow - everybody in the pool!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GnacBballFan on March 03, 2014, 12:57:41 PM
Guess we jinxed not wanting to see one another wpi lol
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 03, 2014, 01:05:02 PM
GNAC - just posted over on your page.  Holy cow.  Happy to be in, but brutal match-up for WPI.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GnacBballFan on March 03, 2014, 01:14:58 PM
Lol I will go check it out. Are you guys banged up with injuries? Thought I may have read that somewhere
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 03, 2014, 01:46:47 PM
Yes to injuries.  Point Guard Davis played 10 minutes Saturday (first game back in 3 weeks) but lacked his usual quickness and was in and out getting treatment on the knee.  The second leading scorer Ryan Kolb is also hurt (to be honest I do not know with what).  He hit 3 3's against MIT to keep WPI tied in the first half and then barely played the second half on Saturday.

Going to need all hands to match-up with Magnus at all from an athletic standpoint.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 03, 2014, 03:03:03 PM
Congratulations to MIT, Babson, Springfield & WPI for getting into the tournament.  Great for the NEWMAC.

NCAA Matchups :

MIT vs Plattsburgh St
Babson vs Gordon
Springfield vs Mary Washington
WPI vs Albertus Magnus

This looks to be a bad matchup for WPI, especially with the injury issues.  They have not scored 70 or more points since Feb. 1 and AM's lowest ouput in that same time frame has been 84 points.  AM was beating up on the weakers teams they play, WPI was struggling to handle the teams at the bottom of the NEWMAC.  You have to believe that (besides the obvious importance of this being an NCAA tourney game)AM is looking to make a statement in this one about where they feel they belong in the Northeast pecking order.  I seem to remember someone saying that these two scrimmaged at the beginning of the season.  Anyone lend some insight on how that went?  I know neither team is what they were way back then, but it’s still nice fodder for the forum.  :)

The Engineers must tighten up their interior defense.  In the team’s 4 losses, they have lost the PIP battle each time. 3 times being doubled up on.  They have to contend with a very potent inside outside combo in Watson( 21.9ppg/4.9rpg) & Ljulidjuraj(16 ppg/10.7 rpg/3.7 bpg).

Babson/Gordon could be a very good game with some talented big men matching up.  This will be a big game for Flannery and Kenny Ross MUST stay out of foul trouble.  The Beavers struggled after he fouled out of the NEWMAC semis, even on simple inbound plays down the stretch of regulation play.

MIT/Plattsburgh St – I do not know much about Plattsburgh, but MIT is currently playing its best ball of the season.  If Redfield and crew can stay out of foul trouble, MIT stands a good chance.

Springfield/Mary Washington – Another team I know little to nothing about at the moment.  The pride are a streaky team and will battle the entire 40 minutes.  If their opponent offers up a chance for them to take the game, they usually capitalize on it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: toooldtoplay on March 03, 2014, 05:33:25 PM
NEWMAC - Congratulations to the league getting half their teams to NCAA's.  Unprecedented, I believe but well deserved.  Early season perceived upsets by teams in the NEWMAC don't look so weird now.  I believe this league mixing great academics and athletics will rival the NESCAC in recruiting as time goes on.   

Special shout out to MIT who came back from a difficult year and the graduation of 3 All Americans to make a run through the tournament and qualify for the 6th straight year.  Seems crazy after a long history of futility. 

Nice run by Babson and point guard Kenny Ross who is unquestionably one of the leagues MVP's for his team. Over 5/1 assist to TO ratio is legit considering how many assists scorekeepers miss vs. the number of turnovers they always get. 

WPI just seems to be there every year.  Needs to get healthier? 

Springfield seems to be in the mix every season and in the league finals regularly.  Tribute to their athletes. 

Looking forward to a nice run in tournament.  Lets get two to the Sweet Sixteen!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on March 03, 2014, 09:24:42 PM
Great job NEWMAC! 4 teams into the NCAAs, that is a great achievement. Best wishes to all of the players and coaches and supporter of the 4 teams. Sucks, we have to play WPI.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 04, 2014, 03:22:49 PM
NEWMAC all conference:  http://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/releases/20140304pvsgxl

2014 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team and Award Winners

NEWMAC Athlete of the Year:
Joey Flannery, Babson 

NEWMAC Rookie of the Year:
Joey Flannery, Babson 

NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player:
Andrew Acker, MIT

NEWMAC Coach of the Year:
Stephen Brennan, Babson

NEWMAC Sportsmanship Award:
Wheaton College

First Team All-Conference
Joey Flannery, Babson
John Wickey, Babson
Jon Goldberg, Emerson
Robbie Burke, Springfield
Sam Longwell, WPI

Second Team All-Conference
Kenny Ross, Babson
Michael Thorpe, Emerson
Andrew Acker, MIT
Matt Redfield, MIT
Sean Martin, Springfield
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GnacBballFan on March 05, 2014, 11:09:43 AM
Gonna be a good one WPI. I hope everyone is healthy, and may the nest team win. I'll be in attendance. I have a bad feeling about Friday, wpi I think is flying under the radar bc of their late season woes. Should be a great game
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 05, 2014, 08:20:33 PM
Quote from: mass_d3fan on March 03, 2014, 03:03:03 PM
Congratulations to MIT, Babson, Springfield & WPI for getting into the tournament.  Great for the NEWMAC.

NCAA Matchups :

MIT vs Plattsburgh St
Babson vs Gordon
Springfield vs Mary Washington
WPI vs Albertus Magnus

This looks to be a bad matchup for WPI, especially with the injury issues.  They have not scored 70 or more points since Feb. 1 and AM's lowest ouput in that same time frame has been 84 points.  AM was beating up on the weakers teams they play, WPI was struggling to handle the teams at the bottom of the NEWMAC.  You have to believe that (besides the obvious importance of this being an NCAA tourney game)AM is looking to make a statement in this one about where they feel they belong in the Northeast pecking order.  I seem to remember someone saying that these two scrimmaged at the beginning of the season.  Anyone lend some insight on how that went?  I know neither team is what they were way back then, but it's still nice fodder for the forum.  :)

The Engineers must tighten up their interior defense.  In the team's 4 losses, they have lost the PIP battle each time. 3 times being doubled up on.  They have to contend with a very potent inside outside combo in Watson( 21.9ppg/4.9rpg) & Ljulidjuraj(16 ppg/10.7 rpg/3.7 bpg).

Babson/Gordon could be a very good game with some talented big men matching up.  This will be a big game for Flannery and Kenny Ross MUST stay out of foul trouble.  The Beavers struggled after he fouled out of the NEWMAC semis, even on simple inbound plays down the stretch of regulation play.

MIT/Plattsburgh St – I do not know much about Plattsburgh, but MIT is currently playing its best ball of the season.  If Redfield and crew can stay out of foul trouble, MIT stands a good chance.

Springfield/Mary Washington – Another team I know little to nothing about at the moment.  The pride are a streaky team and will battle the entire 40 minutes.  If their opponent offers up a chance for them to take the game, they usually capitalize on it.
Has there ever been another conference where half of the teams (4/8) made the NCAA tournament?  I just completed my d3hoops brackets where I was definitely very biased towards MIT, WPI, Babson, and Springfield and predicted them to win out until they play each other.  So if the NE Region (and NEWMAC in particular) do well and there aren't too many upsets in the remainder of the brackets, then my bracket should do very well.  If all the NEWMAC teams loose, then I generally don't pay much attention to the remaining bracket play anyway.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 05, 2014, 09:10:06 PM
Hugenerd......welcome back!  This board needs you.....WPI89 needs you! :)
Hope things are going well.  Does it take MIT to win the conference to get your attention? :)
Anyway, hope your team advances as in 2012.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2014, 09:12:12 PM
Love the attitude bballers!  I achy ally have us 3-1 in round 1 with WPI the only L, believe it or not. I just hate our matchup. In fact I would rather play the host (Purchase) or maybe even Amherst round 1. 

5 weeks ago I would have loved our chances and the 3 ball gives us a punchers chance but I am not confident.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2014, 09:15:21 PM
Well done Amh63. Yes I need hugenerd and thanks for finessing just the right amount of crap for him making time to post just when MIT won the NEWMAC!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 05, 2014, 09:28:04 PM
Quote from: amh63 on March 05, 2014, 09:10:06 PM
Hugenerd......welcome back!  This board needs you.....WPI89 needs you! :)
Hope things are going well.  Does it take MIT to win the conference to get your attention? :)
Anyway, hope your team advances as in 2012.

Championship game is the first game I saw all season and actually the only reason I knew about it is that a basketball alumni email was sent out saying MIT upset WPI on Saturday. If it wasnt for that email, I may still be in D3boards hibernation.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on March 05, 2014, 09:42:02 PM
WPI.. If you are going Friday night. I will be there with my youngest son.

Good luck, I hope that it is a good game. of course, we are both bias. But, I respect WPI and what they do. Funny story; There are a set of twins from Connecticut. Both are freshmen. One goes to WPI and the other Albertus. I can't remember their names but I remember the story.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 05, 2014, 09:51:46 PM
Quote from: amh63 on March 05, 2014, 09:10:06 PM
Hugenerd......welcome back!  This board needs you.....WPI89 needs you! :)
Hope things are going well.  Does it take MIT to win the conference to get your attention? :)
Anyway, hope your team advances as in 2012.

The young 'uns at the tute don't realize how good they have it.  In my day, we won 21 games in 4 years, with one season of 2-20 (although we did somehow beat you folks one of those years, and then next year, you beat us by 40).  I find myself still rubbing my eyes in disbelief at what the program has accomplished in recent years.

I was reading something earlier today on mithoops.net about the historic 2008-2009 season, and how that year would surely go down in the record books for years to come.  I don't think anyone outside of Coach Anderson and some other people in the athletic department had any inkling that that would just be an appetizer.

Anyway, I think we're all looking forward to this weekend!

BTW, amh63, Harlan Coben was a high school buddy (2 years older than me).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 05, 2014, 10:19:06 PM
rik...would you have predicted that he gave up law school to write?  Played BB in college. married a WBB player that is a MD, have his oldest now a soph at Amherst.....and was a frat brother to another writer....your age...named Dave Brown :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on March 06, 2014, 03:21:02 AM
Quote from: amh63 on March 05, 2014, 09:10:06 PM
Hugenerd......welcome back!  This board needs you.....WPI89 needs you! :)
Hope things are going well.  Does it take MIT to win the conference to get your attention? :)
Anyway, hope your team advances as in 2012.

I'm not going to let you get away with that amh63. I thought you were going to root for my Cardinals to meet up with your Lord Jeffs once again. Shall I go find that post or will you own up to it? ??? ;D

Is anyone over here on this board headed up to Plattsburgh this weekend? If so and you have any questions or need help just let me know. I am expecting a good game between the Engineers and my Cardinals. Have my tickets already. 1200 tickets went on sale today for Friday and 1200 for Saturday. I got the first ones. 8-)  It will be the first time the 2 schools have ever met, I believe. Can't wait until Friday.

Pretty cold right now up here in the 'Burgh as I post this...15 below zero. Supposed to warm up to the mid 30's by the weekend, though, with no sign of any snow. So that's good news for anyone planning to make the trip.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on March 06, 2014, 03:25:47 AM
Quote from: pjunito on March 05, 2014, 09:42:02 PM
WPI.. If you are going Friday night. I will be there with my youngest son.

Good luck, I hope that it is a good game. of course, we are both bias. But, I respect WPI and what they do. Funny story; There are a set of twins from Connecticut. Both are freshmen. One goes to WPI and the other Albertus. I can't remember their names but I remember the story.

Is that because your oldest son is on his way to my house in Plattsburgh, per our agreement? ??? ;D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on March 06, 2014, 09:21:02 AM
Quote from: rlk on March 05, 2014, 09:51:46 PM
Quote from: amh63 on March 05, 2014, 09:10:06 PM
Hugenerd......welcome back!  This board needs you.....WPI89 needs you! :)
Hope things are going well.  Does it take MIT to win the conference to get your attention? :)
Anyway, hope your team advances as in 2012.

The young 'uns at the tute don't realize how good they have it.  In my day, we won 21 games in 4 years, with one season of 2-20 (although we did somehow beat you folks one of those years, and then next year, you beat us by 40).  I find myself still rubbing my eyes in disbelief at what the program has accomplished in recent years.

Part of the reason that I don't follow as closely is because I am no longer in Boston.  I was a grad assistant in 05-06 (MIT's first 20 win season, Bartolotta's freshman and D'Auria's senior year), was the founder of the MIT Hoops Blog (although no longer a contributor), and have known Larry for about 12 years now (almost transferred to play for him), so I still feel a strong connection to the team, but don't have the time to follow much anymore.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 06, 2014, 10:31:16 AM
WPI89

"the 3 ball gives us a punchers chance but I am not confident"

I agree.  This team always has the ability to light it up from beyond the arc.  The problem is when they don't do that, they struggle.  It has been worse lately as well due to the injuries to Kolb & Davis.  It has had a very large impact on the team's play.

Remember it was Kolb who had a huge run last year in the post season, including the NEWMAC tournament MVP.  Kolb did not look good in that season finale at Clark and went 4 of 13 with only 3 rebounds vs. MIT.  I hope that this week has allowed him & Davis to heal up enough to play at their normal levels.  If the recent trend of offensive output continues, I can't see how they win this game. 

As you stated, they are going to need to shoot extremely well from the perimeter.  They are going to have to get something in the paint as well.  From what I have read out here, it appears that the AM center could pose some serious problems for the Engineers.  Along with being their 2nd leading scorer at 16 ppg, he has had double-digit rebounds in 17 games this year (10.7 rpg). WPI needs to balance that with some inside offense and perhaps get him into foul difficulty.

I hope every is healthy and the team can give its best possible effort.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 06, 2014, 10:51:47 AM
Quote from: amh63 on March 05, 2014, 10:19:06 PM
rik...would you have predicted that he gave up law school to write?  Played BB in college. married a WBB player that is a MD, have his oldest now a soph at Amherst.....and was a frat brother to another writer....your age...named Dave Brown :)

[that's rlk, not rik]

Livingston has spawned an interesting bunch of people, including the current governor of NJ (who was Harlan's classmate) and one of the executive producers of Modern Family (who was my classmate).  He always had an interesting sense of humor, so I wasn't too surprised.  The Myron Bolitar novels were hilarious, especially with all of the Livingston references, in some cases to real people, in some cases amusingly out of context.

I managed the team during my era (I was manager of our high school team too, and in my senior year, had the strange experience of being taller than any of the players, but as they say, I'm slow and can't jump -- the most I could ever dunk was a volleyball, and I'm about 6'5").  I ran into Harlan at the Amherst games my freshman and sophomore years.

Funny thing about basketball players marrying other basketball players.  Jimmy Bartolotta married Abby Waner, who played for Duke.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on March 06, 2014, 12:48:18 PM
Quote from: magicman on March 06, 2014, 03:25:47 AM
Quote from: pjunito on March 05, 2014, 09:42:02 PM
WPI.. If you are going Friday night. I will be there with my youngest son.

Good luck, I hope that it is a good game. of course, we are both bias. But, I respect WPI and what they do. Funny story; There are a set of twins from Connecticut. Both are freshmen. One goes to WPI and the other Albertus. I can't remember their names but I remember the story.

Is that because your oldest son is on his way to my house in Plattsburgh, per our agreement? ??? ;D

He is walking there... He left yesterday. Hopefully he makes it by April 1st.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 06, 2014, 01:20:03 PM
rlk...my bad...made that mistake earlier....I believe...blame it on the courses at MIT that I took.  Messed my eyes up.  My daughter reads the books,,,mentioned that the main character is a BB player with a limp.  Seems your Livingston friend has turned to the Amherst area for his most recent novel.  It is not uncommon, I have been told, that writers go to personal places in order to best develop a story.  Dan Brown of the DiVinci fame....killed off his geology prof in an early badly written book.  I would only become worry if you become a character in a future Harlan book. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 07, 2014, 10:42:03 AM
Nice Article on WPI's Sam Longwell and the team on the front page of D3hoops.com.

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2014/wpi-sam-longwell-survive-stress

Best of Luck tonight to the Engineers.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2014, 05:19:28 PM
Davis moving well in warm ups. Fingers crossed.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2014, 05:49:06 PM
Davis sitting. Not sure if hurt. Magnus 10-1 run since he sat down. Watson back to back 3s from 30 feet. And salutes crowd after each :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on March 07, 2014, 05:56:19 PM
The Harrington shot falling down was unreal. Would like to see a replay of that one. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: CCC Talk on March 07, 2014, 06:08:41 PM
WPI just plays such a more fun to watch brand of basketball, they share it, they move it, they cut. Albertus is super talented but just make one on one plays
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2014, 06:11:01 PM
Magnus 4 offensive fouls. Next one coach Oliver will get a T. I promise!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2014, 06:20:01 PM
I thought a very high level of first half play. WPI up 2. Some spectacular individual play by Magnus. Wpi playing as well as they can I think. Magnus stays in foul trouble this is anyone's game.  Need to keep working the clock and minimize any AM runs. Fun game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GnacBballFan on March 07, 2014, 06:28:34 PM
Good first half, thought albertus was going to run away with it for a second. Foul trouble completely has changed the game, with Davis at 3 fouls albertus is in trouble
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2014, 07:20:40 PM
Very good game. Full report when home from Purchase.  Congrats AM. Now win tomorrow!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GnacBballFan on March 07, 2014, 07:29:29 PM
Thanks wpi, heck of a game by both teams
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2014, 09:29:20 PM
OK so back home.  Using Dortmunder Gold from Great Lakes Brewery as my beverage of choice to calm me down.

So this will be a series of independent statements - without looking at the game stats.  I reserve the right to revise after I look at the stats.

I will start with my conclusion:  I have never been more excited for a "next year" WPI team.  Provided both Bartley and Copola return (and I have no reason to think they won't), I think WPI might be the number one team in the Northeast next year...............but all that is for another day.

Now for tonight: 
-  High level basketball.  3 weeks ago, I thought this might be a sweet 16 match-up, and that is what it felt like to me.
-  Game in the 60's, tied late........I really started to believe it was WPI's night.  In the end, it was Magnus' D that won the day.  They do play very individual on offense, but boy can they clamp down on D (as a team) when they want.  There were many open 3's the first 30 minutes, and zero open 3's the rest of the way.
-  I think something may have been wrong with Watson.  He showed flashes of div 1 talent in the first, then sort of disappeared.  I also saw some pills (likely Tylenol or advil) being given to him by the trainer a few minutes into the second half - not sure if something was wrong or not?
-  #1 Liujiujiujiujiuj (sorry kidding, but no idea how to spell his name) is a BEAST.  Best big defender with offensive skills I have seen in a very long time. 
-  E. Davis is lightning quick and finishes like a major player.
-  Many other great complimentary parts.

I like Magnus to beat Purchase tomorrow night.

Going to look at the stats and may bore you with some more random thoughts later.
 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2014, 09:30:10 PM
PS - NEWMAC about to be whitewashed and I am not even down about it.  That is how exciting the WPI game was.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GnacBballFan on March 07, 2014, 10:00:43 PM
WPI, I saw Watson getting stretched as well, something was going on there. But credit to Longwell for playing solid D on watson. WPI played great D, and both teams played at a high level. I think Davis was the difference in the game WPI has a scary good team coming back, with Coppola as you said. Def had the makings of a sweet 16 type matchup
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: GnacBballFan on March 07, 2014, 10:02:13 PM
Sorry typing quick as I watch Brockport St and morrisville st in triple ot on my other tab
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on March 07, 2014, 10:15:26 PM
WPI... I was the guy walking to the bathroom every 10 minutes with my son. He is 2 and all he wanted to do was play with the hand dryer.. But, everytime I went to the bathroom, Albertus went on a run. lol.

I would have said WPI wins a game in the 60s. Davis being in foul trouble really hurt the falcons offense. I think WPI did a great job frustrating both Watson and Jennings. Watson was no where to be found the last 15 minutes of the game. Albertus really stepped up their defense in the second half, every shot was contested. Really good game.

Wish we could have met in a later round. I have no doubt WPI will be a top team next season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 08, 2014, 12:10:35 AM

If nothing else, you can proudly own the worst ever tournament record for one conference in one year.  It'll be real tough for anyone to tie 0-4, let alone beat it.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 08, 2014, 11:29:47 AM
'Tis a good thing I'm not a drinking man...
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 10, 2014, 09:34:03 AM
My last NEWMAC note until after the finals are played out.

Just thought it was worth mentioning that the 4 teams we lost to went 3-1 in the round of 32, with only a horrible second half by Gordon against Williams preventing perfection.

These tournaments (in any sport, at any level) are all about match-ups.  Clearly the NEWMAC was fortunate to get 4 spots, but the the match-ups across the board were incredibly difficult.

I tend to root for all the Northeast teams after the NEWMAC, but I will have a special eye on Mary Washington, Plattsburgh, and of course Albertus Magnus next weekend.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 10, 2014, 09:59:16 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 10, 2014, 09:34:03 AM
My last NEWMAC note until after the finals are played out.

Just thought it was worth mentioning that the 4 teams we lost to went 3-1 in the round of 32, with only a horrible second half by Gordon against Williams preventing perfection.

These tournaments (in any sport, at any level) are all about match-ups.  Clearly the NEWMAC was fortunate to get 4 spots, but the the match-ups across the board were incredibly difficult.

I tend to root for all the Northeast teams after the NEWMAC, but I will have a special eye on Mary Washington, Plattsburgh, and of course Albertus Magnus next weekend.

It will be very interesting indeed to see Plattsburgh vs. Amherst.  Nothing against (or for) Amherst, but I wouldn't mind seeing Plattsburgh clobber them just to take some of the sting out of it.

Albertus Magnus lost only two games all season.  One of them was a fluke, to St. Joseph's of Maine, but they avenged that one big time.  The other was to Central Ct. State, a D1 team, by the horrendously lopsided score of -- get this -- 85-82.  You just plain ran into a buzzsaw.

The one that really surprised me was Gordon defeating Babson.  I thought Babson was a very dangerous team, and I didn't think Gordon was that strong.  MIT had no problem with them early in the season (67-48).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: mass_d3fan on March 19, 2014, 05:51:21 PM
Congratulations to WPI's Sam Longwell for being named to the D3Hoops.com Northeast All-Region 2nd Team.

Congratulations also to Babson's Joey Flannery for being named to the 1st team and also being named the region's Rookie of the Year.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 19, 2014, 07:54:20 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 10, 2014, 09:59:16 AM
The one that really surprised me was Gordon defeating Babson.  I thought Babson was a very dangerous team, and I didn't think Gordon was that strong.  MIT had no problem with them early in the season (67-48).

Gordon typically starts slow.  They have a defensive system that relies on repetition to really nail down well.  They always get better at the end of the year.  Still, they weren't really showing a great level of play.  The big thing was three senior guards who decided they didn't want to go out weakly.  They stepped up to a pretty improbable level.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on March 31, 2014, 10:09:19 AM
Spencer Rust's (MIT recruit) team won the Div 1 CA state championship this weekend in Sacramento. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 31, 2014, 01:05:53 PM
Quote from: madzillagd on March 31, 2014, 10:09:19 AM
Spencer Rust's (MIT recruit) team won the Div 1 CA state championship this weekend in Sacramento.

Where are you getting the recruiting information?  I didn't see this on d3recruiting.blogspot.com
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on April 02, 2014, 01:40:23 PM
https://twitter.com/noah_jacobs1/status/449776760532369408/photo/1
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on April 29, 2014, 11:47:12 AM
Long article on the Emerson-NBA connections

http://www.sbnation.com/longform/2014/4/29/5652574/nba-front-office-pipeline-emerson-college-profile
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on April 29, 2014, 11:59:23 AM
According to d3basketball recruits, seems like Babson is bringing in a large, perimeter-heavy recruiting class.  Babson's frontcourt should be among the best in the region with Flannery, Wickey, and Mack (plus swingman Dean) all returning, but they definitely have some holes on the perimeter, so they will likely need a few of these guys to step in right away.  NEWMAC really fared poorly in the NCAA's last year (and no way the conference deserved four teams in the dance), but I do think that WPI (with Coppola returning) and Babson look stronger, and MIT, of course, brings everyone back (including a ridiculously big, deep, and experienced group at the 4/5 positions).  I think that those three squads could all make a lot more noise next year.  Folks may be sleeping on them after the NCAA flame out, but all three of those teams exceeded expectations and seem to be more talented and experienced heading into next season.  I think the gap between the top three in NESCAC (hard to determine who that will be right now, which is part of the issue) and the top three in NEWMAC (much clearer) will be smaller than it has been in many years.

JAMES KEATING - Guard, St Thomas HS (TX)
BRADLEY JACKS - Forward, Gonzaga HS (DC)
CHRIS LOWRY - PG, Woodstock Academy (CT)
MATT DRONEY - Wing, Taft School (CT) - Transfer from Stonehill College
JOSH COHN - Combo Guard, Marian Catholic HS (IL)
NICK COMENALE - Guard, New York Mills HS (NY)
SAM CASEY - PG, Lincoln-Sudbury HS (MA)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on April 29, 2014, 04:14:17 PM
Actually, I thought that on paper, MIT's fy class last year was really outstanding.  It will be interesting to see how they step up.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on April 30, 2014, 04:24:54 PM
This is all I have on WPI - I really know nothing about the 3, except what you can read on the net.  Interesting to pick up a kid from Washington state.

CONNOR REARDON - Wing, Pingree (MA)
SHANE FARLEY - Guard, Burlington HS (MA)
CONNOR WILLGRESS - Forward, Jackson HS (WA)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on April 30, 2014, 06:24:20 PM
WPI89, your alma mater also picked up 6-8 forward Obi Obiora from Brookline HS in what NERR characterizes as a steal.

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/3493/Obiora-Bruno-Off-the-Board.php

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: JustAFan on April 30, 2014, 06:36:20 PM
WPI also has a commitment from 6-1 guard Chris Rogers from Franklin HS. He's a real scorer, and very good outside shooter. He could get minutes right away.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on May 01, 2014, 10:13:15 AM
WPI89.....seems the kid from WA is a forwarding looking student who wants a technical education :)
Seems your Amherst recruit...Racy...has a younger brother that is moving on to a prep school.
Good to hear from you.   Very little info on Amherst's incoming class...really do not need much after last year's big class.  expect Racy will step up big for Amherst.  He can shoot but needs to to get stronger and play defense .
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on May 03, 2014, 04:17:33 PM
Thanks for the info guys. Yes Racy's "little" brother is heading out for his senior year. They graduated 2 talented guards and may struggle next year. I do not know the Racy family well but I suspect (just me speculating though) that may have helped their decision. Looking forward to a big 14-15 from the Crimson clad engineers!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on June 09, 2014, 09:12:11 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on May 03, 2014, 04:17:33 PM
Thanks for the info guys. Yes Racy's "little" brother is heading out for his senior year. They graduated 2 talented guards and may struggle next year. I do not know the Racy family well but I suspect (just me speculating though) that may have helped their decision. Looking forward to a big 14-15 from the Crimson clad engineers!

FYI on the 3 MIT basketball recruits from their website (MIT did not have any seniors playing last season):

MIT Men's Basketball 2014-15 Freshman Class

Samson Donick (6-1, 195, Tiburon, Calif., Redwood High School): Four-time letterwinner and a three-year starter for Redwood High School ... averaged 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists as a senior ... two-time All-Marin County Athletic League ... team captain and MVP as a senior ... also played one year in prep school at Choate Rosemary Hall in Connecticut ... helped lead that team to an 18-3 record and a Founders League Championship ... National Merit Scholar ... AP Scholar with Distinction.

Spencer Rust (6-9, 195, Alamo, Calif., Monte Vista High School): League MVP ... averaged 15.2 points, eight rebounds and four blocks per game ... second team all-state ... first team all-section ... helped lead his team to the California Division I State Championship ... National Honor Society ... California Scholarship Federation ... National Spanish Honor Society.

Andy Wang (6-4, 200, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Pine Crest School): Three letters in basketball ... averaged 12 points, five rebounds and three assists per game ... team captain as a senior ... helped lead his team to the state 3A semifinals in 2011 ... National English Honor Society ... Spanish Honor Society ... Rho Kappa ... Beta Club ... National Merit Finalist ... National AP Scholar.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on June 20, 2014, 04:02:49 PM
For those who may not know... WPI will be participating in the Hoopsville Classic on November 21-23. Here is more information and the pairings: www.d3hoops.com/notables/2014/06/hoopsville-classic-pairings-announced (http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2014/06/hoopsville-classic-pairings-announced)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on June 24, 2014, 11:43:03 AM
Great watch on the Kings crowdsourcing the NBA draft this year.  MIT grad is one of the finalists

http://grantland.com/features/sacramento-kings-2014-nba-draft-crowdsourcing/
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on July 03, 2014, 11:05:23 AM
Chicago and Cabrini to start the season for WPI - wow!  Thanks for posting Dave.  Holy cow - hope the boys are ready early.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on July 03, 2014, 01:25:40 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on July 03, 2014, 11:05:23 AM
Chicago and Cabrini to start the season for WPI - wow!  Thanks for posting Dave.  Holy cow - hope the boys are ready early.
That could REALLY put WPI on the map early. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on July 07, 2014, 09:16:24 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on July 03, 2014, 11:05:23 AM
Chicago and Cabrini to start the season for WPI - wow!  Thanks for posting Dave.  Holy cow - hope the boys are ready early.
I think they will win both games and a good threat to will the tournament as WPI is really strong this year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on July 07, 2014, 09:17:22 AM
"will" should be "win".  My apologies for the typo.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on July 07, 2014, 04:20:30 PM
Bballer - I assume you mean the Hoopsville Classic as I am hoping you are not predicting that they "will win" the NCAA tourney just yet?

If that is the case - there isn't really a tourney per se - everyone goes down and plays 2 games in 3 days.

But I agree - if they could win those 2 early games, stay healthy and have a little luck - it could be quite a fun season for Bartley and crew.

PS - everybody, when do 2014-15 schedules start leaking out?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on July 07, 2014, 04:28:25 PM
It's also hard to win a 10-team classic :-)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on July 14, 2014, 09:10:38 AM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on July 07, 2014, 04:28:25 PM
It's also hard to win a 10-team classic :-)
You are correct that I was referring to the Hoopsville Classic.  It appears that all of the teams in the Hoopsville Classic are good, but it will be great for WPI and good for the NEWMAC for WPI to win their 2 games.  Hoping for multiple NEWMAC teams in the NCAA tournament again this coming season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on July 14, 2014, 03:40:10 PM
Oh... they are good teams for next year... that was the goal of this event and each year we look to make it better than the year before.

My point was... you can't win a classic - the format doesn't allow it :).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on August 08, 2014, 12:01:35 PM
WPI's (and I think all NEWMAC) schedules is/are out.  No time to give it the full treatment, but here are a couple of random thoughts.

1)  Thrilled they have 2 solid games before the Hoopsville Classic games - RPI and Curry (both home)
2)  Looks like a possible match-up with Williams at the Salem State Holiday Tourney.  Although FDU - Florham Park is also a quality club - I would assume Salem State will "choose" to play them, leaving Williams/WPI in the first round match-up on Dec 29th.  May call for a trip up to Salem Mass for me!  Although I never like that first game back after 2-3 weeks off (especially against Williams.  I like it a little more with Duncan wearing the Maize and Blue)!
3)  Tufts away on 12/2
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: madzillagd on August 11, 2014, 02:13:45 PM
On the Salem St site they list their opponents as FDU & Williams so I'm guessing you are right and WPI-Williams will match up.  Down year for Williams, up year for WPI - I'm hoping it's a good game but that's one that could get out of hand unfortunately for the Ephs. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on September 19, 2014, 11:35:19 AM
I just found out that WPI will also be taking a preseason trip to Ottawa; they will be playing exhibition games against the University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, and Bishop's University.

Looking forward to an exciting season!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on October 24, 2014, 08:37:32 AM
Strong showing for the NEWMAC in the preseason top 25.  3 teams make the list, plus a 4th is just outside receiving a substantial number of votes. Should be a fun year of basketball.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on October 24, 2014, 04:35:49 PM
Dave M......how did you swing Amherst to play your school?  Now I have study the roster, history, etc. Of Goucher. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ronk on October 24, 2014, 10:11:08 PM
Quote from: amh63 on October 24, 2014, 04:35:49 PM
Dave M......how did you swing Amherst to play your school?  Now I have study the roster, history, etc. Of Goucher.

  Easy access to Goucher campus from Balt Beltway(I-695), but usually heavy traffic on a Friday evening(4-6:30) although could be lighter on day after New Year's. Maybe a pre-game bite(team/parents meal?) to eat in Towson would be wise.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on October 25, 2014, 09:44:59 AM
  Ronk......thanks for the advice.  Checked out the Townson exit.  Guess B'more has it extended rush hour.  Will be there unless there is a snowstorm.  Care to join me?  Give it a thought. My treat all around.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ronk on October 25, 2014, 10:58:01 AM
Amh63,
Tempting idea, but I plan on traveling the next morning to watch the Scranton women up in Elizabethtown, so I'll decline this one; we'll probably get together sometime/somewhere down the line.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on October 27, 2014, 08:05:19 AM
Quote from: amh63 on October 25, 2014, 09:44:59 AM
  Ronk......thanks for the advice.  Checked out the Townson exit.  Guess B'more has it extended rush hour.  Will be there unless there is a snowstorm.  Care to join me?  Give it a thought. My treat all around.


I've got it on my calendar, but my attendance will be up in the air until week of, for sure.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 27, 2014, 10:41:01 AM
WPI pulled out of their Canada trip due to the attack last week on Parliament.  The Ottawa coach seems none too pleased in this article.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/u-s-college-withdraws-from-ottawa-hoops-tournament-citing-terror-attack

Tough spot for the new WPI President.  My understanding is the team was to head to Canada last Thursday - the day after the attack..........so the decision likely had to be made while there was still an active "search" going on for a presumed second gunman.

Big opportunity missed for the team to get some really great early season tests - I do think they got in the organized workouts (practices) that are allowed because of this trip - so from a hoops standpoint - not a total waste.

I will not comment for or against - being a little too close to the situation.  Any thoughts out there?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: D3HoopJunkie on October 27, 2014, 11:42:41 AM
WPI89,

I saw the story, had heard that they pulled out and just to give an outside perspective I think the WPI President made the right decision. Certainly a very difficult decision but again I believe the right one. The way the article reads its seems like they thought WPI was overacting because of the US media but unfortunately for them that is the media that we as Americans have to trust. Anytime you potentially put your students and student athletes at risk some type of action must be taken and it might not necessarily be a popular decision but in the end we all have to remember that there is more to life than basketball and while the threat may have been minimal a minimal threat is still a threat.

I think if you asked not just the basketball players parents from WPI but the Universities parents as a whole they would all agree.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: D3HoopJunkie on October 27, 2014, 12:00:01 PM
As far as basketball is concerned, it certainly would have been nice for WPI to play these games against quality opponents but I have seen WPI a few times over the years and as an Albertus supporter we played in a few scrimmages as well as a tough contested NCAA game last season and I think WPI is a fine program and Coach Bartley will have him team well prepared for any game. In the end from a basketball standpoint this won't hurt WPI at all.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on October 27, 2014, 02:35:50 PM
D3HJ - I know Coach Oliver a bit - and he is a great basketball mind - and I love his passion on the sideline.  Let's meet again this year - hopefully in the 3rd or 4th round - not right away!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: D3HoopJunkie on October 28, 2014, 08:20:43 AM
WPI89,

Glad to hear you refer to Coach Oliver as passionate because we love him for it to. He is worth the price of admission. (Even though the games are free) I feel that his energy and passion for the game from most outsiders is viewed as over the top but they simply just don't understand how much this guy loves the game and wants to win. He is a proven winner and is without doubt one of the better D3 coaches in the country. I would also argue that if you were to look at the numbers I think you would be hard pressed to find a program in the last I don't know how many years to have a complete 360 degree turn around like Albertus has had and it's all because of Coach Oliver. This school had absolutely nothing before he took over the program and in a very short period of time they are consistently a Top 25 team year in and year out! He is a masterful recruiter and like you said has a brilliant basketball mind.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on November 02, 2014, 10:30:59 PM
A few interesting notes on the WPI roster.  Star guard Marco Coppola, who missed last year with injury, is not back -- I wonder if he transferred?  But, his projected production should be replaced by Clyde Niba, who averaged 19-10 for Lasell last year and figures to be a major impact transfer in the frontcourt. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on November 03, 2014, 05:40:01 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on October 27, 2014, 10:41:01 AM
WPI pulled out of their Canada trip due to the attack last week on Parliament.  The Ottawa coach seems none too pleased in this article.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/u-s-college-withdraws-from-ottawa-hoops-tournament-citing-terror-attack

Tough spot for the new WPI President.  My understanding is the team was to head to Canada last Thursday - the day after the attack..........so the decision likely had to be made while there was still an active "search" going on for a presumed second gunman.

Big opportunity missed for the team to get some really great early season tests - I do think they got in the organized workouts (practices) that are allowed because of this trip - so from a hoops standpoint - not a total waste.

I will not comment for or against - being a little too close to the situation.  Any thoughts out there?

WPI89,

In case you missed this, WPI did go to Canada for 1 exhibition game. On Sunday, Oct. 26th the Engineers played Bishop's University which is in Sherbrooke Quebec, near Montreal. The Gaiters, which is the nickname for the Bishop's hoop team, almost knocked off WPI as they came back from a 36-23 halftime deficit to close within 2 points at the buzzer as the Engineers held on for a 56-54 victory.

Bishop's returned a number of starters from last year's team and they feature a 6'10" center, a 6'11" forward and a 6'9" forward. All 3 players are 5th year students so they're older than seniors from the US teams plus all of their players are scholarship players as well. Interesting to note that the Gaiters lost that game to WPI, but their leading scorer and rebounder, Mike Andrews, the 6'10" center didn't play in that game. One of their top guards, Jona Bermillo, who is their best 3 point shooter, also missed that game.

Plattsburgh State played Bishop's this past Saturday in Plattsburgh and the Cardinals managed to open up a 14 point lead, 57-43 with 8 minutes left to play. And like the game against WPI, the Gaiters refused to fold, as they closed to within 1, at 65-64. The Cardinals got a pair of free throws to make the score 67-64 and had to withstand four 3 point attempts by Bishop's in the final 23 seconds to secure the win. Once again their leading scorer, Mike Andrews didn't play. I spoke with him prior to the game as he was dressed but didn't participate in the warm-ups. He was recuperating from an injury and was cleared to play, but since their regular season opens up this week they held him out. Their other player that missed the WPI game, Bermillo, made five 3 pointers in 9 attempts and led the team in scoring with 15 points. Plattsbugh's leading scorer for the past 2 years, Shamoy McIntosh (13 ppg), didn't play as he was held out for precautionary reasons. 

Bishop's was an excellent team and will duke it out with McGill University for the top spot in their conference. McGill won that conference
last year and Bishop's was 2nd. Incidentally, last fall McGill played Division I Siena College and beat them 74-72 and has gone 4-5 in their last 9 games against D1 competition from the States so these teams from Canada have shown they can play quite well especially the University division teams. I felt that the matchup between Plattsburgh and Bishop's, despite being an exhibition game, will probably be one of the better games I'll get to see this year in person. 

So I think that WPI got their feet wet against a very good team and the close score helped out as well since the team proved they could pull out a victory.

Clyde Niba led the Engineers with 20 points (8x17 fg, 4x7 3's,) and 5 rebounds. Sam Longwell was next with 16 points (5x14 fg, 0x5 3's, 6x6 ft) and 6 rebounds while Sean Dorcaster had 7 points (2x6 fg, 1x2 3's, 2x3 ft) and 7 rebounds. The other starters were Aaron Todd, 2 pts with 4 rebounds, and Aaron Davis also with 2 pts and 4 rebounds. Bench players that rounded out the scoring were Obi Obiora...6 points and 3 boards in 18 minutes and Zach Karalis with 3 points and 8 rebounds in 24 minutes. As nescac1 mentioned in the above post there was no sign of Marco Copppla in the box score. Chris Rodgers and Ian Converse were the only other WPI players that had any noticeable minutes. Rodgers had 15 minutes of court time with 3 rebounds, no points and 4 fouls, while Converse played 8 minutes and grabbed 2 boards.           
   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 03, 2014, 11:08:45 AM
Magicman...see you are up early and warming your fingers for the season!  Am a little confused with the Canadian school systems..even more so between the provinces.  Know from talking with some Canadian Hockey players at Amherst...the ones from Toronta area...that they follow the UK school system.  HS can go 5 years...one year past our 12 th grade.  University level colleges is for three years...like Oxford and Cambridge U in England.  Quebec  province is more French in nature...have no idea what heir school systems are.  I think I may have confused myself here...since a number of US students are going up to Canada these days. 
Along a similiar note in the NBA...saw a report where a German combined team upset the NBA Champs in an exhibition game. 
NESCAC schools started formal practice on Nov.1....hope to see Amherst tEams work out this coming weekend as the football season ends.
Really wish that Amherst could schedule games/ meet WPI some time.  Maybe this year in the post season....also with Plattsburgh :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on November 03, 2014, 02:15:57 PM
Hello amh63,

I think you're correct concerning the Canadian school system. High School has a 13th grade. Then they go to college which is usually a 2 year endeavor and then they head off to University which is 3 more years. That's how they become 5th year seniors in college. Many of these players are 24, 25, or even 26 years old as they reach their final year of eligibility. At least that's how it was explained to me recently. So if you play a Canadian College in an exhibition you're probably playing the equivalent of a junior college in the U.S. whose players are a year older than ours. If you're playing a Canadian University you are matched up against a team that is mostly composed of scholarship players. Bishop's had a 6'11" 5th year  player from France and another player from Luxembourg that was a 6'7" 1st year. The rest of their roster came from all over Canada. 

Maybe we will meet in the post season again amh63, but I hope it's in Plattsburgh this time. If we have to go to Amherst for a 3rd year in a row...well that's just not fair ...and will lead me to believe that the Lord Jeffs have someone on the inside at NCAA headquarters lobbying big time for them, and perhaps it's you. ;D   
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Buzzerbeater on November 04, 2014, 08:55:31 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 02, 2014, 10:30:59 PM
A few interesting notes on the WPI roster.  Star guard Marco Coppola, who missed last year with injury, is not back -- I wonder if he transferred?  But, his projected production should be replaced by Clyde Niba, who averaged 19-10 for Lasell last year and figures to be a major impact transfer in the frontcourt.


Heard that Marco Coppola transferred to Brandies. Niba will be an impact player in WPI's system. But keep a close eye on FY guard Shane Farley. With his style of play and shooting ability he will fit right in!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: P'bearfan on November 06, 2014, 02:22:45 PM
I typically post over on the NESCAC board but try to keep tabs on teams in several conferences include the NEWMAC.

I just saw MIT's 2014-15 roster and noticed that Tim Higgins, the 6' - 10" F/C from the Washington DC area, is not listed.  Just curious if anyone knows more about the situation.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: magicman on November 06, 2014, 03:57:58 PM
Quote from: Buzzerbeater on November 04, 2014, 08:55:31 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 02, 2014, 10:30:59 PM
A few interesting notes on the WPI roster.  Star guard Marco Coppola, who missed last year with injury, is not back -- I wonder if he transferred?  But, his projected production should be replaced by Clyde Niba, who averaged 19-10 for Lasell last year and figures to be a major impact transfer in the frontcourt.


Heard that Marco Coppola transferred to Brandies. Niba will be an impact player in WPI's system. But keep a close eye on FY guard Shane Farley. With his style of play and shooting ability he will fit right in!

Buzzerbeater,
Here's a link to Brandeis 2014-15 roster which isn't posted yet. I don't see Marco Coppola listed on it, so not sure if that transfer story is true. Unless he's there and they plan on keeping him out 1st semester.

http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/roster
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on November 06, 2014, 10:31:36 PM
Quote from: P'bearfan on November 06, 2014, 02:22:45 PM
I typically post over on the NESCAC board but try to keep tabs on teams in several conferences include the NEWMAC.

I just saw MIT's 2014-15 roster and noticed that Tim Higgins, the 6' - 10" F/C from the Washington DC area, is not listed.  Just curious if anyone knows more about the situation.

He is still enrolled, as he shows up in the MIT directory.  I dont know anything about this situation specifically, but attrition is common at MIT.  They have had players quit the year after they won ROY.  They even had their starting PG leave the team last year. Unfortunately happens.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 16, 2014, 11:53:14 AM
Can't win them all unless you win the first one.  Shot poorly - seemed to play typical lock-down D.  No video so going by "live-stats".  Also impossible to know how good RPI will be.  One more home test  Tuesday against Curry - who took it on the chin yesterday, losing to a good Rutgers-Newark team, before Hoopsville next weekend!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 21, 2014, 01:44:35 PM
Good luck WPI this weekend against Chicago and Cabrini.  Going to have to start making a few 3's to compete in these 2!

Crazy start to the season:  Albertus Magus lost, Williams lost twice, Tufts lost twice, Colby lost big, Babson lost, Amherst tested against Ana Maria.

Going to be a wide open season at the top of the Northeast.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 22, 2014, 05:26:36 PM
I know nothing about the OT win against Chicago - other than it is a good win and hopefully "frees up" the boys to play fast and loose against Cabrini tomorrow.

Congrats on 3-0 Crimson.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 23, 2014, 12:08:27 AM

WPI looked the better team on the floor today.  A classic Midwest-East Coast matchup.  Chicago wanted to slow it down and played great fundamental basketball; WPI ran, took chances, and shot lots of threes.  The two teams played even the whole game.  Chicago's going to need to increase their confidence, but I think WPI has the most room for growth.  Lots of raw talent and the chemistry still isn't worked out.  They did well dumping the ball down low when the shots weren't falling and the halftime adjustments were brilliant.  They were definitely better than I expected.

Great depth and more on the way.  I like the potential in Doncaster.  He made a lot of good decisions and he's really smart with the ball.  I have to imagine his dad's a coach somewhere.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on November 24, 2014, 11:13:03 AM
WPI89.....my brief comments wrt to the game with Chicago is posted on the CAC board.  Not as observant as Hoops Fan.
By the way...your Amherst recruit is playing well...bigger and stronger and still has his stroke from outside.  Willingly playing defense against smaller guards :).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 25, 2014, 05:46:03 PM
Thanks Amh63.  +1
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 25, 2014, 07:49:33 PM
Just watched the first half against Worcester State.  WPI has a top 25 (and maybe even a top 10) type defense - and you know the effort will be there every night under Bartley - but wow is this team going to struggle to score.  I just don't see how they score enough to be really good.  Unless they rebound and push and score in rhythm - they just do not score.  Lots of good things to say about the kids - playing really hard with nobody there (students all on their way home for Thanksgiving before the storm) - but some adjustments are going to need to be made.  Not sure they win 20 this year scoring 58 every night.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on November 26, 2014, 09:39:44 AM
Apparently Karalis and Mastascusa did not like my above post - they shot 12-14 and 5-6 from 3 - all basically in the second half.

That will work.  Keep it rolling pre-NEWMAC boys.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on December 01, 2014, 09:20:35 PM
Babson outplayed Bowdoin by 20 points tonight.  Good NEWMAC win over a quality NESCAC team. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 02, 2014, 01:49:55 PM
Thanks Midd. 

Tomorrow WPI/Tufts - I hope a good Tufts team waits one more week to wake up.  Are they dealing with injuries or something - pre-season you guys I thought were talking about them contending for the CAC title?

Bet the under in any regard - I predict WPI 58-53.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on December 02, 2014, 02:05:37 PM
Tufts has two top quality big guys.  They also have a very talented supporting cast.  Somehow, however, they manage to confound we self proclaimed experts on the NESCAC board.  Most rate them as the 2nd most talented team, behind Amherst.
But, go figure, the superior talent too often doesn't translate into victories on the court.
Should be a fun game to watch, regardless.  The NESCAC needs to get one back, here.....but I wouldn't bet against your Engineers.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on December 02, 2014, 02:56:09 PM
Add a little more to MIDDHOOPS' comments wrt to Tufts.  The " twin towers" of tufts are the two big skilled "center"s.  Each were ROYs, I believe.  The older one was found to have a heart problem and did not play last year.  His unexpected return this season led many in the CAC to raise the esteem of the Jumbos.  Yes, in the CAC, we hold talented big men and pgs in high esteem. 
I have not seen Tufts play much this season.  It appears that in the early games, only one of the big men has played at a time. This raises the question I  raise here wrt to Tufts.  Can the two talented big men play together?  In any case, if not, Tufts has depth at the 5 position.
Oh yes, it seems the talented supporting players are not playing well in the early season.  On the other hand...all the posters on the subject may have underestimated the opponents to date.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on December 03, 2014, 09:33:58 PM
WPI goes to Tufts and pulls out a win despite good stats from the Jumbos' twin towers.  Another win over a talented NESCAC team.  Congrats.
I've long thought a seasonal match up between the two leagues would be great fun.  One weekend where the NEWMAC and NESCAC play two games against each other? 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 03, 2014, 10:05:42 PM

Everybody seems to be beating the NESCAC this year.  I'm really thinking they may be a one bid league.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 29, 2014, 06:45:16 PM
Woohoo!  Great win boys. Absolutely love love love that Bartley did not call time out!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 30, 2014, 05:12:56 PM
Could not get video.  No box.  No summary.  Just the score of the WPI/FDU-FP game.  Hoping against hope something is wrong with the posted score?

Anyone know what happened?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on December 30, 2014, 08:48:02 PM
Holy Moly - Dave/Pat - gave a guy a near heart attack.  Score was posted in reverse for nearly 2 hours.
Finally got a tweet giving me the game story and that the score was reversed on the site.   

Great way to head into  the NEWMAC boys!  Way to go.

Also congrats to Clark with a quality win in Vegas against Colorado College last night.

Should be a competitive and fun 2 months!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: gordonmann on December 31, 2014, 09:58:02 PM
QuoteEverybody seems to be beating the NESCAC this year.  I'm really thinking they may be a one bid league.

The NESCAC hasn't been a one-big league in a really long time. I don't know the last time that happened.

The NESCAC's elite teams aren't as good as in previous years, to be sure. But the conference's overall winning percentage is .708. If you back out the Little Three rivalry games (Amherst-Wes-Williams) and CBB games, it's even higher. Over half the league has a winning percentage over .700.

Some of those teams are going to come back to earth (Wesleyan, Trinity, Hamilton), especially when conference play starts. But it's too soon to say all of them will. And since the conference still plays a single round robin, teams like Middlebury are headed toward a really high winning percentage. 

On a different note, the NEWMAC posted a higher winning percentage against D3 opponents last year than the NESCAC did, even with the disappointing NCAA tournament performance.

http://www.d3hoops.com/guidebook/2014-15/2014_Non-conference_record_for_D3_opponents.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 07, 2015, 04:27:24 PM
Pretty quiet on this board! :)  Several big games tonight...Springfield vs WPI is one and MIT has a game on tap.  I probably will watch the WPI game.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: nescac1 on January 07, 2015, 04:49:08 PM
Hamilton will definitely come back down to earth. Trinity and Wesleyan were both VERY young teams last year, each graduating basically no one of consequence, and both seem to be much improved (although for Wesleyan, at least, next year is the one that will be really interesting).  I would not be surprised if one, or both, made a legitimate run for the NESCAC title, especially given the likely lack of any powerhouse team dominating the league this year. 

NEWMAC seems similarly wide-open -- Babson looks strongest to me, but certainly WPI, and possibly even MIT or Springfield, could certainly make a run at the top spot.  New England is going to be crazy this year, lots of surprising results certain to be forthcoming!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on January 07, 2015, 05:00:34 PM
Looking forward to Springfield's game at WPI this evening, so I came to this board to catch some of the buzz.  And who do I find here?  Amherst and Williams guys.  Oy.....
You folks have one of the top leagues in D3 right now.  Now that you're through beating up on the NESCAC you can start beating each other. 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 07, 2015, 10:49:02 PM
Nice to see you guys over here fellas!  Relatively easy for WPI and MIT tonight - setting up thier first matchup on Saturday. Will be fun!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 08, 2015, 09:37:28 AM
Prediction:  WPI beats MIT in a close - hard fought game Saturday.

Contingency Prediction:  If MIT beats WPI - we hear from Huge Nerd for the first time in a very long time!!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on January 08, 2015, 09:43:48 AM
WPI89.....agreed with both of your posts...and your prediction. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Hugenerd on January 10, 2015, 09:37:44 PM
Thought I would write something so you could at least be 1 for 2, WPI89. I actually didn't know MIT was playing WPI today, but had a few minutes to check out the scores since the conference slate is Wed/Sat and was happily surprised.  Started a new job which requires more travel and in the midst of a relocation for that job, so not as much time to follow the Engineers as I used to have.

MIT appears to be playing better with the return of Pre-Season AA Matt Redfield, who missed the entire first semester and the first 10 games of the year.  I hope they can continue to improve as Redfield gets further into game shape and the full squad gets more playing time together.

Hope they can keep it going.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 11, 2015, 01:12:52 AM
+1 Nerd. Welcome back.  Missed the game entirely today. Seems like some trouble putting the ball in the hoop. Will read about it tomorrow.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on January 11, 2015, 08:17:14 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 11, 2015, 01:12:52 AM
+1 Nerd. Welcome back.  Missed the game entirely today. Seems like some trouble putting the ball in the hoop. Will read about it tomorrow.

It was a hard-fought defensive contest with more than the usual number of shot clock violations.  We didn't shoot especially well either, more due to your D than anything else I think.  There were surprisingly few fouls given the nature of the contest except for tactical ones near the end -- you guys had to foul us 2 or 3 times to even get us into the bonus, and we were trying to foul before the shot near the end to take some time off the clock.  Mastascusa in particular seemed to be everywhere for you guys.  He had a nice steal off Ryan Frankel with about 4 minutes left that he took in for what was called a layup but which really was a soft dunk.  It's a good thing we had Redfield and Acker back to maintain discipline in the paint, or it would have been a very long afternoon for us.

Who's that huge guy of yours that I saw?  He didn't play, but he must have been around 7', and I'm not used to seeing our bigs dwarfed (even if it was just in the layup line).

Also ran into Mitchell Kates.  He's done with grad school and is working for a startup.  He was sitting with what I think are some former WPI players (they were wearing WPI shirts, at any rate).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 12, 2015, 09:08:43 AM
rlk - thanks for the recapp.  The 7' 3" player is our import from New Zealand (Mark Overdvest)!  He is every bit of 7'3".  He is actually a junior.  He can move fairly athletically and looks decent in the layup line as you mention - surprised he has not been able to carve out any minutes whatsoever.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: gordonmann on January 12, 2015, 04:29:59 PM
QuoteThe NESCAC hasn't been a one-big league in a really long time. I don't know the last time that happened.

Sorry to inject one more NESCAC note on this board, but I answered my own question and wanted to document it here.  The conference had one bid in 2005. After this weekend's results, maybe the conference is headed toward another one-bid year.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 12, 2015, 05:44:34 PM
Quote from: gordonmann on January 12, 2015, 04:29:59 PM
QuoteThe NESCAC hasn't been a one-big league in a really long time. I don't know the last time that happened.

Sorry to inject one more NESCAC note on this board, but I answered my own question and wanted to document it here.  The conference had one bid in 2005. After this weekend's results, maybe the conference is headed toward another one-bid year.


Wait.  What?  Can someone go back to my opening weekend post?  We've now officially got a bandwagon.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: gordonmann on January 12, 2015, 07:21:57 PM
Yes, true. You get all the credit for calling it if it happens. :)

I still think the conference will get at least two. I thought Middlebury was close to a lock for an at-large bid entering conference play, and then they opened 0-2 against two teams I assumed they would beat.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 14, 2015, 10:04:48 PM
Great bounce back for WPI with a good win at Babson! 
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 21, 2015, 03:36:01 PM
3 way tie atop the NEWMAC if Babson beats MIT tonight.

I guess that is in WPI's best interest, however - I do have a little nagging part of me that thinks getting Babson another loss tonight would not be bad in the long run.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on January 29, 2015, 09:41:39 AM
WPI vs Coast Guard rescheduled for tonight in Worcester.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 01, 2015, 03:43:18 PM
WPI, sorry I haven't been around. I do read the post. This thread seems too quiet. I know hugenerd made an appearance earlier in the year. Looks like 3 really good teams in the NEWMAC. You have seen them all play. Right now, who do you think is playing the best basketball? Who has the better overall team in your opinion?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 04, 2015, 02:47:51 PM
Punto - nice to hear from you.  If the 3 teams played many games - say like 10 each against each other - the answer is pretty straight forward in my opinion.  WPI would win the vast majority.

I think they would go like 15-5 or better.  They are just very steady - basically other than a few halfs here and there (insert last 3 minutes vs Springfield) - you know what you are going to get.

That being said, I think Babson may have the most upside talent.  The kind of team that could easily be playing the second weekend of the big tournament.  WPI will need to hit some 3's and get the right match-ups to say the same.

WPI may have the best D of the Bartley era so far - but they can go on extended scoreless streaks.

I have seen a good bit of video on MIT (none of the MIT/WPI game) and maybe I am bad luck, but they have not looked that good to me.  They are at Springfield and then at WPI next week - so I will have a better feel for them by 2/11.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 05, 2015, 10:05:19 AM
Whew!!!!  That would have been the first real bad loss.  Emerson is a decent team albeit inconsistent, but coming off the Springfield loss and heading into Babson - that was pretty close to must win for WPI.  I will take it!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 07, 2015, 04:03:55 PM
WPI, I am rooting for your guys to pull it off. I enjoy watching them play; they are sound defensively and I enjoy a team that prides themselves in defense and rebounding. Big game coming up; I will keep my eye on it.

Rankings coming up this week; I think the winner of the Babson/WPI game will be ranked #1 in the region this week.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 07, 2015, 08:36:11 PM
Soooooo disappointing.  Not looking up any stats but I think WPI missed at least thier last 10 shots and I also think Flannery scored Babson's last 15 points or so. 

Can't even conceive what that would be like in a game not decided in the 50's.

Great effort all around.  Tough D as always.  Just simply can't miss your last 10 shots - half of which were layups.

Bummer - looks like going to Babson for the NEWMACS.

#someoneknockdownashot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: pjunito on February 08, 2015, 10:31:43 AM
WPI, I watched the entire 2nd half of the game. Both teams play very strong man to man defensive. It was impressive to see how every shot (and some shots were way off) was contested. WPI had a 5 point lead with about  6 minutes left an then Flannery took over. I don't know how tall he is; but he plays much bigger. He has a strong upper body and was able to get really easy looks. I am not sure if he is a consistent outside shooter; but I was very surprised that WPI didn't play off of him a little bit. Flannery seems like he likes the physical play, and was able to use his body to shield the ball while work his way to within 6 feet of the basket. Additionally, no other Babson player was close to making a perimeter shot;  so  this truly was a one man offensive effort the final 5 minutes.

WPI seem liked a really young team the final 5 minutes. There was no movement without the ball; guys were dribbling and passing the ball behind the 3 point line and then forcing up a shot with less than 8 seconds on the clock. Three times in the final 7 minutes, they turn the ball over during a fast break opportunity. Just very sloppy. They did have a chance to tie the game with under a minute left but missed a free throw. It was a tough game; the effort was intense.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 11, 2015, 02:30:25 PM
Regional Rankings are out: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2015/02/11/first-regional-rankings-released-today/ (http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2015/02/11/first-regional-rankings-released-today/)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 18, 2015, 10:32:00 PM
Congrats WPI for keeping thier 20 win season streak alive and well. I didn't check on Wooster but they are either there or headed there again. So Worcester will will still have the second longest active streak, to Wooster. I think 17 in a row and 12 now for us!!!

Let's go boys. Finish string!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 20, 2015, 02:58:16 PM
Clark seems to be a different team the last 2 weeks.  2 wins and 2 very hard fought losses to Springfield and Babson.

WPI can not be thinking Pool C with a loss tomorrow.  Will not be an easy game but simply must figure out a way to win it.

Of course winning twice next weekend would be even better.

I will throw it out early because of the lack of traffic on our page this year.  If any Babson fans are reading this - where should I go for a burger and a beer before the games next Saturday.  Preferably someplace, we could park for the games and then walk to.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: booyakasha on February 20, 2015, 03:10:58 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 20, 2015, 02:58:16 PM
Clark seems to be a different team the last 2 weeks.  2 wins and 2 very hard fought losses to Springfield and Babson.

WPI can not be thinking Pool C with a loss tomorrow.  Will not be an easy game but simply must figure out a way to win it.

Of course winning twice next weekend would be even better.

I will throw it out early because of the lack of traffic on our page this year.  If any Babson fans are reading this - where should I go for a burger and a beer before the games next Saturday.  Preferably someplace, we could park for the games and then walk to.

I'm not an expert but don't think there is anything walkable near Babson, unless it is some kind of on campus pub. It is kind of an isolated campus. Maybe you can wear a cardigan and sneak across the street to the private Wellesley Country Club.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 20, 2015, 03:11:38 PM
Also anyone have any clue who gets the 3 seed if MIT/Springfield end up tied at 10-4?  I can't find the tiebreakers but I saw them a couple of weeks ago.

They would both be 10-4.
Split with each other.
Both 0-2 vs Babson    (with MIT loss tomorrow)
Both 1-1 vs WPI
Both 2-0 vs Emerson
Both 2-0 vs Clark
Both 2-0 vs CG           (with Springfield win tomorrow)
Both 2-0 vs Wheaton
?????????

Could it possibly come to Springfield's extra win   (18-7   vs   17-7)  (Is the lack of 25 games for MIT  because MIT plays Harvard and it has to count but isn't listed?).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 20, 2015, 03:13:21 PM
+1 Booya

Unfortunately none of my elbow patched jackets fit me anymore!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 20, 2015, 03:23:44 PM

Most conferences have their bylaws or handbooks online, so you can usually find the tiebreakers.  I'm not seeing any of that for the NEWMAC - maybe its in the administrative part of the site (that requires a login)?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 20, 2015, 03:37:22 PM
Hoops, I had seen them -  I thought in the "championship" info - but now I can't find it?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on February 23, 2015, 02:39:02 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 20, 2015, 03:11:38 PM
Also anyone have any clue who gets the 3 seed if MIT/Springfield end up tied at 10-4?  I can't find the tiebreakers but I saw them a couple of weeks ago.

They would both be 10-4.
Split with each other.
Both 0-2 vs Babson    (with MIT loss tomorrow)
Both 1-1 vs WPI
Both 2-0 vs Emerson
Both 2-0 vs Clark
Both 2-0 vs CG           (with Springfield win tomorrow)
Both 2-0 vs Wheaton
?????????

Could it possibly come to Springfield's extra win   (18-7   vs   17-7)  (Is the lack of 25 games for MIT  because MIT plays Harvard and it has to count but isn't listed?).
I'm not sure what the NEWMAC tie breaker rules are, but MIT will be seeded fourth.  The following was written at the end of their Babson game recap:

Next up for both squads will be the NEWMAC Tournament. MIT, the No. 4 seed, will host Emerson College, the No. 5 seed in a quarterfinal game on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. The No. 1 seed, Babson will host the semifinals and finals next weekend, with the Beavers taking on the winner of the MIT/Emerson clash in a semifinal on Saturday, February 28 at 1:00 p.m.

MIT will have to really start playing well to have a chance.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 23, 2015, 05:15:42 PM
Thanks Ballers - I saw that - still not sure exactly what was the tiebreaker for Springfield.  Also - not totally sure who I would have had WPI play?  Just like over in the NESCAC - I think any of these 4 teams could win the 2 games next weekend.  No disrespect intended to Emerson - just don't think they are ready to beat MIT.

Still looking for a lunch recommendation near Babson for Saturday - if anybody from Babson ever glances at this site.........

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 23, 2015, 08:33:36 PM
WPI89....did you win any bets in the CAC pool?  If so....take the credit and buy a nice new sports coat or borrow P'Bear's lucky sports coat.....think the herringbone tweed will get you into the local country club.  Area is not as posh as yours, I Believe ;D
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Off Pitch on February 23, 2015, 10:23:55 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 23, 2015, 05:15:42 PM
Still looking for a lunch recommendation near Babson for Saturday - if anybody from Babson ever glances at this site.........

Spent a little time after a soccer game in the Bottom Line Lounge in the basement of the Babson Executive Conference Center.  This seemed to be the only option within walking distance.  Bar plus a minimal food menu.  Not sure what time it opens.  More options about a mile away.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 25, 2015, 09:29:06 AM
Thanks Pitch!

Also - very funny Amh63!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on February 25, 2015, 12:14:09 PM
WPI...glad you take my humor well....a thought wrt to your lunch situation....pack a lunchbox...believe it is better than walking a bunch in the cold weather!  Inquire if Babson allows such things...sushi is good and supports/ uplifts the impression. :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 25, 2015, 01:57:00 PM
Final public men's basketball regional rankings are out: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2015/02/25/final-public-ncaa-regional-rankings-released/ (http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2015/02/25/final-public-ncaa-regional-rankings-released/)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: booyakasha on February 25, 2015, 02:22:04 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 25, 2015, 01:57:00 PM
Final public men's basketball regional rankings are out: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2015/02/25/final-public-ncaa-regional-rankings-released/ (http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2015/02/25/final-public-ncaa-regional-rankings-released/)

Was MIT in the prior published rankings. I thought I saw them, but maybe I'm mistaken. Losses to Babson and WPI push them out?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 25, 2015, 02:25:13 PM
No... MIT has not been ranked this season.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on February 25, 2015, 08:54:12 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 25, 2015, 02:25:13 PM
No... MIT has not been ranked this season.

If the first rankings had only come a couple of weeks earlier!  MIT was riding high, but has fallen on hard times.  But there is no longer a 'once-ranked, always-ranked' rule anyway, so c'est la vie.

It is intensely aggravating that the ONLY regional rankings that matter are the secret ones at the end. >:(
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on February 26, 2015, 02:53:43 PM
Yipsi - I think MIT will scare Babson on Saturday.  Springfield/WPI will surely be a good game.  Would not be surprised if both games are 1 possession types.  Anybody's NEWMAC this weekend - the winner does not have to worry about secret rankings!!!!!

In fact it would surprise me if any of the 6 NEWMAC, NESCAC games this weekend were won easily.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2015, 01:50:43 PM
Happy to be dancing!  Rochester is lovely this time of year!

Love Babson's chances to stick around.

Springfield has an even tougher route than WPI.

Good luck to all 3 teams.

Perhaps MIT gets in and wins the ECAC this year?  Anyone know when those bids come out - I seem to remember, very quickly after bracket is announced?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 02, 2015, 03:15:47 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 02, 2015, 01:50:43 PM
Happy to be dancing!  Rochester is lovely this time of year!

Love Babson's chances to stick around.

Springfield has an even tougher route than WPI.

Good luck to all 3 teams.

Perhaps MIT gets in and wins the ECAC this year?  Anyone know when those bids come out - I seem to remember, very quickly after bracket is announced?

If they want to play - I've already heard three 20 win teams that have declined.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2015, 03:48:38 PM
Thanks Hoops - let me know when you hear the official NE ECAC bracket.........
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 02, 2015, 04:36:08 PM
WPI....see that you like the Rochester area :). congrats to your Engineers.  Maybe there will be a matchup with Amherst.  SJF...the host school is on the eastern side of Rochester....there is even a town of Amherst nearby.
Remember a SJF team coming to Amherst to play a NCAA game about 6-7 years ago.  really a impressive looking group entering LeFrak.  Watched the game live with my best man.  The team looked better than they played that night. 
Good luck in the games ahead!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2015, 04:50:59 PM
A63 - I am quite familiar with the Pittsford area - my good friend and next door neighbor from down here in CT is now up there.  It is actually (as it sounds like you know) quite a lovely town!  Not sure if you are a golfer - I love it but am terrible - however, I have had the chance to play Oak Hill which almost bumps up against SJF and it is very likely my favorite course I have ever played.

Never fun to have to play the host but certainly a lot more fun than not playing anybody!!!

Would be a thrilling second round game if we could make it through to play you Lord Jeffs?

Will you be heading up?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 02, 2015, 05:34:52 PM
WPI...been to the Rochester area several times...visited The U. of Rochester and RIT...where a niece went.  Daughter lives in the Ithaca area and goes up to the region a lot...tag along sometimes.  Not a golfer really..though belonged to the USGA for many years.  Will not go up. Weather is not good this time of the year.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: falcons2010 on March 02, 2015, 09:19:50 PM
Strong museum of Play is a must visit in Rochester.

Congrats to Springfield, WPI, and Babson on making the tournament.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 03, 2015, 12:46:19 PM
falcons2010.....yes! My granddaughter goes there at least once a year.  Forgot to congrat the conference on its reps.....so congratulations all! :)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on March 03, 2015, 03:12:49 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 02, 2015, 03:48:38 PM
Thanks Hoops - let me know when you hear the official NE ECAC bracket.........

http://www.ecacsports.com/sports/mbkb/Championships/DIII_MBB_New_England_Bracket_Sheet2.pdf

Weird that there's only 4 teams in NE ECAC bracket this year  ???
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: NEhoops on March 03, 2015, 03:17:29 PM
What are the reasons that a school wouldn't want to play in the ECAC tournament?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: 7express on March 03, 2015, 03:27:42 PM
Quote from: NEhoops on March 03, 2015, 03:17:29 PM
What are the reasons that a school wouldn't want to play in the ECAC tournament?

1)  From what ive heard it costs a boatload of money to host a game and with most institutions the ticket price + concessions wont equal the break even for the hosting fee.
2) You have to finsh at or above .500 (including the conference tournament) to be selected.  So, if you are the 3 seed who finished 16-10 and lost for the 3rd time to the 6 seed who's 11-13 AND who made it to the conference title game and lost the 16-10 team can still be selected, but the 6 seed can't because with the title game loss they would've finised 13-14 under .500
3) I forgot what the number is (18 weeks maybe??) but there's only a certain amount of practice weeks allotted for teams that are eligible for the ECAC, and if you go over that allotment you wont get selected and probably wont even put in a bid.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 03, 2015, 04:19:30 PM
Quote from: falcons2010 on March 02, 2015, 09:19:50 PM
Strong museum of Play is a must visit in Rochester.

Congrats to Springfield, WPI, and Babson on making the tournament.
Easier said than done, but if Springfield and WPI win 3 games each, they will play each other for the 4th time this season.  Let's hope both win and the winner play Babson in the finals.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 03, 2015, 04:21:58 PM
I know at least three teams who turned down an ECAC chance.  I know another half dozen schools who won't pay to play in it.  I did talk to the Brooklyn coach yesterday and he mentioned they were hosting and playing two games, so perhaps the reduction to four teams was planned all along?


You can see the list of teams who declared here - http://www.ecacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/Championships/Division_III/2015_DIII_M_Basketball_Declared_Teams.pdf
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 03, 2015, 05:27:48 PM
Thanks Hoops and yes very strange!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2015, 08:36:55 AM

So, I was wrong.  The other region brackets came out - eight teams a piece in the Metro and South regions.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 04, 2015, 01:16:21 PM
All NEWMAC is out - congrats to everyone - no big surprises for me.  I was hoping Karalis snuck onto the list - I think he hit some of WPI's biggest shots this year.  Stats probly leave him just on the outside looking in.

http://newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/20150303813if6
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 04, 2015, 02:22:24 PM
Pat and Dave - will you guys be at one (or multiple) sites this weekend - apologize if I missed where you were going to be?

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 05, 2015, 02:06:34 PM
The entire crew will be somewhere throughout... not sure of plans, but here is what I heard last:

- Frank Rossi at William Paterson (helping broadcast the games)
- Gordon Mann at Dickinson
- Myself at Johns Hopkins along with Rob Knox (unavoidable since we both live in this area and both are busy with other jobs LOL).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ronk on March 05, 2015, 02:37:55 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 05, 2015, 02:06:34 PM
The entire crew will be somewhere throughout... not sure of plans, but here is what I heard last:

- Frank Rossi at William Paterson (helping broadcast the games)
- Gordon Mann at Dickinson
- Myself at Johns Hopkins along with Rob Knox (unavoidable since we both live in this area and both are busy with other jobs LOL).

Gordon was traded to the men's side?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 05, 2015, 02:52:56 PM
No... he tends to go to whatever is closest or where he hasn't seen teams. He has seen a lot of the teams on the women's side in his region, so he is probably taking in some men's basketball... at least for Friday. Who knows... he might change his plans as well!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 05, 2015, 03:05:11 PM

I wanted to get to Dickinson, but 3 hours is a little too far.  Shame to miss Gordon.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on March 05, 2015, 03:19:50 PM
See the weather is taking its toll on some games today!  Hope it does not impact the schedule for the games in NYC and mid- Atlantic areas.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: ronk on March 05, 2015, 03:25:37 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 05, 2015, 03:05:11 PM

I wanted to get to Dickinson, but 3 hours is a little too far.  Shame to miss Gordon.

Yes, look him up whenever you have a chance at a site; he's a great one to converse with about d3hoops bball, past and present.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 05, 2015, 03:46:16 PM
Quote from: ronk on March 05, 2015, 03:25:37 PM
Quote from: Hoops Fan on March 05, 2015, 03:05:11 PM

I wanted to get to Dickinson, but 3 hours is a little too far.  Shame to miss Gordon.

Yes, look him up whenever you have a chance at a site; he's a great one to converse with about d3hoops bball, past and present.


Yeah, we've gotten to chat a few times at games.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 14, 2015, 10:09:08 PM
Congratulations Babdon!!!  Awesome stuff!  Go NEWMAC!!!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: middhoops on March 14, 2015, 10:27:17 PM
Congrats to Babson and the NEWMAC for winning an epic battle against Trinity to propel them to the Final Four.
Now go do New England proud!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: falcons2010 on March 15, 2015, 08:15:47 AM
Congrats Babson!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on March 16, 2015, 02:14:48 PM
Congratulations to Joey Flannery on a much deserved player of the year nod - and to coach Brennan - named COTY as well!

Flannery certainly gives Babson a punchers chance this weekend! 

http://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-region/2014-15/northeast-men
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 16, 2015, 03:46:16 PM
Definitely raises the profile of NEWMAC to have Babson in the Final Four.  Any Babson folks here, if you have any possibility of making it to Salem Friday (and hopefully Saturday), go!  It will be a real experience.  MIT's  Final Four run 3 years ago was a never-to-forget experience.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on March 16, 2015, 04:59:01 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 16, 2015, 03:46:16 PM
Definitely raises the profile of NEWMAC to have Babson in the Final Four.  Any Babson folks here, if you have any possibility of making it to Salem Friday (and hopefully Saturday), go!  It will be a real experience.  MIT's  Final Four run 3 years ago was a never-to-forget experience.

I'll say 'Amen' to that.  I went for IWU in 2014, and had a blast despite losing to eventual champ UWW.  I would have gone in 2012, but the IWU women ALSO made the FF - I decided the most reasonable thing was to stay home to better follow both.  But I really regret not going to nearby Holland for the women (I had already gone there for the first two rounds for the men) - they won it all that year! :-[)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: BBallers on March 17, 2015, 09:17:06 AM
Quote from: rlk on March 16, 2015, 03:46:16 PM
Definitely raises the profile of NEWMAC to have Babson in the Final Four.  Any Babson folks here, if you have any possibility of making it to Salem Friday (and hopefully Saturday), go!  It will be a real experience.  MIT's  Final Four run 3 years ago was a never-to-forget experience.
Absolutely agree.  Try to attend because Salem does a good job and you will never forget the experience.  It is so difficult to make the final four at any level, so you may not be able to experience it again.

Congrats to Babson and here's hoping they can win the title!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 17, 2015, 11:08:03 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 17, 2015, 09:17:06 AM
Quote from: rlk on March 16, 2015, 03:46:16 PM
Definitely raises the profile of NEWMAC to have Babson in the Final Four.  Any Babson folks here, if you have any possibility of making it to Salem Friday (and hopefully Saturday), go!  It will be a real experience.  MIT's  Final Four run 3 years ago was a never-to-forget experience.
Absolutely agree.  Try to attend because Salem does a good job and you will never forget the experience.  It is so difficult to make the final four at any level, so you may not be able to experience it again.

Congrats to Babson and here's hoping they can win the title!

Salem does a really good job.  The Salem Civic Center is a great facility.  This is the kind of thing you have to look forward to: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/

Sure, it's not nearly as big a house as the D1 final four, but it's your team playing, and they do everything they can to give it a "big game" feel.  They divide it up by team so that you're sitting with your fans behind your team's bench.  I was hoarse with a severe case of basketball on the brain for a week afterwards, and it's something I remember vividly.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 20, 2015, 10:53:26 AM
Good luck to Babson this evening!
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 22, 2015, 08:39:11 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 17, 2015, 11:08:03 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 17, 2015, 09:17:06 AM
Quote from: rlk on March 16, 2015, 03:46:16 PM
Definitely raises the profile of NEWMAC to have Babson in the Final Four.  Any Babson folks here, if you have any possibility of making it to Salem Friday (and hopefully Saturday), go!  It will be a real experience.  MIT's  Final Four run 3 years ago was a never-to-forget experience.
Absolutely agree.  Try to attend because Salem does a good job and you will never forget the experience.  It is so difficult to make the final four at any level, so you may not be able to experience it again.

Congrats to Babson and here's hoping they can win the title!

Salem does a really good job.  The Salem Civic Center is a great facility.  This is the kind of thing you have to look forward to: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/

Sure, it's not nearly as big a house as the D1 final four, but it's your team playing, and they do everything they can to give it a "big game" feel.  They divide it up by team so that you're sitting with your fans behind your team's bench.  I was hoarse with a severe case of basketball on the brain for a week afterwards, and it's something I remember vividly.

By the way... Salem took the entire event to a completely different level this year. Spectacular how they continue to raise the bar.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: rlk on March 26, 2015, 03:40:35 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 22, 2015, 08:39:11 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 17, 2015, 11:08:03 AM
Quote from: BBallers on March 17, 2015, 09:17:06 AM
Quote from: rlk on March 16, 2015, 03:46:16 PM
Definitely raises the profile of NEWMAC to have Babson in the Final Four.  Any Babson folks here, if you have any possibility of making it to Salem Friday (and hopefully Saturday), go!  It will be a real experience.  MIT's  Final Four run 3 years ago was a never-to-forget experience.
Absolutely agree.  Try to attend because Salem does a good job and you will never forget the experience.  It is so difficult to make the final four at any level, so you may not be able to experience it again.

Congrats to Babson and here's hoping they can win the title!

Salem does a really good job.  The Salem Civic Center is a great facility.  This is the kind of thing you have to look forward to: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/

Sure, it's not nearly as big a house as the D1 final four, but it's your team playing, and they do everything they can to give it a "big game" feel.  They divide it up by team so that you're sitting with your fans behind your team's bench.  I was hoarse with a severe case of basketball on the brain for a week afterwards, and it's something I remember vividly.

By the way... Salem took the entire event to a completely different level this year. Spectacular how they continue to raise the bar.

What did they change?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on April 02, 2015, 02:46:02 PM
No idea what it means but I got a tweet this morning that said on April 7th, the NEWMAC will be adding a new chapter?

No idea if that means another school/team?

Also - Bartley has been rumored to be interviewing (or at least in the mix) for some big jobs - Holy Cross included.

I wish him nothing but the best - but as a fan, I am glad with each passing day, as I believe with time - his chances of staying increase dramatically.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: amh63 on April 02, 2015, 03:09:16 PM
The Bucknell job is available.....Former HBC Paulsen...of Williams fame....has taken the George Mason Un. position.   If the Holy Cross job is open...maybe a better choice for him...do not have to move! :).
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on April 02, 2015, 03:32:54 PM
A63 - HC hired ex Northwestern Coach Bill Carmody.  He did a pretty decent job at NU and quite frankly I was surprised they bailed on him.  He is a little long in the tooth but a great basketaball man.  He is a Pete Carril disciple - so you can imagine some discipline is coming to HC!

The Bucknell job scares me - I could see Barley fitting in there very well.

Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: WPI89 on April 08, 2015, 03:28:47 PM
The announcement was Football.  NEWMAC will now "sponsor" football for the first time next year.

United States Coast Guard Academy, MIT, Springfield College and WPI will be joined by Maine Maritime Academy, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, and Norwich University.

I would assume they will be in search of an 8th member?
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on April 08, 2015, 03:47:02 PM
Starting in the 2017 season and they don't need an eighth if they don't want to. More info: http://www.d3football.com/notables/2015/04/newmac-adds-football (http://www.d3football.com/notables/2015/04/newmac-adds-football)
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Pat Coleman on April 08, 2015, 11:38:23 PM
But they did say at the very end of the release they will consider whether to find an eighth member. In football, it is really ideal to have eight teams.
Title: Re: NEWMAC BASKETBALL
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on April 09, 2015, 12:37:30 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on April 08, 2015, 11:38:23 PM
But they did say at the very end of the release they will consider whether to find an eighth member. In football, it is really ideal to have eight teams.

I think 8 is the ideal number in most sports - round robin in fball still leaves 3 OOC games; double round-robin in bball gives a large number of OOC games.  And with an even number of teams, everyone plays the same days.

Nothing against Carroll, but I kinda wish the CCIW had stayed at 8. Maybe I'll get used to it, but I think 9 is a mess. ::)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on June 29, 2015, 08:16:20 AM

WPI has a schedule up.  Pretty ambitious.  There's some fluff in there, but they've also got Tufts at home, then at Bates and at Eastern Nazarene around new year's.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on July 06, 2015, 04:57:06 PM
Hoops if you see this - can you post a link?  I see lots of schedules now - but I can not find WPI.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on July 07, 2015, 09:40:57 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on July 06, 2015, 04:57:06 PM
Hoops if you see this - can you post a link?  I see lots of schedules now - but I can not find WPI.

http://athletics.wpi.edu/sports/mbkb/2015-16/schedule

You just have to replace the 14-15 with 15-16 in the url - a lot of schools keep working schedules on those pages even as they flesh them out.  I didn't count to see if WPI's is full, but if not, it's pretty close.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on July 07, 2015, 01:34:16 PM
Thanks - it is complete.  SOS will be determined by who they play in those 2 opening tourneys.  Last year Bowdoin won the Westfield State tournament.  Hope there is another NESCAC team up there this year.

Then I do not know much about the Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament?  He was a local Worcester philanthropist involved in tech that passed away last year.  I think WPI may be hosting, but I do not know participants.

NESCAC/LEC crew - let me know if you start getting any sniffs of any of your teams heading to Worcester,  Nov 20/21 (is that too early for NESCAC games?).

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on July 07, 2015, 04:29:33 PM
WPI89....making me "work"! :).  Amherst has not posted its schedule.  Last season, its first game was on the 18th..a Tues....with its own Tourney on the weekend..21-22th.  Two season past, the firsthand game was in Brooklyn , followed by its own Tourny on the weekend...much like last season.  Three seasons ago, Amherst opened it's season with its own tournament on the 16th of Nov.
Long path to your question.....Nescac schools season...based on the calendar start of the school year can have games by Nov. 21 or earlier.  Amherst's start of the school year are influenced to a degree by the nearby colleges, since there is cross enrollment of courses.  Other CAC schools also have different setup of their academic years...like Middlebury...which can influence their BB Schedule.
I feel that most CAC schools do not want to schedule WPI early in the season...tough opponent.
Amherst may get a jump start on building its team this season with its trip to Italy this Summer so they maybe willing to schedule the likes of your Engineers.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on July 08, 2015, 12:46:52 PM

I'm excited to see ENC on there - I think it'll help both programs.  ENC should have eight or nine seniors coming back from a 20+ win team.  Getting it on the road for WPI will help both teams' SOS.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on August 04, 2015, 02:24:52 PM
OK - so the tourney teams have been added.  WPI will play Eastern CT in the first game of the Westfield State Tourney (and the first game of the year) - then play either Westfield State or Western NE.

Then will host the "Ted Coghlin" tourney - matchups are not laid out - but Curry, Colby, and Staten Island are invited.

Not too shabby.  Interesting to open up with Eastern - they are at 6 years and counting of 20+ wins.

Could open with back to back tourney teams and then at least one (if not) 2 tests at home.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on August 07, 2015, 11:33:44 AM
The Bartley coaching tree officially has a branch - Ryan Cain has accepted the HC job at Keene State.  Big win for Keene State.

Good luck Ryan!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: CCC Talk on August 09, 2015, 10:32:33 AM
CB has a lot of former assistants patrolling the sidelines:

http://athletics.elms.edu/sports/mbkb/Coach/Southall

http://athletics.greenmtn.edu/insideAthletics/directory/bios/AnthonyLeonelli

http://keeneowls.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/Ryan_Cain
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on September 29, 2015, 03:15:11 PM
Catholic U joined the NEWMAC (football only) as our 8th member yesterday.  Effective 2017 - giving the NEWMAC an auto bid starting 2019!

Coast Guard Academy, Maine Maritime, the Merchant Marine Academy, MIT, Norwich, Springfield, Catholic, and WPI.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on September 30, 2015, 08:46:35 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on September 29, 2015, 03:15:11 PM
Catholic U joined the NEWMAC (football only) as our 8th member yesterday.  Effective 2017 - giving the NEWMAC an auto bid starting 2019!

Coast Guard Academy, Maine Maritime, the Merchant Marine Academy, MIT, Norwich, Springfield, Catholic, and WPI.

So the auto bid was worth the drive, huh?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on September 30, 2015, 11:01:37 AM
Catholic already had access to an auto bid... not sure what the rest are thinking, but needing an eighth is certainly important. But I am pretty sure they only 7 for that auto-bid.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on September 30, 2015, 11:07:02 AM
Catholic has always been a school that has drawn from the Northeast Corridor -- I don't remember what the percentage was but when I was there, nearly all of my friends were from a stretch from the D.C. suburbs up I-95 to Boston. Look at the cities the Pope visited last week. That's where a lot of the Catholics are.

It makes sense from that standpoint, but, judging from the amount of money I was paid as SID there, they must have greatly expanded the football budget to make this work. That's a lot of bus time and hotel nights.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 11, 2015, 03:34:32 PM
Good luck as virtually everyone gets started this weekend.  MIT plays Harvard.  WPI with a tough test against Eastern.  Babson still showing TBA on Saturday after opening with Fitchburg on Friday - not sure if that is a tourney tba or they are still  looking for an opponent?

Go NEWMAC.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: ECSUalum on November 11, 2015, 10:15:26 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 11, 2015, 03:34:32 PM
Good luck as virtually everyone gets started this weekend.  MIT plays Harvard.  WPI with a tough test against Eastern.  Babson still showing TBA on Saturday after opening with Fitchburg on Friday - not sure if that is a tourney tba or they are still  looking for an opponent?

Go NEWMAC.

WPI,
Looks like at least 3 games up @ Westfield State will be on LS and Video Streamed!!  Should be a great game, I hope ECSU can play up to par with the Engineers!!
http://www.westfieldstateowls.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball&
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 12, 2015, 09:40:51 AM
Thanks ^  +1 ECSU
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 12, 2015, 03:57:53 PM
D-Mac

No nee to post about the Hoopsville shirt on NEWMAC - I am the only one here and I will be watching!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 13, 2015, 11:24:57 AM
Clark's midnight game seemed pretty cool!  NEWMAC undefeated so far......

Good luck to WPI tonight.  Either ECSU's or WPI's season will get quite a nice little jump start tonight!

I almost never mention individual players by name on this site - as I have no idea who reads what.  But I am looking forward to a big leap forward from Sean Doncaster this year.  I assume he will start at the 2 guard, but he will have the ball in his hands as much as anybody.  If he can knock down the occasional 3 and combine that with his slashing scorer mentality - I believe he could average 18+ this year.

Well looking forward to it regardless.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on November 13, 2015, 04:03:57 PM
WPI89....will be watching the game tonight with you.  Amherst plays ECSU yearly, so it is an early scouting event.
Met your coaches last year in a Tourny in Baltimore...beside the HC, maybe the one who moved on to Keene St.  Saw that the " interim" HC at Keene brought some young assistant coaches.  T. Carter being one from RIC.  Spent a long morning with Carter's father in Salem, Va., when Canrter was playing in the All-Star game.
Maybe you have some insight on why WPI and Amherst hve not schedule a game during the regular season.  Heck, your Head Coach and COach Hixon may even live in the same neighborhood. :)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: ECSUalum on November 13, 2015, 08:56:43 PM
ECSU being dominated by WPI tonight!  Eastern completely impotent offensively.  Great D by the Engineers.  Hope Eastern can regroup vs WNEC tomorrow.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 13, 2015, 09:09:04 PM
ECSU - typical Bartley D.  I am sure better shooting days ahead for your boys- likely every other game you play.  Defense is easier to start the season "hot".  Pretty pleased with a couple freshman contributions.

Your boys making the score close late and improving the scoring stats.

Rebounding may be the biggest issue for my young Engineers.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 13, 2015, 09:13:33 PM
NEWMAC off to a FLYING start.  MIT even hanging with Harvard thru 25 minutes!

Great win for WPI!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: 7express on November 13, 2015, 09:22:07 PM
Great win for your boys tonight WPI!  I was there tonight, and they'll definitely get better as the season goes on, but 1 thing to remember: defense never has a bad game, and they have havoc to the Warriors on that end, couldn't let them get anything going.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 13, 2015, 09:27:36 PM
7. That is exactly what I sloppily tried to say. You had a bad night shooting. WPI will rarely have a bad night on D.

Best of luck the rest of the way. Let me know if you go to the game in Danbury vs Western. I will buy you a beer before or after.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: ECSUalum on November 14, 2015, 07:46:57 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 13, 2015, 09:09:04 PM
ECSU - typical Bartley D.  I am sure better shooting days ahead for your boys- likely every other game you play.  Defense is easier to start the season "hot".  Pretty pleased with a couple freshman contributions.

Your boys making the score close late and improving the scoring stats.

Rebounding may be the biggest issue for my young Engineers.

Thanks WPI,  Tre Preston really had a slow start and Tarchee Brown was not suited up, never the less WPI was the better team and Sean Doncaster hit some daggers and already showing he will be a great player for the Engineers!  Best of luck to WPI going forward, it looks like Coach Bartley has another excellent team this year!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on November 14, 2015, 10:41:42 AM
Watched the "game" last night for about 3 quarters....using women new rules here.  The online broadcast was NOT good on my TV....beside the school error labeling, the signal was poor. 
The game was not very good,IMO.  A little harsh, I know.  First game nerves, I keep saying to myself as both team offensea started slow and ECSU never seem to start. 
Yes, WPI's defense was solid.....but Eastern had no outside shooters and no mid range shooters and no foul line shooters.  No excuse to miss shots on the foul line.  WPI seemed to realize the limitations of ESCU and packed the driving lanes and around the basket.  Very few inside baskets for Eastern and only one shot attempts.  Eastern' best inside player and rebounder was taken out of the game...fouls and keep away from the boards.
Escu's coach has a lot of work ahead and must find an outside game so his inside directed offense can be effective.
Expect ESCU will work it out when they arrive in Le Frak later in the year.  Too much talent on the team....especially Lindo...and too fine a head coach.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 15, 2015, 08:05:02 AM
^gsmd feed was pretty rough. 10-3 weekend by NEWMAC, including a loss by MIT to Harvard.  Congrats to WPI for winning the Westfield State Tourney by beating 2 tournament teams from last year. Nearly identical scores and style for both games. Defense will be amoungst the best in the country. Offense is still searching for that one knock down shooter.

I would think WPi earned a spot in the top 25. We shall see. I will be in Worcester on Saturday for the Ted Coghlin championship game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 21, 2015, 08:51:32 PM
Woohoo.  Going on the premise that somebody may still peak in on the NEWMAC page.  Just back in CT from a day in Worcester.

I can't imagine anybody else in the country has beaten 3 tourney teams from last year on the way to an early 4-0 start.

WPI "held" the Staten Island's slashing point guard to 29 (43 last night against Colby).  SI will win a lot of games this year.  Way more than half of Schettino's (sp?) came when Aaron Davis was on the bench in both halves in foul trouble.  Not sure Davis even scored but he was close to the most valuable player for WPI.  Kid - number 4 is a world class slasher and finisher and also a world class whiner (kind of breaking my policy here but he deserves it - he is that good and he is that much of a whiner).

Teams that are heavily dependent on their point guard will have a rough go against WPI this year because of Davis on D.

WPI makes just enough plays on offense to beat good teams.

Clyde Niba was nearly perfect in the first half (I think 27 of his 32 were in the first half).

The second half collectively they made just enough big shots to hold off Staten Island.  Doncaster had a couple of big drives, Todd had 2 key back to back post moves, and Niba had 1 huge 3 in the second.

All around fun game and a great start to 15-16.  Way to go boys!

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 24, 2015, 09:24:39 PM
Wow. 0-16 from the field to start the second half!  Nobody in Harrington with students home for turkey. This is one that easily could have gone wrong. Ugly ugly ugly. But so pretty in early March counting as a W. Bartley actually has to feel good tonight when head hits the pillow.  My word is resilience. This team finds a way. Worcester State soooo wanted this one. Not to be.  For you golf fans, this win validates the earlier big wins. 5-0 and feeling fine!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on November 25, 2015, 12:08:55 PM
WPI89...watching over your shoulder here :).  Enjoying your posts....though the last one made me go to the WPI website to check on the game with your neighborhood school.  why?   Amherst had some problems with Worchester State earlier...especially in the first half!  Like your Engineers, Amherst led by two at the half, but got their act together in the second half and won by 20 something.  Was curious about the time on the floor wrt the big man Brooks and how he played against WPI.  Nonfactor!  Brooks did not start in LeFrak.  The program had him over 300 plus lbs as quoted by our announcers...but is listed at only :) 250 on the website roster.  Oh well, roster info are most misleading...always.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 30, 2015, 10:06:34 PM
Branson 11

WPI 13

Going to be a fun year. Big WPI/Tufts game tomorrow!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 01, 2015, 08:02:31 PM
Crap. Turned on game and Tufts went nuts!  14 points in like 90 seconds. I am not watching for a while.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 01, 2015, 08:47:05 PM
Solid win!  Maybe even Dave will think they deserve to be in the top 25 now. Yes that was a dig Dave.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on December 01, 2015, 09:13:40 PM
WPI89......two posters on the CAC board picked your engineers!  Peeked in a little and WPI had a lead.
Have faith my friend...Believe and Dave will follow ;).  Suggest you delete the first post.  Liked the band.  Whats with the two fans in white suits?  Last lower section area. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on December 01, 2015, 10:00:21 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 01, 2015, 08:47:05 PM
Solid win!  Maybe even Dave will think they deserve to be in the top 25 now. Yes that was a dig Dave.

Good win... but you are also assuming I think Tufts is a team to mark as being note-worthy. :) I mean Tufts has been 13-12 the last two seasons. Honestly, there is nothing about WPI's out-of-conference schedule that impresses me. They have taken hits in the past for their scheduling, and they did a nice job the last year or two... but this year's schedule isn't much... Eastern Connecticut, maybe... Staten Island, okay... Bates, interesting... rest of it not worth discussing. Their SOS isn't going to be worth talking about - or it will be in how it's going to hurt them - this season.

But thanks for reading my blog. :)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 01, 2015, 10:30:34 PM
Tough grader Dave. WPIs defense is top 10 good. They have to survive night in and night out by winning every loose ball. Which they do. Not sure yet if the D will be enough to get them over the first or second round bounce. But I am thrilled to pondering the question again this year.

Eastern was preseason top 20 (15?). Staten Island is very good, I was at that game. They hung 97 on Colby the night before. Westfield State got so young so fast - they seemed like a good sos game but maybe not.  Hosting Tufts and going to Bates can't hurt. Not to mention 4 games against Babson and MIT.

PS. I Always read your blog. Keep on keeping on.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on December 01, 2015, 10:51:56 PM
Just so I don't forget... I didn't mention in-conference because we all know what that is... but I would argue the NEWMAC is a bit down this year. MIT is not as good as they have been in the past and neither is Springfield from what I have seen. I am not sure I would hang on the idea MIT is going to be up to the standards they have been in the past - but they may prove me wrong (though, I am trusting a friend who has no ties who has seen them in person - in a loss to Eastern Nazarene).

As for tough grading, at this point I have to be... I can't tell you how many times I have bought into teams who are undefeated and have no significant wins in my mind. NYU is a prime example who always seems to get love this time of year when they start undefeated against a weak schedule and have one significant win (depending on how you look at it). I have also been burned by WPI in the past. You have seen how high I rank WPI in the past and they never live up to the expectation - so maybe I have gotten a bit gun shy as a result. But, I would also say I just can't buy in to what I don't believe.

Yes, E. Connecticut was a preseason Top 25 team - but TEN teams are no longer on the poll. MANY teams fell and didn't live up to those rankings. I am not sure I would hang my hat on that fact.

Sure, Staten Island is a very good team and I have said so accordingly, so I do give credit where credit is deserved.

But that's all I've got at this point. Bates may not even end up being that good in reality. I just want to see WPI schedule a few more challenging teams so I can buy in sooner.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on December 03, 2015, 02:59:40 PM
Nearly three weeks into the college basketball season and there is plenty to talk about. Conference action is also starting for many programs while others are still getting up to speed in their out-of-conference schedules. On the women's side, not a lot of upsets; on the men's side, no one seems safe to an unforeseen loss. Tonight on Hoopsville, Dave talks to several teams who are still working off last season's success and battling expectations this season and others who may quietly change the conversation in their regions.

Hoopsville hits the air at 7PM ET - www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/dec3 (http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/dec3)

Guests include:
- Mike Miller, Messiah women's coach
- Nancy Fahey, No. 11 Washington Univ. women's coach
- Stephen Brennan, No. 11 Babson men's coach
- Mike DeWitt, No. 6 Ohio Wesleyan's men's coach

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com (http://www.d3hoopsville.com)
Twitter: @d3hoopsville (http://www.twitter.com/d3hoopsville) or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville (http://www.facebook.com/Hoopsville)
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville (http://www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville)
SoundCloud (podcast): www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville (http://www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville)

AND our podcast as been approved for iTunes!!! You should be able to find it... but here is a link, just in case: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087 (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 03, 2015, 08:36:21 PM
Wow. U G L Y. but win and move on.....
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 05, 2015, 03:45:49 PM
Yuck with as capital a Y as possible.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 09, 2015, 09:28:31 PM
Was always taught the importance of the last 4 minutes of the half and the first 4 minutes of the half. You'd be amazed how may 40 minute games are decided in those 8 minutes. Rather than the more popular last 4 minutes of the game.

Well I always felt that way about the last game before break and the first game after break. I think they can influence an entire season more than a normal 2 game stretch.

Misfion half accomplished. Great to see contributions far and wide. See you in 20 days at Bates!

Good luck on your exams boys.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on December 10, 2015, 09:38:15 AM
WPI89.....always believed that preparation was needed vice luck....at least in technical subjects ;D.  Same goes in sports in general.  However I am seeing more truth In the expression " speed Kills" in sports. 
Remember, sadly, my last formal math class at MIT...a refresher course suggested by my advisor since I had been out of school for several years.  It was a"B" level grad course, meaning it had mostly undergrads in it.  Anyway, first exam of 50 problems...grade depended in part on right answer and how fast you finished...completed.   Then the grade was adjusted...bell curve type...with the class.
Only class where one could finish 45/50 correctly and get a B since the undergrad dominated class finished the 50 questions faster!  Yes, SPEED kills! :'(.  I digress.
Anyway...nice comment to your team.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 10, 2015, 10:55:38 AM
AMH63 - amazing that you bring that story up today!  I have a sophomore daughter at Northwestern and she was telling me about a timed test that she is taking today!!!!!  We were talking strategies just last night on the phone.  I had never heard of a test curved on "time of finish" before last night and now here I go - twice in 12 hours!  May not be the right strategy, but we decided it best to just get them all right and let time take care of itself.  +1 to you if for nothing other than the crazy ironic timing of your story.

Good luck to your boys in going 2-0 against the killer B's this week.  A bit conflicted but I have to root NEWMAC - maybe I will root for Racy to have 40 and Babson to win in OT?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: y_jack_lok on December 10, 2015, 09:20:21 PM
I usually post on the ODAC board (South Region) or the SLIAC board (Central Region), but I caught tonight's Babson/Amherst game online and I just want to compliment Babson's announcer -- one of the best I have heard.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: middhoops on December 10, 2015, 09:49:13 PM
I'd like to agree with y_jack_lok about the telecast of the Babson/Amherst game.  Acceptable homerism aside, that was network quality play by play and commentary.  Kudos.
Babson ran out of gas at the end of double overtime, but showed that they are a great team, playing even or ahead of a powerhouse Amherst squad for 50 minutes.
First time I've watched Babson this season.  I can't imagine how they could have lost to other teams.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 29, 2015, 07:37:57 PM
Nice start to "2016". Talk about staying on script. Can be so frustrating to watch at times, but I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to watch as a fan of the opponent!  Any win at a NESCAC school is a good win by me!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on December 29, 2015, 10:09:50 PM
WPI89.....nice win for your team!  I was frustrated trying to get the video feed of the game!  Would not link south of the Mason-Dixon Line :'(. Got the stats of the close game but left to pick up another Nescac game.  Thought it was the "snowfall"
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on January 02, 2016, 10:06:42 AM
Very interesting game today.....WPI vs. Eastern Nazerene.  Would watch except for a time conflict with Amherst game...first one in awhile..in Memphis.
WPI's win at Bates is even "bigger" now that Babson lost to the Bobcats in Maine recently!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 02, 2016, 11:59:53 AM
Quote from: amh63 on January 02, 2016, 10:06:42 AM
Very interesting game today.....WPI vs. Eastern Nazerene.  Would watch except for a time conflict with Amherst game...first one in awhile..in Memphis.
WPI's win at Bates is even "bigger" now that Babson lost to the Bobcats in Maine recently!

WPI is a big favorite and they played Bates the other day.  ENC is coming off a three week layoff; could be trouble.  It'll all depend on how committed they are to playing defense (and whether the threes are going down).  I'm just hoping it'll be within 12 or 15 points.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 02, 2016, 04:17:44 PM

ENC was playing defense and hitting threes in the first half - exactly what they needed to do to win, leading by 3 at the half over WPI.  WPI came out quick and strong in the second, but ENC battled back with good defense.  WPI leads 55-53 with 6:30 to play.  Great game so far.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on January 02, 2016, 04:33:33 PM
Watched the run by WPI in the second half....mainly by hitting the outside shots.  WPI seemed to be controlling the boards with bigger players....ENC seemed to be the quicker team and seemed to be rushing their shots a bit from outside...even when not guarded closely by the Engineers.  Good game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 02, 2016, 04:47:07 PM
Quote from: amh63 on January 02, 2016, 04:33:33 PM
Watched the run by WPI in the second half....mainly by hitting the outside shots.  WPI seemed to be controlling the boards with bigger players....ENC seemed to be the quicker team and seemed to be rushing their shots a bit from outside...even when not guarded closely by the Engineers.  Good game.

ENC is way undersized.  That's why I figured they had no chance against MIT earlier and WPI in this game, but they really turned the defense up.  Niba was all but shut down - if not for the sweet shooting of Zach Karalis off the bench, it would've been an ENC win.  They were up 1 with 12 seconds to go - Karalis got a shot off from three that landed in the net just as the buzzer went off.  Sad ending for ENC at home (this would've been one of the biggest wins ever for the program) - still, this being their only loss isn't too bad.

WPI did well on defense as well - Jaylen Owens, ENC's best player came up largely empty (1-7 from three).  It ended up being a pretty even match-up.  Two good teams out there.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 02, 2016, 04:50:41 PM
Missed this one. Thanks for the recap guys!  Pumped about the win and the "acticity" on the NE2MAC board!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: middhoops on January 09, 2016, 02:52:05 PM
Excuse me if I'm not the first to bring this subject up on the board.
Tufts, who is absolutely on fire this weekend, has its only losses to two NEWMAC teams: MIT and WPI.
Babson, who looks like a Salem bound team to me when I see them has losses, most in OT, to only NESCAC teams.

Without a doubt in my (old and deteriorating) mind, Babson is the best 7-4 team I've ever seen.
I'll be watching the NEWMAC conference games closely.
Good luck to all.


Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 09, 2016, 04:33:00 PM
Hello Midd!

Good win for WPI today.  Stuck to the script and hit a few more shots!

Now on to football - have a good weekend everybody!

I
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on January 09, 2016, 05:14:17 PM
Midhoops.....on the CAC board, WPI mentioned that he would be following Tufts and Bates.  Seems there is a connection here that you may have uncovered :).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 09, 2016, 06:17:45 PM
+1 63

PS. In case Dave reads this and is voting on style points. MIT scored the last 12 points AFTER the game was well in hand!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 09, 2016, 09:27:57 PM
Style points don't interest me... and MIT has some other flaws that haven't enticed me. There are others more interesting than MIT, right now.

And of COURSE I am reading the boards! LOL
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 13, 2016, 08:32:18 PM
Big come back but a little unfortunate to be going to ot now! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 13, 2016, 08:44:48 PM
Great game. Tough loss. Good win for the Beavers.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on January 14, 2016, 11:14:28 AM
Agreed WPI89!  Watched the game last night on the flat screen.  Excellent video and announcers.  Is there a story about the group of 5-6 fans dressed all in white....suits?....opposite the WPI bench?
Compared to the calm presence of the Babson's HC, your HC storming the floor in the second half that got a technical was most interesting.  He is not that animated normally.  Did notice, his assistant was directing players on the floor for awhile.  All in all, enjoyable game.  Is there a tournament for the NEWMAC title?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 14, 2016, 01:46:34 PM
They are called Wu Tech Clan - a play on words that some of the younger audience may appreciate more than you or I.  Classes for C-term have not started yet - so the normally modest yet loud student section was not as crowded as usual.

Bartley has been know to grab a tech here and there but yes very animated last night.  And it is not unusual at all for Ryan Flynn to make subs.

Would have been a great win.  Had 2 trips under 30 seconds to likely seize control but just could not hit that last big shot - and Flannery on the foul line - especially late is automatic.  I wish our guard (will leave names out) had taken it to the basket on our last trip in regulation - too many good things could happen that way to settle for the long fade-away.

Need to take care of business the next 2 weeks - as WPI has the softer part of the NEWMAC coming up.  (that is likely a huge jinx).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 20, 2016, 08:46:31 PM
WPI makes a living making teams look bad. Not tonight. Clark looked great tonight. Babson game I said too many good things happen not to drive to the hoop with the game on the line. Tonight one of those good things happened. Congrats boys! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on January 21, 2016, 09:27:32 AM
Saw the close score....it is a win!
Was watching another game...MIT vs  Babson.   MIT impressed me....almost a blowout until the last  five minutes....Babson makes a charge with defense...traps, etc. The Engineers secured the win.  Fun times in the Newmac...elsewhere too.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 25, 2016, 10:13:08 AM
Thanks for the Lady Hoops love, Dave - nice job with coach Galasso!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 25, 2016, 11:37:47 AM
You bet... too bad no one frequent's the women's board... but happy to have her on. Impressive season so far.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 28, 2016, 06:18:27 PM
There are several turning points during the Division III basketball season and we have arrived at yet another. The time in the season when many conferences start heading into the second half of round-robin play.

Thursday night on Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com), Dave McHugh talks to some of the teams who are leading their conferences after the first half of play and looking to keep up their mometum. Some have also emerged as an unexpected frontrunner - a theme of the season so far. McHugh also talks to a coach who has one of the more interesting coaching challenges in the country - leading a service academy program with height, practice time, and other restrictions.

Hoopsville hits the air at 7:00 PM ET and you can watch the show here: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/jan28. We will also have more information on next week's marathon show along with the third-annual fundraising efforts.

Guests include (in order):
- John Krikorian, No. 9 Christopher Newport men's coach
- Chad Shutler, No. 21 Bluffton women's coach
- Kevin Jaskiewicz, Coast Guard men's coach (NABC Coach's Corner)
- Marianne O'Connor-Ermi, St. John Fisher women's coach
- Brad Bjorkgren, Simpson men's coach

You can also tune into the podcast(s) after the show has aired:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville (http://www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville)
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087 (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087)

And don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com (http://www.d3hoopsville.com)
Twitter: @d3hoopsville (http://www.twitter.com/d3hoopsville) or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville (http://www.facebook.com/Hoopsville)
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville (http://www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 29, 2016, 09:12:34 AM
Dave - great job with Coach J.  Especially loved the beginning of the interview and the deep dive into what it means to play for the CG Academy!  Nicely done.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 30, 2016, 11:12:21 AM
Thank you WPI89... I love talking to schools like these to learn more about how they "tick." We have touched on it in the past with CGA, but it could always use more time. Love talking to Coach Jazz as well. Good man. Wish CGA could have more success.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 03, 2016, 04:30:55 PM
For the third consecutive year, Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com) will air for 12 hours as the regular season enters the final four weeks. Dave McHugh will chat with coaches, administrators, student-athletes, and others involved in Division III basketball from around the country. Other guests will include those who have Division III roots or appreciate the division and the game along with the student-athletes who play the sport.

Hoopsville will air from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (and maybe later) on Thursday, February 4 live from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can see what guests are scheduled, get more information, and watch the show here: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/feb4

You can also read the press release about the show: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/hoopsville-marathon-2016

Here is the guest list as we speak. All times are Eastern and subject to change. Additional guests to be added if and when necessary:


   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
TimeGuestSchool
10:15amConnie TilleySt. Norbert (WBB) - WBCA Center Court
10:40amJamie PurdyPeidmont (WBB)
11:00amKeri CarolloUW-Whitewater (WBB) - Nat'l Committee Chair
11:20amBrent PollariSaint Mary's (Minn.) (WBB)
11:40amKent MadsenNo. 21 Wheaton (Ill.) (WBB)
12:00pmRussell LoydRose-Hulman (MBB)
12:20pmKevin BroderickNazareth (MBB)
12:40pmJustin ScottArcadia (MBB)
1:00pmSam HargravesNo. 12 Alma (MBB)
1:20pmLenny ReichMount Union (SID)
1:40pmMaureen WebsterClarkson (WBB)
2:00pmBetsy WitmanYork (Pa.) (WBB)
2:20pmSara LeeDenison (WBB)
2:40pmKlay KneuppelWisconsin Lutheran (MBB)
3:00pmBrian Van HaaftenBuena Vista (MBB) - Nat'l Committee Chair
3:30pmSydney MossNo. 1 Thomas More (WBB)
3:45pmAaron RousellBucknell (WBB) - former Chicago coach
4:00pmTim ShanahanStaten Island (WBB)
4:20Pat CunninghamTrinity (Texas) (MBB) - NABC Coach's Corner
4:50pmBubba SmithSewanee (MBB)
5:15pmBen StrongFormer Guilford All-American
5:30pmKevin ConnorsESPN SportsCenter Anchor - Ithaca alumnus
6:00pmKristen DowlingClaremont-Mudd-Scripps (WBB)
6:20pmAllison ColemanSage (WBB)
6:40pmLandry KosmalskiSwarthmore (MBB)
7:00pmDave NilandNo. 23 Penn State-Behrend (MBB)
7:20pmAaron GallettaLasell (MBB)
7:40pmJohn BaronGwynedd-Mercy (MBB)
8:00pm
8:20pm
8:40pmMelissa HodgdonWheaton (Mass.) (WBB)
9:00pmG.P. GromackiNo. 2 Amherst (WBB)
9:20pmJames Wagner
9:40pmHAPPY HOURFree-for-all of calls, tweets, and fun!

We hope to get at least the full show on a podcast, or several podcast, during the on Friday. You can find it here:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville (http://www.twitter.com/d3hoopsville) or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville

And a reminder the Hoopsville Fundraising Project has begun yet again. Please consider helping us cover Division III basketball the way it deserves to be covered. If you can not donate, please don't worry about - we understand. At least share the campaign with anyone you think might be interested: http://igg.me/at/hoopsville-fundraiser/x/6029509

Also, if you know any advertisers interested in promoting their company or products on the show, send them our way: hoopsville@d3hoops.com

Thanks!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 10, 2016, 01:53:39 PM
Regional Rankings: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2016/02/10/first-2016-regional-rankings-released-today/
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 10, 2016, 02:56:01 PM
Can't complain about the WPI men's rank.  Not much love for the 20-1 women though!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 10, 2016, 03:02:24 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 10, 2016, 02:56:01 PM
Can't complain about the WPI men's rank.  Not much love for the 20-1 women though!

That's because their .438 SOS is killing them.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on February 11, 2016, 08:45:03 AM
WPI89....great win over MIT!  Watched it a bit on line.  Any comment wrt to WPI's NEWMAC tournament seeding?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 11, 2016, 09:58:15 AM
Thanks Amh63 - I did not see the game yesterday - sure seemed to follow the script of their winning games though!  And great to be off their first 3+ game losing streak in 11 years!

Every win is critical at this point - and MIT was the last real "quality" win available to them in the regular season.

However - seeding is sort of all set at the top.  Babson has locked the number 1 seed and WPI/MIT will be 2/3 - the only difference being the color of uniform they would wear - so not too concerned about that.

My big concern is that it will involve having to beat MIT a 3rd time - which is never easy - just to get another crack at Babson.

Would be nervous times if they were to win out and then lose a tough one to MIT - I think this year 20-6 might get them an at large, but certainly no lock.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 14, 2016, 05:39:33 PM
It might be a holiday for those romantically inclined, but it is also getting down to the end of the Division III basketball season. Just two weeks remain between now and the end of the regular season and nothing has been determined.

On Sunday night's Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com), Dave McHugh will talk to some teams who have emerged from no where to be in a position to surprise when their conference tournaments begin. McHugh also talks to a few teams who can't seem to be knocked off their conference pedestal, but still feel they have something to prove. And the hectic schedule of conference travel can take it's toll.

Sunday's show start at 7:00 pm ET and promises to go well into overtime. You can watch the show here: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/feb14

Guests included (in order of appearance):
- Tara Macciocco, Marywood women's coach
- Dr. George Barber, Greenville men's coach
- Ruth Sinn, No. 8 St. Thomas women's coach (WBCA Center Court)
- Rusty Eggen, Northeast Region Report, WPI Sports Information Director
- Angela Santa Fe, Regis (Mass.) women's coach
- Andy Partee, Colorado College men's coach

You can also tune into the podcast(s) after the show has aired:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville (http://www.twitter.com/d3hoopsville) or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville

And a reminder the Hoopsville Fundraising Project is halfway to the deadline but we are not that close to the goal. Please consider helping us cover Division III basketball the way it deserves to be covered: http://igg.me/at/hoopsville-fundraiser/x/6029509.

Thanks!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 24, 2016, 02:16:28 PM
Final public regional rankings are out: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3hoops/2016/02/24/third-ncaa-regional-ranking/
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2016, 04:40:41 PM
Congratulations to the Lady Engineers. Great finish. Way to represent! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on February 29, 2016, 12:11:19 PM
Congratulations to the Babson Beavers, worthy NEWMAC champions.  Very classy.  They recognized our seniors before the trophy presentation.  They were just too much for us to handle at the end, although our Engineers put up a valiant battle.  Now the (short) wait to see if we get a Pool C bid.  A lot of MIT parents at the game (as has been the case all season, and a lot of them are not local), and some recent former players including Andrew Acker.

MIT-WPI photos from Saturday.  Wild game after WPI started pressing, platooning, and jacking up the 3's early in the second half.  57-52 MIT just in the second half.  That's the kind of score for a full game I'm used to seeing in NEWMAC.  https://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-WPI-mbb-20160227

MIT-Babson photos from Sunday.  Another fairly high scoring game, but not the craziness of the WPI game.  https://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Babson-mbb-20160228
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 29, 2016, 12:40:35 PM
Dancin!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on February 29, 2016, 12:54:00 PM
Bummer.  No dance for MIT. :(
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 29, 2016, 01:58:17 PM
rlk - agreed.  I honestly thought it was going to be both or neither (WPI and MIT).  WPI beat them twice and maybe had a few better wins - but MIT thrashed them soundly on Saturday.  Would have been nice to have all 3!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on February 29, 2016, 08:17:30 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 29, 2016, 01:58:17 PM
rlk - agreed.  I honestly thought it was going to be both or neither (WPI and MIT).  WPI beat them twice and maybe had a few better wins - but MIT thrashed them soundly on Saturday.  Would have been nice to have all 3!

Were you at the game?  That was a wild one!  I know WPI likes to use a press sometimes, but that had to be seen to be believed.  Despite all that, neither team really had much of a run in the second half; the margin stayed between 10 and 20 points the whole time.  And I haven't seen that kind of platooning since high school, when an opposing coach used it for an entirely different reason.  I'm guessing he saw our short bench (we played 7 guys the whole game, which has been fairly typical -- 3 seniors and 2 frosh started, and 2 frosh subbed) and figured he could wear us down.

Interesting band you guys have.  That's one thing that has gone downhill since my era.  We had a pretty funny band play back then; these days there isn't one.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2016, 10:16:25 AM
rlk - I was not at the game.  Was going to head up on Sunday if there was a 3rd Babson/WPI matchup.  I watched the game on video - but I could not get past about 11 minutes left in the second half.  The freshman on MIT killed WPI.

I assume MIT will be offered and accept an ECAC bid.  They have a young team and much good can come from potentially winning that?

Anyone know the NE ECAC teams have been selected?  Pure guess but I could see MIT vs. Albertus Magnus in the final?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2016, 10:20:03 AM
NE ECAC First Round – Wednesday, March 5

#4 Elms (14-12) vs. #5 Pine Manor (11-9) at Pine Manor - 7:00 p.m.

Semifinals – Saturday, March 5

Semifinal #1: No. 1 Nichols vs. No. 4 Elms/No. 5 Pine Manor winner at Colby Sawyer – 1:00 p.m.

Semifinal #2: No. 3 Anna Maria vs. No. 2 Colby-Sawyer at Colby Sawyer – 3:00 p.m.

First off only 5 teams?  No Eastern, No Magnus, no Western, no MIT?  I am guessing quite a few teams passed on playing?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 01, 2016, 12:26:16 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 01, 2016, 10:16:25 AM
rlk - I was not at the game.  Was going to head up on Sunday if there was a 3rd Babson/WPI matchup.  I watched the game on video - but I could not get past about 11 minutes left in the second half.  The freshman on MIT killed WPI.

I assume MIT will be offered and accept an ECAC bid.  They have a young team and much good can come from potentially winning that?

Anyone know the NE ECAC teams have been selected?  Pure guess but I could see MIT vs. Albertus Magnus in the final?

From what I've heard our season has ended, so I guess either we weren't offered one or didn't accept it.  I suspect the ECAC is seen a lot like the post-season NIT in D1, and you know (presumably first hand from your moniker) what academics are like at engineering schools.  Regardless, the Cambridge Engineers had an excellent season, even if the committee didn't quite see it that way.  Last year's graduation depleted the roster, then the rash of injuries to key upperclassmen (and at least one key freshman), but the frosh really stepped up their game.  We had a tremendous freshman class, surely the best since at least Kates/Tashman/Karraker in 2009.  Nobody ever gave up, and all the big come from behind victories said something.  This showed even in our preseason scrimmage against Harvard, when we were within 2 in the second half before (as usual) they went on a run and playing out of a hole against any kind of even half decent D1 team is a big challenge.

You're referring to #5 (Bradley Jomard), I presume?  He's probably the best pure athlete I've seen (for MIT) and a very exciting player.  No fear whatsoever on the court.  Threw down a big slam on Harvard during the first half of his first college game and wound up our high scorer.  He dropped 33 (career high) on you on Saturday.  But Adam Jurko (#4) also did that in an earlier game this season.  We'll have to see what next year's freshman class brings; Ryan Frankel, Justin Pedley, Russell Johnson, and Lampros Tsontzos will leave big shoes to fill (in different ways).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 01, 2016, 12:43:09 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 01, 2016, 10:20:03 AM
NE ECAC First Round – Wednesday, March 5

#4 Elms (14-12) vs. #5 Pine Manor (11-9) at Pine Manor - 7:00 p.m.

Semifinals – Saturday, March 5

Semifinal #1: No. 1 Nichols vs. No. 4 Elms/No. 5 Pine Manor winner at Colby Sawyer – 1:00 p.m.

Semifinal #2: No. 3 Anna Maria vs. No. 2 Colby-Sawyer at Colby Sawyer – 3:00 p.m.

First off only 5 teams?  No Eastern, No Magnus, no Western, no MIT?  I am guessing quite a few teams passed on playing?

Did you see the access list?  There were like ten teams in all of new england that even applied.  The ECAC is dying.  They can continue forever because they make everybody pay for their own expenses, but it's becoming a bit of a joke.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on March 01, 2016, 04:47:11 PM
Though the season is over for many, this has been a good season for schools that have fine engineering departments....Cal Tech, MIT and WPI.  Since I have some key posters from several of the schools posting...rik and WPI......I have a question to ask.  It has to deal with mascots and nicknames or whatever.
Here goes...Cal Tech are called the Beavers!   MIT are refer to as The Engineers BUT have a Beaver as a symbol....the Brass Rat as the Beaver is called.  I have a Brass Rat ring and wear it the correct way.
Now WPI is another story...they like to be called Engineers but have a different mascot.  Clarifications needed.
It gets confusing among many schools....The Tat Heels of UNC which has a Ram like Sheep figure near the athletic facilities.   
First....why did MIT let Cal Tech take the Beaver symbol from them?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 01, 2016, 06:14:27 PM
Quote from: amh63 on March 01, 2016, 04:47:11 PM
Though the season is over for many, this has been a good season for schools that have fine engineering departments....Cal Tech, MIT and WPI.  Since I have some key posters from several of the schools posting...rik and WPI......I have a question to ask.  It has to deal with mascots and nicknames or whatever.
Here goes...Cal Tech are called the Beavers!   MIT are refer to as The Engineers BUT have a Beaver as a symbol....the Brass Rat as the Beaver is called.  I have a Brass Rat ring and wear it the correct way.
Now WPI is another story...they like to be called Engineers but have a different mascot.  Clarifications needed.
It gets confusing among many schools....The Tat Heels of UNC which has a Ram like Sheep figure near the athletic facilities.   
First....why did MIT let Cal Tech take the Beaver symbol from them?

(I'm rlk, not rik)

The beaver has been our mascot since whenever.  Pretty obvious mascot for an engineering school.  But our nickname is the Engineers.  Again, always has been.  I don't think Caltech "took" the beaver from us, it's just an obvious thing for engineers.  I can't speak for WPI.

Caltech indeed had a stunning basketball season by their standards.  Sure, 9-16 and 7-9 in conference (and not a very strong conference at that) isn't something that MIT or WPI or Amherst would find terribly impressive, but when you consider that they won more conference games this season than in the past 30+ combined, it takes on a different light.  Remember, they went something like 25+ years without winning a single conference game, and a fair number of those years had zero wins total (NCAA or otherwise).  We've played them something like 4 times and won every time.  I was at the first one, in 1984 IIRC at the Lopata Classic at Washington University.  We lost a close one to Johns Hopkins in the first round while WU crushed Caltech.  We played horribly the first half and actually trailed for msot of it, but wound up 27-22 in our favor.  The second half, they scored 2 quick baskets and then we woke up; it was 71-47 at the end including garbage time.  They may have had one player over 6'.

Several years back one of their then-stars (Todd Kramer, I think his name was) transferred to MIT because he wanted to play a higher level of basketball.  He had been their leading scorer his first two seasons; he barely got any playing time here.  That's how much difference there was, and we were nowhere near what we are today (I'd estimate that if the MIT teams could play each other the current team would win by 30 easily, and other people from my era whom I've discussed it with agree).  There's still surely a big difference -- WPI and MIT are perennially near the top (these days, at any rate) of a strong conference, while they're middling in a weak one -- but they're a lot better now than they used to be.

WPI always plays us tough.  I can't think of when we last swept them.  In our 29-2 year, they were our lone regular season loss -- at MIT.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 01, 2016, 09:24:09 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 01, 2016, 06:14:27 PM

Several years back one of their then-stars (Todd Kramer, I think his name was) transferred to MIT because he wanted to play a higher level of basketball.  He had been their leading scorer his first two seasons; he barely got any playing time here.  That's how much difference there was, and we were nowhere near what we are today (I'd estimate that if the MIT teams could play each other the current team would win by 30 easily, and other people from my era whom I've discussed it with agree).  There's still surely a big difference -- WPI and MIT are perennially near the top (these days, at any rate) of a strong conference, while they're middling in a weak one -- but they're a lot better now than they used to be.

Ugh.  That was confusing.  Todd Kramer transferred in the contemporary era, when MIT was already strong.  I didn't write that in a very linear fashion, so it's a bit of a mash-up with what happened in the 1980's.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on March 02, 2016, 07:55:17 AM
rlk........I guess I did it again.  Thanks for being understading,  For your info..plus K.   The mascot/nickname is really odd thing to me.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2016, 09:13:55 AM
Gompei the Goat

AMH63 - I do not have time to do any research right now, but I suspect there are some easily accessed stories on google if you would like to have the real background.

Here is what I do know:  there was a Japanese engineering student at WPI in the 1800's that had a goat on campus (the twist is that the student was named Gompei - not the goat).  Tradition says they literally beheaded the poor goat - and mounted it (to be bronzed years later) - there was some type of class competition each year that got quite serious - with the winning class getting the eventually bronzed goat.

Don't have much more for you - other than just prior to my arrival, there was a Goat's Head Pub on campus (more commonly referred to as Gompei's pub).  Alas as the drinking age changed - it simply turned into a comfortable alternative place (although somewhat dark) to study in the 80's.  The Goat knick-name was always present when I played there - but it has become much more prevalent - (including a full size bronze statue on the quad) in recent years!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 02, 2016, 11:46:02 AM
Quote from: amh63 on March 02, 2016, 07:55:17 AM
rlk........I guess I did it again.  Thanks for being understading,  For your info..plus K.   The mascot/nickname is really odd thing to me.

So other than a beaver, what would the mascot for engineers be, without getting too nerdly (or kinky)?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Hugenerd on March 02, 2016, 11:50:11 AM
Quote from: rlk on March 01, 2016, 06:14:27 PM
WPI always plays us tough.  I can't think of when we last swept them.  In our 29-2 year, they were our lone regular season loss -- at MIT.

Last time MIT swept WPI was 2009-2010, the year after Jimmy Bartolotta graduated. That was the year MIT had Noel Hollingsworth transfer in, and had freshman Mitch Kates and Will Tashman (in addition to getting Billy Johnson back as a super senior).  However, it is definitely not a common occurrence...only time that I can remember.  In fact, Bartolotta never beat WPI in his career, going 0-10.  I was a grad assistant during his freshman year (05-06), and I remember losing both games by a total of 3 points (there was a big call at the end of the 2nd game at home, when Jimmy took a charge but was called for a block, that resulted in that 1 point loss).  In his senior year (08-09), when the team famously won the NEWMAC tourney and upset RIC in the first round of the NCAAs, WPI was upset in the NEWMAC semis by Springfield and Bartolotta shredded the Pride (as he usually did) in the finals and MIT won comfortably by 26.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 02, 2016, 11:58:18 AM
Guess everyone was shocked that Joey Flannery won NEWMAC athlete of the year.  Not.  Congratulations to Flannery!  Helluva player, with a great team around him.  We got him in foul trouble in the second half of the final, but unfortunately that was just as we were wearing out.

Bradley Jomard was rookie of the year and first team.  I don't see all the NEWMAC teams in any given year, but I did see the top 5, and I don't recall seeing any other frosh that can match his overall ability on the court.  He's a bit rough around the edges at times; when he refines his game, he'll be a major force (and the combination of him and Adam Jurko will give opposing defenses real fits).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on March 02, 2016, 11:59:21 AM
rlk....you maybe correct....tools maybe :)
My confusion with nicknames and mascots is in general wrt to schools and sports related.  As an example...the UVA are called the Cavaliars...but die hard fans prefer Wahoos lord just Hoos.
The topic has a harsh element at Amherst recently where the unofficial mascot ...LORD Jeffs...has ceased and a committee of alums and students are set to pick an official mascot or nick name or both.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2016, 12:05:03 PM
Must be tourney time - HUGENERD is posting!  Welcome back HN!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on March 03, 2016, 10:58:07 AM
WPI89.... Had the same thought wrt HN! 
Hughnerd....are you still  enjoying life in/ near Pittsburg?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 03, 2016, 01:54:14 PM
Folks, just five more hours to enter the men's D-III bracket challenge before tonight's tipoff!
https://d3challenge.com/login/register.php
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Hugenerd on March 04, 2016, 09:00:42 AM
Quote from: amh63 on March 03, 2016, 10:58:07 AM
WPI89.... Had the same thought wrt HN! 
Hughnerd....are you still  enjoying life in/ near Pittsburg?

I try to check in on the boards, but don't follow closely enough to post regularly. Still talk to Coach Anderson every once and awhile also...tough end of the season for them, but they have a lot of young talented players, so hopefully they are on the upswing.

We are still in the Pittsburgh area, actually moved into the suburbs (so even closer than we were before, which was about 1.5 hours out).  I coached my older daughter's 3rd grade team this year, so I have been taking her to some of the CMU women's games this year.  They have a big matchup tonight against Hope, so hopefully they get it done.  CMU women have a great coach and some really talented players.  Their All-American center, Lisa Murphy, shot over 75% from the field for the entire regular season, which is amazing considering the attention she draws in the post. Interested to see how they do tonight.

Anyway, good luck to the NEWMAC teams, would have been nice to have 3, but hopefully the 2 that made it represent well.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: gordonmann on March 05, 2016, 10:45:51 AM
I had a chance to speak with WPI Jostens Trophy winner and now Keene State head coach Ryan Cain about his team's first round tournament win. He also talks about his time as an assistant at WPI.

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2016/keene-state-cain-interview

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 05, 2016, 07:47:29 PM
Is Flannery hurt or something?  He doesn't appear to have played in the first half against Susquehanna.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 05, 2016, 11:43:01 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 05, 2016, 07:47:29 PM
Is Flannery hurt or something?  He doesn't appear to have played in the first half against Susquehanna.

In a walking boot all day.  He did not play in this game; they won anyway.  They think he'll play next week, but who knows?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 05, 2016, 11:56:16 PM
I was told he injured it (rolled) early in the Hartwick game... then injured it even worse in the second half... yet still played 39 minutes. Was in a walking boot all day and was hoping to play... but as you can see, didn't.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: middhoops on November 06, 2016, 08:36:25 AM
Joey Flannery is named pre-season first team All-America!
Where is the love on the NEWMAC board? 
Congrats to Flannery and Babson.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 07, 2016, 10:29:46 PM
MIT lost our exhibition against that little red brick college up the creek (they call themselves Hahvahd or something) 78-63.  Pretty good game, actually.  It was a bit rough for the first 10 or 12 minutes, but we settled down and after about midway through the first half it was actually pretty flat the rest of the way -- neither team really put together much of a run, and we were within 9 with a few minutes to go.  We were playing to win at that point, so we were fouling, but that didn't work.  The starters/top subs came out with only about 30 seconds left.  Actually outrebounded and outshot (%) but the TO's killed us.

Game photos: https://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-mbb-20161103/
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: warriorcat on November 15, 2016, 09:40:59 AM
Clark and Worcester St got an early start on the November 15 start date.  They played at 12:00am with Clark taking a 77-74 victory.

Let the games begin.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 15, 2016, 07:24:44 PM
That's awesome ^
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: falcons2010 on November 15, 2016, 09:07:00 PM
Babson opens the season with an impressive 101-81 victory over my falcons. Albertus had a 9 point lead in the second half but Babson's experience and cohesiveness, and of course talent, was too much for Albertus. Good luck to Babson the rest of the way they have a solid team.

Ps. Not sure who does the games for Babson but that guy is great. He was fair, informative, and entertaining! I could listen to him all day.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 15, 2016, 10:35:12 PM
Good night for the NEWMAC. Good luck to Coack Oliver and your Falcons this year -Falcon!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 19, 2016, 06:33:47 PM
Great win for WPI today! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: gordonmann on November 23, 2016, 11:33:52 PM
Around the Nation debuts with a story about a guy you may have heard of at Babson.

http://www.d3hoops.com/columns/around-the-region/northeast/index
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: whyDiii on November 29, 2016, 10:04:19 AM
New to the boards here, but a longtime d3 follower in NE region! A lot of good storylines to follow in the region this year especially with the new 1-2-3 national rankings! Big game for WPI tonight against the Jumbos. Should be interesting to see if WPI can play Tufts tight as WPI looks like they could struggle this year a bit.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: whyDiii on November 29, 2016, 10:32:45 AM
another thought on WPI.. rumor around the region is that WPI lost two returners who were expected to have good years for the Engineers. Obi Obiora and Jashanti Allen don't appear to be back due to never seeing eye to eye with Coach Bartley. Seems like Bartleys system may be starting to fail. Always sad when Coaches jerk players around like Bartley has done recently with guys like Karalis, Davis and Obi.Unfortunate stuff.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on November 29, 2016, 10:50:49 AM
Thoughts (from a total outsider) on Bartley:

He has always impressed me as the coach who does the most with the least in the entire New England region.  It's not easy to recruit AND to retain players to a technology-focused school -- just ask MIT.  And unlike MIT, WPI is stuck in Worcester, which isn't anything close to the sort of draw that Boston is.  A lot of talented guys just aren't going to consider you in the first place, and the heavy science workload will convince others that hoops isn't for them.  WPI always has very good, but rarely overwhelming, talent and all they do is win 20 games and make the NCAA tourney every single year, no matter who they graduate.  They also seem (until this year) to have done very well keeping players in the program for all four years -- and NO program keeps EVERYONE for all four years.  No matter what, Bartley's teams fight like hell and play dogged defense.  No one enjoys playing against them.  I don't think you can judge him harshly based on what may be a total aberration of a few guys quietting. 

That's why I'm not surprised at all to see Bartley's protege Cain have such instant success at Keene State -- Keene has always in my view done the least with the most, as they always have talent but rarely seem to play to their potential. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on November 29, 2016, 02:54:45 PM
OK, wow.  If what lukedunphy writes is true (and it may or may not be, you can't believe everything you read on the internet) I retract anything positive I had to say -- that is absolutely insane and I can understand being tough on young players to get the best out of them, but why in the heck would you EVER EVER have anything negative to say about graduating seniors who have busted their tails for four years?  There is nothing whatsoever to be gained by doing so.  That story sounds almost too crazy to be true ... WPI89, any comments :)???
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 29, 2016, 04:34:36 PM
Ok

A few thoughts.  Prefaced by, I do not have any inside info here.  I communicate with the Sports info director (mostly by email) a few times a year and see and talk to Bartley once a year at the golf outing.

I was ready to rip Diii ...... out of his 9 posts - at least 7 have had something negative about WPI - even on the NESCAC board.  When he says they are in for a rough year after starting 4-0 with a couple of quality wins.............its seems like there may be something personal going on?  perhaps not and he really has some inside info on their imminent first collapse in 14 years...............

I never talk negatively about specific players on these boards and will not make an exception here.  2 players that were expected to see major minutes are not on the team this year.  All I will add is that there are lots of reasons basketball players leave Engineering only schools.  Problems with the coach is only one of those reasons.

I will say that I know for a fact that a similar rumor came up in the past about a player (a leading scorer type player) - and the rumors were so far from the truth as to be laughable.

As far as Modern family's first post - all I will say is i can not believe a word of that - sounds like nonsense.

Bartley's style - as I have said numerous times on this board - can wear on players - i think he gets every ounce of effort, every game they play.
Unfortunately that has left very little room in past years to 'step-up" come big tourney time.  That has been and will be my biggest "criticism" of him.

Not looking to start any big back and forth - as i said - i do not have any info - whole thing just seems at worst contrived and at best over-blown.

My concern right now is if WPI can stop Tufts big man (Palleschi) tonight - not the above nonsense.



Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: lukedunphy on November 29, 2016, 07:13:19 PM
I completely understand the skepticism of my post. Can't believe everything on the internet and all that. But I saw and read the letter myself. Take it as you will.

That being said I actually have a ton of respect for Bartley as a basketball mind. I think he's really good at what he does, there is a reason he has won 20 games for so many years in a row. Some of his defensive ideas are great. However he is very much a my way or the highway type guy, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your players.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 30, 2016, 08:11:37 AM
Quote from: lukedunphy on November 29, 2016, 07:13:19 PM
I completely understand the skepticism of my post. Can't believe everything on the internet and all that. But I saw and read the letter myself. Take it as you will.

That being said I actually have a ton of respect for Bartley as a basketball mind. I think he's really good at what he does, there is a reason he has won 20 games for so many years in a row. Some of his defensive ideas are great. However he is very much a my way or the highway type guy, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your players.

Scan the letter in and let us see it, otherwise it's probably best to leave it alone going forward.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 30, 2016, 11:49:24 AM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 30, 2016, 08:11:37 AM
Quote from: lukedunphy on November 29, 2016, 07:13:19 PM
I completely understand the skepticism of my post. Can't believe everything on the internet and all that. But I saw and read the letter myself. Take it as you will.

That being said I actually have a ton of respect for Bartley as a basketball mind. I think he's really good at what he does, there is a reason he has won 20 games for so many years in a row. Some of his defensive ideas are great. However he is very much a my way or the highway type guy, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your players.

Scan the letter in and let us see it, otherwise it's probably best to leave it alone going forward.

We do have rules about things like this... you are using quotes in your previous post... unless you have the letter, using quotes is risky business.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 30, 2016, 02:07:46 PM
Quote from: lukedunphy on November 29, 2016, 01:52:54 PM
New to posting here but I've been following these boards for a long time. The comments about Bartley made me want to comment. Bartley to me gets into trouble by riding his guys so hard that they end up quitting on him at the end of the season. Look up their NEWMAC playoff game vs MIT last year. They shot 42!!!! threes. And if you watched the game it was incredible. Whoever brought the ball up would just pull it from NBA range. He lost total control because his seniors didn't want to play for him anymore. And this was a team that was going to the NCAA tournament.

In addition I have a little inside information from ... [deleted]

I now have the letter in hand... and you have mis-characterized the letter in more ways than one. I am posting this response for now before reporting your comments to be deleted. You break rule number one of this boards, which you had to read through before being allowed an account.

For reference:
Quote
1. Comments or rumors of a defamatory nature without published substantiation will be removed. NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTS. If we haven't noticed them yet, we will and will remove them. Repeat offenders are subject to banning from the system. (That goes for any of the rules laid out on this page.) We also currently require your valid e-mail address in order to get a username and password, and said e-mail address must be displayed on your profile. This is written into the software. [added 02/01/02, modified 10/26/04]

(edited to delete quoted material which was cited for removal)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 30, 2016, 02:34:28 PM
Well, I can say, it's lovely to be back here on the NEWMAC board. And I'm glad to see that a little success has brought supporters of a new program to the board. It's just too bad that they have to be so negative. Guys -- enjoy the ride. It won't last forever. Don't spend your time tearing someone else down.

Here's the letter. I can see where if you skew it into a clickbaity-kind of way, that you could almost make out what "lukedunphy" wants you to believe, but maybe people should read the actual text and decide for themselves.

Click to enlarge.

(https://www.d3boards.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.d3blogs.com%2Fd3hoops%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F11%2Fbartley-letter.jpg&hash=46b843ce3bfc237165a1f3652fc4710c9067b44d)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on November 30, 2016, 02:52:38 PM
Wow, I'm glad you posted that Pat.  The letter is not remotely what "lukedunphy" characterized it to be.  A helpful reminder (as if we needed any after the last election cycle!) to always be skeptical about ANYTHING we read on the Internet that isn't sourced and doesn't pass the smell test.   After learning the truth, I rescind my equivocation on my earlier endorsement of Bartley's coaching acumen and record! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: whyDiii on November 30, 2016, 04:28:14 PM
After watching newmac and nescac play for over 10 years, I have great admiration for how hard Coach Bartley gets his guys to play. It was quite a battle last night with the Jumbos, but Tufts was just overpowering in the last 10. Even with Palleschi not putting up big numbers, they found a way..

"Lukedunphy" definitely overreacted to whatever he may have heard. Assuming lukedunphy didn't have much "insider info" here. From
What I've gathered, some of the WPI players may have just not bought in. Nonetheless It is quite impressive what Bartley does with limited pieces some years! It should be interesting to follow them as they continue to grind away with guys like Doncaster and Converse who look to have gotten much better after seeing a few of their games in person this year.

Converse is a kid who works his butt off like I've never seen every second he is in there. An absolute animal on the glass as well as one can see by looking at any box score.

Doncaster looks like he is playing with extreme confidence this year. Had some big games last year but looks like he had a very good off season.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AlSkinnersMustache on November 30, 2016, 05:35:28 PM
Thanks for posting that letter. I knew it felt a little odd Bartley is hard on his players, not downright cruel.  WPI is looking toward a top 3 Finish in the NEWMAC along with Babson and MIT. 

I have seen Babson play this year and Flannery looks like the same Flannery we have seen in the past but with a killer attitude.  Along with Flannery, Junior Nick Comenale has been pouring in the buckets.  The pair average 24 and 19 pgg respectively, and have gone on runs by themselves.  Rounding out the starting 5 for the Beavers are Seniors Sam Bohmiller and Isaiah Nelsen, as well as Junior Bradley Jacks.  Each providing their own unique method of scoring is shown in the Babson's 88 points per game.  Babson with its 6 seniors that went to the Final Four 2 years ago are eyeing a return to Salem this spring.

Having frequented WPI games as well I can affirm the improvement of Doncaster and Converse. The loss of Obi Obiora and Jashanti Allen will be a minor setback for the Engineers.  Junior Chris Rodgers is in a big spot to play some big minutes and show off his length and ability to get to the hoop. WPI has looked good thus far in the season. Bartley will have them ready to play Babson.

Don't know much on MIT, I know Jomard is the real deal that gave Babson a little trouble last spring.  Looking for a some good improvement this year.

Going to be an interesting year in the NEWMAC, we will see what teams can make some noise in the middle of the pack.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 30, 2016, 09:20:14 PM
Quote from: whyDiii on November 30, 2016, 04:28:14 PM
After watching newmac and nescac play for over 10 years, I have great admiration for how hard Coach Bartley gets his guys to play. It was quite a battle last night with the Jumbos, but Tufts was just overpowering in the last 10. Even with Palleschi not putting up big numbers, they found a way..

Having seen more than enough games against WPI, I have to concur.  WPI *always* plays MIT tough and I'd be surprised if they play anyone else otherwise.  The year we went to Salem (2012), WPI was the only team that beat us in the regular season -- on our court, no less.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: warriorcat on December 02, 2016, 06:46:26 PM
I am watching the Babson-Salem State game. Where is flannery? First half was thought for Babson without him.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 02, 2016, 08:48:44 PM
Quote from: warriorcat on December 02, 2016, 06:46:26 PM
I am watching the Babson-Salem State game. Where is flannery? First half was thought for Babson without him.

Officially - he's dealing with a foot issue and is day to day; he may play tomorrow.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on December 03, 2016, 07:25:35 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 02, 2016, 08:48:44 PM
Quote from: warriorcat on December 02, 2016, 06:46:26 PM
I am watching the Babson-Salem State game. Where is flannery? First half was thought for Babson without him.

Officially - he's dealing with a foot issue and is day to day; he may play tomorrow.

I think that question got answered convincingly.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: warriorcat on December 03, 2016, 07:28:08 PM
Maybe he should take a few more games off. What a stat line!!!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 03, 2016, 07:55:42 PM
Quote from: warriorcat on December 03, 2016, 07:28:08 PM
Maybe he should take a few more games off. What a stat line!!!

Amherst next week.  I imagine he'll be playing.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: whyDiii on December 07, 2016, 12:23:17 PM
A lot of hype surrounding tomorrow's Amherst Babson game. Babson's bigs vs. Amhersts bigs should be very fun to watch as well the matchups on the wings with Flannery/McCarthy and Comenale/Racy.
It will be interesting to see whether Hix rides Dawson or Berman more in this game. In the last matchup Berman only played 12 minutes compared to Dawson's 28 mins.

In other newmac news, it appears Jomard is dealing with a finger injury that has slowed down the MIT team a bit at the start here.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on December 08, 2016, 06:29:09 PM
The season has started fast and for some teams they still haven't lost. Not unexpected for some, maybe completely unexpected for others.

And there is a big battle between #1 and #2 in Division III men's basketball on tap!

On Thursday's edition of Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com), Dave is back in studio and talking to some of the teams who find themselves without a loss, but probably still with plenty of questions that remain unanswered. Many of the teams are nationally ranked, but one of the teams tonight finds itself undefeated and receiving narry a point in any of the Division III polls.

Also on Thursday's edition, Dave will talk LIVE with either #1 Amherst or #2 Babson. The two men's programs face off in a rare #1 v #2 regular season battle. We chat with the winning coach after the game.

You can watch Hoopsville below staring at 7:00 pm ET. We are also experimenting with simulcasting the show on Facebook Live! More info here: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2016-17/dec8

Guests included (in order):
- Bob Amsberry, No. 8 Wartburg women's coach
- Amy Reed, Rochester Tech women's coach
- Landry Kosmalski, No. 22 Swarthmore men's coach
- Jon VanderWal, No. 3 Marietta men's coach
- Either Dave Hixon (No. 1 Amherst) or Stephen Brennan (No. 2 Banson) men's coach

This is most likley the last Thursday edition of Hoopsville before the holiday break (due to D3football.com coverage of Gagliardi Trophy and Stagg Bowl next week and proximity of Christmas the following week). The Thursday edition of the show will return January 5, 2017 - but stay tuned if we change our minds in two weeks.

You can also tune into the podcast(s) after the show has aired:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville (http://www.twitter.com/d3hoopsville) or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 10, 2016, 02:41:51 PM
Good bounce back week for WPI. Long break till Big game against Keene STate after christmas!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: middhoops on December 14, 2016, 11:44:35 PM
Congrats to Springfield on their huge upset of #1 Amherst tonight.
Jake Ross isn't just the best first year player in the NEWMAC.  Maybe the next Flannery for your conference.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 15, 2016, 01:48:08 PM
Thanks Midd for the NEWMAC love - I was late to the party with Ross - but he looks like he can ball.  So athletic!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on December 15, 2016, 03:32:17 PM
Yeah, I've been hyping Ross on the NESCAC board.  I think he will be a three-time all-American.  He is that good, the best frosh I've seen in the region since Flannery/Robinson back in 2014.  Springfield is gonna be nasty starting next year if all of their frosh stick around and develop as one would expect.  Ross will certainly be the centerpiece.  Springfield's deficiency right now is not talent, but severe lack of expeirence, which is reflected in the early season defensive struggles. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: PeterEscobar on December 16, 2016, 12:10:19 PM
Comenale, Ross and Jomard both look like they can be all-region type wings next year. Should be fun to watch those three be center pieces for their teams. Who will WPI turn to for scoring next year? Thought they would struggle without Niba and don't see anyone right now stepping up to fill that void this year or next.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: PeterEscobar on December 19, 2016, 11:37:17 PM
Babson jumps to #1 in the nation. Head to Chicago for a tough UAA match-up before the NEWMAC league play starts up. Looking forward to seeing who else steps up in league play -- Ross, Jomard, Jurko, Doncaster, etc...
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 27, 2016, 11:35:34 AM
Nice new website Dave and Pat!  Congrats.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 28, 2016, 10:52:39 PM
Good win for WPI tonight. Congrats coming back from break strong, boys.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 29, 2016, 03:53:43 PM
Classy move last night as Coach Bartley presented Coach Cain his Jostens Trophy for his office at Keene.  It had been proudly displayed for the last 10 years in WPI's trophy case!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on December 29, 2016, 05:49:51 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 29, 2016, 03:53:43 PM
Classy move last night as Coach Bartley presented Coach Cain his Jostens Trophy for his office at Keene.  It had been proudly displayed for the last 10 years in WPI's trophy case!

As a Keene supporter, good luck to the Engineers in the rest of their season!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 30, 2016, 09:00:43 AM
Likewise Allstar, I am Keene State fan the rest of the way!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on January 01, 2017, 01:59:16 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 27, 2016, 11:35:34 AM
Nice new website Dave and Pat!  Congrats.

... Gordon and Dave and Pat!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 02, 2017, 03:53:34 PM
Sorry Gordon.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 04, 2017, 12:31:15 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on January 01, 2017, 01:59:16 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on December 27, 2016, 11:35:34 AM
Nice new website Dave and Pat!  Congrats.

... Gordon and Dave and Pat!

HAHA - yep!

And thanks, though I just provide the "that isn't working" notes during testing. LOL

Though, I need to work to freshen up the Hoopsville page(s).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: middhoops on January 18, 2017, 09:16:07 PM
MIT built up an impressive lead over Babson in the first half.  That was the good news for the Engineers.
Babson came out in the 2nd half and lit up the house.  The Beavers were 18-23 late in the game.
Final 71-65.
Hard to picture anyone beating Babson.  They are deep, talented and have a bona fide D3 star.
But that is what highly competitive leagues are for.
Right?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 19, 2017, 07:32:51 AM

It's been amazing how many times this Babson team has been trailing at halftime, only to calmly come out and erase the lead right away.  They're very impressive.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 19, 2017, 09:45:49 AM
Agree with both of you - but I do not see them running the NEWMAC.  They will lose the second game to either Springfield, WPI, or MIT.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: whyDiii on January 20, 2017, 05:12:29 PM
It should be interesting to see what happens the second time around in the NEWMAC! Babson has been very impressive playing from behind and the experience is surely there. MIT has impressed thus far even without Jomard.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: PeterEscobar on January 20, 2017, 06:34:51 PM
Quote from: whyDiii on January 20, 2017, 05:12:29 PM
It should be interesting to see what happens the second time around in the NEWMAC! Babson has been very impressive playing from behind and the experience is surely there. MIT has impressed thus far even without Jomard.
I think most of the NEWMAC is on pins and needles waiting to see when Jomard is returning... Looked like he was still shielding his injured hand walking out of the game the other night from my vantage point.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 25, 2017, 06:48:41 PM
Is Dave announcing the Babson game?  Sounds just like him if it is not.  Only watched 2 minutes.  Clark had a chance to go up - then Babson hit 2 3's in a row to likely end the Clark hopes.  Announcer said - the Dam has Broken - good line when dealing with Beavers...............................
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on January 25, 2017, 09:52:24 PM
WPI89...clever post!...plus K
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on January 25, 2017, 09:56:44 PM
Bradley Jomard is back.  With a triple double (15 pts, 10 ast, 17 reb), no less.  The second triple double in MIT history (Danny Kanamori had 12/12/10 against Springfield in 2002).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 16, 2017, 08:57:47 AM
Can anyone confirm tie-breakers.  I assume if WPI and Springfield both win on Saturday and tie for the 3rd spot - Springfield would get the 3 spot based on 2-0 during the season?

In which case WPI would play the 4-5 "play-in" game at home (likely against Wheaton) next week before traveling to Babson with a win?

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on February 16, 2017, 08:05:58 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 16, 2017, 08:57:47 AM
Can anyone confirm tie-breakers.  I assume if WPI and Springfield both win on Saturday and tie for the 3rd spot - Springfield would get the 3 spot based on 2-0 during the season?

In which case WPI would play the 4-5 "play-in" game at home (likely against Wheaton) next week before traveling to Babson with a win?

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/599/32789551252_a1e0708a56_b.jpg)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 17, 2017, 09:40:59 AM
Thanks Allstar!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on February 19, 2017, 02:14:38 AM
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/371/32859814801_f47d02101b_h.jpg)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on February 24, 2017, 02:00:54 AM
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/33084081035_e8535cd288_h.jpg)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on February 26, 2017, 01:00:15 AM
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2457/33079208036_5277cb1aed_h.jpg)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on February 27, 2017, 07:33:01 AM
Any NEWMAC fans know the deal with Babson's injuries?  Babson was a thin team to begin with and Jacks has missed two straight games and Bohmiller four.  If Babson is down two of their top five, hard to see them making it to Salem ... would be a shame for such a senior-heavy team to get derailed by injuries (yet again, as Flannery's injury last year was obviously a killer). 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on February 27, 2017, 09:05:55 AM
Game photos from the NEWMAC final: https://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Babson-Mens-Basketball-Feb-26-2017
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: T990 on February 27, 2017, 11:57:27 AM
Thanks for the photos.  That makes 5 NEWMAC championships in the last 9 seasons for MIT - quite impressive, and the roster only has 1 senior and 1 junior. Must have been sweet to beat the #1 team in the country on their home floor. These guys tend to do well on their "final exams".   ;)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on February 27, 2017, 04:14:58 PM
Quote from: T990 on February 27, 2017, 11:57:27 AM
Thanks for the photos.  That makes 5 NEWMAC championships in the last 9 seasons for MIT - quite impressive, and the roster only has 1 senior and 1 junior. Must have been sweet to beat the #1 team in the country on their home floor. These guys tend to do well on their "final exams".   ;)

Was it ever!  After two heartbreakers this season already, it was really incredible to hold on at the end against a team as good as Babson is.  Even without Bohmiller and Jacks, they have a lot of weapons and we had to go to our limit.  I was definitely scared watching Flannery with the ball, driving in with what was it, 15 seconds left against our guys with 4 fouls, but Tim Butala got a piece of it without contact.  Then he sank those 4 FT's cool as can be.  I have never seen a team with more heart game in and game out than this year's MIT Engineers.  Just a terrific group.  And their parents, can't say enough good things about them either.  They fly in from Utah and Paris and everywhere in between -- week after week in some cases -- to watch their sons play.

I sprained my ankle slightly a few weeks ago, just enough so I don't have full mobility but not enough that I can't do stuff, and I think I pushed it just a bit too hard yesterday.  What happens when you get excited.

I have to say that aside from the lighting during the day (with the sunlight pouring in over the track above the gym -- a real headache for me shooting it, particularly in the first half), Babson is a terrific place to play.  I have to give their team, their whole operation, and their fans, a lot of credit, and they have a fabulous facility.  It was the noisiest place I've been since Salem in 2012, and the fans were raucous without crossing the line, and I never felt unwelcome in my MIT T-shirt.  A real big game atmosphere.

And with the bracket set, I don't have to root against Babson until hopefully March 18!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: T990 on February 27, 2017, 05:09:31 PM
I'd say when Comenale made that 3 pointer with 1.1 seconds left last week, it was the loudest I've ever heard at a D3 game.  Yes it was fitting that the talented  senior Tim Butala closed out the win at the line.  So now MIT gets shipped out to Selinsgrove; Babson does get to host this weekend.

http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/basketball-men/d3
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 11, 2017, 10:02:25 PM
Congratulations to Babson on their Final Four berth!  Do the NEWMAC proud!

I said it 2 years ago and I'll say it again: Babson fans, if there is any possible way you can arrange the trip to Salem, *do so*.  It's an experience you won't forget, and you never know whether and when you'll have the opportunity again.  I went down there in 2012 when MIT was in the Final Four, and even though we lost our semifinal it was a very worthwhile trip and a great time watching our Engineers on the big stage.

Good luck!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on March 17, 2017, 06:03:03 PM
Babson trailed Whitman 45-20 at one point in the first half, but now only trails 51-47 at halftime in the first national semifinal in Salem, VA.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on March 17, 2017, 06:54:26 PM
Final: Babson 91, Whitman 85.  The Beavers trailed 45-20 in the first half, but outscored the Blues 71-40 the rest of the way.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 17, 2017, 09:55:35 PM
Good luck to Babson against Augustana tomorrow!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 18, 2017, 08:06:37 PM
Congratulations to Babson on their national championship!  Terrifc game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on March 18, 2017, 08:40:02 PM
Congrats to Babson!  Way to represent New England.  And what a career for Flannery. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: falcons2010 on March 18, 2017, 08:50:18 PM
Congrats to Babson; the players, coaches, administrators, families, alumni, and friends. Great season!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 19, 2017, 08:17:02 AM
Way to go Beavers!  GReat fro Babson.  Great for NEWMAC. CONGRATS TO ALL INVOLVED. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: ECSUalum on March 19, 2017, 09:08:53 AM
Great Job and Congrats to Babson!  Also congrats to Augustana for a great game which could have gone either way!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on March 20, 2017, 11:14:43 AM
Congrats to Babsons!  J. Flannery is a senior...right? :).  Great bunch of seniors and I have to admit I am glad they will graduate with a title won and found memories on the hardwood.
Saw a tweet on the Amherst website....from the NE Patriots congratulating Babson and Amherst for winning National BB titles!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: magicman on March 20, 2017, 10:20:49 PM
Congatulations to Babson on their National Championship and to Joey Flannery on his Player of the Year award. Both the team and Joey earned those well deserved honors.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 22, 2017, 08:54:12 AM
AMH63 - yes Flannery is a senior.  Cool about the Pats tweeting about D3 hoops!

Anybody know if there is video of the block to end it anywhere?  I did not get to watch the final and would love to see that last sequence.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 22, 2017, 12:54:42 PM
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF8vlz52pKI around the 3 minute mark, and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktOUUPJQl8I

Very impressive effort by Flannery, the sort of thing a National Player of the Year does.  He missed the front end of his 1-1 long, with a long rebound.  He didn't wait, started back down the court (see the second video).  Absolutely perfect timing on the block.  Saw the interview with him afterwards; he had noted the Augustana player's propensity to drive right, so he got himself in position for the play.

I wish him well on his pro career and in coaching afterwards.  I'm not unhappy that we finally don't have to face him (and Nelsen, and Rice, and the rest of Babson's senor class) next season, though!

The Pats noticed that Babson won after being down by 25 against Whitman.  Something about being down 25 points and coming back this year in Massachusetts, it seems.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 22, 2017, 01:19:22 PM
+1 RLK - watched the whole 5 minutes - well worth it - thanks for sharing!!!!!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 11, 2017, 07:59:27 AM
...AAAAAND THEY'RE OFF!

Preseason exhibition last night, MIT at Harvard.  Harvard escaped with a 73-64 win, but it was a 4-point game with 1:31 left.  We never led, but we never trailed by more than 10 or let Harvard go on one of its trademark 10-minute runs.  We were twice within 2 with the ball with about 10 minutes left, but couldn't convert either possession.  This game counts for Harvard, BTW (D1 season starts earlier than D3).

Harvard's the pre-season Ivy League favorite.  Big and athletic, more so than I remember in the past.  The opening jump, 6'7" vs. maybe 6'11" (or so it looked, at any rate).  They have an NBA prospect by the name of Seth Towns who was expected to go to Ohio State or Michigan (funny pair of choices), but he opted for Harvard; seems he's studying computer science, wants to play for the NBA and then work in high tech.  Good for him.  Looked scary for us, just how big and quick they are.  But a funny thing happened.  We settled down, contested *everything*, took it to the rim or otherwise, and Harvard had everything they could handle.  Illustrative of this was when the smallest guy on the court, Nacho Nwana, timed it perfectly and ripped a rebound right out of Towns's hands.  Nacho could be out there against LeBron and he'd make the King pay for everything.  He's actually very bright and just all around a really nice guy (the apple didn't fall far from the tree; I've met his parents several times), but I think there's a little gap in his vocabulary: he doesn't know the word "fear".  The rest of the usual suspects, and some new ones, played their hearts out.

I thought last year's game, when we were within 10 with 5 minutes to go, was a good one.  This took it to a whole other level.  A few more things and Harvard might have woken up 0-1.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 11, 2017, 03:21:21 PM

I watched most of the MIT-Harvard matchup.  The defense wasn't quite there yet, but MIT's offense seemed to be clicking better than you'd expect November 10th.  I thought they looked strong and Jomard was great - other guys coming up big, too.  My questions still are about the bench play and when they'll get the defense in line.  Harvard was bigger and quicker, but they were still getting lanes they shouldn't've been allowed.

Good exhibition performance, though.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on November 15, 2017, 12:24:00 AM
It is indeed great that one can watch Clark play Worcester State to open up the season right now; unfortunately, the sound is not turned on the Boxcast video feed from Worcester, MA, and no one is updating the live stats.  It is very hard to follow a game this way.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: hopefan on November 15, 2017, 12:54:02 AM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 15, 2017, 12:24:00 AM
It is indeed great that one can watch Clark play Worcester State to open up the season right now; unfortunately, the sound is not turned on the Boxcast video feed from Worcester, MA, and no one is updating the live stats.  It is very hard to follow a game this way.
Thank goodness the actual scoreboard is usually in camera range...
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 17, 2017, 09:33:24 PM
WPI cruises. Lots and lots of freshman minutes. That's exciting!  Great test against Eastern tomorrow night!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on November 18, 2017, 11:10:37 AM
Believe the MIT vs. Harvard game was Not an Exhibition game...as someone noted on the Nescac board.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 18, 2017, 12:33:09 PM
Quote from: amh63 on November 18, 2017, 11:10:37 AM
Believe the MIT vs. Harvard game was Not an Exhibition game...as someone noted on the Nescac board.

Not for Harvard.  It was a real game for them, I believe.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: JustAFan on November 18, 2017, 12:36:32 PM
The WPI roster has 10 freshman, 3 of whom started last night  (including both bigs), and the Engineeers' top 3 scorers last night were freshman. They will get a much better test today vs. Eastern CT.  But one of WPI's better big men last year, 6-8 junior James Loring, is not listed on this year's roster. Did he transfer?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 19, 2017, 10:29:01 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 18, 2017, 12:33:09 PM
Quote from: amh63 on November 18, 2017, 11:10:37 AM
Believe the MIT vs. Harvard game was Not an Exhibition game...as someone noted on the Nescac board.

Not for Harvard.  It was a real game for them, I believe.

Correct... D1 doesn't allow them to have exhibitions once the season starts, I don't believe. The bigger point is they have to fill in a lot more games into their schedules, so if allowed exhibitions are rare as a result.

The game for MIT is an exhibition which is allowed for lower division schools. Ryan knows this, but... Division III teams are allowed two exhibition games in the preseason, but can use any of them during the regular season outside of their 25-game schedule. If they want more exhibitions, they can only play them during the regular season (only two are allowed in the preseason) AND they must take them away from their regular season schedule of 25-games.

Just thought some would want to know...
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 21, 2017, 10:47:21 AM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 19, 2017, 10:29:01 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 18, 2017, 12:33:09 PM
Quote from: amh63 on November 18, 2017, 11:10:37 AM
Believe the MIT vs. Harvard game was Not an Exhibition game...as someone noted on the Nescac board.

Not for Harvard.  It was a real game for them, I believe.

Correct... D1 doesn't allow them to have exhibitions once the season starts, I don't believe. The bigger point is they have to fill in a lot more games into their schedules, so if allowed exhibitions are rare as a result.

The game for MIT is an exhibition which is allowed for lower division schools. Ryan knows this, but... Division III teams are allowed two exhibition games in the preseason, but can use any of them during the regular season outside of their 25-game schedule. If they want more exhibitions, they can only play them during the regular season (only two are allowed in the preseason) AND they must take them away from their regular season schedule of 25-games.

Just thought some would want to know...

Last year our game against them was an exhibition for both teams, on November 3.  IIRC that was because Harvard had a big international trip planned, so the game needed to be pushed up a week.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 21, 2017, 02:14:20 PM
That is an example of where it would be an exhibition game for Harvard as well since it is before their regular season officially starts.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 07, 2017, 10:41:05 PM
Congrats boys!  Great win.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on December 17, 2017, 04:31:25 PM
The basketball season always experiences a lull a month after starting the season. It is one of just a few sports that experiences the ups and downs of scheduling. With finals complete and students headed home for the holidays, teams are left to either take a very long stretch of time off as well or find a way to stay active.

Sunday night on Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com), Dave chats with a few coaches whose programs are at a cross-roads: finding a way to keep playing or take a break after squeezing in nearly half the season in the opening four weeks. Dave will also take a look at the Top 25 and wonder if things have settled down especially on the men's side.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch the show LIVE starting at 7pm ET right here: http://bit.ly/2CM1ExW

You can also send your questions to the show and have them featured on the Hoopsville Mailbag segment. Email them to hoopsville@d3hoops.com.

Guests include (in order of appearance):
- Keri Carollo, No. 13 UW-Whitewater women's coach
- Matt Hunter, York (Pa.) men's coach
- Larry Anderson, No. 22 MIT men's coach
- Ryan Scott, D3hoops.com Around the Nation columnist

You can also tune into the podcast(s) after the show has aired:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 02, 2018, 11:59:10 AM

I know there's no one posting here anymore - wondering if AJ Jurko is coming back for MIT or if the injury ended his season?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on January 04, 2018, 06:47:34 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 02, 2018, 11:59:10 AM

I know there's no one posting here anymore - wondering if AJ Jurko is coming back for MIT or if the injury ended his season?

Started yesterday against WPI and scored 10 points.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 11, 2018, 05:08:04 PM
So, a little over halfway through the regular season, where do things stand? 

MIT is the clear class of the conference but lately they've been using a 7 man rotation.  Hey it's a very GOOD 7,  but that may not be enough.  Not sure what happened to Nwana.

My school is clearly down, and I DO NOT WANT TO MAKE EXCUSES, but they have been missing 3 starters since the end of November (Lowry, Dolan, Hasbargen).  Lowry, is injured - I'm assuming the same is true for the others.  Even when they were at full strength and they were rolling early in the season I saw cause for concern.  Their paint defense has been really bad.  On a bright note they've found something in new starter - freshman Andrew Jaworski (15.0 since being inserted) who might have a purer shot than Comenale.

The conference as a whole is better balanced than it has been the last 5 years.  Nice to see Coast Guard and Emerson turning things around.

Still, it looks like we'll see only 2 bids in March (MIT and Springfield) and even that is going to require Springfield to step on the gas.

Wishing well for all the NEWMAC teams!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on January 12, 2018, 08:55:26 AM
I've never really understood the phrase, "You're only as good as your last guy..."

7 is plenty! Stevens Point's 2015 National Championship team basically played with 6 guys.

http://static.uwsp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/mbball/2014-15/teamcume.htm
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 12, 2018, 04:47:12 PM
Quote from: Greek Tragedy on January 12, 2018, 08:55:26 AM
I've never really understood the phrase, "You're only as good as your last guy..."

7 is plenty! Stevens Point's 2015 National Championship team basically played with 6 guys.

http://static.uwsp.sidearmsports.com/custompages/mbball/2014-15/teamcume.htm

MIT made a Final Four with literally six guys.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Smitty Oom on January 17, 2018, 09:23:53 PM
Big win for Springfield today against MIT!

I also think it is fine to only play 6-8 guys. If they are in good enough shape, why take out your best players? Obviously more susceptible to injuries/foul trouble but that is something i would be willing to gamble with.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 18, 2018, 07:48:22 AM
Quote from: Smitty Oom on January 17, 2018, 09:23:53 PM
Big win for Springfield today against MIT!

I also think it is fine to only play 6-8 guys. If they are in good enough shape, why take out your best players? Obviously more susceptible to injuries/foul trouble but that is something i would be willing to gamble with.

Ross with another monster game at both ends.  Springfield is coming on (a little later than I expected).  Zero bench points for MIT.
It's now a 3-way tie at the top.  Things will sort out over the next 10-11 days when MIT plays Babson twice.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 31, 2018, 08:43:14 PM
Bradley Jomard (MIT) landed awkwardly after making a layup early in the first half of the Babson game.  Looked like an ankle (obviously just a guess).  I hate to see it, regardless of being a Babson fan.  He did not return as we head to halftime.  He looked disconsolate behind the bench.
Just my opinion ... with Jomard MIT is potentially the last New England team standing in March.  Without him, the NEWMAC becomes a 3 team race with Springfield and Babson.
If Babson gets Lowry back to run the offense they may yet make some noise.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 31, 2018, 08:46:13 PM
Update:  play-by-play guy from MIT reported that Jomard was carried out on a stretcher. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Smitty Oom on January 31, 2018, 10:27:05 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on January 31, 2018, 08:46:13 PM
Update:  play-by-play guy from MIT reported that Jomard was carried out on a stretcher.

Wow, saw he played single digit minutes to come here and see what happened this is worst case scenario. Engineers definitely not as good without him. Good win for Babo nonetheless.

Springfield who was struggling earlier in the season is now clicking on all cylinders.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on February 17, 2018, 08:59:47 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/WdkMAZp.png)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 21, 2018, 02:40:25 PM
The NCAA men's basketball regional advisory committees released their third set of rankings, and as expected, the Atlantic Region was among those getting shuffled. Here's the full list: http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2018/02/men-regional-rankings-third

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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 24, 2018, 02:55:56 PM
WPI bests Springfield in OT. Great win for the young Enginerrs. Sooo many big shots. Congrats boys. One more tomorrow sure would be fun!!!!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on February 25, 2018, 12:15:56 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/zp1ynp3.png)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 25, 2018, 03:03:48 PM
Congrats to MIT!  Back-to-back NEWMAC Champions.

WPI made a good postseason run.  They've got a few good looking freshman.  It will be interesting to see how they fill out next season with the loss of key seniors.

Jurko did an excellent job running the offense for MIT in the absence of Jomard, both in the semifinal and final.

As it should be, the NEWMAC's best 2 teams are headed for the postseason.  Both are capable of Sweet 16 berths.  Matchups and where they go will have a lot do say about their chances.

I like Springfield to go deeper than MIT, but if MIT gets a 2nd half lead they are tough to come back on.

Ross and Jurko - time to lead your teams and make the NEWMAC proud!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 25, 2018, 03:12:19 PM
Agree Babo. Good effort by the young crimson Enginerrs. Many pool c candidates with a big sigh of relief!  Good luck to mit and i assume Springfield. Maybe a couple of second round NESCAC games?

Good luck to all rooting for C bids tomorrow.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 25, 2018, 10:14:50 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 25, 2018, 03:12:19 PM
Agree Babo. Good effort by the young crimson Enginerrs. Many pool c candidates with a big sigh of relief!  Good luck to mit and i assume Springfield. Maybe a couple of second round NESCAC games?

Good luck to all rooting for C bids tomorrow.

Not sure Springfield is in - we didn't put them in the mock, although they certainly do have a chance to make it.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on February 26, 2018, 12:46:55 AM
Final tournament results
(https://i.imgur.com/gZ7AvCp.png)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 26, 2018, 01:31:49 PM
Congrats Pride!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 26, 2018, 04:53:45 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 25, 2018, 10:14:50 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 25, 2018, 03:12:19 PM
Agree Babo. Good effort by the young crimson Enginerrs. Many pool c candidates with a big sigh of relief!  Good luck to mit and i assume Springfield. Maybe a couple of second round NESCAC games?

Good luck to all rooting for C bids tomorrow.

Not sure Springfield is in - we didn't put them in the mock, although they certainly do have a chance to make it.

I jumped the gun a bit to be sure, but without diminishing teams that missed the cut I think the committee got it right with Springfield.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 26, 2018, 04:57:09 PM
It's Jake Ross Time!

Best player in New England imo.

And as Keith Jackson would say ... he's only a soph-o-more!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 26, 2018, 05:00:35 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 26, 2018, 04:57:09 PM
It's Jake Ross Time!

Best player in New England imo.

And as Keith Jackson would say ... he's only a soph-o-more!

Well, he might be next year.  I'm a little partial to Jaqhawn Walters right now - and maybe Tarchee Brown.  They're both graduating, though.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 26, 2018, 05:15:39 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 26, 2018, 05:00:35 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 26, 2018, 04:57:09 PM
It's Jake Ross Time!

Best player in New England imo.

And as Keith Jackson would say ... he's only a soph-o-more!

Well, he might be next year.  I'm a little partial to Jaqhawn Walters right now - and maybe Tarchee Brown.  They're both graduating, though.

Both very good players.  Just my opinion ... I think Walters production falls off in most games they lose. 
There's plenty of room on the 1st team All-Northeast for others.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Smitty Oom on February 26, 2018, 06:08:45 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 26, 2018, 05:00:35 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 26, 2018, 04:57:09 PM
It's Jake Ross Time!

Best player in New England imo.

And as Keith Jackson would say ... he's only a soph-o-more!

Well, he might be next year.  I'm a little partial to Jaqhawn Walters right now - and maybe Tarchee Brown.  They're both graduating, though.

Great players. I hope we get to see both of these guys in Salem for the all star game, if Eastern CT gets knocked out by then.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 02, 2018, 08:19:01 PM
Both NEWMAC teams advance!

MIT took control early and was never threatened.  Brockport played a 2-3 zone and the MIT deliberate offense took a lot of time on each possession early on.
Jurko was very good running the point.  He's not the triple-threat in the lane that Jomard is (few are), but if you can't pressure him above the arc you're in for a long night. 

Springfield had its hands full with Albright and had to cross fingers twice in the final seconds on 3-point misses.  I question Springfield's strategy up 1 with .9 on the clock, shooting FTs in the bonus.  He misses the front end, and makes the second.  If you lose you will lose on a 3 pointer, regardless of whether you make 1 FT.  So, why not bounce it off the front of the rim instead of letting them set up an inbounds pass?
Ross had a good stat line but he had one of his sloppy TO games.  Needs to clean that up.
McNulty had key 3-pointers down the stretch.  Both teams seemed anxious for postgame dinner and used a 15 second shot clock in the second half.

The road gets much tougher in round 2 for both teams.  If chalk prevails they'll be on host team's floors, and I have both Hopkins and Cabrini in my Final Four.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 03, 2018, 07:08:31 AM
Thanks for the great recaps Babo. Congrats NEWMAC. good luck to both with tough matchups.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 03, 2018, 10:19:25 PM
Springfield-Cabrini was played before a "crowd" of friends and family.

Cabrini opened up in a 2-3 zone and after Springfield started hitting and hitting from long-range they switched to man-to-man.  By that time Springfield had sustained double-digit leads for most of the half.  Cabrini is quicker than any team Spr. Has played all year and the pressure on defense started to disrupt the Pride and cause many turnovers.
In the 2nd half Cabrini started full-court pressure on every dead ball, and it largely worked.  Springfield broke the press several times, but they never had it solved.  A 15 point lead was reduced to a single possession several times down the stretch.
Key point - up 2, around 2 minutes left McNulty gets fouled on a 3 pt. attempt and drains all 3 fts.

McNulty has been on fire from 3 pt. range in the postseason and a guy named Ross was also 5 for 5.
Post was saddled with early foul trouble.

Ross:  31 and 9.  Enough said.

Springfield, a team that didn't receive a single point in the last top-25 rankings is now in the Sweet 16.  (I'm not criticizing the poll, but I bet if the rankings were increased to top-30 they still wouldn't have received a vote).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 03, 2018, 10:44:42 PM
MIT-Hopkins (I only saw the 2nd half)

Two very evenly matched teams.  Hopkins is what, 2nd in the nation in defense?  They disrupted the MIT pick and pop game.  It came down to a tie game, MIT ball with 1:30 left.  Jurko called for a clear out, broke down his man, drove the left of the key, stopped on a dime and swished a 10 footer.  After a JHU miss Jurko again drove left, got the ball knocked loose, but it found Roberts for a lay-in (very fortunate).  57-53 at that point with about 30 seconds left.  Another JHU miss, and that was game.

So, 2 NEWMAC teams made the tournament, they both advanced to the Sweet 16, and they both had to beat higher ranked teams hosting the pods.  Not too shabby.
Ross and Jurko have been immense (and the supporting casts have been outstanding).

I believe this sets up 2 NEWMAC-NESCAC games in the next round, but I have no idea on hosting.  Should be fun.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 04, 2018, 08:57:02 AM
Way to go Springfield and MIT!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 04, 2018, 11:16:49 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 03, 2018, 10:44:42 PM
MIT-Hopkins (I only saw the 2nd half)

Two very evenly matched teams.  Hopkins is what, 2nd in the nation in defense?  They disrupted the MIT pick and pop game.  It came down to a tie game, MIT ball with 1:30 left.  Jurko called for a clear out, broke down his man, drove the left of the key, stopped on a dime and swished a 10 footer.  After a JHU miss Jurko again drove left, got the ball knocked loose, but it found Roberts for a lay-in (very fortunate).  57-53 at that point with about 30 seconds left.  Another JHU miss, and that was game.

So, 2 NEWMAC teams made the tournament, they both advanced to the Sweet 16, and they both had to beat higher ranked teams hosting the pods.  Not too shabby.
Ross and Jurko have been immense (and the supporting casts have been outstanding).

I believe this sets up 2 NEWMAC-NESCAC games in the next round, but I have no idea on hosting.  Should be fun.

Yep, last four northeast region teams standing play Friday and last two Saturday.  Hosting announced later today.  The MIT-Hopkins ending was classic NEWMAC grind it out.  Oh wait, Hopkins isn't in NEWMAC :-)

This is great for the conference -- national champs last year, and two Sweet 16 (so far!) teams this year.

Springfield hasn't been getting a lot of love on the national stage this season, but any of us from MIT could tell you otherwise.  Superb team.  They're not the Pride for nothing.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on March 04, 2018, 12:42:25 PM
Hosting sites for men has been picked....go to the updated brackets.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 04, 2018, 01:25:34 PM
Yep, MIT-Middlebury at Ramapo (Mahwah, NJ) and Springfield-Hamilton at Swarthmore.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 04, 2018, 06:00:01 PM
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With so much parity, especially in men's basketball, unexpected outcomes where to be ... expected. However, that doesn't prepare anyone for the number of upsets, who was upset, and how.

Sunday night on Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com), Dave tries to breakdown the opening weekend not only looking back at some of the crazier finishes, but also talking to programs who escaped the wrath. Programs who are dancing on to the second weekend and hoping to punch their ticket to a championship weekend.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCANABC Studio. You can watch Sunday episode LIVE starting at 7:00 p.m. ET here: http://bit.ly/2FbY54R.

If you have questions, be sure to email them to hoopsville@d3hoops.com or interact with the show via the social media avenues.

Guests in order of appearance (subject to change):
- Chuck McBreen, Ramapo men's coach
- Jason Zimmerman, No. 6 Emory men's coach
- Larry Anderson, MIT men's coach
- Bill Broderick, No. 18 Christopher Newport women's coach
- Laurie Kelly, Gustavus Adolphus women's coach
- Carla Berube, No. 8 Tufts women's coach

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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 04, 2018, 10:41:31 PM
Really liked the interview with Coach Anderson.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 05, 2018, 01:17:50 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 04, 2018, 10:41:31 PM
Really liked the interview with Coach Anderson.

Very classy guy.

It was interesting hearing his response to Dave's question about Jomard's status.   I never considered that he could come back this year and I'm still very skeptical, but the coach didn't rule out a return some point (if they keep winning).

Wishful thinking?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 06, 2018, 03:01:41 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 05, 2018, 01:17:50 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 04, 2018, 10:41:31 PM
Really liked the interview with Coach Anderson.

Very classy guy.

It was interesting hearing his response to Dave's question about Jomard's status.   I never considered that he could come back this year and I'm still very skeptical, but the coach didn't rule out a return some point (if they keep winning).

Wishful thinking?

Could happen... really could.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 06, 2018, 07:12:47 PM
Not positive yet whether it will pan out, but I'm hoping to make it down this weekend.

Fun fact about Jomard: his mother (Jennifer (Weideman) Jomard) played for UConn in the mid 1980's.  I found out about this from MIT women's basketball coach Sonia Raman's twitter feed, related to a reunion of members of the UConn teams from when Auriemma took over the reins in Storrs.  Good basketball pedigree, certainly.

The women had a terrific year also, winning the conference championship on three underdog victories before falling to #17 Marymount in the first round in a very close game.  Sonia Raman is one heck of a basketball coach herself.

That was a nice piece about MIT on d3hoops, by the way. I was at the Harvard game.  Harvard was bigger than I remember in recent years and extremely athletic.  The first few minutes it looked to me like they were going to run away with it, but a funny thing happened...the game was even up the rest of the way.  The usual pattern against Harvard has been that they get one big run on us, and even if it's fairly even after that, we're never able to close it up again.  That never happened this year.  My favorite moment was when Seth Towns went up to grab an offensive rebound and Nacho Nwana, who's nominally "only" giving up 7" to him, simply ripped it right out of his hands.  Nacho's really bright (and a very nice guy, as are his parents and brother), but there's a curious little gap in his vocabulary; I don't think he has ever learned the word fear.  I'm really happy for him that he won NEWMAC defensive player of the year.  He deserves that kind of recognition.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2018, 01:13:14 PM
rlk - not sure if you are a writer - but you should be if you not.  Well done.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on March 07, 2018, 03:33:03 PM
rik...are you still working in the Pittsburg area?  Getting around these days, it seems :).  Have not been back in the Cambridge area in several years. Still working in your field of study?   My last prof. friend at MIT just retired recently...full professor in Course II. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 07, 2018, 04:52:03 PM
Quote from: amh63 on March 07, 2018, 03:33:03 PM
rik...are you still working in the Pittsburg area?  Getting around these days, it seems :).  Have not been back in the Cambridge area in several years. Still working in your field of study?   My last prof. friend at MIT just retired recently...full professor in Course II.

Never been to Pittsburgh; I've stayed in the Boston area ever since graduating in 1987.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Hugenerd on March 08, 2018, 09:55:45 AM
Im the MIT alum on these boards in the Pittsburgh area! Hoping for a good showing this weekend by the Engineers.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 08, 2018, 12:21:01 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 07, 2018, 01:13:14 PM
rlk - not sure if you are a writer - but you should be if you not.  Well done.

Ryan Scott wrote the piece, which is indeed very well written.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 08, 2018, 05:13:45 PM
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The Sectional Round games are here. Soon 16 teams on both the men's and women's brackets will be whittled to eight ... and before we know it just four will remain.

Who will advance, who will fall short of the final weekend, and who is best prepared? Hard to answer all of those questions, but on Thursday's edition of Hoopsville Dave will have plenty of guests who will give us their insight on their programs.

Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com) is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch the show LIVE starting at 7pm ET right here:http://bit.ly/2FBCA0N.

If you have questions, be sure to email them to hoopsville@d3hoops.com or interact with the show via the social media avenues.

Guests include (in order of appearance):
- Bob Amsberry, No. 2 Wartburg women's coach
- Brian Morehouse, No. 4 Hope women's coach (WBCA Center Court)
- Glenn Robinson, Franklin & Marshall men's coach
- Charlie Brock, Springfield men's coach
- Eric Bridgeland, No. 1 Whitman men's coach
- Jim Scheible, No. 16 Rochester women's coach

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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 09, 2018, 07:31:05 PM
Absolutely incredible!!!!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Hugenerd on March 09, 2018, 09:07:20 PM
Great showing for NEWMAC! Glad to see Jomard back.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 09, 2018, 09:58:43 PM
What great games - a real credit to New England college basketball.

And, for the 3rd time in the last 4 years the Last Team Standing in New England resides in the NEWMAC!

This may be the 2nd best moment in conference history (2 teams in the Final 8) and the story isn't over yet!

Way to go Springfield and MIT!

I wonder how often the last team to make the field (Springfield) has ever advanced this far?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on March 09, 2018, 10:04:48 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 09, 2018, 09:58:43 PM
What great games - a real credit to New England college basketball.

And, for the 3rd time in the last 4 years the Last Team Standing in New England resides in the NEWMAC!

This may be the 2nd best moment in conference history (2 teams in the Final 8) and the story isn't over yet!

Way to go Springfield and MIT!

I wonder how often the last team to make the field (Springfield) has ever advanced this far?

Unfortunately that would be an impossible question to answer, since the NCAA never reveals the order of selection.  I'd agree that Springfield was probably the last team in, but the only folks who know for sure ain't gonna tell! :D
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 09, 2018, 10:59:18 PM
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on March 09, 2018, 10:04:48 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 09, 2018, 09:58:43 PM
What great games - a real credit to New England college basketball.

And, for the 3rd time in the last 4 years the Last Team Standing in New England resides in the NEWMAC!

This may be the 2nd best moment in conference history (2 teams in the Final 8) and the story isn't over yet!

Way to go Springfield and MIT!

I wonder how often the last team to make the field (Springfield) has ever advanced this far?

Unfortunately that would be an impossible question to answer, since the NCAA never reveals the order of selection.  I'd agree that Springfield was probably the last team in, but the only folks who know for sure ain't gonna tell! :D

They weren't the last team in... not from what I have been able to gather. Certainly not early or middle, but I think they went with a few rounds to spare at the very least.

I think the last one in could very well have been Brockport.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 09, 2018, 11:23:32 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 09, 2018, 09:58:43 PM
What great games - a real credit to New England college basketball.

And, for the 3rd time in the last 4 years the Last Team Standing in New England resides in the NEWMAC!

This may be the 2nd best moment in conference history (2 teams in the Final 8) and the story isn't over yet!

Way to go Springfield and MIT!

I wonder how often the last team to make the field (Springfield) has ever advanced this far?

The MIT-Middlebury game was fantastic, I'd have to say one of the best basketball games I've ever seen, between two very strong but different teams,  (I was at the MIT game, so that's the only one I can speak to personally).  Curiously, Middlebury's biggest lead was 12-5, and MIT's was 18-12.  The second half was never more than 5 points that I can remember.  Not a flashy NBA-style game, but great ball movement, shot selection, team defense, everything that's why we love the sport as we do.

Middlebury simply has a terrific team, big, athletic, and they don't make a lot of mistakes.  Reminded me more of Harvard than any of the other teams we've faced.  They didn't give our guys anything, it was scrapping for everything.  Their #10 (Folger, I believe) blocked 6 of our shots.

Two NEWMAC teams in the Elite 8 speaks to just how good the conference really is.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on March 09, 2018, 11:54:33 PM
Both NEWMAC teams advance:
(https://i.imgur.com/BGLrkYX.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/nksxZ2Q.png)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 10, 2018, 03:58:26 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 09, 2018, 10:59:18 PM
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on March 09, 2018, 10:04:48 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 09, 2018, 09:58:43 PM
What great games - a real credit to New England college basketball.

And, for the 3rd time in the last 4 years the Last Team Standing in New England resides in the NEWMAC!

This may be the 2nd best moment in conference history (2 teams in the Final 8) and the story isn't over yet!

Way to go Springfield and MIT!

I wonder how often the last team to make the field (Springfield) has ever advanced this far?

Unfortunately that would be an impossible question to answer, since the NCAA never reveals the order of selection.  I'd agree that Springfield was probably the last team in, but the only folks who know for sure ain't gonna tell! :D

They weren't the last team in... not from what I have been able to gather. Certainly not early or middle, but I think they went with a few rounds to spare at the very least.

I think the last one in could very well have been Brockport.

I defer to your better information ... but I'm a little confused too.

I listened to your podcast with Coach Brock and [working from memory here] you asked him something like "Were you a little nervous hearing 63 teams called before yours?".   Now I realize that the last team to be revealed might not be the absolute lowest, but wouldn't it be the equivalent of a 16 seed at the D1 level (i.e. one of the 4 lowest teams)?  I've never watched a D3 selection show, so maybe I'm mistaken.   I do realize that there is no 1 vs. 16 matchup like D1. 
And, yes, an AQ might be deemed a lower "seed" than a Pool C, but what really throws me is what I highlighted ... you really think they made it in "with a few rounds to spare?"  I watched the Hoopsville Mock Selection show where the 3 Wise Men [said with complete respect] had Springfield on the fence for 4 rounds or more before ultimately denying them access.   Yes, I know the Wise Men are not the actual selection committee, but the case for putting Springfield in with "a few rounds to spare" is pretty weak IMO, and I love the Pride.   Brockport I'll give you.  Who else?


Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 10, 2018, 04:19:09 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 09, 2018, 11:23:32 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 09, 2018, 09:58:43 PM
What great games - a real credit to New England college basketball.

And, for the 3rd time in the last 4 years the Last Team Standing in New England resides in the NEWMAC!

This may be the 2nd best moment in conference history (2 teams in the Final 8) and the story isn't over yet!

Way to go Springfield and MIT!

I wonder how often the last team to make the field (Springfield) has ever advanced this far?

The MIT-Middlebury game was fantastic, I'd have to say one of the best basketball games I've ever seen, between two very strong but different teams,  (I was at the MIT game, so that's the only one I can speak to personally).  Curiously, Middlebury's biggest lead was 12-5, and MIT's was 18-12.  The second half was never more than 5 points that I can remember.  Not a flashy NBA-style game, but great ball movement, shot selection, team defense, everything that's why we love the sport as we do.

Middlebury simply has a terrific team, big, athletic, and they don't make a lot of mistakes.  Reminded me more of Harvard than any of the other teams we've faced.  They didn't give our guys anything, it was scrapping for everything.  Their #10 (Folger, I believe) blocked 6 of our shots.

Two NEWMAC teams in the Elite 8 speaks to just how good the conference really is.

I watched most of the MIT game.   I'll admit to being very surprised to see Jomard come back this year.  He really only made a cameo appearance in the first half but played significant 2nd half minutes.  I thought it was smart for Coach Anderson to continue with Jurko running the point and let Jomard settle into the offense with less responsibility.  Jomard's rust was evident and understandable (a poor game offensively), but he did have some HUGE late-game defensive plays.   I'm not worried about him going forward.
This was a game where Forsythe and Hinkley shined and the entire team took care of the defensive boards in the 2nd half.  Folger was giving Roberts fits in the 1st half (where he got most or all his blocks) but the 2nd half was a different story.
MIT can play with anyone left in this tournament.   They are so well-coached, disciplined, and fundamentally sound that if they can, as Valvano used to say, get in a "position to win", everything will take care of itself.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 10, 2018, 05:16:39 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 10, 2018, 03:58:26 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 09, 2018, 10:59:18 PM
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on March 09, 2018, 10:04:48 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 09, 2018, 09:58:43 PM
What great games - a real credit to New England college basketball.

And, for the 3rd time in the last 4 years the Last Team Standing in New England resides in the NEWMAC!

This may be the 2nd best moment in conference history (2 teams in the Final 8) and the story isn't over yet!

Way to go Springfield and MIT!

I wonder how often the last team to make the field (Springfield) has ever advanced this far?

Unfortunately that would be an impossible question to answer, since the NCAA never reveals the order of selection.  I'd agree that Springfield was probably the last team in, but the only folks who know for sure ain't gonna tell! :D

They weren't the last team in... not from what I have been able to gather. Certainly not early or middle, but I think they went with a few rounds to spare at the very least.

I think the last one in could very well have been Brockport.

I defer to your better information ... but I'm a little confused too.

I listened to your podcast with Coach Brock and [working from memory here] you asked him something like "Were you a little nervous hearing 63 teams called before yours?".   Now I realize that the last team to be revealed might not be the absolute lowest, but wouldn't it be the equivalent of a 16 seed at the D1 level (i.e. one of the 4 lowest teams)?  I've never watched a D3 selection show, so maybe I'm mistaken.   I do realize that there is no 1 vs. 16 matchup like D1. 
And, yes, an AQ might be deemed a lower "seed" than a Pool C, but what really throws me is what I highlighted ... you really think they made it in "with a few rounds to spare?"  I watched the Hoopsville Mock Selection show where the 3 Wise Men [said with complete respect] had Springfield on the fence for 4 rounds or more before ultimately denying them access.   Yes, I know the Wise Men are not the actual selection committee, but the case for putting Springfield in with "a few rounds to spare" is pretty weak IMO, and I love the Pride.   Brockport I'll give you.  Who else?

Brock's reference is to the fact they were the very last team revealed in the bracket. Down in the lower right hand corner (the production crew actually did a nice job of this realizing that was an at-large choice and saving it rather than revealing four team block like usual). There is no true 1v16 in DIII and that lower right hand corner is actually a 2v15 slot in most D1 brackets.

So yeah... just because Springfield was the last one to be revealed in that last slot in the bracketing doesn't mean they were the last ones to be selected :).

I think Springfield was into the tournament with two, maybe three, rounds to go. Just my gut feeling per other conversations. Per our mock selections (as I was one of them) we had Amherst ahead of Springfield and took Amherst earlier in the process. I actually voted against having Amherst ranked ahead of Springfield; I wanted Springfield there earlier than Amherst who was ultimately left out. And we also had Springfield up against a different looking table in the final few rounds than the committee had (based on regional rankings we didn't have access to).

I think Brockport, LeTourneau, and Illinois Wesleyan may have been picked after Springfield. But I am going off the top of my head. My notes from that night are not easily available right now. LOL
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Hugenerd on March 10, 2018, 08:43:57 PM
Real tough way to lose for MIT. They call a foul on a rebound with 0.9 s left in a tie game with Ramapo in the bonus.

Congrats to MIT on the great sason.

Good luck to Springfield in the Final 4.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 10, 2018, 08:49:30 PM
Congrats Springfield!  Amazing!  MIT got a rough break. Amazing NEWMAC season. Hopefully the young Crimson Engineers join the fun again next year!!!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 10, 2018, 08:59:24 PM
I watched the MIT game.  (I will not gripe about foul calls, especially those with bad vantage points on video feeds).  Losing Forsythe in the 1st half certainly hurt MIT's rotation and depth, but that's basketball.

If you're feeling sad for the end of MIT's great season take consolation in the list of players they lose to graduation - not one.  They'll be back next year and what a senior class they have.

Speaking of bad video ... I still haven't seen how close Jomard came on the last-second prayer.

Congrats to Ramapo!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on March 10, 2018, 09:04:28 PM
Congratulations to Coach Brock and Springfield!  What a run...good luck in Salem!
(https://i.imgur.com/AcykNw6.png)

And also need to mention MIT...great season!
(https://i.imgur.com/yhunKIV.png)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 10, 2018, 09:16:32 PM
Springfield Pride!  Wow!

I have to watch a rerun as the MIT game had the same tip time.  Yeah, Springfield is for real.  Here they beat another host team that was dismantling all comers in the tournament. 

The NEWMAC should be very, very proud.  This makes 3 Final Four teams in the last 4 years.

As a Babson alum I sure hope Coach Brennan had a good recruiting season because the 18-19 schedule looks tougher every day.

Keep it going Springfield ... make it back-to-back NEWMAC National Champions!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Smitty Oom on March 10, 2018, 09:34:02 PM
Jake Ross or Joey Flannery. Who will end up having a better career?

Both amazing NEWMAC players, curious to see what you all think?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 10, 2018, 11:03:07 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 10, 2018, 08:59:24 PM
I watched the MIT game.  (I will not gripe about foul calls, especially those with bad vantage points on video feeds).  Losing Forsythe in the 1st half certainly hurt MIT's rotation and depth, but that's basketball.

If you're feeling sad for the end of MIT's great season take consolation in the list of players they lose to graduation - not one.  They'll be back next year and what a senior class they have.

Speaking of bad video ... I still haven't seen how close Jomard came on the last-second prayer.

Congrats to Ramapo!

Don't get me started... weekends like this makes me lose hair with a combo of pulling it out and scratching my head wondering why I am not hired more to consult/train.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: T990 on March 11, 2018, 11:47:44 AM
Can anyone tell me where a video replay is available for the MIT-Ramapo game?  Thanks.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: T990 on March 11, 2018, 11:50:59 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 10, 2018, 08:43:57 PM
Real tough way to lose for MIT. They call a foul on a rebound with 0.9 s left in a tie game with Ramapo in the bonus.

I don't believe I have ever seen a non-shooting foul call with 0.9 sec left in a game before.  Ever.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: TheOsprey on March 11, 2018, 12:01:33 PM
I saw the game and Moseley was driving towards the basket while three MIT players converged on him and someone got called for the foul before he got to the hoop.

As far as the last second shot, the pass was just over the half court and the MIT player did not get control of the ball totally and it fell to the court as time expired.  A shot was never attempted.

MIT should certainly be a favorite for the final four next year.  If my nephew gets into the school, I will certainly be a HUGE fan of them for the next four years. ;)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2018, 01:01:44 PM
Quote from: T990 on March 11, 2018, 11:47:44 AM
Can anyone tell me where a video replay is available for the MIT-Ramapo game?  Thanks.

It may not be available. NCAA/Turner has weird rules about this. Some schools are are ignoring them willingly or unknowingly. You might find it on Ramapo's website, but I am not positive.

Quote from: T990 on March 11, 2018, 11:50:59 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 10, 2018, 08:43:57 PM
Real tough way to lose for MIT. They call a foul on a rebound with 0.9 s left in a tie game with Ramapo in the bonus.

I don't believe I have ever seen a non-shooting foul call with 0.9 sec left in a game before.  Ever.

To be fair, it was a shooting foul call. Mosely grabbed the rebound and knowing time was expiring threw up a prayer to try and beat the clock. Not unexpected and certainly not with the mentality of drawing a shooting foul call. From what I could see, it looked like he was being pushed out of bounds. If people want calls during the game, they have to also expect and see them at the end of games. I have seen plenty of calls in the final seconds. I applaud officials who call them because they don't alter how they call a game based on the clock.

BTW - you can tell it was a shooting foul because Mosely took two FTs and the first one no one contested (if my memory is right). MIT had not committed enough fouls for a double-bonus.

Quote from: TheOsprey on March 11, 2018, 12:01:33 PM
I saw the game and Moseley was driving towards the basket while three MIT players converged on him and someone got called for the foul before he got to the hoop.

As far as the last second shot, the pass was just over the half court and the MIT player did not get control of the ball totally and it fell to the court as time expired.  A shot was never attempted.

MIT should certainly be a favorite for the final four next year.  If my nephew gets into the school, I will certainly be a HUGE fan of them for the next four years. ;)

Moseley was driving? Bonacum took the final shot. Did I miss the pass to Bonacum? I was monitoring many games and was watching that, but maybe I misremembered how it ended. The foul was called on Bonacum's missed shot, Moseley getting the rebound and putting up a prayer from the baseline.

MIT's player seemed to get the ball clean and take the shot before the buzzer expired... but the camera operator turned into a fan and forgot to do their job, so hard to truly say what happened or how close the shot came. There was no video review available (something that needs to change in this weekend of the tournament IMO), so it would have been on the refs shoulders to call that without assistance (outside of the fourth official at the table).

MIT will certainly be a favorite for something... I think many schools have proven over time that just because you get back loaded doesn't mean a final four is even close to guaranteed. Actually... last time MIT made the final four, they returned the entire squad and did not have the same season (thanks to lingering injuries).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: TheOsprey on March 11, 2018, 01:20:17 PM
Your right, Dave.  I should have said I was watching the feed.  And I do remember your version, it was difficult to see the foul from the feed, but it looked like Moseley was taking it to the hoop and I saw the ball coming out as he was going up.

I still believed that the MIT player fumbled the inbound pass or it was partially deflected.  If he threw it up, time should have expired before he got it off.  I'm going to try to find the replay.

I found a short clip(9 sec.)on APP.--  Asbury Park Press, however, it does not show the last shot attempt.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2018, 02:41:19 PM
Quote from: TheOsprey on March 11, 2018, 01:20:17 PM
Your right, Dave.  I should have said I was watching the feed.  And I do remember your version, it was difficult to see the foul from the feed, but it looked like Moseley was taking it to the hoop and I saw the ball coming out as he was going up.

I still believed that the MIT player fumbled the inbound pass or it was partially deflected.  If he threw it up, time should have expired before he got it off.  I'm going to try to find the replay.

I found a short clip(9 sec.)on APP.--  Asbury Park Press, however, it does not show the last shot attempt.

By rule, if no one touched the ball until the shooter touched it and it was clean, time would not have expired by the time he shot it.

If it was touched prior or fumbled, yeah I suspect time would have expired. I would have to watch the video again to confirm.

There were a couple of mis-allowed, it appears, buzzer beaters on the women's side this weekend. Didn't see any problems on the men's side this weekend.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 11, 2018, 10:39:46 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2018, 01:01:44 PM
MIT will certainly be a favorite for something... I think many schools have proven over time that just because you get back loaded doesn't mean a final four is even close to guaranteed. Actually... last time MIT made the final four, they returned the entire squad and did not have the same season (thanks to lingering injuries).

IIRC Noel Hollingsworth and Jamie Karraker were playing with chronic stress injuries in their feet and had surgery in the offseason to fix them.  Unfortunately, neither was ever able to return.  Billy Bender also graduated, so in essence, MIT returned only two starters (Mitch Kates and Will Tashman).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2018, 11:08:16 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 11, 2018, 10:39:46 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2018, 01:01:44 PM
MIT will certainly be a favorite for something... I think many schools have proven over time that just because you get back loaded doesn't mean a final four is even close to guaranteed. Actually... last time MIT made the final four, they returned the entire squad and did not have the same season (thanks to lingering injuries).

IIRC Noel Hollingsworth and Jamie Karraker were playing with chronic stress injuries in their feet and had surgery in the offseason to fix them.  Unfortunately, neither was ever able to return.  Billy Bender also graduated, so in essence, MIT returned only two starters (Mitch Kates and Will Tashman).

They were both injured, but I do not remember them having the same injury in the feet. I think one had that and the other had something going on with his knee? Or at least further up the leg. But yes, they were unable to recover basically from the injuries (which they played on the entire previous season) and subsequent surgeries.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 12, 2018, 08:39:52 AM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2018, 11:08:16 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 11, 2018, 10:39:46 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2018, 01:01:44 PM
MIT will certainly be a favorite for something... I think many schools have proven over time that just because you get back loaded doesn't mean a final four is even close to guaranteed. Actually... last time MIT made the final four, they returned the entire squad and did not have the same season (thanks to lingering injuries).

IIRC Noel Hollingsworth and Jamie Karraker were playing with chronic stress injuries in their feet and had surgery in the offseason to fix them.  Unfortunately, neither was ever able to return.  Billy Bender also graduated, so in essence, MIT returned only two starters (Mitch Kates and Will Tashman).

They were both injured, but I do not remember them having the same injury in the feet. I think one had that and the other had something going on with his knee? Or at least further up the leg. But yes, they were unable to recover basically from the injuries (which they played on the entire previous season) and subsequent surgeries.

I thought they were both foot-related (although I could be wrong), and both chronic issues, although not the same.  I don't remember the exact details, though, but the relevant effect was that neither was ever able to suit up in 2012-2013.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on March 12, 2018, 10:23:58 AM
Congratulations to Springfield on making the Final Four!  From a Williams fan perspective, the Pride have long been a tough rival of Williams and have had many talented teams, but I don't think anyone saw this coming.  Especially early in the season when Springfield got beaten badly in three straight games vs. NESCAC squads (including Williams).  I do feel like something was bothering Ross in those games, however -- he just didn't seem like his usually-unstoppable, hyper-athletic self.  Springfield obviously figured some things out as the year went along.  They will be a big underdog at Salem but this year, it's clear that anything is possible, especially when they likely have the best remaining individual player in the tourney.  It's also cool that the birthplace of basketball is finally represented at a Final Four!

As for Ross vs. Flannery, that's a tough call.  I thought Ross was better as an underclassman than Flannery but Flannery made massive strides in his game over his four years at Babson.  Ross while a tiny bit shorter is stronger, tougher on the inside, and more athletic than Flannery in my view.  I believe Ross has more upside as a player, actually, but he's not QUITE yet at the ridiculous level Flannery achieved as a senior, so the question is whether he will continue to improve, especially as a three point and foul shooter, where he has the most room to grow.  It's hard to have a "better" career than Flannery, who was only national player of the year and led his team to a national title plus another Final Four, but Ross will have two all-American selections, a national rookie of the year (Flannery didn't earn that, but to be fair, no one would have beaten out Duncan Robinson) honor, and a Final Four with I'd say less talent around him than any of Flannery's Babson teams on his resume in his first two years.  If healthy I'd say he is a lock to be a four-time all-American and should win at least one player of the year honor.

Ross is on pace for over 2670 (!) career points, 1000 career rebounds, 400 career assists, and 200 career steals.  I can't imagine very many players in D3 can come close to touching those numbers, historically.  Flannery finished with 2620, 779, 296 and 151, so if he keeps going at this pace and stays healthy, Ross will eclipse him in every category.   In sum, if I was picking one to start a team with, I'd go (barely) with Ross. 

Congrats also to MIT on a very impressive year.  With no seniors graduating, coming so close to the Final Four despite having some bad injury luck, and a loaded senior class, MIT will certainly be one of the lead contenders for next year's pre-season top five.  I'd also put Augustana, Williams, Platteville, Illinois Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Hamilton, Whitworth and Whitman into that conversation.  Depending on what happens this weekend, Nebraska Wesleyan and Oshkosh I'm guessing are locks for the two preseason favorites since both only lose one player of consequence to graduation. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Mike Rejniak on March 12, 2018, 11:20:19 AM
​Dear D3 Faithful ;D,
     I have read many of your posts throughout the years and even met some of you in person, but for those who I haven't met, let me introduce myself: my name is Michael Rejniak and I have spent over 14 years coaching Division 3 basketball and love what our division has done and continues to do for  the sport of basketball. One of the greatest things about Division 3 basketball is the brotherhood that we all have with one another (coaches and players alike). My wish is to showcase the talents of D3 on a national stage in The Basketball Tournament (TBT).  You may have heard me speak about this on the Hoopsville Marathon with Dave McHugh of D3hoops.com (at the 6:11 mark). The TBT is a national tournament that is televised in July/August on ESPN after the NBA season is over. My goal is to put forth an all-star D3 team (current players are ineligible) and have them compete in this tournament to take on Former D1 / semi-pro's to prove that D3 deserves the same respect as other NCAA divisions. The team is mostly complete with former student-athletes from all over the country competing. Once the roster is complete we will be sure to release it through d3hoops. Former Babson College National Champion Matthew Droney '17 will also be assisting me on this journey.

How YOU can help our former elite D3 basketball players

While the end prize of this tournament is a monetary prize, being a D3-lifer, the goal is not the money (we all know that's not why we get into coaching), the goal is to bring an end to the stigma of Division 3 basketball, an awareness of how talented our student-athletes are and that we can compete (and win) against the best. We do need to raise funds for an entry fee, travel, meal and housing expenses for the athletes. In order to do this, we are conducting a crowd-funding campaign through GoFundMe to help make this a reality. These athletes need your support! Just think -- if every Division 3 school donated just $10, we will have raised over $4,000!!!! The link to the GoFundMe Page is below and please SPREAD THE WORD and email me with any questions/concerns at WeAreD3TBT@gmail.com. Thank you in advance for your support and Dave and I look forward to this "D3 Dream Team" taking the court this summer.-Mike Rejniak

Support "We Are D3" In The TBT
https://www.gofundme.com/WeAreD3TBT (https://www.gofundme.com/WeAreD3TBT)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2018, 12:35:54 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 11, 2018, 01:01:44 PM
Quote from: T990 on March 11, 2018, 11:47:44 AM
Can anyone tell me where a video replay is available for the MIT-Ramapo game?  Thanks.

It may not be available. NCAA/Turner has weird rules about this. Some schools are are ignoring them willingly or unknowingly. You might find it on Ramapo's website, but I am not positive.

Quote from: T990 on March 11, 2018, 11:50:59 AM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 10, 2018, 08:43:57 PM
Real tough way to lose for MIT. They call a foul on a rebound with 0.9 s left in a tie game with Ramapo in the bonus.

I don't believe I have ever seen a non-shooting foul call with 0.9 sec left in a game before.  Ever.

To be fair, it was a shooting foul call. Mosely grabbed the rebound and knowing time was expiring threw up a prayer to try and beat the clock. Not unexpected and certainly not with the mentality of drawing a shooting foul call. From what I could see, it looked like he was being pushed out of bounds. If people want calls during the game, they have to also expect and see them at the end of games. I have seen plenty of calls in the final seconds. I applaud officials who call them because they don't alter how they call a game based on the clock.

BTW - you can tell it was a shooting foul because Mosely took two FTs and the first one no one contested (if my memory is right). MIT had not committed enough fouls for a double-bonus.

Quote from: TheOsprey on March 11, 2018, 12:01:33 PM
I saw the game and Moseley was driving towards the basket while three MIT players converged on him and someone got called for the foul before he got to the hoop.

As far as the last second shot, the pass was just over the half court and the MIT player did not get control of the ball totally and it fell to the court as time expired.  A shot was never attempted.

MIT should certainly be a favorite for the final four next year.  If my nephew gets into the school, I will certainly be a HUGE fan of them for the next four years. ;)

Moseley was driving? Bonacum took the final shot. Did I miss the pass to Bonacum? I was monitoring many games and was watching that, but maybe I misremembered how it ended. The foul was called on Bonacum's missed shot, Moseley getting the rebound and putting up a prayer from the baseline.

MIT's player seemed to get the ball clean and take the shot before the buzzer expired... but the camera operator turned into a fan and forgot to do their job, so hard to truly say what happened or how close the shot came. There was no video review available (something that needs to change in this weekend of the tournament IMO), so it would have been on the refs shoulders to call that without assistance (outside of the fourth official at the table).

MIT will certainly be a favorite for something... I think many schools have proven over time that just because you get back loaded doesn't mean a final four is even close to guaranteed. Actually... last time MIT made the final four, they returned the entire squad and did not have the same season (thanks to lingering injuries).

Dave, agree that they called it a shooting foul during the game. However, it seemed to be essentially a continuation call, as he appeared to  "shoot" from behind the backboard and the contact I could see from watching online was mainly while going after the rebound (you could see reaction from MIT players on court in surprise when it was called a 2 shot foul). I understand your point on consistency, but to decide a game on a borderline call like that (which, as a ref, you know will decide the game with <1sec), didnt do justice to a game that was so closely competed.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 12, 2018, 12:36:50 PM
Again... if it was a foul, they are shooting at least one free throw anyway. They were in the bonus. He hit the free throw, second on the way as well.

I am not sure the nature of the call really changed the outcome, here.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 12, 2018, 12:56:31 PM
Quote from: Smitty Oom on March 10, 2018, 09:34:02 PM
Jake Ross or Joey Flannery. Who will end up having a better career?

Both amazing NEWMAC players, curious to see what you all think?

I suppose, being a Babson alum I should recuse myself, but what the heck ...

I'm a HUGE Ross fan, and I'd guess I'm rooting as hard for Ross, Springfield, and the NEWMAC as just about anyone.

I've mentioned this before, but Flannery's career at Babson really spanned two distinct offenses.  In his first 2 years the pace was much slower and the offense deferred to "the bigs", dumping the ball inside to Wickey and Mack.  Those guys essentially needed to be in the paint to score.  By his junior season Nelson and Jacks replaced Wickey and Mack, but you often saw either of them in the high post or above the arc, freeing room inside for Flannery.  The spread offense of interchangeable parts became much more of what most teams employ today.
Flannery's sophomore team (that lost in the Final 4) averaged "only" 68.4 per game.  This year's Springfield team (Ross as sophomore) averages 77.4.   Babson's offense averaged in the low 80's in Flannery's junior and senior seasons.
From a strictly stat perspective Ross will surpass Flannery.  He also has the ball in his hands a lot more.  I'd like him to get his a/to ratio better and lower his dribble, but that's nitpicking.  He's often asked to run the offense even though ideally he's a shooting guard.
Ross is better at setting and coming off picks.  That's where he shines.  He also has a slightly quicker release.
Flannery was better at working off ball screens, especially taking it in a set offense all the way from the arc to the hoop.  Ross may still get to that level, which is what you need when you are "the guy" with the ball in his hands in the last few seconds and being asked to "create something".
Through their respective sophomore seasons - too close to call.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 12, 2018, 01:19:07 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 12, 2018, 12:36:50 PM
Again... if it was a foul, they are shooting at least one free throw anyway. They were in the bonus. He hit the free throw, second on the way as well.

I am not sure the nature of the call really changed the outcome, here.

I agree.   Count me in the camp of calling the game the same way for 40 minutes.   If all teams understood that would be the case they wouldn't take advantage of things in the waning minutes ... not that it was the case in this game.

I feel bad for Nwana.  Enters the game for the first time on the final possession and gets the foul called on him.

If I were to argue a foul that should have been called it would have been on the play that resulted in Forsythe's injury, and not because the injury occurred.   But I don't want to argue fouls.

I'll be shocked if this MIT team is not back in the tournament next year.   In addition to all juniors returning they'll have Forsythe and Hinkley.  Hinkley reminds me a lot of Comenale at Babson - a deadly, fearless, spot-up shooter.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 12, 2018, 01:35:01 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on March 12, 2018, 10:23:58 AM
Congratulations to Springfield on making the Final Four!  From a Williams fan perspective, the Pride have long been a tough rival of Williams and have had many talented teams, but I don't think anyone saw this coming.  Especially early in the season when Springfield got beaten badly in three straight games vs. NESCAC squads (including Williams).  I do feel like something was bothering Ross in those games, however -- he just didn't seem like his usually-unstoppable, hyper-athletic self.  Springfield obviously figured some things out as the year went along.  They will be a big underdog at Salem but this year, it's clear that anything is possible, especially when they likely have the best remaining individual player in the tourney.  It's also cool that the birthplace of basketball is finally represented at a Final Four!



Springfield's worst loss this season was a game at Babson that was never close.  Ross had 10 turnovers in that game (I looked it up).  Although Coach Brock might not admit it if asked, I think they were asking Ross to do too much.  In addition to being the go to guy they were also asking him to take the ball upcourt and get them into their offense on nearly every possession.  Now the load is shared more and he's fresher.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 12, 2018, 02:13:45 PM
Not as surprises as some of our "guests" on the board seem to be.  Depends on which trend you want to look at.  The team that lost 5 in a row in December (wonder how many final 4 teams have ever lost 5 games in a row?), or the team that won 12 of its last 13 before the NEWMAC tourney?  I guess it seems the latter.

I watched all 3 WPI games this year and most of their late game against Babson, and felt Ross gave them a punchers chance to at least get to the sweet 16.  First "surprise" to me was Swarthmore (based on being home and how they were playing).

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2018, 02:39:16 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 12, 2018, 12:36:50 PM
Again... if it was a foul, they are shooting at least one free throw anyway. They were in the bonus. He hit the free throw, second on the way as well.

I am not sure the nature of the call really changed the outcome, here.

Agree with you that that nature of the foul call had no impact on the game in retrospect, given he made both (including the second one, which he was trying to miss). However, the call in general obviously had a very big impact in deciding the outcome of the game.

Anyone is free to disagree with me, but I still believe that in any game, I hate to see it decided like that. Foul was still a borderline call in my opinion, would much rather see a game end on a team executing the play then a ref making a close call in the final second.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 12, 2018, 03:10:15 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 12, 2018, 01:19:07 PM
I'll be shocked if this MIT team is not back in the tournament next year.   In addition to all juniors returning they'll have Forsythe and Hinkley.  Hinkley reminds me a lot of Comenale at Babson - a deadly, fearless, spot-up shooter.

I heard Saturday night from a good source that that was his rep in high school.  He always looks completely unflappable to me out there.  He started against Harvard -- first game as a frosh, and just went right at it.  And I'm not exactly spilling any secrets saying that Forsythe can and will also hit those.

I certainly remember Comenale burying that 3 in the final second against us in the NEWMAC regular season final a year ago.  Jomard managed to tie Flannery up, but he wasn't the only playah you had.  Heartbreaker, that.  Well, we got it back the next week in the NEWMAC tourney, and you got a blueprint for winning the national championship :-)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 12, 2018, 03:56:30 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 12, 2018, 02:39:16 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 12, 2018, 12:36:50 PM
Again... if it was a foul, they are shooting at least one free throw anyway. They were in the bonus. He hit the free throw, second on the way as well.

I am not sure the nature of the call really changed the outcome, here.

Agree with you that that nature of the foul call had no impact on the game in retrospect, given he made both (including the second one, which he was trying to miss). However, the call in general obviously had a very big impact in deciding the outcome of the game.

Anyone is free to disagree with me, but I still believe that in any game, I hate to see it decided like that. Foul was still a borderline call in my opinion, would much rather see a game end on a team executing the play then a ref making a close call in the final second.

I hate even the premise that the refs should swallow their whistles. Many say, "let the players decide it." Part of letting the players decide it... is calling a foul on a player who decided (or even didn't) to foul. It might suck to put a player on the line to determine a game versus a play which is more dramatic... but so is taking a player down on a breakaway in soccer or ice hockey and giving them PK. It still should be called.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 12, 2018, 04:08:29 PM

My Springfield profile just went live on the site - http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2018/springfield-never-gives-up
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Gregory Sager on March 12, 2018, 04:27:11 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 12, 2018, 03:56:30 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 12, 2018, 02:39:16 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 12, 2018, 12:36:50 PM
Again... if it was a foul, they are shooting at least one free throw anyway. They were in the bonus. He hit the free throw, second on the way as well.

I am not sure the nature of the call really changed the outcome, here.

Agree with you that that nature of the foul call had no impact on the game in retrospect, given he made both (including the second one, which he was trying to miss). However, the call in general obviously had a very big impact in deciding the outcome of the game.

Anyone is free to disagree with me, but I still believe that in any game, I hate to see it decided like that. Foul was still a borderline call in my opinion, would much rather see a game end on a team executing the play then a ref making a close call in the final second.

I hate even the premise that the refs should swallow their whistles. Many say, "let the players decide it." Part of letting the players decide it... is calling a foul on a player who decided (or even didn't) to foul. It might suck to put a player on the line to determine a game versus a play which is more dramatic... but so is taking a player down on a breakaway in soccer or ice hockey and giving them PK. It still should be called.

This, x 1000. The one thing that players, coaches, and fans demand of refs above all else, aside from knowing the rules, is consistency. Well, consistency in terms of college basketball officiating means calling the same thing the same way against both teams for forty minutes ... not for 39 minutes, or for 39:55, or for 39:58, or whatever.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Hugenerd on March 12, 2018, 05:29:12 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 12, 2018, 03:56:30 PM
Quote from: Hugenerd on March 12, 2018, 02:39:16 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 12, 2018, 12:36:50 PM
Again... if it was a foul, they are shooting at least one free throw anyway. They were in the bonus. He hit the free throw, second on the way as well.

I am not sure the nature of the call really changed the outcome, here.

Agree with you that that nature of the foul call had no impact on the game in retrospect, given he made both (including the second one, which he was trying to miss). However, the call in general obviously had a very big impact in deciding the outcome of the game.

Anyone is free to disagree with me, but I still believe that in any game, I hate to see it decided like that. Foul was still a borderline call in my opinion, would much rather see a game end on a team executing the play then a ref making a close call in the final second.

I hate even the premise that the refs should swallow their whistles. Many say, "let the players decide it." Part of letting the players decide it... is calling a foul on a player who decided (or even didn't) to foul. It might suck to put a player on the line to determine a game versus a play which is more dramatic... but so is taking a player down on a breakaway in soccer or ice hockey and giving them PK. It still should be called.

I think you are missing the point of my message. I didnt say anything about swallowing the whistle. The reason I didnt like the call is that I thought it was a borderline call. I would have had the same opinion of the call was made at the end of the first half. Yes, it further bothers me that it was to decide the game, but to me, it was just a very close call to make in that situation. Obviously the call was made and the result is decided, was just an anticlimactic ending to a great game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 15, 2018, 11:20:59 AM
Good luck to Springfield in the Final Four!  Do NEWMAC proud!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on March 16, 2018, 01:34:00 AM
Good luck to Springfield in Salem!
(https://i.imgur.com/OpcEgZi.png)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 16, 2018, 09:34:42 PM
Tough way to go out, but that's basketball.  Up 5 in regulation with 1:10 to play and shooting a 1 and 1.  Miss.  Then another front-end ft miss - overtime.
After Earle lost the ball on an easy layup in OT that was ballgame.
What goes around comes around.  In the win over Hamilton the Pride took advantage of missed fts.  This time they suffered.
No shame, but I'm sure the players could just about taste victory before it was snatched away.

I watched both semis.  I thought UWO was the best team of the 4.  They are big, long, and fundamentally sound.  I like UWO in the championship game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on March 16, 2018, 09:40:47 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/vSfSAf6.png)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 17, 2018, 10:32:24 AM
NEWMAC is going to be brutal next season, barring injuries.  Nobody's graduating at MIT, whoever Springfield may be losing doesn't include Jake Ross, WPI's had a few down years but is very young, and Babson always finds ways to reload.  And who knows what any of the other schools may come up with?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: gordonmann on July 09, 2018, 10:24:02 PM
It's a quiet time of year, but here's something for Babson fans.

http://www.babsonathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20180708shqx5p
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on October 15, 2018, 04:21:54 PM
DAY 1!!!

Good luck to all on a healthy and productive pre-season!!!!  Should be a great year to be a fan of the NEWMAC.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on October 15, 2018, 04:56:11 PM
In case any of you missed it... NEWMAC well represented in the D3hoops.com Men's Preseason Top 25: http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2018/10/preseason-mens-top-25
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: warriorcat on November 05, 2018, 10:03:36 AM
Nation wide season opener on Thursday at 12:01 am

Clark U  vs Worcester State

Are there any others who open this way?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 05, 2018, 08:22:32 PM
Quote from: warriorcat on November 05, 2018, 10:03:36 AM
Nation wide season opener on Thursday at 12:01 am

Clark U  vs Worcester State

Are there any others who open this way?

MIT has an exhibition against Harvard on Tuesday.  That has become an annual event; last year it was a 4 point game with 90 seconds to play and 9 points in the end.  It was most emphatically not a stereotypical D1-D3 game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 05, 2018, 11:15:29 PM
Quote from: rlk on November 05, 2018, 08:22:32 PM
Quote from: warriorcat on November 05, 2018, 10:03:36 AM
Nation wide season opener on Thursday at 12:01 am

Clark U  vs Worcester State

Are there any others who open this way?

MIT has an exhibition against Harvard on Tuesday.  That has become an annual event; last year it was a 4 point game with 90 seconds to play and 9 points in the end.  It was most emphatically not a stereotypical D1-D3 game.

Not sure what you think is a stereotypical game, but DIII has played well against all kinds of DI opponents especially this year. No, Salisbury beating UM-Eastern Shore isn't worth writing about, but there have been some pretty interesting results. MIT is pretty darn good. I could even see them getting the win. It isn't like Harvard is Duke. :)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 06, 2018, 03:21:37 PM
Seems when MIT has had their best teams, Harvard has also been quite good - IE - The Bartolotta and Hollingsworth years at least partially matched up with Jeremy Lin at Harvard. 

i am not sure if MIT has won the game in modern times - but tonight could be close.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 06, 2018, 03:31:40 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 05, 2018, 11:15:29 PM
Quote from: rlk on November 05, 2018, 08:22:32 PM
Quote from: warriorcat on November 05, 2018, 10:03:36 AM
Nation wide season opener on Thursday at 12:01 am

Clark U  vs Worcester State

Are there any others who open this way?

MIT has an exhibition against Harvard on Tuesday.  That has become an annual event; last year it was a 4 point game with 90 seconds to play and 9 points in the end.  It was most emphatically not a stereotypical D1-D3 game.

Not sure what you think is a stereotypical game, but DIII has played well against all kinds of DI opponents especially this year. No, Salisbury beating UM-Eastern Shore isn't worth writing about, but there have been some pretty interesting results. MIT is pretty darn good. I could even see them getting the win. It isn't like Harvard is Duke. :)

Harvard's not exactly a bottom feeder itself, and I imagine Tommy Amaker (what did you say about Duke?) is warning his players not to underestimate the Engineers.  I have my camera gear all packed for the game  ;D .  "Stereotypical D1-D3 game" is something like what happened during my era, when we lost 86-50 to a rather weaker Harvard in the mid 1980's.

One of my favorite plays from last season was Seth Towns (Ivy League player of the year and NBA prospect) going up for an offensive rebound, and Nacho Nwana grabbing it -- think strip sack -- right out of his hands.  Nacho's brother, by the way, is in this year's freshman class and is also playing.  Quite a recruiting class for the Engineers, with 8 frosh.  It will be interesting to see whether any of them are immediate impact players, as Ian Hinkley and Hamilton Forsythe were last year.  MIT has a pretty stacked lineup.

Oh, and someone else rejoins the NEWMAC -- Matthew Droney, of the Babson national champion team, was hired as an assistant coach by MIT.  He certainly knows what it takes to win, and he has played against a lot of the upperclassmen.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on November 06, 2018, 03:34:24 PM
MIT looks quite loaded indeed.  While it's always hard to tell with frosh, and MIT will have limited minutes available, keep an eye out for the kid from Greece, who looks like he could be really good (although doubly-hard to tell with international players), and Dan Pilsbury, who had great success in a H.s. league with a long history of players who have excelled at the D3 level (most recently Vinny Pace and Eric Murdock Jr.). 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 06, 2018, 03:36:28 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 06, 2018, 03:21:37 PM
Seems when MIT has had their best teams, Harvard has also been quite good - IE - The Bartolotta and Hollingsworth years at least partially matched up with Jeremy Lin at Harvard. 

i am not sure if MIT has won the game in modern times - but tonight could be close.

We've never beaten them in the modern era.  We did once, in the 1960's I believe.

Last year's game was much closer than any of the Kates/Tashman/Hollingsworth games.  First time in the modern era that it was meaningfully a game in the second half (much less in the final 2 minutes).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 06, 2018, 03:39:50 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 06, 2018, 03:34:24 PM
MIT looks quite loaded indeed.  While it's always hard to tell with frosh, and MIT will have limited minutes available, keep an eye out for the kid from Greece, who looks like he could be really good (although doubly-hard to tell with international players), and Dan Pilsbury, who had great success in a H.s. league with a long history of players who have excelled at the D3 level (most recently Vinny Pace and Eric Murdock Jr.).

One of the Middlebury fans tipped us (here) off about Hamilton Forsythe last year.  Forsythe went to high school with Mark Polger (sp?) and they were very good friends.  Forsythe was our only player with the height to guard Polger in the Sweet 16.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 06, 2018, 04:26:58 PM
Seems like YouTube is showing the game live:  no promises on quality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPGzXsPaxx0
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 06, 2018, 06:20:02 PM
Great to have D3 hoops back.

MIT and Springfield will be the class of the league barring some miracle.  If anything ... scary to think it ... MIT might even be better this year.  That's all good.  I'm a firm believer that lesser programs are forced to get better when the elite teams get better.  A rising tide lifts all boats, or something like that.

Anyway No Easy Wins Make A Champion.

Babson is probably middle of the league this year.  Of the 5 frosh Bradanese is probably the most intriguing and ready to contribute.  Wouldn't surprise me to see 1/2 freshman starters.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 06, 2018, 08:34:25 PM
Harvard creeping away after a dead even first half.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 06, 2018, 11:22:14 PM
Met Matthew Droney tonight before the game.  Very nice guy.

Alas, after a flat first half Harvard went on a run the first 3 or 4 minutes of the second and we were not able to pull back.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 08, 2018, 09:11:28 PM
I watched the Springfield- WNEC game which was much closer than the 95-84 final would indicate.
Pettway's quickness gave the Pride a lot of trouble for most of the game, often taking his dribble from the top of the arc and finishing with layup after layup.
Down 9 in the second half around the 15 minute mark Ross just took over for 90 seconds ... 3 coast-to-coast breaks finishing at the rim each time, then dropping it off to Witter on the 4th drive.  Tie game.

This game wasn't safely in the win column til the final minutes.  Costa (frosh) played meaningful minutes down the stretch and looked really smooth.  Just what the rest of the NEWMAC needs, another weapon for Springfield.

Ross finished with 35/16/6.   Lather, rinse, repeat.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 11, 2018, 04:06:08 PM
(https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/img/mw=710/cr=n/d=i1q1b/rnrfjfjup0a26thl.jpg)

The season is kind of, sort of, possibly underway in Division III. With the earlier start being decided less than ten months prior, not every program was able to take advantage of the new date. There are still teams who haven't tipped off their seasons while others have already played two or three games this season.

That doesn't mean we can't find topics to talk about on Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com)!

Sunday, Dave is back live in studio with plenty of DIII conversation. Plus coaches talk about (high) expectations and being in charge of a program for the first time. Can St. Thomas women take the next step as a program? How will MIT's season be engineered? And from All-American to head coach, what it's like to take over a program for the first time.

Plus, the winningest men's coach in Division III history will not start the season on the bench. More on what has lead Glenn Robinson to take a medical leave of absence.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. Sunday's show will hit the air at 7:00 p.m. ET and be watched here: http://bit.ly/2PPm16G. If you miss the show, you can always watch it On Demand. An audio-only podcast will also be available on the right side of the page (available shortly after the show goes off air).

If you have questions about Division III basketball, feel free to send them and we will answer them on a the show. Email them to hoopsville@d3hoops.com or use any of the social media options to the right.

Guests Scheduled (order subject to change):
- Larry Anderson, No. 5 MIT men's coach
- Ruth Sinn, No. 5 St. Thomas women's head coach
- Mike McGarvey, Lycoming men's coach

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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 12, 2018, 07:04:32 AM
Tough loss to start the season.  Winnable game, despite an excruciating 24 turnovers.  Credit to JWU for staying with full court pressure for 45 minutes - it worked.  Babson never completely had it solved.
All that said Jaworski (who has improved a lot over his solid freshman season) was shooting 2 FTs, down 1 with a second left in regulation.  He could only make 1 to force the OT.

Not sure if Brandon Johnson was injured in the 2nd half.  He didn't play the last 15 minutes, including OT.  They need him going forward.

My kingdom for a pure point guard.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 12, 2018, 12:57:01 PM
Babo - keep it up - best 'color" commentating since Hugenerd was active on this page back in the day!  Kudos.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 12, 2018, 06:46:29 PM
Hey thanks WPI.

You've got a tough home opener on tap with Magnus.  I noticed your incoming freshman have Old School size.  Wow!  I'll check in on that game for sure.

NEWMAC preseason poll had you at #3.  Thoughts on the season?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: D3HoopJunkie on November 12, 2018, 10:31:50 PM
Very much looking forward to our matchup tomorrow night with WPI. This should be a great contest between two well coached teams with a lot of talent on the floor.

WPI89 - I always like to check in and get the opinion from a "homer" on the broadcast feed. Would you be able to enlighten me on WPI's setup? I am sure being the engineering school that it is, it will be of good quality! Is there play by play announcing as well?

Best of luck to WPI tomorrow evening! This one could come down to the final possession!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 13, 2018, 07:18:29 PM
Babo and Junkie. Yes very fun competitive matchup tonight.

YOUNG with a capital everything will be the theme for WPI this year. Tonight will be an incredible first test. Frosh class should be best in quite some time. We will be bigger than recent years and maybe deeper. Will remain to be seen if we have that someone special to deliver offensively in crunch time. 3 in NEWMAC is fair. Babson and WPI will be the teams MIT/Springfield hate to play for sure.

Announcers do a good job. One court level camera angle prevents me from saying top top quality broadcast. But you will not be dissspointed. Announcers keep it fair and you won't miss any action.

Long time court announcer will be missed greatly as background. He had a classic Worcester voice and loved all things local sports!

Good luck to you and Coach Oliver this year Junkie.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on November 13, 2018, 08:51:58 PM
WPI89....Hi back to you too :).  Was in your area recently as I went up to Homecoming this weekend,
Anyway, just dropped in on the Video of the WPI game tonight...good band, etc.  Left to check in on the Big Springfield vs Keene State game.  no audio/broadcaster and lots of technical trouble.  Could use some WPI expertise :).
Best of luck to your team this season.  Maybe our teams will meet in the post season? 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 13, 2018, 09:04:11 PM
Big win for WPI, but the bigger news for D3 basketball is Jake Ross left the Springfield game very early.
Caught only the early 2nd half video to hear the play-by-play guy say Ross was in street clothes with his arm in a sling.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 13, 2018, 09:10:10 PM
Jake news is a buzzkill. I was coming in to brag about opening night but will respect that news and hope it is a minor injury.

Great start engineers!

God Speed, young Mr Ross.


Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 13, 2018, 10:27:14 PM

Ross had an opposing player roll over his shoulder fighting for the ball.  A local Keene Sentinel reporter caught it on camera:

https://twitter.com/JMSheehanKS/status/1062513263068487680
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: gordonmann on November 14, 2018, 12:58:11 PM
Did the announcer make a mistake on the arm sling or was it possibly two injuries?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on November 14, 2018, 01:46:01 PM
Wish the best for mr. Ross...a great talent.  A question for the board posters here......if the injury/injuries to Ross is/are major ones that take time to heal, should he sit out? What is the rules in D3 to get a "redshirt" semester/year?  Has Mr. Ross already played in too many games to qualify? 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 14, 2018, 04:30:59 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on November 13, 2018, 09:04:11 PM
Big win for WPI, but the bigger news for D3 basketball is Jake Ross left the Springfield game very early.
Caught only the early 2nd half video to hear the play-by-play guy say Ross was in street clothes with his arm in a sling.

That's very unfortunate.  I hope that was just a precaution of some kind and that he'll be OK soon.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on November 14, 2018, 05:04:56 PM
Hope Ross is OK and that is a shoulder separation rather than a break or torn ligaments.  Amh63, if the injury was serious, he could take a medical redshirt because he has not played in 25 percent of his team's games (FYI, Amherst's promising soph McCarthy can do the same if he so chooses).  For Ross, I imagine that option would be intriguing because then he could finish his degree at Springfield and easily play D1 hoops for a year as a grad student -- I am sure he would be in much demand up to around the mid-major level.  But of course, hopefully that will not be necessary and he can return in the next few weeks or so. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 14, 2018, 05:29:45 PM
Quote from: gordonmann on November 14, 2018, 12:58:11 PM
Did the announcer make a mistake on the arm sling or was it possibly two injuries?

I'm pretty sure it was one injury.  He was taken out of the game within the first 5 minutes and never returned.  The audio/video were out until the 2nd half, so whatever additional information might have been available never made it to air.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 14, 2018, 10:50:40 PM
Quote from: amh63 on November 14, 2018, 01:46:01 PM
Wish the best for mr. Ross...a great talent.  A question for the board posters here......if the injury/injuries to Ross is/are major ones that take time to heal, should he sit out? What is the rules in D3 to get a "redshirt" semester/year?  Has Mr. Ross already played in too many games to qualify?

He's well below the threshold if that was necessary. The number tends to be around seven games most years.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 16, 2018, 06:54:30 AM
I suppose many folks will wake up stunned to hear that MIT got rolled up by Endicott 90-73, but this wasn't exactly UMBC over UVA.
No one should sleep on Endicott.  Per their own recap, they are now 3-2 against ranked opponents in their last 5 games.  I remember one of those vividly - last year's blitz of Babson at Babson when Keith Brown went off for 45.
Brown is still someone who demands constant attention but Endicott has a deep roster that can fill it up.  (Special recognition should be given to Endicott for having an entire roster from New England).

For this game Endicott couldn't miss from 3-pt range.  I thought MIT provided a little too much extra help on Brown, leaving other shooters with too much space.  Just not MIT's night.  Indicative of the Engineers' struggles was when Korb (85% at the line) got fouled attempting a 3-pointer and missed all 3 FTs.
I also thought the MIT offensive was too 3-pt centric from the start when they had a distinct size advantage.  I'd rather have seen Jurko out top, looking to drive or feed Jomard or Roberts inside, or Forsythe and Hinkley on the wings.  But when you get down by 23 and the other team is raining 3's it's hard to avoid the temptation to get points in a hurry.

MIT will be just fine.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: NEhoops on November 16, 2018, 08:36:10 AM
Great early season road win for Endicott. Both of these teams will pop up in the regional rankings as the season goes on. As Babo said, MIT will shoot it better on most nights and will win a lot of games.

Endicott coach Kevin Bettencourt has really found his niche from a recruiting standpoint and is one of the top up and coming coaches in the in Northeast as he continues to build upon a very impressive resume.

Peabody HS (MA) - all time leading scorer
Bucknell - three time All-Patriot League selection; led team to an upset over Kansas in NCAA tournament
Salem State - assistant
Bentley - assistant
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 16, 2018, 12:17:53 PM
Quote from: NEhoops on November 16, 2018, 08:36:10 AM
Great early season road win for Endicott. Both of these teams will pop up in the regional rankings as the season goes on. As Babo said, MIT will shoot it better on most nights and will win a lot of games.

Endicott coach Kevin Bettencourt has really found his niche from a recruiting standpoint and is one of the top up and coming coaches in the in Northeast as he continues to build upon a very impressive resume.

Peabody HS (MA) - all time leading scorer
Bucknell - three time All-Patriot League selection; led team to an upset over Kansas in NCAA tournament
Salem State - assistant
Bentley - assistant

Good info.  Absolutely hats off to the coaching staff for such strong recruiting in a VERY competitive market, particularly among D3 schools. 
On top of that, it hasn't been that long (relatively speaking) for men to be admitted to the college.  Wheaton in the NEWMAC had a similar strong burst in athletics after admitting men.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on November 18, 2018, 02:29:34 PM
Man, things getting ugly for Springfield without Jake Ross. Any injury update?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 18, 2018, 06:59:30 PM
I'm kinda glad I missed the finals of the Babson Invitational, where for the 2nd year in a row Keith Brown went nuts for Endicott, scoring 29 points in the 2nd half (38 for the game), enabling Endicott to overcome a 16-pt halftime deficit and win going away.

Memo to Babson:  Disinvite Endicott from the 2019 Invitational and replace them with Cupcake College.
Meanwhile Brown is still only a junior and has a major in Business Management.  Did we try to recruit this kid?

Suddenly next Sunday's game of Endicott (4-0) @ Middlebury becomes very intriguing.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 18, 2018, 08:06:00 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on November 18, 2018, 06:59:30 PM
I'm kinda glad I missed the finals of the Babson Invitational, where for the 2nd year in a row Keith Brown went nuts for Endicott, scoring 29 points in the 2nd half (38 for the game), enabling Endicott to overcome a 16-pt halftime deficit and win going away.

Memo to Babson:  Disinvite Endicott from the 2019 Invitational and replace them with Cupcake College.
Meanwhile Brown is still only a junior and has a major in Business Management.  Did we try to recruit this kid?

Suddenly next Sunday's game of Endicott (4-0) @ Middlebury becomes very intriguing.

Looks like Endicott is very, very dangerous indeed.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Mountain Man on November 26, 2018, 09:43:38 PM
Very quiet on the Jake Ross injury. 

I saw a grimace and grab that said separated shoulder not dislocated. It was left shoulder and he is righty dominant

Regardless....shoulders are most difficult injuries to heal from.  They just never feel the same.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 27, 2018, 11:13:14 AM
Quote from: Mountain Man on November 26, 2018, 09:43:38 PM
Very quiet on the Jake Ross injury. 

I saw a grimace and grab that said separated shoulder not dislocated. It was left shoulder and he is righty dominant

Regardless....shoulders are most difficult injuries to heal from.  They just never feel the same.

I have had different injuries to both shoulders ... and I can attest they haven't felt the same. One has had two surgeries on it, the other should have (and still might).

I felt the same about Ross' injury. I'm not worried, overall, because this is the best time of year to suffer an injury. No real pressure to come back right away.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 27, 2018, 05:32:45 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on November 27, 2018, 11:13:14 AM
Quote from: Mountain Man on November 26, 2018, 09:43:38 PM
Very quiet on the Jake Ross injury. 

I saw a grimace and grab that said separated shoulder not dislocated. It was left shoulder and he is righty dominant

Regardless....shoulders are most difficult injuries to heal from.  They just never feel the same.

I felt the same about Ross' injury. I'm not worried, overall, because this is the best time of year to suffer an injury. No real pressure to come back right away.

While the top priority is certainly the welfare of the athlete I wouldn't say there isnt't pressure being felt in the Springfield program.  With a healthy Ross they were almost certainly going to be invited to the tournament, even if they didn't automatically qualify as NEWMAC champion.
Now they likely NEED to win the NEWMAC to get a shot at the tournament (assuming a prolonged absence).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 27, 2018, 07:17:44 PM
A brutal loss for Springfield tonight at previously winless Becker.  These are the games that can make/break you on Selection Sunday (if it even comes to that).
The Pride sometimes looked befuddled on offense and couldn't stop Davis when it counted.

It's gut-check time for Springfield now with a string of NESCAC opponents coming up.  There's too much talent on the roster for this kind of drop-off from the Ross injury.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 27, 2018, 09:03:24 PM
Great road win for the young Engineers from Worcester!  Almost perfect second half. Congrats Coach Bartley on a spectacular start to the season.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on November 28, 2018, 04:20:45 PM
WPI189....glad to see you are still posting and keeping an eye on your team.  WPI has always put on a "show" for causal observers like me.  To bad that WPI and Amherst doesn't met during the regular season.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 28, 2018, 09:15:39 PM
Solid win for Babson over Bates. 

In the first half Bates couldn't find the range until very late.  I wish I could credit good Babson defense but there were a lot of open looks.  I started to think Bates' 3rd game in 4 nights might have played a part, but they certainly found their rhythm in the 2nd half.

The biggest difference in Babson from last year to this season is rebounding.  I think the final stats show Babson losing the battle by 1.  If so, that's the first time this year they've been out rebounded.   Last year they were killed on both glasses and had a net disadvantage.  Tough to win that way.  The emergence of Oftring, continued improvement of Jaworski after a solid freshman year, and the significant minutes played by freshman Bradanese all give Johnson the help he didn't have last year.
Speaking of Johnson, he shows flashes of being very special and then can sometimes disappear for 10 minutes or more.  But man, he has an explosive first step.
Down the stretch in a tie game Babson got 10 straight from just the guys they wanted, in just the spaces they wanted the ball:  Johnson, Jaworski, and Oftring.  Old-school post-up basketball.

For Bates, Spellman was really smooth.  He's a complete basketball player.  Even as a Babson fan I love to watch guys who can drive, stop on a dime, elevate, and drain jumper after jumper from just inside the key.  Those shots aren't easy, but he makes them look so.

If Babson can find success with a point guard they'll be competitive in every game in the regular season.  They are using a 3-man rotation, but I'm partial to the freshman Welch from what I've seen.  I was really happy to see coach Brennan stick with Welch for the last 7 minutes of crunch time.

Last year's team was a bit of an outlier with a huge senior class' departure and trying to find an identity with 3 transfers.

This team could challenge for 2nd/3rd in the NEWMAC.  A lot depends on Ross with Springfield.
Brennan will certainly have them ready for the NEWMAC season, with more tough out of conference games coming up and a big holiday tournament in D.C.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 01, 2018, 04:15:27 PM
Wow we just do not match up with Fitchburg. Take the win and race back to Worcester. Mess of a game. But all ok in the end.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 01, 2018, 07:02:11 PM
Another solid win for Babson over a NESCAC team (3 straight now - albeit all at home).

Garbage time came early in this one, quite unexpectedly I might add because Babson played without one of their big 3 (Jaworski).

Johnson had his best game as a Beaver ... late in the first half he hit a step-back 3, then stole a pass at the Tufts baseline and raced 90 feet for a thunderous dunk.  He's got enough help this year that it allows him to show flashes of his full potential.

FY Bradanese continues to improve, particularly on the glass and finished with a double-double.

FY Welch has a beautifully pure jumper.  He's only 5'11", but he gets great lift and has a quick release with deep range.  Babson shot over 60% from 3, and it was higher before they emptied the bench.

Oftring had another great 2-way game.

For Tufts, Aronson showed a lot of talent and presented match-up problems.

There is no alpha dog like Flannery on this team, but they have legit 8 or 9 man depth without a cliff-type drop-off.

Next week Babson travels to Amherst in what should be an excellent measuring stick.  Hopefully Jaworski will be back for that game.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 01, 2018, 07:05:54 PM
I see MIT has now played the last 5 games without Forsythe, last year's NEWMAC frosh of the year.  He's such a talent, I hope he returns soon.  It's been a tough early start for injuries to key players in the NEWMAC.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 02, 2018, 07:44:10 PM
Babson with an ugly loss at home to Brandeis in the championship of the "Big 4 Challenge".

All credit to Brandeis in this one.  I only saw the first half (hate Sunday games head-to-head against the NFL).
Dice had quick hands and outstanding rotation help on defense to disrupt Babson's inside game.  Johnson seemed to get frustrated early and Oftring had to fight through doubles to earn his points.  Alexis and Ulrickson finished a collective 0-11 with 8 TOs.  Worse, unable to find the range from outside, Brandeis swallowed them inside where they were out of options.
For the game, Babson had a 10/19 A/TO.  Again, credit to Brandeis.  These are the matchups that give the Beavers particular problems.

Brandeis is yet another NE team with at-large possibilities down the road.

For Babson, they'll need a solid 3 days of practice, a return of Jaworski, and, and, and ... before their trip to Amherst.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 04, 2018, 10:08:00 PM
NEWMAC 3 for 3 in games that should have been wins "on paper".

MIT, WPI, and Wheaton all took care of business.  Wheaton looks like they may be better than expected.

But can we get some poll love for WPI?   How do they still rate only 10 points when they have arguably 3 quality wins already (Magnus, Wm. Patterson, and Tufts)?  I don't want to disparage an historically elite team like Amherst, but they have 99 points, and vaulted into the top 25 after wins over Anna Maria and Emerson (which is likely to battle with Clark for the NEWMAC basement).  What is their top win?

Having said that Amherst is quite capable of putting a hurt on my Beavers Thursday and fully justifying their lofty perch.  But maybe voters should give WPI a closer look.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 04, 2018, 10:53:03 PM
Thanks Babo. Love the intra-NEWMAC love.

Watched first half tonight and believe me, Bartley is not a happy coach tonight. Except when he looks at that record.

After something like a 25-4 start, they were very sloppy and stopped creating offense from their defense. Road win is a road win.

3rd or 4th time for Coach to start 7-0, I will have to go check, but my guess is the other times they went to the tourney.



Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 06, 2018, 09:15:30 PM
Go figure.

After suffering an embarrassing defeat at home to Brandeis (a good team nonetheless) Babo goes on the road without Jaworski and takes it to Amherst (one of the toughest places to win).

Babson got a lot of contributions from their depth but it starts with their best 2-way player Oftring.  It must be in the genes because his grandfather won an NCAA Championship at The Cross with some guy named Cousy.  I figured Oftring might have to play all 40 with Jaworski missing.  Sure enough, up 42-37, with the ball, Oftring went to the bench and didn't return until Amherst took over in a min-run with 3 Babson frosh on the floor.  Once Oftring returned and paired with Bradanese (early candidate for NEWMAC ROY) they sealed off the paint and the glass.
If you saw Bradanese in the MA state tourney he is one fearless, bad (in a good way) hombre.

As great a coach as Hixon is I wonder if he even considered pressing the Babson guards full-court when they went 8+ minutes without scoring in the first half.  Babson can be pressed to create careless turnovers (Johnson & Wales did it for 40 minutes, full-court).  Finally down double digits in the closing minutes they started to pressure with some positive results, but it was too late.

I was glad to see coach Brennan going with FY Welch down the stretch.  He's better than Ulrickson. 

Robinson is a legitimate stud for Amherst, but they seem to lack a pure ball handling distributor that I come to expect from top-tier NESCAC teams.  Some of their 2nd-half TOs were unforced and atrocious.  Just passing to space without regard to floor spacing, distance, or defenders.

Babson has played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in New England to date and is 4-0 against the NESCAC.  And yet, the road may actually get TOUGHER.  10-4 might win the NEWMAC this year.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on December 07, 2018, 10:44:51 AM
Nice to see Jake Ross back in the boxscore.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 07, 2018, 10:55:31 AM
I noticed Jurko missing from last night's MIT box score.  Another injury?  Anybody know?

Forsythe still hasn't returned, and while MIT has other weapons, losing Jurko for an extended period would be a huge blow.

Though Jomard gets more press, for me, Jurko is the engine behind the Engineers, and he showed it last year during their late season/deep playoff run without Jomard.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 11, 2018, 01:02:24 PM
Haven't been on the site this week - but MUCH better effort against Salem State.  They were in control throughout.

Much higher upside to this team than I had imagined.  When they shoot the 3 well - I think they can play with ANYBODY.

When they don't - they are competing and winning games with their typical Bartley tenacious D.

One more good test this weekend to take that 0 in L column into the break.

It is a home game, but both Husson and WPI have played the same amount of games in Harrington since a full week before Thanksgiving!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 12, 2018, 12:53:22 PM
Well, now Springfield is officially in a lot of trouble.  Beyond the obvious W-L numbers there are other stats that speak to a larger problem.
They are getting outrebounded by 3+/game, whereas they had an advantage of 2+ last year.
They are getting outscored by 6+/game, versus an advantage of 6+ last year (a 12 point swing).
They are shooting worse than their opponents by 5 pct, versus an advantage of nearly 4 pct last year (a 9 pct point swing).

Stats can be misleading, but here's what I see.  The loss of McNulty and Eckles to graduation has not been offset through the growth of underclassmen and FY players.  Sandifer is still not ready for a starting role on a tournament team.  Durkin is too one-dimensional.

Last night the Pride played without Witter, but I doubt it would have made much of a difference in the outcome.  There isn't sufficient depth to the roster.

All of this places even greater pressure on Jake Ross to do more and more.  Last night it really showed, notwithstanding that Fru Che put up a pretty fine imitation of Michael Cooper stifling Larry Bird.

True enough,  the Pride didn't exactly tear up their non-conference schedule last year before finding their gear.  They will have to either win the NEWMAC or pretty nearly run the table from here on out to feel comfortable with tournament aspirations.  That won't be easy.  The schedule shows a tough holiday tournament (at home) before starting the NEWMAC season against several improved squads.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 16, 2018, 03:42:24 PM
Great win again today. Time to start giving the Engineers from Worcester a little extra Love Dave and Pat!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 30, 2018, 08:18:02 PM
Babson gets a split in the holiday tournament in DC. 

Jaworski returned after a lengthy absence, but came off the bench in both games, looking unremarkable (and probably still working through something).
In the first game against N.C. Wesleyan Babson was still within 5 and had the ball with 4 minutes left, but an unforced turnover led to a late run that put the game away.  Brandon Johnson had a solid game.
N.C. Wesleyan looks every bit a tournament team.  AJ Frye is listed at 6'5" 260 and he is a force down low where he was spotted 50 pounds or so and could not be kept off the offensive glass.  They have a strong all-around team with plenty of size, quickness, and depth.  It's the first time all season I've seen Oftring overmatched, so hats off to Frye, Bullock, and Layton.  Babson showed lots of rust but they lost to a better team.

In the consolation game (the tape of which should be destroyed) Babson hung on in a turnover-plagued contest over Catholic.  Johnson again was POTG for the Beavers.  Catholic is having an uncharacteristic down year and it shows on the court.

So now we are on to the NEWMAC regular season.  While MIT appears to be the cream of the crop a LOT of teams have improved over last year.  Everyone except MIT will likely need to win the NEWMAC postseason tourney in order to feel comfortable about making the big dance.

WPI, Babson, Springfield, Wheaton, and Coast Guard are all capable of winning 9 games in the 14 game home/away format.  Only Emerson and Clark seem unlikely to be any threat.

If Forsythe returns for MIT everyone is playing for 2nd IMO.

Regular Season Prediction

MIT 12-2
WPI 10-4
Wheaton 8-6
Babson 8-6
Springfield 8-6
Coast Guard 6-8
Emerson 3-11
Clark 1-13
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 02, 2019, 09:49:25 PM
Big road win for Babson 67-64 @ Springfield.

Ross sat out about 13.5 minutes of the first half with 2 early fouls, but they still managed a tie at the half.  Durkin played as well as I've seen him this year to keep The Pride in the game.
Ross + Post totaled 3 points in the half.  I wonder if that's ever happened before.
This game felt like it was going down to the wire all along, but Springfield opened up a 54-44 lead with under 9 minutes to play.  Coolahan, starting now while Jaworski gets back to form, kept Babson close with timely 3-point shots.  Oftring had a strong game too at both ends.
Tie game with a minute to play Babson forced the ball out of Ross' hand, but Witter couldn't hit the open 3.   A Babson turnover in transition with about 15 seconds to play led to a lead pass to Ross who drove into pressure and couldn't finish at the rim.  Johnson took the rebound and Coolahan calmly drained a corner 3 with 1 second left.
(Coolahan finished with 21, demolishing his previous career best of 9).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 05, 2019, 05:34:23 PM
The highs and lows of sports.

The highs can be exhilarating and the lows cruel.

I took in the second half of the MIT - Coast Guard game @ CG.

MIT pulled away to a 15 point lead behind consecutive 3-pt bombs from AJ Jurko with 3 minutes to play and then Jurko went down on a blocking foul at the other end.

There was a pileup under the basket and as they unstacked you could see Jurko writhing and players from both teams immediately call for trainers.  Over the next 15 minutes of stoppage various medical people came racing to that end and the video focused away from the basket and audio was turned off.
It was apparent (without speculating out of hand) that something really bad had occurred.  Players from both teams had their hands on their heads.  I could see someone running to that end with a stabilizing cast or the like.  Then the gurney and EMTs wheeled him out on camera.
When the audio returned the play-by-play man said Jurko had gotten up under his own power but was placed in a neck brace with no apparent signs of paralysis to his limbs.  I hope that's the case.  Nevertheless (speculating here) something gruesome must have happened for the players to walk away so quickly and appear so distraught.
The game was called to a conclusion with 2:50 to play and both teams huddled/consoled separately.

Basketball of course is a distant second to this young man's well being.  We can all hope things turn out as well for Jurko as they did for Jomard last year when he too was taken away on a gurney and returned to action several weeks later.

Allow me (on a basketball board) to address the secondary implication if Jurko is unable to return this, his senior year, from injury.  I've posted before that I consider Jurko the engine behind MIT.  Without him, and without any sign of Forsythe returning, a deep postseason run is beyond a reasonable expectation. 

I wish AJ nothing but the best.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: seamusoflannigan1934 on January 06, 2019, 06:20:42 PM
WOW! Huge week for Emerson as they pick up big time wins over coast guard AND Clarke. They look primed to run through the NEWMAC and are starting to look like a real tournament team. Gray continues to be outstanding and also nice to see O'Connor and Waterhouse contributing as well. As strong as MIT has looked, due to unfortunate luck with injuries I think Emerson is my pick for the NEWMAC regular season title. 2-0 after the first week with no signs of slowing down, a bit early to predict 14-0 but I don't think it's out of the question for this team. The sky is the limit
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on January 06, 2019, 07:12:22 PM
Welcome! Not sure I've ever seen someone go 14 months between registering and making their first post!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 08, 2019, 02:00:03 PM
Welcome Seamus - aggressive/excited first post.  But anybody posting on NEWMAC is more than welcome.

Time for WPI to start its next streak tomorrow night.  9 wins.  4 losses.  9 more wins coming starting tomorrow.

Mr Oflannigan - because of your enthusiasm, I am ending WPI's next win streak at 9 - at Emerson, 2/9.  :)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 09, 2019, 04:04:58 PM
I took in the 2nd half of the Springfield-Clark game at CU (no idea why they had an 11:30 tip and the stands had a lot of K-12 kids - maybe I'm not up on my holidays).

Clark, down 10 at the half, hung around long enough to start feeling it and then won going away.  This was no fluke.  Springfield's offensive stat line will look decent in the box score, and Ross, Post, and especially Witter got their points, but they got killed on the glass. 
Here's the game in a nutshell - Springfield went over 17 minutes of the second half without a defensive rebound.  When Clark wasn't making a layup or a 3 they were getting their own rebound.
Clark's sophomore  PG Gayman had a really nice game, displaying long range beyond the arc, quickness to the hoop, and wonderful court smarts in dishing 7 assists.
In the new era of 3-pt emphasis you can't allow a hungry team to stay within striking range and get a rhythm if you are only occasionally going to play defense.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 09, 2019, 06:46:35 PM
MIT down 46-38 @ Emerson at halftime.

The usual suspects filling it up for Emerson, both 20 ppg scorers, Gray and O'Connor.

Taking NOTHING away from Emerson, MIT is now playing without Forsythe (since early in the season), Korb (since winter break), and Jurko (injured last game and likely out for an extended period).  Without question that's 3 of their 5 best players, and in Korb and Jurko an immense amount of senior leadership.  If this is the new normal MIT may fall from an otherwise gaudy NEWMAC record to something more like 8-6.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 09, 2019, 08:51:03 PM
Big bounce back for WPI tonight. Solid win. What an interesting , hard to predict upcoming conference schedule. Looking forward to it.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: seamusoflannigan1934 on January 09, 2019, 10:11:23 PM
What a crazy day for the NEWMAC! Proud of Emerson for picking up yet another big win over MIT. The big 3 of Grey, Waterhouse, and O'Connor may be the best collection of talent I've ever seen at this level. Border line impossible to stop when they have it going like they did tonight! Congrats to WPI for bouncing back impressively against Wheaton. Babson also picked up a great road win over coast guard, I watched the whole game. Think they would be better off if they played through Ulrickson in the post more often, the kid is dominant on the block and needs more touches in my opinion! Matchup nightmare!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 10, 2019, 07:55:46 AM
First karma point Seamus!  Welcome officially to NEWMAC board. Great analysis. Emerson looks like the real deal.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 10, 2019, 11:20:42 AM
First off, belated welcome to Seamus!

OK, raise your hands if you could imagine a day before this season started where you would see Clark beat Springfield (last year Final 4) and Emerson beat MIT (last year Elite 8, with everyone returning).  Crazy.

I expected a big drop off for MIT with the injuries they are now facing, but I underestimated Emerson.  While it's no surprise what Gray can do (2018 NEWMAC 1st team), O'Connor has taken 2 steps forward, and Houston and Waterhouse may be battling it out for NEWMAC ROY.  The next 5 league games will tell a lot about whether Emerson is capable of being first-division in the NEWMAC (road vs. Springfield, WPI, Wheaton; home vs. Babson; road vs. MIT).  If they can go 3-2 over that stretch they will be a force.

Babson had a really nice win @ Coast Guard and are now 32-2 in their last NEWMAC road games.  Coolahan, who was inserted into the starting lineup while Jaworski recovered, established another career best 28 points.  He may remain a starter since his outside shooting provides so much spacing for Oftring and Johnson to operate inside.  They are still getting hurt by quick guards (Baldez is the latest example), and the frosh have taken a step back since the start of NEWMAC play.  Bradanese left the game with an injury.  If he can't return to give Oftring some rest the interior defense will suffer.

WPI bounced back from a rough stretch and took Wheaton behind the woodshed.  The Engineers have too much talent and coaching to stay down for long.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 10, 2019, 02:35:17 PM
I'm not the only one who underestimated Emerson.  They have advanced higher in the Massey ratings than any other team in D3.  At #120 (out of 428) they are just outside the top quartile.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 12, 2019, 04:02:03 PM
Good win for WPI. Didn't get to see video. But wow the teams shot 22-23 combined from charity stripe. Play by play seems like a tough win and move on NEWMAC game!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 16, 2019, 06:52:28 PM
Took in the 1st half of Springfield @ MIT.   

Hamilton Forsythe returns for MIT for his first game since the season opener!  If MIT can get Jurko back at some point they could still make a deep postseason run.  (Getting Korb back wouldn't hurt either).

MIT is getting just about whatever they want in this game, and Jomard and Roberts are putting on a 2-man clinic.  Springfield is barely in this game at the half (down 20), behind Ross' 15 points.

What a glaring difference in the two offenses.  The Pride already has 13 turnovers and is struggling to find any rhythm.  MIT is moving the ball inside and out and they present matchup problems all over the floor.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 16, 2019, 08:58:53 PM
Babson wins easily at home against Wheaton 77-65 after squandering a large portion of their 27 point lead.
Some payback for losing both games to the Lyons last year.
Jaworski is back in the starting lineup for the first time since before the break.
The big 3 of Johnson-Oftring-Jaworski all had good games.  Forgiving the lapse over the last 10 minutes with lots of subbing, Babson is playing at a high level right now.  They are sharing the ball on offense and playing outstanding team defense.
This sets up a great matchup this weekend @ MIT, with Babson 5-0 and MIT 4-1 in conference play.  I can't wait to see the Roberts-Oftring battle inside.  I heard the MIT play-by-play guy say that AJ Jurko may  even be back for the game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 16, 2019, 09:29:23 PM
Very good win for WPI tonight.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on January 17, 2019, 08:37:08 PM
A question for anyone who knows the answer.  The Coast Guard, of course, is going unpaid during the government shutdown.  I'm sure there is at least indirect fallout on the Academy (and many of its students), but is the Coast Guard Academy directly affected at all by the shutdown?

I can't help wondering if this huge distraction is at least partially to blame for them falling from 9-1 to 10-5 over the last few weeks (I realize the main culprit is a big rise in the quality of opponents).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 17, 2019, 10:30:12 PM
Coast Guard is directly affected ... their SID, for example, is not allowed to be at work. That includes other administrators. Their AD (former yet?) told me the last time he was doing the laundry because no other admins were on site.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WUPHF on January 17, 2019, 10:38:58 PM
Faculty are working for free as well.

What a mess.

Let's build more of the wall that we have been building for a long time and find a solution for DACA.  It will largely be seen as a draw by the undecided voters.  Move on to the next fight.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on January 17, 2019, 11:07:59 PM
Quote from: WUPHF on January 17, 2019, 10:38:58 PM
Faculty are working for free as well.

What a mess.

Let's build more of the wall that we have been building for a long time and find a solution for DACA.
  It will largely be seen as a draw by the undecided voters.  Move on to the next fight.

Illegal immigration is mostly from overstaying visas by people coming by plane.  Drugs are mainly by venues manned by TSA and the Coast Guard, both of whom are currently unpaid, or hidden into shipments thru legal ports of entry.  The Wall is a hugely expensive non-solution in search of a problem (since illegal immigration is at historic lows).  (There is already a fence in all places it makes any sense to put a fence; the rest is better defended by drones and sensors.)

Unfortunately Trump is now painted into a corner by his 'allies' - e.g., Coulter, Hannity, and Limbaugh.  If he caves, he is dead meat; if he doesn't the country is dead meat.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WUPHF on January 17, 2019, 11:35:13 PM
I am not a proponent of the wall, but Bush invested in the wall, Obama invested in the wall, this is not new...

The ask for the wall is not expensive by federal government standards and resolving the DACA issue would provide for a good trade-off.  Not to mention the shovel ready jobs.

As for the illegal immigration story from the Huffington Post and Vox that suggested that there are more illegal immigrants from Canada, well, US immigration law is complicated and if we were in the politics board, I would explain how problematic that story is.  I'll say though, laborers who illegally enter seeking work affect US workers in a way that the Canadian tourist who stays longer than they should never would.

I am to the left on immigration, but I understand that with immigration, there are winners and losers and good policy would moderate the impact on those negatively affected.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Mr. Ypsi on January 17, 2019, 11:51:58 PM
Quote from: WUPHF on January 17, 2019, 11:35:13 PM
I am not a proponent of the wall, but Bush invested in the wall, Obama invested in the wall, this is not new...

The ask for the wall is not expensive by federal government standards and resolving the DACA issue would provide for a good trade-off.  Not to mention the shovel ready jobs.

As for the illegal immigration story from the Huffington Post and Vox that suggested that there are more illegal immigrants from Canada, well, US immigration law is complicated and if we were in the politics board, I would explain how problematic that story is.  I'll say though, laborers who illegally enter seeking work affect US workers in a way that the Canadian tourist who stays longer than they should never would.

I am to the left on immigration, but I understand that with immigration, there are winners and losers and good policy would moderate the impact on those negatively affected.

Yes, previous presidents have built 'the wall', which is why we now have all the wall that is needed (or practicable).  Trump's wall would be an environmental nightmare and serve no purpose except to be his 'pyramid'.  Almost no one comes across the areas where he wants a wall (and drones, sensors, and BP agents would be vastly more effective and cheaper than a $50B wall).  And, yes, the $5.7B is barely a down payment on what would be a humongous waste of money.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 18, 2019, 12:10:32 AM
Not that I want to wade into this, but you all might be surprised that the "wall" previous administrations invested in was more like "fencing." Yes, there are walls down there in some sections, but fencing is the biggest item.

Also, some of the land the wall should be built on is not US government property. Private land isn't going to just get handed over. That's something no one is talking about.

Anyway ... I feel bad for Coast Guard. Merchant Marine was in a tougher bind as technically they aren't allowed to be playing at all (that has happened in previous shutdowns). They are playing, so I am trying to determine what has changed. I probably should know the answer ... but it is escaping me right now.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WUPHF on January 18, 2019, 12:30:55 AM
I think most who follow the story know about the wall.

I know less about the Merchant Marine Academy.  It would be interesting to know how many of their basketball players had any idea the Merchant Marine existed prior to being recruited.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 18, 2019, 01:27:25 PM
Not touching the wall discussion. 

Feel bad for the cadets all around.  We (WPI) had a game postponed against the Merchant Marines because of a shutdown when I was there - I think 1986 - I guess easy enough to look up.

Strong opinions on both sides - seems almost trivial though in the very big picture - hope it gets figured out quickly.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WUPHF on January 18, 2019, 01:45:47 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 18, 2019, 01:27:25 PM
Strong opinions on both sides - seems almost trivial though in the very big picture - hope it gets figured out quickly.

I could not agree more...let's fix Flint and a million other things first.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 18, 2019, 02:18:07 PM
Quote from: WUPHF on January 18, 2019, 12:30:55 AM
I think most who follow the story know about the wall.

I know less about the Merchant Marine Academy.  It would be interesting to know how many of their basketball players had any idea the Merchant Marine existed prior to being recruited.

From what I've gathered I think a lot know about the school. Many who end up at merchant academies in general are interested in shipping and such. Certainly, I am sure there are a fair number of recruits who get interested from the recruiting, but like a lot of service academies and I am sure there is a good mixture of those who know and those who find out.

BTW Merchant Marine is playing because after the 2013 shutdown, the DOT reassessed things and decided that during a regular calendar they teams at USMMA were except from being shut down. That said, during a break they can be affected - they did have to postpone one set of games in early January, but have been playing ever since.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 19, 2019, 04:56:37 PM
Keep rolling boys.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 19, 2019, 06:14:30 PM
Babson goes toe to toe @ MIT for 40 minutes, but in the end MIT played smarter and with more poise and earned the OT victory (that's 3 straight NEWMAC regular season OT games against each other if you're scoring at home).
AJ Jurko returned after missing a few games (did I hear that correctly - STAPLES in the head?) and was immense.  He finished with 37.  Pippen (er, Jomard) "chipped in" with 25.  Roberts had a relatively quiet game until late, and the 4th musketeer, Forsythe added 10 while still rounding back into form.
If you just went by the box score as a Babson fan you could whine about a FT disparity (34-11), but the truth is there was no bias.  MIT took it inside and Babson relied on shooting a large number of 3 pointers.
Jaworski had a fallaway shot at the end of regulation to win it that rimmed out (after Jurko had tied it on a jab-step, step-back 3).
Babson will finish up the first half of the NEWMAC on the road at Emerson.  Things are taking shape now with MIT, Babson, WPI, and Emerson in the top half and Springfield, Wheaton, Coast Guard, and Clark rounding out the 2nd division.
MIT is still the cream of the crop, and they still don't have Korb back.  Wow.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on January 19, 2019, 07:19:42 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on January 19, 2019, 06:14:30 PM
Babson goes toe to toe @ MIT for 40 minutes, but in the end MIT played smarter and with more poise and earned the OT victory (that's 3 straight NEWMAC regular season OT games against each other if you're scoring at home).
AJ Jurko returned after missing a few games (did I hear that correctly - STAPLES in the head?) and was immense.  He finished with 37.  Pippen (er, Jomard) "chipped in" with 25.  Roberts had a relatively quiet game until late, and the 4th musketeer, Forsythe added 10 while still rounding back into form.
If you just went by the box score as a Babson fan you could whine about a FT disparity (34-11), but the truth is there was no bias.  MIT took it inside and Babson relied on shooting a large number of 3 pointers.
Jaworski had a fallaway shot at the end of regulation to win it that rimmed out (after Jurko had tied it on a jab-step, step-back 3).
Babson will finish up the first half of the NEWMAC on the road at Emerson.  Things are taking shape now with MIT, Babson, WPI, and Emerson in the top half and Springfield, Wheaton, Coast Guard, and Clark rounding out the 2nd division.
MIT is still the cream of the crop, and they still don't have Korb back.  Wow.

The game was a barnburner (I was there and am currently going through my 2700-odd photos).  Babson's just plain really, really good, and I gather quite young.  Excellent ball movement and waiting patiently for the good shot.  Our Engineers had to give it their all.  We're going to see a lot from you guys before it's all over, I do believe.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 23, 2019, 08:33:20 PM
Young. They figure it out.
Injuries. Next man up.
Keep rolling boys.
Strongest overall game in some time!

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 23, 2019, 09:45:29 PM
Babson couldn't quite dig out of a late hole @ Emerson.

This was a back and forth game til about 5 minutes left.  Then Emerson built up an 11 point lead with 1:49 to play and the game seemed over since Emerson was in the double bonus.
Babson started hitting from 3pt range with Coolahan and Oftring, and with 10 seconds left they grabbed a rebound with a chance to tie.  Jaworski probably needed another pass instead of launching his 3-pointer that hit iron.
Gray - probably the most anonymous star in New England - led the Lions as usual.  Houston gave them a lot in limited minutes.
So, the first half ends with MIT at 6-1, and WPI, Emerson, and Babson at 5-2.  One of these teams is probably going to end up playing Springfield in the 4/5 postseason first round game.

Side note:  Is there another D3 college that takes video production as seriously as Emerson?  They had 4 cameras working and provided timely replays.  Nice job.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on January 24, 2019, 11:13:19 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on January 23, 2019, 09:45:29 PM
Side note:  Is there another D3 college that takes video production as seriously as Emerson?  They had 4 cameras working and provided timely replays.  Nice job.

Emerson is described (via Google) as "internationally recognized as the nation's premier institution of higher learning devoted to communication and the arts".  So yes, I'd expect them to take video production seriously :-)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on January 24, 2019, 05:10:11 PM
rik.....a somewhat side issue post.  Based on the number of "photo shots" taken at the MIT game...is it a hobby or a professional interest?  I see that you were a Course VI-3 student at MIT.  Course VI  is ELectrical Engineering/Computer Sciences...but I'm ignorant of the dash 3 speciality.  I was in Course 13 but it became part of Course II..ME after I graduated. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on January 24, 2019, 07:18:32 PM
Quote from: amh63 on January 24, 2019, 05:10:11 PM
rik.....a somewhat side issue post.  Based on the number of "photo shots" taken at the MIT game...is it a hobby or a professional interest?  I see that you were a Course VI-3 student at MIT.  Course VI  is ELectrical Engineering/Computer Sciences...but I'm ignorant of the dash 3 speciality.  I was in Course 13 but it became part of Course II..ME after I graduated.

Hobby, although I certainly shoot a lot of games.  The back story is that I was manager of the team while I was at the tute (I have the size -- about 6'4" -- but as the saying goes I'm slow and can't jump; I once managed to dunk a volleyball).  Anyway, being involved with the team helped me get through some rough spots during my time, so this lets me give a little something back while also being something I enjoy.  There's a bit more to it; you can email me at alum.mit.edu if you care.

VI-3 is computer science.  In my era there were two majors in Course VI, VI-1 (EE) and VI-3 (CS).  There's now also a VI-2 (combination, but not double major), and apparently some other variants.

I think Course XIII was eliminated quite recently; there was a player this decade whom IIRC majored in it.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 25, 2019, 11:51:45 AM
Quote from: rlk on January 24, 2019, 11:13:19 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on January 23, 2019, 09:45:29 PM
Side note:  Is there another D3 college that takes video production as seriously as Emerson?  They had 4 cameras working and provided timely replays.  Nice job.

Emerson is described (via Google) as "internationally recognized as the nation's premier institution of higher learning devoted to communication and the arts".  So yes, I'd expect them to take video production seriously :-)

Point taken.

They do a remarkable job with what they have to work with at that venue.  Given the price and availability of real estate in the heart of downtown Boston the gym has the minimum amount of square footage at court level.  I've never been inside, but based on the panoramic camera work there looks to be just 3 rows of seats on all sides of the court.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 26, 2019, 09:48:57 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on January 25, 2019, 11:51:45 AM
Quote from: rlk on January 24, 2019, 11:13:19 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on January 23, 2019, 09:45:29 PM
Side note:  Is there another D3 college that takes video production as seriously as Emerson?  They had 4 cameras working and provided timely replays.  Nice job.

Emerson is described (via Google) as "internationally recognized as the nation's premier institution of higher learning devoted to communication and the arts".  So yes, I'd expect them to take video production seriously :-)

They didn't have any gym at all for a long time.  It's even more of a miracle they were able to carve one out of the basement without disrupting infrastructure.

Point taken.

They do a remarkable job with what they have to work with at that venue.  Given the price and availability of real estate in the heart of downtown Boston the gym has the minimum amount of square footage at court level.  I've never been inside, but based on the panoramic camera work there looks to be just 3 rows of seats on all sides of the court.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 26, 2019, 04:57:55 PM
Rollin'
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 28, 2019, 04:32:12 PM
Missed The Babson home game against Coast Guard (and probably glad I did).  Taking nothing away from The Academy, this was a bad loss;  not the opponent, but the margin of defeat at home in a game, apparently, they were never really in. 
Hard to fathom this is the same team that took MIT to overtime at The Cage a week ago.  It's eerily similar to the earlier home loss to Brandeis (again, not the opponent, but the margin - 74-49).
I can only hope they can recover in the same way they did after Brandeis (road win @ undefeated Amherst), because MIT is stopping by Staake on Wednesday.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 30, 2019, 01:49:20 PM
(https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/img/mw=710/cr=n/d=m5lxl/o3h5z2xs7txn530n.jpg)

The Hoopsville Marathon Show ... is tomorrow!

Tune in starting at 12:00 p.m. ET as we talk to guests from around the country about nothing but #d3hoops.

It is all about celebrating the season, student-athletes, coaches, and an exciting season.

For more information, click here: http://bit.ly/2HGx0N3

We will share more about the show a little later.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 30, 2019, 03:24:13 PM
We will be there Dave - maybe not for all of it - have a great show...............oh and keep moving WPI up those "other receiving votes" list!  :)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 30, 2019, 04:53:45 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 30, 2019, 03:24:13 PM
We will be there Dave - maybe not for all of it - have a great show...............oh and keep moving WPI up those "other receiving votes" list!  :)

Being a NEWMAC supporter it is sometimes discouraging to see how low (relatively speaking) the league teams fair in the voting.  I'm not picking on D3Hoops here, because Massey has similar rankings.
But here are some facts:

In 3 of the last 4 years the NEWMAC has produced the last team standing from New England (last year it was 2 teams).
This year the NEWMAC had a 7-6 W-L record against the NESCAC.  This is not intended as NESCAC-bashing, but there are currently SIX teams from the NESCAC rated higher than 15-4 WPI in both polls.
Babson has won 3 of their last 4 meetings with Amherst at LeFrak, and only one of those wins was with Joey Flannery.  Fluke?  How many other teams can claim that achievement - even in the NESCAC?

I can only hope MIT plays well enough to host opening weekend (at minimum) for the NCAA's.  My dream scenario, to "force" the committee to invite 3 NEWMAC schools would be for MIT to run the table until the NEWMAC championship,  have WPI finish the regular season 20-5, and have Emerson, Springfield, or Babson win the NEWMAC auto-invite.

To hear some folks talk the NEWMAC is destined to be a 1 bid conference, barring an upset of MIT.  I think that would be unfortunate.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 30, 2019, 09:45:03 PM
Lucky 7 in a row.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 31, 2019, 02:01:41 AM
While the top of the NEWMAC has produced good teams, the middle and bottom of the conference usually aren't in the conversation. As a result, some of the Massey type numbers drag everyone down. Furthermore, when a team like Springfield struggles and MIT is dealing with injuries, it is hard to evaluate the true strength of the conference from top to bottom.

Finally, just because one or two teams have success does not mean the entire conference is thus better than they are. Benedictine had an incredible season a few years ago - nearly going undefeated and winning a national championship, but that doesn't mean the NACC is some incredible conference that should be ranked highly. Thomas More women have been one of the best programs in the last ten years in Division III, but that doesn't mean the PAC is some insanely good conference.

MIT, Babson, and others have had some memorable seasons and Babson has won the crown. The NEWMAC is considered one of the top 15-20 conferences in the country, but just because a couple of teams have had success doesn't mean the entire conference is that much better as well.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 31, 2019, 11:17:24 AM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 31, 2019, 02:01:41 AM
While the top of the NEWMAC has produced good teams, the middle and bottom of the conference usually aren't in the conversation. As a result, some of the Massey type numbers drag everyone down. Furthermore, when a team like Springfield struggles and MIT is dealing with injuries, it is hard to evaluate the true strength of the conference from top to bottom.

Finally, just because one or two teams have success does not mean the entire conference is thus better than they are. Benedictine had an incredible season a few years ago - nearly going undefeated and winning a national championship, but that doesn't mean the NACC is some incredible conference that should be ranked highly. Thomas More women have been one of the best programs in the last ten years in Division III, but that doesn't mean the PAC is some insanely good conference.

MIT, Babson, and others have had some memorable seasons and Babson has won the crown. The NEWMAC is considered one of the top 15-20 conferences in the country, but just because a couple of teams have had success doesn't mean the entire conference is that much better as well.

I appreciate the feedback Dave.

To clarify, I'm not trying to say that the NEWMAC is an elite conference from top to bottom.  But neither is the NESCAC or any other conference.
Within the NEWMAC, while some teams have been strong for a decade or more, the mix of teams that are in the top tier (4) of the conference tends to vary, often year to year.  So, if the conference itself is holding its own head-to-head with a conference like the NESCAC (7-6) this year, it's puzzling how 6 NESCAC teams (fully more than half of that conference)  could be ranked higher than the 2nd ranked team in the NEWMAC (WPI).
Of course those 13 games are a small sample size and some teams play more games against that conference, and against arguably lesser opponents, but I do think they add merit to the discussion.
Right now teams like Clark are a drag on the "conference rankings".  I get that.  (Have they named a new coach for next year?).  But I'd expect the top 2 teams from the conference, as you say in a 15-20th ranked conference to be ranked higher than 42/43 (D3Hoops) or 52nd (Massey).  Take the midpoint (17.5) x 2nd ranked team, and a rank of 35 for WPI would be more reasonable to me.
Maybe that's quibbling.

Meanwhile a fully healthy MIT took apart Babson last night.  Going forward the interesting discussion might be a hosting decision within New England in the 2nd weekend.  This is all conjecture at this point, but assuming the currently ranked teams win out, would the committee have to choose between MIT and Williams?

Looking forward to your show as my time allows.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on January 31, 2019, 12:18:57 PM
BaboNation, looking at WPI, I think they are ranked fairly because of a very weak schedule to date.  What are WPI's best wins exactly?  Tufts?  Coast Guard?  Salem State?   Certainly WPI has no wins vs. other teams in the top-15 of the region.  And losing by 30 to an MIT team missing two key players in the only game vs. a top 25 team doesn't exactly help WPI's cause.  WPI has also played a pretty soft NEWMAC schedule to date, including four of its league wins over league bottom-feeders Wheaton and Clark.  WPI will have a chance to make its case over the next five games, which are a bit tougher.  But WPI needs to beat a few good teams to prove it belongs in the conversation.  Compare some of the quality wins the top-6 NESCAC teams have:

Williams: Wesleyan x2, Montclair State, Moravian, maybe Yeshiva (which has been red hot since losing to Williams)
Wesleyan: Plattsburgh State, Midd, Hamilton, Amherst
Amherst: Eastern Conn, Williams
Midd: Williams, Endicott, Skidmore

Hamilton, like WPI, lacks any sort of signature win (Keene State is probably the best), but Hamilton has only two losses and did return just about everyone from last year's Sweet 16 team so they have probably gotten a bit of the benefit of the doubt despite a very weak non-league schedule and back-loaded league schedule (still yet to play Midd, Amherst, Williams). 

I also note that while NEWMAC has a 7-6 edge over NESCAC, NEWMAC has gone (I believe) 1-3 vs. the top six NESCAC teams (Wesleyan, Midd, Williams, Hamilton, Colby and Amherst), so a number of the NEWMAC-NESCAC games won by NEWMAC have been top-half NEWMAC teams (MIT, Babson, WPI) vs. bottom-half NESCAC teams.   
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 31, 2019, 03:06:51 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on January 31, 2019, 12:18:57 PM
BaboNation, looking at WPI, I think they are ranked fairly because of a very weak schedule to date.  What are WPI's best wins exactly?  Tufts?  Coast Guard?  Salem State?   Certainly WPI has no wins vs. other teams in the top-15 of the region.  And losing by 30 to an MIT team missing two key players in the only game vs. a top 25 team doesn't exactly help WPI's cause.  WPI has also played a pretty soft NEWMAC schedule to date, including four of its league wins over league bottom-feeders Wheaton and Clark.  WPI will have a chance to make its case over the next five games, which are a bit tougher.  But WPI needs to beat a few good teams to prove it belongs in the conversation.  Compare some of the quality wins the top-6 NESCAC teams have:

Williams: Wesleyan x2, Montclair State, Moravian, maybe Yeshiva (which has been red hot since losing to Williams)
Wesleyan: Plattsburgh State, Midd, Hamilton, Amherst
Amherst: Eastern Conn, Williams
Midd: Williams, Endicott, Skidmore

Hamilton, like WPI, lacks any sort of signature win (Keene State is probably the best), but Hamilton has only two losses and did return just about everyone from last year's Sweet 16 team so they have probably gotten a bit of the benefit of the doubt despite a very weak non-league schedule and back-loaded league schedule (still yet to play Midd, Amherst, Williams). 

I also note that while NEWMAC has a 7-6 edge over NESCAC, NEWMAC has gone (I believe) 1-3 vs. the top six NESCAC teams (Wesleyan, Midd, Williams, Hamilton, Colby and Amherst), so a number of the NEWMAC-NESCAC games won by NEWMAC have been top-half NEWMAC teams (MIT, Babson, WPI) vs. bottom-half NESCAC teams.

I understand your point of view, but I don't agree with it.

Each season should be viewed as a clean slate, not getting any benefit of the doubt based on last year's performance.  That's for preseason polls (see Springfield).
But here's the real issue to me - you are using intra-NESCAC wins as a sign of the worthiness of NESCAC team rankings, but that doesn't seem to carry over to NEWMAC teams.  The thinking seems to be:  Amherst is very good because they beat Williams;  Wesleyan is very good because they beat Middlebury;  Colby is very good because they beat Hamilton.  If Bowdoin beats Middlebury tomorrow I won't be surprised if they too leapfrog WPI.
Colby is the most egregious example when compared to WPI, imo.  15 wins vs. 16 for WPI;  6 wins over teams with losing records vs. 5 for WPI.
Within the NEWMAC I think a healthy MIT team is head and shoulders above anyone else.  I have WPI, Babson and Emerson evenly grouped in the next tier, so contrary to prevailing thinking, I consider WPI's win over Emerson to be meritorious.  Since the NEWMAC plays a balanced schedule within the conference it's perplexing to understand how WPI's conference schedule (9 of 14 games in) can be considered "soft".  They've already played each opponent at least once, just like every other team. And their out of conference schedule includes just 2 games against teams with losing records.  That's "weak"?
Furthermore, I don't consider either Hamilton (9 wins over teams with losing records), or Amherst (8 such wins) to be top-25 teams.  Top-35/40? Ok.  In both cases these teams have won over half their games vs. losing teams.  And I'm not just reading box scores - I've watched each team 5 times or more.
Maybe a generation from now this will all be settled with D1-styled mega-conferences.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on January 31, 2019, 03:33:07 PM
When I say WPI's NEWMAC schedule to date is soft, I am referring to the fact that they've played the worst two teams twice each, but everyone else once.  Also, their remaining games against the mid-tier teams are all on the road.  So their in-league record right NOW benefits from that imbalance.  Certainly that evens out after the next five games. 

And intra-NESCAC wins are only worthy against GOOD teams in the NESCAC.  I'm not counting wins against Bowdoin, Bates, Conn, Trinity, or even Tufts (which is the most arguable).  Same goes with NEWMAC.  Sorry, but Emerson (which was soundly beaten by two NESCAC teams) is not good.  Yes, they beat MIT, but that MIT team was totally depleted by injuries, and easily handled Emerson in the rematch.  If WPI beats MIT now that they are healthy, that is of course a very good win.  Babson would also be a solid win.  They have not, however, won vs. those teams as of yet.  If you are saying WPI is underranked because of a win against Emerson, that is a pretty thin reed to stand on. 

Whether Hamilton or Amherst are top 25 teams (and the voters consider both of them to be, which is saying something) or top 35-40 teams, WPI still hasn't beaten a single team remotely close to a top 40 team nationally.  All of the NESCAC teams you've mentioned, other than Hamilton, have, in many cases multiple times.  And Hamilton has two fewer losses than WPI (and 3 of WPI's losses were to teams that are not ranked and are not receiving votes in the poll), which matters.  (I would agree that Hamilton probably hasn't earned its current ranking by the way, but I do see them as a legit top-25 team).   Comparing WPI to NESCAC teams with similar records -- Midd, Amherst and Wesleyan -- the NESCAC teams have better wins and their losses tend to be better losses (except, cryptically, Tufts, which has been all over the map this season with weird wins and weird losses).  Colby, there you have more of an argument, but beating Hamilton and Amherst back-to-back on the road just this past weekend was very impressive.  And again, WPI doesn't have one win of that caliber this season, let alone two. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 01, 2019, 12:44:25 AM
I haven't voted for WPI as of yet for the examples already stated ... they haven't beaten anyone in the Top 40 or so in the nation. They had a four-game losing streak. The best teams on WPI's schedule ... they have lost.

One might not like the fact that teams who have significant wins have them over their conference opponents, but those opponents are good. WPI hasn't beaten the best teams in their own conference and games they have won are against average teams.

And the NESCAC is a Top 5 conference in the country. They are absolutely, from top to bottom, an elite conference. And there are others who are elite.

I get you say the NEWMAC is 7-6 v the NESCAC, but those teams with big wins are recognized and those in the NESCAC with big wins aren't necessarily against those the NEWMAC has played.

BTW - the point of having to choose between Williams and MIT to host in the second weekend (which is so far down the hypothesis-hole it isn't funny), they could choose both if they wanted. They don't have to choose one or the other. Furthermore, the national rankings won't mean a damn thing to the committee with those decisions. The selection criteria that is used for Regional Rankings, selections, bracketing, etc. will be used.

The NEWMAC is a good conference, but I have no reason right now to rank Babson, WPI, or others outside of MIT. That isn't a knock on the NEWMAC. There is so much parity and good teams in the Division III that one simply cannot rank every single team one thinks is a TOp 25 team. I am considering, at minimum, 40 teams a week. They can't all be there. Plain and simple.

WPI has four losses ... they have a lot of wins ... their SOS is actually a good .543 right now, but it will come down because conference play will bring that down. However, if they keep winning .. they will be ranked. They have games against Babson, Springfield (even if they are not great record wise, voters know the talent there), and MIT ... not to mention Emerson who has had some key wins. Win most or all of those games and WPI will be recognized, but if they do what they did earlier and lose to Babson and get blown out by MIT ... it isn't going to happen.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 06, 2019, 04:15:21 PM
Here are the first rankings for the men this season: https://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2019/02/men-regional-rankings-first
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 06, 2019, 10:31:23 PM
Deflating loss. Tremendous win. Such is the life with a great coach and basically all sophs and frosh. Good night to be a GOAT fan.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 09, 2019, 02:04:51 PM
Emerson broadcast is tremendous. Having some audio issues but student announcers and cameras are great.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 09, 2019, 03:43:22 PM
Well any possible at-large mystery is now done. That end was a tough watch.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 10, 2019, 09:58:11 AM
Final week of regular season coming up and it will be very interesting.  MIT will get the 1-seed, but who gets the 2 and 3 and thereby avoids the 4/5 first round game?

WPI has 2 tough games coming up.  The Emerson @ Babson game on Wednesday will tell a lot.  Babson could win out in 2 home contests and leapfrog from 4th to 2nd. 

Has Springfield finally found some footing?  Can they get the 5th seed, or will they miss the playoffs completely?

The winner of the 4/5 game then has the daunting prospect of facing MIT in the 2nd round.  Better to get the 2/3 game and hope MIT gets knocked out in the semis, or at least delay the meeting til the final.

I haven't seen the last 2 MIT games but I've noticed AJ Jurko missing both games again (injury?).  With Jurko and a complete, healthy team MIT will be a very tough opponent against any NEWMAC foe, or regional/national team for that matter.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 13, 2019, 03:22:21 PM
The second week Regional Rankings have been released: https://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2019/02/men-regional-rankings-second
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 14, 2019, 04:30:16 PM
Babo any clue on tiebreakers?  All 5 teams could be 2-6 at this point?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 14, 2019, 08:40:51 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 14, 2019, 04:30:16 PM
Babo any clue on tiebreakers?  All 5 teams could be 2-6 at this point?

I think this link explains it.  If I even tried to cover all the possible scenarios I'd surely miss something (and my head would be throbbing).

Pages 23-25 cover tiebreakers.

https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/r/c/kdyrdbayjtygad/NEWMACHandbook11_3.pdf
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 14, 2019, 08:53:27 PM
The most interesting scenario for Saturday would be:

MIT over WPI
Springfield over Babson
Coast Guard over Emerson

In the above case, there is a 5-way tie that needs to be broken (all teams 8-6) between Emerson, WPI, Coast Guard, Babson, and Springfield.  Wow.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 16, 2019, 10:44:51 AM
Incredible. Somebody will be 2 seed and somebodies season will be over!  I gave 5 minutes of trying to figure it and can't. Many season splits as you would expect. Hope it doesn't come to a coin toss ending someone's season.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 16, 2019, 10:51:41 AM
I think Emerson and Springfield would be 2 and 3 seeds based on beating MIT? 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 16, 2019, 06:16:19 PM
Coast Guard made it a little easier by losing to Emerson.  Emerson gets the 2-seed.
So, we ended up with a 3-way tie for seeds 3-5.

As I read the tiebreakers, WPI, Springfield, and Babson all finished 2-2 within games played against each other.  So, the next tiebreaker becomes how they did against the #1 seed.
Since only Springfield beat MIT it gets the 3-seed.
Babson and WPI get the 4-5 play-in game.  (I didn't bother to figure out who is 4 and who is 5).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on February 16, 2019, 06:45:17 PM
The Nescac prior to their conference tournament went deep into tiebreaker criteria to seed and select matchups.
Six teams were within one game of each other.  Amherst in a lost to Hamilton...in a postponed game....in Clinton NY...went from the top seed to the third seed! 
Seems that this season has a number of conferences that have teams all bunched together.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on February 16, 2019, 07:55:50 PM
One quirk of the NEWMAC men's tournament is that the fourth seed is guaranteed a home game against the fifth seed, in the "play-in", "wild card", "quarterfinal", or what have you.  However, the third seed is not; the only possibility for that team to get a home team is if they defeat the #2 seed and the #4 seed defeats #1.  That did actually happen in 2014, when Springfield was #3 and MIT was #4; both teams knocked off the higher seeds, and then MIT won the final.  However, the tournament format at that time was different; the #1 seed hosted all of the games except for the play-in.  That was also the year NEWMAC got 4 bids, and all four lost in the first round :-(

The women's tournament, with 7 teams, does not have that little foible.  Each of the top four seeds is guaranteed a home game; the first seed gets a bye into the semifinals while #2-4 play #7-5 respectively.  This also would not happen with 6 (or 8) teams in the tournament.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 16, 2019, 09:02:13 PM
That's the way I see it Babo. I can't get into the d3 site. But earlier they had WPI AS the 3 seed?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 16, 2019, 09:08:56 PM
Nope. Just got on NEWMAC website. Weirdly thecstandings still list WPI 3. But they are the 5 seed and play at Babson in the play in game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on February 17, 2019, 01:12:18 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/qPeLr6Y.png)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 17, 2019, 09:11:11 AM
Quote from: rlk on February 16, 2019, 07:55:50 PM
One quirk of the NEWMAC men's tournament is that the fourth seed is guaranteed a home game against the fifth seed, in the "play-in", "wild card", "quarterfinal", or what have you.  However, the third seed is not; the only possibility for that team to get a home team is if they defeat the #2 seed and the #4 seed defeats #1.  That did actually happen in 2014, when Springfield was #3 and MIT was #4; both teams knocked off the higher seeds, and then MIT won the final.  However, the tournament format at that time was different; the #1 seed hosted all of the games except for the play-in.  That was also the year NEWMAC got 4 bids, and all four lost in the first round :-(

The women's tournament, with 7 teams, does not have that little foible.  Each of the top four seeds is guaranteed a home game; the first seed gets a bye into the semifinals while #2-4 play #7-5 respectively.  This also would not happen with 6 (or 8) teams in the tournament.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I prefer the way they have it now, where there is the best chance for a bigger crowd and a home team celebration.   If, for example, Coast Guard were the #1 seed, but knocked out in its first game, there'd likely be a smaller crowd for the remaining teams.  That's not a knock on CG or its venue, just the travel distance, and the lesser likelihood of drawing "locals".  And the celebration can sometimes be muted at a "neutral" venue.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 17, 2019, 09:20:17 AM
Maybe I should have gone to law school.  Or is there a degree in forensic analytics?

I'm trying to figure out how Babson got the #4, ahead of WPI at #5. 

All the NEWMAC had to say in their press release was "In order to determine the final three seeds, NEWMAC tie-breaking procedures were applied where Springfield (11-14, 8-6) emerged as the No. 3 seed followed by No. 4 Babson (15-10, 8-6) and No. 5 WPI (17-8, 8-6)."

It seems the tiebreaker between these 2 schools would have reached the "non-conference common opponents" step, where I think only Tufts came into play.  Both teams beat Tufts.

So ... did it come down to a coin flip?  I hope not.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 17, 2019, 09:34:19 AM
Meanwhile,  I'm really disappointed in my Beavers.  At this point I consider them lucky to still have basketball ahead of them, with a home game to boot.

Conference play started out promising at 5-0, but something changed.  They adjusted their style and personnel when Jaworski went down and had some success (notably the win at Amherst).  But to these eyes that style was not best-suited for the long haul.

Too often the open 3-point shooter would take that shot regardless of whether they were effective at that range.  I don't want to single out any players because, after all, these are young men playing a game they love.  And I have no idea whether coach Brennan's instructions are being followed.  I'd just feel better if they flowed most of their offensive possessions through Oftring and Jaworski as the first option.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 17, 2019, 09:42:47 AM
Final thought:  Springfield sure got hot at the right time.  They absolutely had to win their final 4 games to even make the tournament and they did so, beating Wheaton, MIT, WPI, and Babson.  Now they could actually win the NEWMAC and the automatic D3 invitation with a losing record overall!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Smitty Oom on February 17, 2019, 10:37:51 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 17, 2019, 09:42:47 AM
Final thought:  Springfield sure got hot at the right time.  They absolutely had to win their final 4 games to even make the tournament and they did so, beating Wheaton, MIT, WPI, and Babson.  Now they could actually win the NEWMAC and the automatic D3 invitation with a losing record overall!

Should that happen, they will be one of the toughest '4th seeds' in the nation. They have the recipe of getting hot at the right time, star power and the experience of last years final four run.

It would also be fun to see their semi-final opponent, Emerson, get the NEWMAC AQ. O'Connor and Gray are quite the backcourt duo for the Lions. I have tuned into a couple of their games and they are a fun team to watch and a school that does not get into the NCAA very often. Although, I'm sure bubble teams would disagree with me and they would like to see MIT win the NEWMAC tourney.  :)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 19, 2019, 09:40:00 PM
Nice win for WPI tonight. Babo, were you there?  I did not get to see it. 20 each from Downing and Macnamara. 3rd shot at MIT on Saturday. Good luck boys!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on February 20, 2019, 12:45:24 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/TkMe856.png)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 20, 2019, 09:24:11 AM

Man, a Springfield conference tournament bid would create so many possibilities.  The NJAC already has a persecution complex, imagine a first round NJCU-Springfield matchup?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 20, 2019, 11:46:38 AM
Alas, my Beavers are done for the season.  I still don't know how they earned home court vs. WPI last night, but even that wasn't enough to withstand the visitors from Worcester.
It was a close game throughout, but frankly WPI just played better and earned the victory.  Too much McNamara, Downing, ugly turnovers, and dagger 3's.
Babson's best basketball was played from mid-December to mid-January.  Since then almost every game has been a heavy lift.  Oftring and Jaworski may have worn down when reliable subs were not to be found.

Maybe Neil Young was right and it's better to burn out than fade away.

If this were the NBA it would be easy to assess needs for next year and draft accordingly.  But it's not.

I'll still be rooting hard for all NEWMAC teams going forward.  If nothing else, hopefully the conference schedule and tournament battle-hardens the remaining teams for the road ahead.

Way too early forecast for 2019-2020 ...  WPI and Emerson will be the teams to beat.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 20, 2019, 03:37:38 PM
The third public NCAA Division III regional rankings are out: https://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2019/02/men-regional-rankings-third
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 20, 2019, 04:04:43 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 20, 2019, 03:37:38 PM
The third public NCAA Division III regional rankings are out: https://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2019/02/men-regional-rankings-third

MIT goes 2-0 since the last rankings and drops from 2nd to 5th.  Yeah, that makes sense.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 20, 2019, 04:08:02 PM
There is more than that going on ... teams that were in Week 1 rankings or not in Week 2's, so their vRRO data changes. SOS numbers change. For all teams. Across the board. You can't look at any of these things in the vacuum of how one team did in one week. Committees start from scratch each week, not from where they sat the previous week.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 20, 2019, 04:57:29 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 20, 2019, 04:08:02 PM
There is more than that going on ... teams that were in Week 1 rankings or not in Week 2's, so their vRRO data changes. SOS numbers change. For all teams. Across the board. You can't look at any of these things in the vacuum of how one team did in one week. Committees start from scratch each week, not from where they sat the previous week.

That's fine Dave, but I'm still flabbergasted.
The D3Hoops poll that came out this week (for games thru Sunday) had MIT 7th in the whole country.  Not a single team from New England was ranked ahead of them in that national poll.  Further, none of the 4 teams that are now ranked ahead of MIT regionally have actually, you know, played a game since Sunday.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 20, 2019, 05:01:26 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 20, 2019, 04:57:29 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 20, 2019, 04:08:02 PM
There is more than that going on ... teams that were in Week 1 rankings or not in Week 2's, so their vRRO data changes. SOS numbers change. For all teams. Across the board. You can't look at any of these things in the vacuum of how one team did in one week. Committees start from scratch each week, not from where they sat the previous week.

That's fine Dave, but I'm still flabbergasted.
The D3Hoops poll that came out this week (for games thru Sunday) had MIT 7th in the whole country.  Not a single team from New England was ranked ahead of them in that national poll.  Further, none of the 4 teams that are now ranked ahead of MIT regionally have actually, you know, played a game since Sunday.

How national voters in a poll vote versus RACs and national committee for rankings are two very different conversations. Poll voters can use whatever metric, data, criteria, eye test, etc. they want to make their judgments. RACs and national committee have very specific data to use and when to use it. Comparing the two is pointless.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 21, 2019, 08:50:15 PM
Woohoo!!!!!!!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 21, 2019, 09:10:02 PM
Big bubble burst. Sorry I am not sorry.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 21, 2019, 09:14:06 PM
Well that's one way to force the committee to put 2 NEWMAC teams in the tournament!

A tale of two halfs.  In the 1st WPI denied the paint superbly and would not allow Jomard to operate down low.  Limited to long-range shooting MIT could not find the mark.  The halftime score of 35-17 looked pretty good for the visitors.

The 2nd half saw a ferocious comeback in the final 10 minutes, with MIT taking its first lead with about 3 minutes left.  MIT switched most of their offense to a high-low post, flashing Jomard, Roberts, and Forsythe down low.  On the other end they suffocated everything inside.

Wheeler hit a couple 3s to settle the ship for WPI, and MIT needed a good bounce off a 3-ptr from Jurko to tie it at 53 with under a minute left.

It came down to one possession and a clear-out for McNamara.  He used every bit of the clock, crossed over, jab stepped, squared up, and drained it as time expired.

I heard that this was the 16th consecutive NEWMAC semifinal for WPI.  What a credit to the program and the coaching staff.

Congratulations!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 21, 2019, 09:25:24 PM
Babo. Perfectly said. I think I might have given you all of your karma points!  I was in Worcester on Saturday and this was a completely different game. I was too nervous to watch much of second half. But I do want to compliment the end of game MIT announcers. They were completely appropriate on the excitement of the upset. Then settled into a fun David vs Goliath theme. Good job fellas!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 21, 2019, 10:38:24 PM
3,6,8 nationally lose tonight. Bubbles bursting everywhere! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 22, 2019, 09:51:50 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 21, 2019, 10:38:24 PM
3,6,8 nationally lose tonight. Bubbles bursting everywhere!

Oshkosh, MIT, and the OAC are really the only ones for sure, so far.  I didn't think UST would be St. John's anyway and both are in, so there's not really a bubble burst there unless Augsburg wins Saturday.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on February 22, 2019, 12:47:33 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 21, 2019, 09:25:24 PM
Babo. Perfectly said. I think I might have given you all of your karma points!  I was in Worcester on Saturday and this was a completely different game. I was too nervous to watch much of second half. But I do want to compliment the end of game MIT announcers. They were completely appropriate on the excitement of the upset. Then settled into a fun David vs Goliath theme. Good job fellas!

Wasn't a lot of fun for us, but congratulations!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 23, 2019, 08:37:37 PM
Congrats Emerson. Shot the lights out. Go do damage. #NEWMAC
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 24, 2019, 09:14:10 AM
Emerson wins its first NEWMAC tournament.  Now Wheaton is the only league member without a crown.

Emerson plays extremely well at home, so much so that WPI's typically stifling defense was ineffective in this game.

Nevertheless WPI should be formidable next year, losing no one to graduation.  I suspect they aren't being invited to the Big Dance this year.

Go NEWMAC!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 24, 2019, 04:08:33 PM
(https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/img/mw=710/cr=n/d=4o2h3/5qe4yd77benqfa7a.jpg)

This is it! The regular season is over. The conference titles have been handed out and 86 teams know they will be playing next week in the NCAA Division III men's and women's Championship Tournaments!

However, 42 slots need to be filled. Which programs have best positioned themselves to selected to play for a national title?

It is the biggest show of the year. Bubble teams watch anxiously. Rivals watch wondering if their rivals will make the event. Others watch because ... this is one of the best nights of the entire season.

Tune in a special episode of Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com) where we will make our mock selections of who will be in and who will be left out of the DIII national tournaments. Our teams of experts will make the picks using the same criteria the national committees consider.

Plus, hear, one last time before the brackets are announced, from the national committee chairs who discuss how this year's rankings and process have worked out. And hear from some teams who have already punched their tickets to the tournaments - many for the first time in program history!

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- John Alesi, Baruch men's coach
- Sam Atkinson, Men's National Committee Chair (Gallaudet Associate Director for Communications)
- Russ Phillips, Alfred men's coach
- Bill Curley, Emerson men's coach
- Karin Harvey, Women's National Committee Chair (Montclair State women's coach)
- Rayne Reber, Rosemont women's coach
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Men's Mock Selections Team:
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- Bob Quillman, IWUHoops.com
- Michael Blaine, Medaille men's coach

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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: AllStar on February 24, 2019, 06:09:10 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/LpnnTsF.png)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 25, 2019, 04:01:58 PM
I see MIT winning 2 games at Swarthmore.  And although you never like to play that first game on another team's court, I do not hate Emerson's matchup either. Good luck to both!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 25, 2019, 04:10:27 PM

Which MIT team are we going to get?  That's my big question.  Swarthmore is playing at their peak right now, really clicking and I haven't seen that from MIT yet.  It's going to be a great second round game either way.  I'm not sure MIT has the post presence to compete with Swat, though.  Roberts is good, but there's only one of him.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Mountain Man on February 25, 2019, 05:04:00 PM
Having watched two Middlebury-Swarthmore matchups in person & the MIT-Middlebury Sweet 16. I offer this.

MIT has the shooting to beat Swarthmore. If MIT can trade 3's for 2's They can win. 
If this is a slower, more methodical game then MIT will have to be perfect to win.

Fascinating potential matchup.   MIT must not sleep on Skidmore who I have also seen in person twice these 2 years.

Skidmore has very athletic team which could challenge MIT. I like MIT's Game IQ to beat Skidmore
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 25, 2019, 07:25:41 PM
I think MIT got a fortunate draw, given their NEWMAC early exit.  Taking nothing away from Skidmore, it's a team they should handle.  Hopefully they won't wait til halftime if game adjustments are needed.  Let Jurko run the offense and see if either Hinkley or Forsythe are feelin' it beyond the arc.  But by no means fall in love with the 3-ball.  They are at their best playing with tempo, sharing the ball, and keeping the defense guessing as they alternate between post moves, back screens, and the high-low game.  Now fully healthy it seems, it's showtime!  This team is loaded ... do some damage!

Emerson obviously got the tougher draw.  They'll have their hands full in what looks like one of the most entertaining pods in the first 2 rounds.  Nichols-Middlebury should be really interesting.
I expect a high-scoring game between Rowan and Emerson.  Gray-O'Connor-Waterhouse are eminently capable of filling it up.  If they're on it will be fun to watch.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: NEWMACJACK on February 26, 2019, 09:40:20 AM
Saw this over in the NESCAC board. 

"Just some pre-tourney perspective. Below is a list of teams from the East region that have made at least (5) NCAA tournament appearances. Scranton and Wittenberg are tied for the most appearances all-time with 28 each. This list does not take into account bids for this year's tournament. Some teams listed may have made tournament appearances in multiple conferences (Hamilton). Since what year have NESCAC teams been eligible for the tournament?

The recent success of Middlebury and MIT is also very impressive. 
                                         
24   Salem State   MASCAC   1980   2017                                 
19   Amherst   NESCAC   1994   2017                                 
16   Clark (MA)   NEWMAC   1978   2010                                                         
16   Williams   NESCAC   1994   2018                                                         
14   UMass Dartmouth   Little East   1976   2009                                                         
12   Western Connecticut   Little East   1986   2012                                 
12   WPI      NEWMAC   1982   2016                                                     
11   Rhode Island College   Little East   1975   2014                                                         
10   Hamilton   NESCAC   1995   2018                             
9   Babson      NEWMAC   1992   2017                                                         
9   Middlebury   NESCAC   2008   2018                                                     
9   Springfield   NEWMAC   1996   2018                                                     
9   Trinity (CT)   NESCAC   1995   2016                                                         
8   Bridgewater State   MASCAC   1983   2018                                 
8   Eastern Connecticut   Little East   1992   2018                                 
8   Endicott   CCC   2000   2017                                                         
8   MIT      NEWMAC   2009   2018                                                           
7   Brandeis   UAA   1975   2010                                                   
7   Elms      NECC   2005   2013                                 
7   UMass Boston   Little East   1975   2006                                 
6   Albertus Magnus   GNAC   2010   2017                                                           
6   Husson      North Atlantic   2009   2017                                                           
5   Keene State   Little East   2004   2017                                                           
5   Suffolk      GNAC      1975   2002                                 
5   Tufts      NESCAC   1995   2017"
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: T990 on February 27, 2019, 09:09:02 AM
Interesting post, NEWMACJACK.  Thanks for that.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 01, 2019, 08:42:52 PM
Dominating win for MIT over Skidmore.

Just about everything was working from the jump.  Roberts was immense.  What else can you say when a player gets a double-double in each half.  Jurko also had a stellar game scoring and facilitating.  Jomard a little off with some close misses, but found his mates for 7 assists.  Both Hinkley and Forsythe kept the defense extended with outside shooting.
About the only health question (does it ever end?) is the availability of Korb.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 03, 2019, 10:08:55 AM
If you're an MIT fan, a NEWMAC fan, or just a fan of D3 basketball, all you can do is tip your cap to Swarthmore and realize last night they could do no wrong. 
How can you explain a team that misses just one shot from the field in the first 10 minutes?  A team that shoots 10 for 10 beyond the arc in the first half?  Does that even happen in a shoot around with no defense?  Heck, if they hadn't missed the front end on some FTs it could have been even worse.
Even after MIT briefly cut a 26 point lead nearly in half Swarthmore just hit the gas again and never looked back.
Putting things in perspective, this does not diminish the 4-year accomplishments of the MIT senior class on the court.  And off the court these guys will no doubt have much success in whatever path they choose.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 03, 2019, 11:22:58 AM
Well said Babo. Congrats Swat!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 03, 2019, 01:01:11 PM
Very well put, Babo.  It's certainly painful for us MIT fans, but you're absolutely correct in all respects.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 03, 2019, 04:34:17 PM

MIT played an excellent first half.  Their shooting was great and they took care of the ball well.  You just can't do much when the other team shoots 89%.  43 points is a great first half; you can never plan for the opponent scoring 68.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 03, 2019, 06:47:24 PM
Good point, Ryan.

Looking at the box score in a bit more detail, I see we had only 10 turnovers for the game vs. 18 for Swarthmore -- we won the turnover battle by a good margin -- and 4 in the first half, and we shot 48% from the floor and 43% from downtown.  We had 3 steals vs. 0 for Swarthmore in that half.  That is not a team in a meltdown.  24-27 from the floor, and 10-10 from behind the arc are numbers you wouldn't expect to see in warmups, much less competition.  Even in the second half we took care of the ball well.

The rebound battle wasn't so good, but we had very few opportunities on the defensive end.

I guess bottom line, Swarthmore probably had one of the best halves of basketball anyone's ever had, and we were the victims.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2019, 06:20:33 AM

This is how Swarthmore plays, though - it's part of the plan.  They come out for the first 5-10 minutes at a blistering pace.  My assumption is they're trying to shock the opponent and get a lead that they'll be able to maintain later on with their talent.  I doubt it's ever worked quite this well before.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 04, 2019, 04:46:30 PM
Typically when I see that it's the offense running through the defense.  MIT has done that to a lot of opponents, and that's essentially what WPI did to MIT in the NEWMAC semifinal, but it doesn't look (from the box score, at any rate) like that's what happened here.  MIT's offense, as you noted, was fine, and turnovers don't look like they were a problem.  But just as you say you can't plan against an opponent scoring 68 points in a half (well, a non-System opponent), you can't plan on going 10-10 from downtown.

In any event, this is all post-game chatter, and congratulations to Swarthmore on superb execution is the bottom line.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2019, 06:01:02 PM

Every time I watch Swarthmore I have the same initial response - "how can they possibly maintain this level of intensity the whole game," of course the answer is they don't and don't plan to do so.  They just want to get far enough ahead they can maintain.  I've never asked the coach specifically, so I don't want to put words in his mouth, but this certainly appears to be what they do every game - at least during the last half of this season, anyway.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 04, 2019, 08:12:41 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2019, 06:01:02 PM

Every time I watch Swarthmore I have the same initial response - "how can they possibly maintain this level of intensity the whole game," of course the answer is they don't and don't plan to do so.  They just want to get far enough ahead they can maintain.  I've never asked the coach specifically, so I don't want to put words in his mouth, but this certainly appears to be what they do every game - at least during the last half of this season, anyway.

I remember last year they were doing the same kind of thing; the first three rounds they were blowing very strong teams out of the water, winning by 30 points or what have you.  I guess it finally caught up with them when they played Springfield.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2019, 10:32:55 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 04, 2019, 08:12:41 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2019, 06:01:02 PM

Every time I watch Swarthmore I have the same initial response - "how can they possibly maintain this level of intensity the whole game," of course the answer is they don't and don't plan to do so.  They just want to get far enough ahead they can maintain.  I've never asked the coach specifically, so I don't want to put words in his mouth, but this certainly appears to be what they do every game - at least during the last half of this season, anyway.

I remember last year they were doing the same kind of thing; the first three rounds they were blowing very strong teams out of the water, winning by 30 points or what have you.  I guess it finally caught up with them when they played Springfield.

That Springfield team was special; I'm not sure Jake Ross was losing to anybody that weekend (just ask him).  I do believe Swarthmore had a flu going around that weekend, too, which didn't help things for them.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: toad22 on March 04, 2019, 11:16:38 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2019, 10:32:55 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 04, 2019, 08:12:41 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2019, 06:01:02 PM

Every time I watch Swarthmore I have the same initial response - "how can they possibly maintain this level of intensity the whole game," of course the answer is they don't and don't plan to do so.  They just want to get far enough ahead they can maintain.  I've never asked the coach specifically, so I don't want to put words in his mouth, but this certainly appears to be what they do every game - at least during the last half of this season, anyway.


I remember last year they were doing the same kind of thing; the first three rounds they were blowing very strong teams out of the water, winning by 30 points or what have you.  I guess it finally caught up with them when they played Springfield.

That Springfield team was special; I'm not sure Jake Ross was losing to anybody that weekend (just ask him).  I do believe Swarthmore had a flu going around that weekend, too, which didn't help things for them.

The crazy part of that Springfield team was that in the first part of that season, they wern't even any good. Williams beat them in December so badly that I wrote them off. My bad.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 06, 2019, 03:05:52 PM
Quote from: toad22 on March 04, 2019, 11:16:38 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2019, 10:32:55 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 04, 2019, 08:12:41 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 04, 2019, 06:01:02 PM

Every time I watch Swarthmore I have the same initial response - "how can they possibly maintain this level of intensity the whole game," of course the answer is they don't and don't plan to do so.  They just want to get far enough ahead they can maintain.  I've never asked the coach specifically, so I don't want to put words in his mouth, but this certainly appears to be what they do every game - at least during the last half of this season, anyway.


I remember last year they were doing the same kind of thing; the first three rounds they were blowing very strong teams out of the water, winning by 30 points or what have you.  I guess it finally caught up with them when they played Springfield.

That Springfield team was special; I'm not sure Jake Ross was losing to anybody that weekend (just ask him).  I do believe Swarthmore had a flu going around that weekend, too, which didn't help things for them.

The crazy part of that Springfield team was that in the first part of that season, they wern't even any good. Williams beat them in December so badly that I wrote them off. My bad.

They're not the Springfield Pride for nothing. They are always -- and I mean ALWAYS -- a very dangerous team to play.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: JustAFan on April 20, 2019, 12:14:11 PM
Former Trinity player Tyler Simms was named the new head coach at Clark University yesterday.  His most recent experience was as an assistant at Brown, with a stint at Trinity before that.

https://www.telegram.com/news/20190419/mens-college-basketball-former-brown-assistant-tyler-simms-will-stress-defense-as-clarks-new-coach
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Titan Q on April 20, 2019, 11:32:00 PM
MIT commit.  This kid could be a great player...

* Kael Kordonowy, 6-7 PF (Maize South HS, Wichita, KS)

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8798052/5c7060517bd2e20d98062cfd?utm_source=Men%27s+Basketball&utm_campaign=557dc8159f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_02_26_04_35&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0c7a977a97-557dc8159f-107319371
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on April 21, 2019, 12:45:32 PM
Quote from: Titan Q on April 20, 2019, 11:32:00 PM
MIT commit.  This kid could be a great player...

* Kael Kordonowy, 6-7 PF (Maize South HS, Wichita, KS)

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/8798052/5c7060517bd2e20d98062cfd?utm_source=Men%27s+Basketball&utm_campaign=557dc8159f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_02_26_04_35&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0c7a977a97-557dc8159f-107319371

If he's a half-decent post player, he'll probably get minutes right away.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: middhoops on May 14, 2019, 02:18:45 PM
According to the Boston Globe, Danny Ainge's son, Crew, is transferring to Babson after playing two years at Utah St.
Nice get.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on May 14, 2019, 02:30:26 PM
Quote from: middhoops on May 14, 2019, 02:18:45 PM
According to the Boston Globe, Danny Ainge's son, Crew, is transferring to Babson after playing two years at Utah St.
Nice get.

It made the twitter rounds yesterday... Globe jumped on it as if they cared. NESN beat them.

Sorry - just having fun with it. :)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on May 14, 2019, 09:31:42 PM
Quote from: middhoops on May 14, 2019, 02:18:45 PM
According to the Boston Globe, Danny Ainge's son, Crew, is transferring to Babson after playing two years at Utah St.
Nice get.

I hope it works out as well for the team as it does for his family.  Recent D1 transfers to Babo have been somewhat underwhelming. 
After the championship season no fewer than 3 guys came in.
Hasbargen came in as a grad and was fine when healthy, but certainly not a standout.
Dolan has been hurt for most of both years and only an end of the bench contributor.
Johnson was (now graduated) the best of the bunch, but had games where he flashed and others where he disappeared.
Some people hear "D1 transfer" and expect to see a man playing with boys.  Not usually the case.
In Ainge's case, he's a little older coming in (having served his mission) so the added maturity and pedigree can't hurt.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on May 16, 2019, 03:48:28 PM
I usually don't get all that hyped about recruits. I agree that you have to wait and see.

That said, the resume for Ainge seems a bit better than most recruits considering where he played and the fact he had 18 starts last season.

Does it mean automatic success? Heck no. We have seen many a "great" recruit from DI fail to live up to even remote expectations (St. Joe's Conn had a pretty interesting DI recruit - with NBA aspirations -  that didn't even finish the season last year). I just think this one might be one of those that seems to pan out.

Who knows. He has to be in uniform in a game before we really know.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: hopefan on July 22, 2019, 08:23:27 AM
As I take my first trek through available D3 schedules (about 25% of the schools across the country have them posted now), I notice the US Coast Guard Academy will be playing on Nov 8 in the Armed Forces Classic in Alaska.

"The ninth annual Armed Forces Classic will be staged at the Alaska Airlines Center on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus in Anchorage on Friday, Nov. 8, in a partnership with the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson military facility.

The men's college basketball doubleheader will be a part of ESPN's Veterans Week initiative, and will pit Baylor against Washington and Alaska Anchorage against Coast Guard Academy Both games will air on ESPN.

The games will be televised on ESPN as part of the network's America's Heroes: A Salute to Our Veterans initiative honoring the men and women who are serving and who have served in the United States military, both at home and abroad."


What a thrill for our D3 guys!!!!!    PAT, Ryan, Dave... road trip?

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on July 22, 2019, 08:50:02 AM
Thanks for posting hopefan.

The Coast Guard is such an under-appreciated branch of our armed services, even when they aren't boarding a fast-moving narco sub in rough seas. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qBq35ilprvg

It's dangerous work even when you're rescuing a disabled sailing vessel.

If you guys do end up going to the tournament, shouldn't you be making it a boat trip?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on August 03, 2019, 02:08:23 PM

Reading Chuck Klosterman's new short story collection and ran across this odd counter-factual piece about the dominance of MIT basketball in the late 2000s.  They imagine a world where all the best players chose MIT, but he still includes Jimmy Bartolotta in the list.

https://twitter.com/RyanAlanScott/status/1157714057836847104
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on August 14, 2019, 06:50:19 PM
Here's a link to a Babson story that reflects on the years that the Celtics held training camp at the old, tiny, Peavey Gym.

http://www.babsonathletics.com/general/2019-20/releases/20190812tsaf0g
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on October 31, 2019, 12:55:46 PM
Congrats to WPI - pre-season #16. 

Can't wait to get up to Harrington for several games this year.  Although my first in-person game will likely be in New Haven vs Magnus in early December!

Congrats to the other ranked NE ranked teams - Amherst, Midd, and Nichols!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 05, 2019, 10:17:52 PM
I saw nothing but the score. But you would think a result like tonight could put the MIT v Harvard tradition in jeopardy?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 06, 2019, 09:00:58 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 05, 2019, 10:17:52 PM
I saw nothing but the score. But you would think a result like tonight could put the MIT v Harvard tradition in jeopardy?

It's a perfect storm.  Harvard has everyone back and is loaded with senior talent.  MIT lost a ton of talent to graduation and is playing freshmen.  Tommy Amaker is really building a strong program and recruiting very well.

Side note:  I don't see Hamilton Forsythe on MIT's roster.  He is a legitimate NEWMAC first-team caliber player.  I wonder if he's given up basketball?  He's had some injuries.  That would be a huge loss to their program for this year.

Side note 2:  Babson's Julian Alexis (senior) is also not on their roster.  He's nowhere near Forsythe in talent or contribution level, but it's always surprising when a kid plays for 3 years (in his case) and then ???
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 09, 2019, 12:41:31 AM
Yikes 5% from 3. But a win is a win. Can't win them all if you don't win the first one!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 09, 2019, 10:28:32 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 09, 2019, 12:41:31 AM
Yikes 5% from 3. But a win is a win. Can't win them all if you don't win the first one!

The WPI team defense will keep them in a lot of games this year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Smitty Oom on November 09, 2019, 10:53:52 AM
Really nice to see Jake Ross and Heath Post play well last night. Both were efficient scorers, rebounded the ball and limited turnovers. Probably not what the rest of the NEWMAC wants to see but these two might have something to say during their senior years... Hopefully the Pride can stay healthy this year and they can get some solid contributions from the rest of the team, no one else was in double figures or played more than 25 minutes. Will be something to watch for sure.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 09, 2019, 01:29:53 PM
Quote from: Smitty Oom on November 09, 2019, 10:53:52 AM
Really nice to see Jake Ross and Heath Post play well last night. Both were efficient scorers, rebounded the ball and limited turnovers. Probably not what the rest of the NEWMAC wants to see but these two might have something to say during their senior years... Hopefully the Pride can stay healthy this year and they can get some solid contributions from the rest of the team, no one else was in double figures or played more than 25 minutes. Will be something to watch for sure.

58 of 90 points combined.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 09, 2019, 08:00:30 PM
Babson 99. Anna Maria 60

[Never want to make too much from one game]

Both teams played with a self-imposed 15 sec. shot clock.

It would have been nice to play Endicott in the Invitational to see if Babson could hold Keith Brown under 35.  Did the AD take me seriously when I suggested they dis-invite Endicott after losses 2 years in a row?

Well, Crew Ainge looks legit.  Finally, finally, a point guard who can run the offense, distribute the ball on the break, and most importantly, not turn the ball over.  And it doesn't hurt that he shoots FTs as well as his dad.  He cheated a lot on defense and got burnt a few times, but that's being picky.  He's the best PG they've had since Kenny Ross (coincidentally another D1 transfer), but plays the up-tempo game better.  And, he did it all with zero turnovers.

The offense will be solid.  Oftring and Jaworski are both able to operate inside or outside, but now they've got 2 spot shooters in Coolahan and Gao (frosh starter) to spread the floor better.  Gao looked like he belonged - good recruit.

My concern will be the interior defense after Oftring.  He needs a blow against better competition.  Bradanese needs to improve on footwork and denying the low block.  Maybe Gussen or Smith will step up.

Even though the starters got pulled at the 12 minute mark of the second half and Brennan went to the end of the bench, 4 guys never saw the floor, including Dolan who has fought injuries from his arrival on campus, Gussen, Sourlis, and frosh Corey.

For Anna Maria, Rapoza is a nice throwback, low-post weapon.  It's good to see D3 basketball still has a place for his skill set.

It may be a while before the non-conference schedule gets competitive, but there could be as many as 5 NESCAC opponents in play.

I like this team a lot.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: D3 Junkie on November 10, 2019, 04:29:16 PM
All of those guys who didn't play are hurt. Not sure if that's what you were insinuating or not by saying they didn't touch the floor.

Agree, I like this team a lot. They have so much depth. Seems that some of their top players (Jaworski and Oftring in particular) are in much better shape.

Ainge is a great addition and seems to fit in well with the team. Between him, Welch and Urlickson, they have 3 legit point guards who all have their own individual specialities.

I know the competition has been weak this weekend, but I heard they looked good in scrimmages before the season as well. They will be legitimate contenders for the NEWMAC this year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 10, 2019, 05:27:22 PM
Babson 97  Suffolk 70

Almost a carbon copy of yesterday's game with Anna Maria.  Babson built up a 25 point lead just 11 minutes into the game and substituted liberally thereafter.  The bench was emptied, save for the 4 players who weren't dressed.

I realize full well that Babson won't be taken seriously until at least games 5-7 (all NESCAC foes), but even given the level of competition there are some very encouraging signs.

Crew Ainge continues to impress.  One turnover through 2 games.  He's finding every open man and even with his pass first-shoot second attitude he led the team in scoring.  He's such a pure shooter that it opens spacing for everyone else.  You have to respect his shot and ability to drive and finish.

A direct byproduct of Ainge running the offense:  2 straight games with single digit team TOs.  I could look it up, but I doubt any Babson team has done that in recent years.

Jaworski looks even stronger this year.  I love his game.  Nothing is forced.  Rebounds very well for a guy his size.

Coolahan will thrive playing with Ainge.  He's got a terrific stroke from the wing.

Bradanese played a lot better defensively and contributed more in relief of Oftring on the inside.

Until they face a team with a more formidable front line I'll have concerns about the interior defense.  But Babson's starting 5 spaces the floor so well they may force the opposition to go smaller.

Massey's preseason forecast had Babson losing 9 regular season games.  I'll take the under.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Smitty Oom on November 12, 2019, 10:34:47 PM
As the resident West Region NEWMAC correspondent... I will give my thoughts on my two favorite teams (Sorry to BaboNation and WPI89, I like all things NEWMAC but I do have some I favor over others).

Is Emerson a real offensive powerhouse? I know they were predicted to finish second in the coaches poll after WPI, but a lot of people seemed to disagree with that (as did I at the time). I know that Worcester State and Gordon isn't the greatest competition, but their two outings so far this year have been quite successful.

Another win for the Springfield Pride on the backs of Post and Ross. This one was 106-101 over Keene St in OT. These two combined for 71 of their 106 points (67%) which is somehow more than their last game (58/90 for 64%). These two studs are real sick, but in order to really compete this year I feel like they need some scoring help. They wont be able to be this efficient all year long... probably?

Either way, excited to watch the NEWMAC play out this year, a lot of talented teams!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 13, 2019, 07:00:38 AM
I actually think they got the preseason poll correct for the time the picks were made. 

Any team that sleeps on Emerson could get steamrolled, particularly if the game is played in Boston.  Sure, they'll miss Gray, but the sophomore class is one of the best in the region IMO.  With Gray gone Martin now gets more minutes, Waterhouse gets more minutes, McLean is starting, and Houston (who I viewed as a project last year) is a force in the paint with the ball.  They are starting 4 Sophs along with the Senior leader O'Connor.  They are loaded offensively.  They brought in a freshman, Beckwith, who is playing well off the bench.

Emerson's 3 non-conference games to watch will be Tufts(H), Amherst(H), and Nichols(A).  That Amherst game should be fun.

As for Springfield, as much as I love watching Ross and Post, there's been too many members of the surrounding cast who have left through graduation without being replaced with incoming talent.  I'd love to be proven wrong, but I see them as a NEWMAC 4th or 5th seed, needing to win the postseason to get to the tournament.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on November 13, 2019, 10:14:45 AM
I watched the Springfield vs Keene State last night.  I left when Springfield was behind in the "4th quarter".   Smiled a bit when I saw that Springfield won in OT.  Springfield seemed to be dominated by the inside game of Keene...especially by the Keene center.
Ross is deserving of his preseason press.  Springfield has given Amherst fits ever since Ross's Freshman year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 13, 2019, 10:28:50 AM

Jake Ross is now 19 points from 2000.  If he hadn't been injured last year, he would've done it in three season, which is an extremely rare feat.  Someone asked me last night where he might end up.  If he keeps scoring like he has been (unlikely, but possible) fourth or even third all-time is within reach.  At the very least, presuming good health, he should get close to or pass Joey Flannery for the NEWMAC scoring record.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on November 13, 2019, 10:43:39 AM
Ross is averaging a 37.5-8.5-6.5 with 5 spg and only 1 TOPG in the first two games.  Those numbers are crazy.  Heath Post has been just as good, absolutely shooting the lights out to start the year.  Ross is by a wide margin the best player in New England.  Post is very likely in the top five.  But they will need a bit more help than they have been getting, because as good as they are, those numbers are not sustainable, and it's unclear who else can consistently help out both in terms of scoring and rebounding.  Especially with Babson and WPI looking very good early, and Emerson also in the NEWMAC mix. 

Ross is my first choice for "current D3 player who would easily succeed at a mid-major D1 program."
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on November 13, 2019, 11:09:44 AM
You can say what you want about the rest of Springfield's supporting cast but with those two on the court (even just with Ross to be completely honest), this is a team that absolutely no one is going to want to play, at any point in the season. We will certainly learn more about them when they get Trinity, @ Williams, and @ Amherst, in a 6 day span at the beginning of December. Although Ross/Keith Brown matchup on Saturday will be an absolute shootout.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 13, 2019, 01:20:09 PM
There are, seemingly, better New England non-conference games than in recent memory - not confined to the NEWMAC.  Maybe it's just that so many programs within the region have improved, even though the schedules haven't changed.

There are good games to watch most every night.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 14, 2019, 09:05:43 AM
Babson 93  Lasell 70

For the 3rd straight game the Babson starting 5 raced out to a 20+ point lead in the first 10 minutes.  But, to give credit to Lasell, they got off the canvas and played well the rest of the way, closing the deficit to 10 on two occasions.

Here's a stat that tells me this season will be far different than the last 2:  through 3 games the Babson turnover total is 19.  Last year they committed 24 in their first game against J&W.  The difference is the PG.

Like the first 2 games, Ainge was a big part of the story.  He now has a ridiculous 15.0 A/TO ratio (7 last night).  He threw a gorgeous fast break bounce pass to Bradanese in traffic for a layup in the early run.  In the 2nd half he lost his composure a bit.  He got hit in the mouth after a rebound (bleeding?) with 9 minutes left (looked like an inadvertent elbow to me) and continued to plead his case with the refs down the court.  Then he got an aggressive 4th foul and went to the bench, firing up the Lasell fans.  When he returned with under 3 minutes left the game was out of reach but it looked like he wanted to make a statement.  He took his man from half court in the set offense with a combination of crossovers and between the leg dribbles, finishing at the rim with an uncontested layup.  He's definitely Danny's son, who used to find himself in the midst of scuffles himself.

Jaworski had a double-double and helped settle the team in the 2nd half when Lasell was making its last run.

I'm still waiting to see whether 4 players will see the court any time soon.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 14, 2019, 03:44:45 PM
Great stuff here.  Love some new tags on the NEWMAC page.  NEWMAC is deep this year.  Ross is a beast.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 16, 2019, 04:51:02 PM
Babson 92   Salve Regina 68

SR hung tough early on but lost a key starter (Collins)  in the 1st half to an ankle injury and never returned.  They lost another rotation player in the 2nd half.
Babson had a double-digit lead at the half and despite SR keeping it respectable, the lead never slipped below 10 points.

Coolahan had a strong game shooting.  Frosh starter Gao continues to demonstrate he belongs.  He plays strong fundamental defense and shows great overall basketball sense.

The schedule will start getting tougher.  Hopefully some of the guys in street clothes will be healthy by the time Amherst rolls in.

[Elsewhere in the NEWMAC]

Wow.  MIT barely ekes out a win after squandering a 13-point 2nd half lead.

Jake Ross was as good as it gets last night.

Nice bounce back win by WPI over Eastern CT after a surprising loss to NEC.  Go figure.  You just never know.  Eastern had a lot of preseason promise.  Should be good for WPI's SOS down the line.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 20, 2019, 03:45:18 PM
Finally got to watch some video last night - of yes a still very young WPI team - feel like that has been the case for a few years.  Seems the NEWMAC is deeper this year than most - with maybe (maybe) WPI and Springfield having a chance to separate themselves - even from Babson and MIT - we shall see?

Clearly Springfield has the front runner for POY in the NEWMAC - but do not sleep on WPI (not that you were).  Pretty easy statement here - but if they shoot even decently - watch out.

They are not only bigger, but stronger in the paint and seem to be making a point of attacking the rim, rather than settling for 3's - which is a great to see when combined with their intense man-to-man D.

Will be a fun year. 

Stay healthy boys and have fun.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: middhoops on November 20, 2019, 07:54:59 PM
WPI89, Spfld has the leading candidate for POY nationally.  Maybe by a bunch.
Even yet, the NEWMAC is going to be fascinating to watch.  Plenty of really good teams.
We're watching NEWMAC games equally with NESCAC this year.  Good luck.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 21, 2019, 09:01:06 AM
Quote from: middhoops on November 20, 2019, 07:54:59 PM
WPI89, Spfld has the leading candidate for POY nationally.  Maybe by a bunch.
Even yet, the NEWMAC is going to be fascinating to watch.  Plenty of really good teams.
We're watching NEWMAC games equally with NESCAC this year.  Good luck.

If we're judging on one week, the leading candidates are Ross and Nate Schmionitz from Nebraska Wesleyan, but I'm guessing we'll see other contenders emerge as the season goes along.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 23, 2019, 07:56:44 PM
Good tourney win for WPI at Umass Boston. Congrats boys.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on November 24, 2019, 10:20:44 AM
MIT head coach Larry Anderson's team won the 400th game of his career (in his 25th season) over Lasell yesterday.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 24, 2019, 11:19:45 AM
Quote from: rlk on November 24, 2019, 10:20:44 AM
MIT head coach Larry Anderson's team won the 400th game of his career (in his 25th season) over Lasell yesterday.

Very classy man and it's reflected in the program he runs at MIT.  This year will be a challenge, but if anyone can deliver a tournament team it's your coach.

Any idea why Forsythe is not on the roster this year?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: D3 Junkie on November 24, 2019, 03:51:34 PM
@wpi89 you might want to think again on the clear cut leaders in the newmac. Babson can hoop!!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 24, 2019, 04:26:31 PM
Babson 76 Bates 48

Well, even though Babson leads the series 15-13, they hadn't won in Lewiston since 1992.  And even in the Flannery years Babson was 1-2, losing home and away.

Babson had everything working in the first 5 minutes, opening up a double-digit lead, then extending it to 20+ before 10 minutes had been played.  Only Salve Regina (thus far) has been able to hang with the starting 5 early on thru 5 games.

Ainge was immense in the first 5 minutes, offensively and defensively, taking away open shots from Spellman, who has been a nemesis for years, and it seems the coaching staff made him a defensive focus. 

The team defense for Babson was outstanding.  At halftime Bates had 5 FGs, only 2 of which were not 3-pointers.  Some fans might lament the open looks Bates couldn't knock down, but IMO Babson missed a ton as well.

Oftring had his way inside for 16 and 18, and Jaworski facilitated with 7 assists and 9 boards.  Love the back cuts and ball movement from the starting unit.  Very few 2nd chance points given up when the game mattered.

I saw a Babson press release that they came into the weekend 4th in the country (D3) in A/TO.  While the ratio declined a bit in this one, their numbers 19/12 were much better than Bates 7/17.

Omar Sarr may be a project but he causes a lot of havoc on defense.

Side-notes:  Dolan no longer appears on the roster.  I assume nagging injuries have taken their toll and wish him well. 
                   Gussen got his first game action.  Still awaiting the frosh Corey.
   
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 26, 2019, 12:56:14 PM
D3 Junkie - gave you your first applaud - yes Babson looks formidable.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 01, 2019, 04:34:01 PM
Babson 76   Bowdoin 66

This one was close throughout, despite Babson briefly opening up a 10-point margin just after halftime.  Coming in I expected this would be a tough test because of Bowdoin's size.  They gave up nothing easy in the paint.  And kudos to the Polar Bears for keeping this a game with a slow tempo.

Tie game with just over 5 minutes left, but Babson's defense was the difference down the stretch, forcing 2 turnovers and controlling their defensive board.

Bradanese had easily his best game as a Beaver and they needed everything he gave them (10 pts. 3 rebs. in only 18 minutes).  Coolahan was his usual deadly self offensively (19 pts.), but he's also a good fundamental defender.
Ainge had a solid game on both ends and helped keep Rucker in check.  Jaworski had a double-double despite his difficulty getting off his shot all afternoon.

I've watched a few Bowdoin games earlier in the season.  Despite the loss I thought they played better than they had in some wins.  Grad is a known commodity, but Kagitomi, Shea, and Werkman all showed me something.

Babson has won 6 straight against NESCAC opponents going back to last season.  The next opponent is Amherst.  While it will probably still be one of the top games to watch, it would have been nicer if Amherst hadn't just lost for the first time.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 03, 2019, 06:01:09 PM
WPI with another NEWMAC-NESCAC game @ home vs. Tufts.

I've been very impressed with Stephenson this year.  He's got a lot of smooth moves at the low post, never out of control, and is a willing passer when it's called for.  He's big and strong and hard to deny when he gets his spot.  That being said, he'll probably need something like 18/9 tonight and the strength of WPI - team defense - will need to be the story, probably holding Tufts under 73.

First team to 70 wins.  Go NEWMAC.  Go WPI.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 03, 2019, 09:08:30 PM
All bow down to Babo. Nearly called the game exactly. Very satisfying December win for the Crimson Engineers! 

Feel like the home team in the Tufts v WPI has won for several years in a row. I will look up tomorrow.

Good win boys!!!!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 04, 2019, 09:26:17 PM
Babson 87   Amherst 82

Just a great basketball game.  Like legendary heavyweight fights of yore.  Amherst's depth, size, and quickness advantages all came into play.  Lesser opponents have wilted in Staake Gym.  Babson kept probing the paint in the first half, but had to confine its offense to the perimeter - with great success, since everyone was hot from the arc.

The second half was played at a slower pace and Babson found cracks here and there.  Neither team built a lead larger than 5 points.  Under a minute left, Babson up 1, coming out of a TO, they get a clear-out for Jaworski who drives and finishes at the rim (I'll bet just the guy they called the play for). 

The entire starting 5 for Babson played very well.  Coach Brennan clearly wanted this one because he shortened the bench and increased starter minutes.

So many of Amherst's stars played well.  Sellew is a really tough matchup.  Che, Chery, Day ... Phelan played really well.  Amherst will be fine going forward, though I think Middlebury is the class of the NESCAC this year.

Finally, a long overdue recognition is in order to a major contributor to this year's coaching staff:  Matthew Droney.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 05, 2019, 09:18:17 AM
Congrats Babson - top of the NEWMAC looks great.  After a sloppy start - Springfield beat Trinity as well last night.

One more big pre-Christmas test for WPI in New Haven Saturday against Albertus Magnus - a true clash of styles.  I will be there - hope we get even close to as exciting and well played game that we got in the NCAA's several year's back between these 2 teams.  Of course I would not mind a different outcome.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 05, 2019, 10:22:27 AM
Yeah, that's a tough test playing AM in their gym.  A win would be another big plus in SOS consideration come tourney time.
AM is very quick.  Taking care of the ball will be key (something WPI is usually very good at).  Jake Wisniewski is due for a breakout game.  I could see him having a double-double.

There is a clear separation within the NEWMAC right now.  Three fighting for the top (WPI, Springfield, and Babson), two trying to become cohesive (Emerson and MIT), and three building for the future (Wheaton, CG, and Clark).
The most surprising team for me, so far, has been Emerson.  They have the potential to break into the top 3 to make it a 4-team race, but haven't gelled yet.  Tonight's game @ Emmanuel will be of interest.

If Emerson fades (I don't expect it) there is a chance that all of the top-3 will enter the NEWMAC postseason already having won 20 games.  In a 25-game regular season that might be a NEWMAC record.

As spectacular as Springfield's start has been, their margin of error in funneling so much through Ross/Post has me skeptical that their success is sustainable.

Good Luck @ AM!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on December 06, 2019, 12:39:35 AM
MIT with an easy win tonight. I only know because I have Ian Hinkley on my fantasy team. Anyway, I noticed they were up 29 at halftime and basically held that lead the whole game, yet Pilsbury plays the whole 40 minutes while Cho and Hinkley each play 38. I don't know the team dynamics regarding the bench, but doesn't that seem a little excessive? Play three starters 38 or more minutes in a 30-point game? It's not like Salem St cut it to 15 or anything. Just curious.

https://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2019-20/boxscores/20191205_ok4g.xml?view=boxscore
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 06, 2019, 07:43:15 AM
Quote from: Greek Tragedy on December 06, 2019, 12:39:35 AM
MIT with an easy win tonight. I only know because I have Ian Hinkley on my fantasy team. Anyway, I noticed they were up 29 at halftime and basically held that lead the whole game, yet Pilsbury plays the whole 40 minutes while Cho and Hinkley each play 38. I don't know the team dynamics regarding the bench, but doesn't that seem a little excessive? Play three starters 38 or more minutes in a 30-point game? It's not like Salem St cut it to 15 or anything. Just curious.

https://www.d3hoops.com/seasons/men/2019-20/boxscores/20191205_ok4g.xml?view=boxscore

MIT doesn't often have much of a bench.  They went to the Final Four with six guys a few years back.  Having two starters play such low minutes usually means injuries, but I don't know any more than you.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 06, 2019, 10:51:54 AM
Good question. Cant help either. Had several big MIT backers as regulars on the board in the past but not lately. Big Nerd come back!!!!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Smitty Oom on December 07, 2019, 12:21:44 PM
https://www.mitathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2019-20/roster

I mean they have 12 players listed on the roster. That would be a lot of injuries to not have enough guys to finish out the final 5 minutes when up 30.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 07, 2019, 04:32:27 PM
Babson 81   Salem State 75

Hard to figure this one.   Final exam fatigue?  Salem State went toe to toe for 37 minutes and had leads as large as 7 in the 2nd half.  In the end Babson survived, but this one was very much in doubt from the outset.

Salem's Animashaun was a force on both ends all game (22/14), and their team quickness got easier baskets around the rim than any opponent this season.  They also packed the paint on defense, contributing to a season high 17 Babson TOs.

Gao came off the bench for a mere 3 minutes after starting all season.  He got banged up in the Amherst game.  So, I don't know if this is a temporary switch due to injury or something else.  Bradanese had another big game for the Beavers (18/5) and every one of Coolahan's  22 points were critical. 

Overall, Brennan subbed early and probably would have reduced starter minutes even more than he did if the game was more comfortably in hand.  With a quick turnaround game tomorrow against Tufts, I'm sure he's trying to keep fresh legs.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 08, 2019, 04:07:35 PM
Babson 99   Tufts 85

The intensity that was missing from Babson's game against Salem State came back in this one.  Everything worked on offense and they were able to get open, easy looks all over the court.
I liked this matchup from the beginning.  If you're going to beat Babson this year you're going to have to slow it down to a half-court game, show a tenacious, quick defense, or a tall, strong, prolific front line.

While Tufts has plenty of offensive firepower, I just don't see them as elite within the NESCAC.  I've watched them several games and they can be sloppy with the ball, and though they are big inside, they aren't particularly mobile on defense.  I see them finishing 4th-6th in the NESCAC. 

I also question keeping Aronson on the bench (2 fouls) for the last 14 minutes of the first half as the game was getting out of hand.

Oftring (29/10 in only 26 minutes) got whatever he wanted inside and out.  Jaworski had an efficient 26.  Matt Pattyson, often overlooked for all the little things he does, played a solid 24 minutes.  FY Kirkpatrick played by far his most minutes (23) and had his best game yet, finishing with 7.  Bradanese started and put together back-to-back very good games.  Ainge was Ainge.

Great way to get to the holiday break.  Hopefully FY Corey heals well enough that he can get his feet wet in the New Year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on December 12, 2019, 05:46:36 PM
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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 27, 2019, 07:50:25 PM
While waiting for the post-holiday games to resume I watched the Wheaton Lyons take on Bridgewater (VA) in a Staten Island tournament.

Wheaton prevailed and had their best Massey-rated win to date (though that's not saying much at #208).  The Lyons roster lists an incredible 9 freshmen on a 15 man roster.

But the guy worth tuning in to see is FY Aaron Williams.  He's now averaging 19.4/game (albeit, against inferior competition).  He's listed at 6'5", and though the team roster doesn't provide a weight, I'm guessing (charitably) around 235+.  It's not a body type you often see in D3 hoops.  Offensively, within 10 feet of the hoop he's very good, especially for a FY.  Soft hands. Quick off his feet.  Good instincts.  But he's a liability defensively, except as a rebounder, and he's not in shape for running up and down the court.  In fact, he's often walking.  If he can get himself in shape over the coming years and round out his game he could be special.  As it is he'll get consideration for NEWMAC ROY, though I think MIT's Kael Kordonowy is the better all-around player, has faced tougher competition, and that difference will show once the conference schedule begins.

Wheaton will have another tough year against most every team in the NEWMAC except Clark.  I'd be surprised if they can do better than 3-11 in conference.  And if they ever have aspirations to make a Pool C run in the future they MUST improve their non-conference schedule.

Been on my mind for a while ... if MIT's Giannis Chatziveroglou doesn't already have a nickname, playing at a prestigious tech school like he does, how can he not be The Greek Geek?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 30, 2019, 09:04:13 PM
E. Conn. St. 77   Babson 76

Wow.  What a weird experience.  Don't believe all the stats you might see until they're fixed.  Guys are listed on the box for the wrong team among other things.  Video cut out with about 4 minutes left in the first half with Babson up around 14 and didn't come back til about 3 minutes left in the game with Babson down 7.  And unlike most games, no announcers, no score at the bottom of the screen, and no panning to the scoreboard at any point.

Oftring was in sweats for the whole game, after making D3 Hoops team of the week before the holiday break.  But FY Corey made his first appearance of the season.  Great to see.  The lay-off didn't seem to hurt in the first half.  Coolahan had at least 20 at the half.

Oh well.  There is carnage all over the national top 20.

Congrats to ECS.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 31, 2019, 09:51:27 AM
I amended the final score from my previous quote now that I have reliable information.  Now I better understand why Babson, with the ball in the final 5 seconds, and down only 1, attempted a contested 2-pointer by Coolahan from about 12 feet, rather than attempting a 3-pointer.  All available information indicated Babson was down 3 at the time. 

The rest of this post, hopefully constructive more than a rant, will deal with the feed from Trinity over the internet.

Let me first say it's a pleasure to "attend" far more games mid-winter in the virtual sense than ever would have been possible pre-internet.  For that I am grateful.  And in fairness to many production crews, many times students are participating in the process.  We all went through learning curves in life, and for some of these folks this is a side gig to their regular vocation or field of study.

That said, Rule #1 for all sporting events:  Keep the viewers/listeners aware of the score.  Rule #2 (for sports where clocks are involved):  Keep the viewers/listeners aware of the time remaining.  This game was a failure on both counts.
I tuned in for the preliminary game of this tournament between Trinity and Regis.  For that game, I think they had Steve Vecchione on the play-by-play.  He always does a professional job IMO. 

That Trinity failed to provide a play-by-play guy for the nightcap was disappointing, but understandable.  However, if you aren't going to provide audio then the burden gets heavier on the video side of your broadcast.  This is where it gets worse.  For the first time in recent memory, this broadcast did not provide a running score at the bottom of the screen.  Compounding the problem further, the camera never panned to a scoreboard (usually done during TOs, or critical 2nd half dead ball situations).  So, as a viewer, you'd have to keep a running score in your head, and you'd better not look away for 15 seconds.  Then there were the clocks above each backboard, at a severe angle to the camera.  The video had a flicker on each clock.  I'm guessing that if you were actually in the gym this flicker was not present, or game action would have been stopped and the problem rectified.  More likely the problem was manifested in the broadcast and the feed wasn't synced properly.
And then of course the feed froze late in the first half and only returned with about 4 minutes left in the game.  Stuff happens.  I get it.
Here's where it gets a little funny; whoever was assigning players to teams in the digital arena messed up.  Some Babson players were showing on the ECS side, and some ECS players showed on the Babson side.  D3 Hoops (getting it's feed from Trinity) showed Babson trailing by 19 when they were ahead by 19 ... the totals were reversed all night!  If you believed the "Live Stats", Babson's Max Gussen had the game of his life.  Trouble is, he never even played.  The source of the problem seemed to be that the digital box score person (or whatever they're called) assigned the uniform numbers of some players to the wrong team.  So, Max Gussen (Babson) was really Seth Thomas (ECS).  Thomas was the POG, by the way.

As often happens the Live Stats went down when the video went down.  Then when the video returned I relied on the clock from the Live Stats to provide time remaining.  Unfortunately, the Live Stats froze again in the final minute, leading to my confusion on the score at the final possession.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 03, 2020, 06:06:39 PM
Emerson had a nice gut-check win last night over Nichols, after almost giving it away.  The Lions still have the potential to be more that spoilers in the NEWMAC this year, but key SOS losses out of conference aren't going to provide much wiggle room for a Pool C bid.
It should be noted (and I wonder how often this is overlooked) that Emerson played without their best player, O'Connor yesterday.  Hopefully nothing more than the flu.  Same goes for Babson, which has now played 2 straight without Oftring, and the last game without Ainge.  I really hope the NBA tendency toward "load management" hasn't found its way to D3 basketball.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 04, 2020, 07:07:39 PM
Middlebury's win @ Springfield confirms what I've felt to this point ... they are the best team in New England right now.  Obviously, there's still a long way to go this season.

An off-night for Ross to say the least.  Something like 4-17.  Some of it was good D by Ingram, et al.  Some of it was early double-teams.  Some of it was Midd's interior size.  But, he's overcome all that before.  As the game wore on I think even he couldn't believe he was this off ... missing BOTH FTs ... when does that happen?

I thought the turning point was the first half with Springfield up 15.  Midd started a run, Ross picked up his 2nd foul and went to the bench, and Post (immense to that point) seemed to wear down from carrying the load (almost by himself) on the defensive boards with Sobel contesting everything.

Midd almost gave it away at the end with missed FTs (we have to trust the box score and announcer here, because the video only showed the inactive end of the court - twice).  It really summed up the night, with Ross driving, down 2, but unable to finish.  I thought he took off too soon, but maybe he was afraid of a block.

I expect that Midd will win the NESCAC regular season. 

So now Ross comes to Babson next week coming off one of his worst shooting games of his career.  Just great. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 08, 2020, 07:08:45 PM
Springfield 84   Babson 81

Jaworski had the game of his career 32/10 and played 30+ minutes guarding Ross one-on-one, but Springfield's supporting cast (Witter-Costa-Lindsay) outplayed their counterparts, and Ross and Post were efficient down the stretch, facilitating and scoring.  Ross had 14 of his team-high 24 in the last 10 minutes, none of them easy (2 FTs mixed in), and while Post had a "quiet" 14/10 he was finding the open man off double-teams all night and broke the last tie (78-78), finding Lindsay wide open for a layup.  Back breaker.
Ainge had a 3-point make with 10 seconds left and a step-back 3-point miss at the buzzer that could have forced OT.  I wish he was looking for his own shot with more regularity.  He's got a smooth stroke.
Speaking of pure shooters, I'm pretty sure it's been a long time (without checking box scores) that Coolahan has gone 0-fer (0-4) from the arc.  At home, no less.  Still, he was able to use his size to finish in the paint with 13.

Babson had a 40-39 halftime lead despite 7 TOs (mostly unforced) in the first 10 minutes.  It was strange not seeing the ball in Ainge's hands more often.  The team finished with their worst A/TO of the season (11/11).

Credit to Springfield for taking the ball to the hoop more often, leading to their deserved edge at the FT line.
The difference was better production from The Pride from 3, and more production, whether directly or indirectly, taking their men off the dribble.

Another tough game coming up @ WPI.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 11, 2020, 04:24:56 PM
Babson 93    WPI 81

It may sound like an overreaction, but I felt that Babson really needed this one coming off a home loss to Springfield.  A loss would have meant 3 of their last 4 after starting 9-0, and the elite of the conference would have had a 2-game lead. 

Like I said after the last game, it's not often Babson's Coolahan goes 0-fer from the arc, but this was ridiculous!  He had 22 at the half on 8-8 FGs overall (4-4 from 3).  I guess he had a toenail on the line or it would have been 5 3's.  He finished with 35 on 13-13, 5-5, and 4-4!

Babson went on an offensive blitz mid-way through the first half, closing with a 29-6 run.  Brennan shortened the bench (8 saw action) and all contributed.  I believe this was the first start for FY Kirkpatrick.

WPI has a huge size advantage, but in the first half Babson was able to provide help on the inside, and WPI was a little impatient with entry passes.  They corrected this in the 2nd and Stephenson started taking them to his torture chamber.  Credit to WPI for closing a 20-point deficit (around 9 min. left) to within 6 with under 2 to play.  And Reid Walker, a key part of their team on both ends was hobbled and only made a cameo appearance.

In the end, WPI lost despite shooting 63.5%!  But, A/TO favored Babson 20/8 vs. 21/15.

The 93 points is 15 more than WPI has allowed all season.

Elsewhere in the NEWMAC, in a stunner, Clark took down Emerson (who I thought were starting to put things together) 82-73.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 15, 2020, 09:22:00 PM
Babson 94   Coast Guard 92 (OT)

Wow!

The first half was as bad as Babson has played this year.  Flat, seemingly disinterested on defense, and completely out of sync on offense.  Taking nothing away from CG, who took everything that was given, the Green & White looked like they expected to just show up for the win.  At the half, CG by 18, 49 - 31.

I noticed Asst. Coach Droney spending a lot of time with the players in the shoot-around coming out of the halftime break.  He's certainly someone worth listening to, given his experience on the National Championship and Final Four teams.

The difference in effort, particularly on the defensive end became immediately apparent.  Babson kept chipping away, with Jaworski and Ainge carrying the heavy load, but CG made some tough shots to keep the Beavers at bay.

The key turning point came with 1:40 left, CG up 8 with the ball.  Jaworski forced a backcourt turnover that led to a foul.  Babson outscored CG 10-2 over the last 90 seconds to force overtime.  Their last basket came on a clear out for Jaworski at the FT line extended.  He up-faked and finished at the rim, almost the identical play that clinched the Amherst win.

Both teams looked a little gassed in OT.  Witkowski hit a big 3 to tie the game a final time before Coolahan (named to the D3 team of the week) hit a short, twisting, turn-around jumper at 5 seconds left for the game-winner.

CG probably deserved this one.  Valdez and Perez had very strong games, and Kane was a force inside and on the boards.

It was curious that Ainge didn't start either half for Babson.  Not sure what that was about, but he had a huge second half.  Jaworski gets my POG.

Around the NEWMAC form held, with Springfield, WPI, and Emerson victorious.  The Emerson-MIT game tape probably shouldn't be saved, considering both teams combined scored 26 second half points.  NEWMAC teams better get MIT in this "down" year, because they're sure to reload before you know it.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 16, 2020, 11:14:40 AM

That was one of those games where having a PG like Ainge makes a real difference.  They needed good shots at the end of the game and he seemed very confident to get the ball where it needed to be.  That's going to be invaluable come tournament time and pretty exciting that he's only a junior.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 16, 2020, 03:32:58 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on January 16, 2020, 11:14:40 AM

That was one of those games where having a PG like Ainge makes a real difference.  They needed good shots at the end of the game and he seemed very confident to get the ball where it needed to be.  That's going to be invaluable come tournament time and pretty exciting that he's only a junior.

Agreed.  Distributing the ball is only part of the job - getting the ball to the right player, at the right time, at the right spot on the floor, with the best matchup is a skill that few have.  A player like Bradanese, notwithstanding his personal development from his freshman year, has been a prime beneficiary of Ainge's arrival (among many).
Now all we need is for him to be as good a "recruiter" as Flannery was and get some bigs to transfer or matriculate for his senior season.  Someone like an Isaiah Nelson 2.0.  :)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 18, 2020, 03:37:15 PM
Clark 92    Babson 89  (OT)

Well, the immediate concern for Babson fans is the well-being of Oftring who went down to the floor less than 5 minutes into the second half, Babson up 15 at the time, and never left the trainer's area the rest of the way.  He seems to have been playing with leg problems most of the year.  Suffice to say, for a team that is already limited with size and interior offense and defense, Oftring is absolutely essential to any postseason run the Beavers may make.

Though Babson was able to hold/increase their lead for a while the lack of rotational depth started to play a factor and CU was able to take advantage of matchups inside and let Biko Gayman use his quickness to alternately drive past his man to the rim or pull up for 3's.  Gayman finished with 25 and is my POG.  CU's Davern (on both ends) and Waggett were especially effective with Oftring out.

Ainge, who played the last 13+ minutes with 4 fouls, had a pull-up 12 footer at the end of regulation that rimmed out.
Jaworski (back-to-back stellar games - 31 points) had a contested 3 for the tie in OT that wouldn't fall, and Coolahan's rushed 3 at the buzzer also caught some iron.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 18, 2020, 04:52:12 PM
And, just like that, Emerson takes down Springfield.  Just 4 games into the conference season and there are no undefeated teams left.

I caught the 2nd half, and Jack O'Connor was outstanding.  Down 67-66 with 1:30 to play he hit a 3-pointer.  On the next possession he poked the ball loose from Ross at the FT line and took it coast to coast for a difficult layup.

Emerson has been trick or treat all year.  The O'Connor I saw in the 2nd half is the guy that can take the Lions back to the NEWMAC finals.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on January 20, 2020, 09:42:50 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on January 18, 2020, 04:52:12 PM
And, just like that, Emerson takes down Springfield.  Just 4 games into the conference season and there are no undefeated teams left.

The wild and woolly NEWMAC strikes again!!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 22, 2020, 09:12:35 PM
Babson  76   Wheaton  51

Oftring was in street clothes, walking with a crutch, but the rest of the starters all had strong games and Bradanese filled in nicely with 15/11 and 3 blocks.
I'm really going to miss that 3-pt stroke from Coolahan when he graduates.  I come to expect every shot to fall.  Ainge (or "Aingie" as the play-by-play guy called him) didn't have his shot falling, but was very productive with the ball 7/0 A/TO, and 3 steals.
Wheaton is now on a 6-game losing streak and had a horrible night shooting all around - at the rim, from 3, and at the line.  They also didn't take care of the ball very well and I can only partially credit Babson for that.

Babson is going to have to give maximum effort the rest of the way to get to 20 wins and try to lock up a Pool C.  Every game will be a slog until and unless Oftring is able to return this season.

Elsewhere, I caught a half of the WPI-Emerson game.  Emerson continues to baffle me.  WPI put a beating on the Lions in their own gym and they did it without Stephenson and Walker.  Meanwhile, FY John Lowther has played himself into NEWMAC ROY consideration.  His last 4 conference game point totals are 14, 20, 13, and 15, and he has started the last 3 games, with increasing work loads.  If he works on putting the ball on the floor in the off-season WPI could be scary good next year with a strong senior class (not that I'm discounting them this year).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 25, 2020, 03:14:03 PM
 Babson  72   MIT  52

(Limited viewing due to intermittent video feed)

Babson was able to build a double-digit 1st half lead behind Coolahan's hot hand (18 at halftime; 24 for the game in only 19 minutes), Ainge's steady PG play (12 assists, 0 TOs in his last 2 games), Jaworski taking care of the defensive boards (8), and another solid starter contribution from Bradanese (14), filling in for the injured Oftring.  Pattyson got the start in place of recent starter Kirkpatrick, who never saw the floor.

MIT is very good defensively, but lacks offensive firepower after Hinkley who had a quiet game.  FY Kordonowy (in my mind in the mix for ROY) nearly matched Coolahan's 1st half with 15, but finished right there.  MIT shot 1/15 from 3, but better than 50% from 2-pt range and had Babson in foul trouble in both halves.  With their size advantage I thought they should have played harder for shots in the paint.

Had to have this one at home.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 29, 2020, 09:18:31 PM
Babson 86   Emerson 84

Great, great, NEWMAC basketball game! 

This is such a tough matchup for Babson with Oftring out.  Houston is a force down low on offense and contests everything around the rim on defense. 
In the first half Babson seemed content to settle for 3-pt shots, whereas Emerson mixed it up and shot 65% overall and 63% from 3-pt range.  Waterhouse had something like 20 at halftime, with Emerson up 52-43.

In the second half Babson extended their defense and started trapping the ball before the Lions could feed the post, to great success.  Emerson had only 13 more points in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half, though still up 65-63.  Additionally, the Beavers made an obvious effort to take the ball to the basket more and force the issue.

The rest of the game was back and forth right to the end.

Final 90 seconds Bradanese made a huge tip-in off a miss to put Babson up 84-81.  Just when you think, "one more stop", O'Connor makes an NBA 3 (nothing but net) to tie it at 84.  After a Jaworski 3-pt miss, Emerson fed O'Connor again for a fade away baseline jumper heavily contested by Bradanese that didn't fall and Babson had the ball out of bounds with 27 seconds left.  They worked the clock down and fed FY Kirkpatrick (who had a terrific game) for a corner 3 that rimmed off, but Bradanese again cleaned up with a put-back just before the final buzzer.

Bradanese continues to make huge contributions, and finished with 15 points, 8 boards, and 5 blocks.  The jump he's made from last year to this, his sophomore season cannot be overstated.  How great for him to sink the game-winner.
I see a lot in FY Corey that Bradanese showed last season ... rushing just a bit on his shot, reaching on defense, rather than moving his feet.  If he can keep working like Bradanese has he may yet blossom too.

Meanwhile, FY Kirkpatrick played like a vet and finished with 18, 4 assists, and no TOs.  Ainge (15) and Jaworski 26;  17 after halftime) took turns willing the team to victory.

This was another game Babson needed to keep within striking distance of Springfield and WPI, and keep in the mix for a Pool C bid.

I saw Oftring without crutches, but still limping noticeably.  Fingers crossed.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 01, 2020, 03:31:16 PM
Babson 96  Coast Guard 84

It's that time of year where injuries and attrition play an increasing factor in overall team success.  Coast Guard lost Baldez (2nd team NEWMAC last year) on the very first possession of the game, never to return.  Then, their backup point guard Drummond, who poured in 33 in his last game, got hurt in less than 5 minutes.  He tried to go again and couldn't.

But, you want toughness?  CG's big man Kane went down in a heap on a baseline charge a minute into the 2nd half, got called for an offensive foul, came up bleeding from his mouth, went looking around the floor for his missing tooth, but all the while he wanted to stay in the game.  (The tooth was found and he was left out for the remainder of the 2nd half).

If you're a fan of foul-plagued games (do those people exist?) this was not a game to miss. Jaworski & Coolahan (3 fouls at the half), and Bradanese & Ainge (2 fouls) all had their minutes managed more than usual.  Coolahan fouled out eventually and the rest of those mentioned all finished with 4 fouls and had to be careful in the last 10 minutes.  Gao came off the bench with his best game of the season with 11/6 in 25 minutes.

Ainge (22 for the game) and Jaworski (24) carried the lion's share in the 2nd half whenever they needed a bucket - Jaworski finishing the game with 2 straight dagger 3's when CG started to make things uncomfortable, whittling the 18-point halftime  lead to 6.

For CG, Witkowski was excellent (28) and Perez (16/6) helped keep them in the game.  But they sure could have used Baldez and Kane down the stretch with their senior leadership.  As it was, Kane finished with 8/9 in only 18 minutes of action.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 05, 2020, 09:21:34 PM
Babson 90   MIT 85  (OT)

Weird game.  Babson jumped out to a 15-0 lead.  Then MIT toughened up defensively and took advantage of their size to score inside on back cuts, drives, and post ups.  MIT had the lead at the half 32-31 and Hinkley already had a double-double, with 14/10.


Babson went on another 12-0 run to start the second half, but MIT would not go away.  MIT dominated the boards (47-30 for the game), but gave some back with 18 turnovers.

For Babson Jaworski (32) and Coolahan (33) were outstanding, and while Ainge had an otherwise quiet game, he put the team up for good with a spinning 5-footer in OT.  Bradanese was a warrior to play 38 minutes against a rotation of big men, with no real backup of his own.  The offense struggled at times, and could have used FY Kirkpatrick who has been starting, but was in streets, and has oddly missed both MIT games.

Hinkley had a costly TO at the end of OT, but had a very good game (23/13), as did the Greek Geek, Chatziveroglou (19/11), and Kostolansky (17/6).  Alex Cho, who returned from injury after being away for 2 months added 13.  As MIT's 2nd leading scorer, they've really missed his offensive infusion.

All in all, this was more like recent games between these 2 teams, regardless of who is up or down.  It seems like we average one OT game per year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: middhoops on February 05, 2020, 09:37:41 PM
What a game by Jake Ross against Coast Guard tonight.  Playing 43 minutes, he put up 55/21 and five steals.  Amazing.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 05, 2020, 09:38:50 PM
Elsewhere in the NEWMAC, some guy named Jake Ross put up a ridiculous line of 55/21 to help Springfield outlast Coast Guard in 2OT.  Nice to see CG's Kane, Baldez, and Drummond (all hurt in the Babson game) return to action.
I'm going out on a limb to predict Ross will be on this week's D3 Team of the Week.

WPI seems to be getting healthy (Stephenson and Walker).  They win big at home against Clark.

As I mentioned in December, Springfield, WPI, and Babson could realistically all get to 20 wins before the NEWMAC tournament even starts, which bodes well for their Pool C chances.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 05, 2020, 09:46:23 PM
Quote from: middhoops on February 05, 2020, 09:37:41 PM
What a game by Jake Ross against Coast Guard tonight.  Playing 43 minutes, he put up 55/21 and five steals.  Amazing.

Yeah, I was watching the Babson-MIT game, so missed Ross' magnificence.  He's a lock for All-District 1st team, and Heath Post is probably on the 2nd team. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on February 05, 2020, 10:10:28 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 05, 2020, 09:46:23 PM
Quote from: middhoops on February 05, 2020, 09:37:41 PM
What a game by Jake Ross against Coast Guard tonight.  Playing 43 minutes, he put up 55/21 and five steals.  Amazing.

Yeah, I was watching the Babson-MIT game, so missed Ross' magnificence.  He's a lock for All-District 1st team, and Heath Post is probably on the 2nd team.

All-District Team lock feels like we're underselling it a little bit, no? He's been the best player in New England, a surefire 1st team All-American, and is firmly entrenched with Nebraska Wesleyan's Nate Schimonitz in a two man race for National Player of the Year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 06, 2020, 09:48:51 AM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on February 05, 2020, 10:10:28 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 05, 2020, 09:46:23 PM
Quote from: middhoops on February 05, 2020, 09:37:41 PM
What a game by Jake Ross against Coast Guard tonight.  Playing 43 minutes, he put up 55/21 and five steals.  Amazing.

Yeah, I was watching the Babson-MIT game, so missed Ross' magnificence.  He's a lock for All-District 1st team, and Heath Post is probably on the 2nd team.

All-District Team lock feels like we're underselling it a little bit, no? He's been the best player in New England, a surefire 1st team All-American, and is firmly entrenched with Nebraska Wesleyan's Nate Schimonitz in a two man race for National Player of the Year.

I won't disagree with anything you've said.  Having not watched enough games outside the region, I didn't want to be a "homer" and overlook other guys outside the region.  It's kinda like when people say "this movie has to win Best Picture" when they haven't seen any of the other movies nominated.

Suffice to say, if he is indeed 1st team All-American (likely) he's also a lock for 1st team All-District.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 06, 2020, 10:16:47 AM
A few more observations about Springfield ...

First, I was dead wrong at the start of the season.  I didn't think there was enough production/talent from the supporting cast to elevate The Pride to the top of the NEWMAC.  I'm now convinced.  Witter, Costa, Lindsay, and others make this team (health permitting) the one most likely to go deepest in the tournament.

This is going to sound like heresy, and some people might question my sanity, but if you look at the 10 games played since coming back from winter break, and before last night (I know what you're thinking), I could make the case that Post, and not Ross, was the team's best player.  Over that 10-game stretch Ross averaged 18.7/9, while Post averaged 16.4/10.  Post was steady in every game.  Put him down for a double-double before the jump, going against the best big men in New England.  Ross was still a star over that period, but had a sub-par game against Middlebury, and a head-scratching bad game against Emerson that had me wondering if something was wrong.  Last night was an indication that Mr. Ross is just fine, thank you.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on February 06, 2020, 11:11:57 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 06, 2020, 09:48:51 AM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on February 05, 2020, 10:10:28 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 05, 2020, 09:46:23 PM
Quote from: middhoops on February 05, 2020, 09:37:41 PM
What a game by Jake Ross against Coast Guard tonight.  Playing 43 minutes, he put up 55/21 and five steals.  Amazing.

Yeah, I was watching the Babson-MIT game, so missed Ross' magnificence.  He's a lock for All-District 1st team, and Heath Post is probably on the 2nd team.


All-District Team lock feels like we're underselling it a little bit, no? He's been the best player in New England, a surefire 1st team All-American, and is firmly entrenched with Nebraska Wesleyan's Nate Schimonitz in a two man race for National Player of the Year.

I won't disagree with anything you've said.  Having not watched enough games outside the region, I didn't want to be a "homer" and overlook other guys outside the region.  It's kinda like when people say "this movie has to win Best Picture" when they haven't seen any of the other movies nominated.

Suffice to say, if he is indeed 1st team All-American (likely) he's also a lock for 1st team All-District.

Fair points. I know d3hoops.com has no regional restrictions but the NABC picks one player from each of the 8 (?) districts for each of the 1st 2nd and 3rd teams. I would say the only competition Ross has for 1st Team is Colby's Sam Jefferson, who is averaging 22.4 points per game on 61-49-89 splits.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 06, 2020, 02:00:44 PM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on February 06, 2020, 11:11:57 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 06, 2020, 09:48:51 AM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on February 05, 2020, 10:10:28 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 05, 2020, 09:46:23 PM
Quote from: middhoops on February 05, 2020, 09:37:41 PM
What a game by Jake Ross against Coast Guard tonight.  Playing 43 minutes, he put up 55/21 and five steals.  Amazing.

Yeah, I was watching the Babson-MIT game, so missed Ross' magnificence.  He's a lock for All-District 1st team, and Heath Post is probably on the 2nd team.


All-District Team lock feels like we're underselling it a little bit, no? He's been the best player in New England, a surefire 1st team All-American, and is firmly entrenched with Nebraska Wesleyan's Nate Schimonitz in a two man race for National Player of the Year.

I won't disagree with anything you've said.  Having not watched enough games outside the region, I didn't want to be a "homer" and overlook other guys outside the region.  It's kinda like when people say "this movie has to win Best Picture" when they haven't seen any of the other movies nominated.

Suffice to say, if he is indeed 1st team All-American (likely) he's also a lock for 1st team All-District.

Fair points. I know d3hoops.com has no regional restrictions but the NABC picks one player from each of the 8 (?) districts for each of the 1st 2nd and 3rd teams. I would say the only competition Ross has for 1st Team is Colby's Sam Jefferson, who is averaging 22.4 points per game on 61-49-89 splits.

There are rumors the NABC may be changing things up.  I've heard there's talk of allowing the first and second ranked players in each region to be eligible for the first team.  Essentially you'd have the same format - one from each region per team, but they wouldn't be locked into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd teams by region.  Not a done deal, but it's a conversation being had.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 08, 2020, 04:12:08 PM
Babson  105   Clark  70

This was not much of a game, particularly because Clark didn't seem interested in any aspect of team defense.  They've really been on a slide since beating Babson at home in the game Oftring got injured.

All 5 Babson starters had strong games, with reduced minutes in a blowout.  Ainge might have had a triple-double if he was needed, and finished with 13/7/9.  Jaworski, the go-to guy in clutch situations, seemed to recognize this game for what it was, and was happy to facilitate his teammates most of the afternoon.  Still, while taking only 8 shots, he finished with a solid line of 15/5/4.  Coolahan was red hot inside and out, and led the team with 25.  Kirkpatrick tied his season high with 18, and looks more and more like a 4-year starter.

Davern went over the 1000 point mark in a strong game for Clark, but his team didn't provide enough help in this one.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 12, 2020, 03:22:45 PM
The men's first regional rankings are out: https://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2020/02/men-regional-rankings-first
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 12, 2020, 09:09:35 PM
WPI  75   Babson   56

The Engineers went on a 20-4 run in the final 6 minutes to make the final somewhat misleading, but in truth, they were in control throughout this game.

Babson's last run closed it to 55-52 and Coolahan was unable to finish a baseline layup with 6 minutes left that would have made it a 1 point game.  But then Wheeler hit back-to-back-to-back dagger 3's and it was over for all practical purposes.

Babson had a good defensive double-team on Stephenson down low for most of the game, making it difficult to close out on outside shooters.  But WPI absolutely dominated both boards (45-27 overall).  Wisniewski had a monster game (19/15).  Wheeler was also strong, particularly when it mattered most and finished with 17/7.  I continue to be impressed by FY Lowther who finished with 8/9 and looked very comfortable in a big NEWMAC game.

WPI's postseason success will depend on some consistent outside shooting, like they had tonight.  Their defense will travel anywhere.

Although Babson had an off-night (to say the least) from 3-point range (1-15), much of that was due to WPI closing out quickly and not respecting Babson's low post offense.  Coach Bartley is very familiar with Babson's tendencies and always has a good defensive team.  Overall Babson shot only 33%.  And they weren't missing open shots.  Everything was contested.
They finished with only 2 2nd chance points.

For Babson going forward, 18-4 is still very good, but now it becomes more imperative to beat Wheaton and Emerson.  That would get them to 20 wins.  I'd hate for them to have to go into Springfield in the season-ending game needing a win.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 12, 2020, 09:52:14 PM
Thanks for the recap Babo. WPIs best win for sure. They have been shooting well. I was in Worcester on Saturday and they shot well against Coast Guard also. Shaping up for a fun close out and a wide open tourney.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 13, 2020, 12:32:23 PM
BABO - I think i ask this every year - but in the unlikely event both WPI and Babson can pick off Springfield to end the year - it would be likely that all 3 end up with 11 wins and 2-2 against each other.  What is next for the tie-beaker - do you know?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 13, 2020, 05:38:51 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 13, 2020, 12:32:23 PM
BABO - I think i ask this every year - but in the unlikely event both WPI and Babson can pick off Springfield to end the year - it would be likely that all 3 end up with 11 wins and 2-2 against each other.  What is next for the tie-beaker - do you know?

Well, according to the NEWMAC Handbook

"If necessary, head-to-head competition against common, non-conference opponents of
the teams that are tied will be used."

I'm not sure there are any such opponents that all 3 teams would have faced.

The final step is a "draw".

Something similar occurred last year between WPI, Babson, and Springfield for 3rd-5th.  Springfield got #3 because they were the only one to beat #1 MIT.  The tiebreaker for 4th vs. 5th may have come down to a draw, because WPI had to travel to Babson for the 4-5 game, and all other tiebreakers seemed to keep them tied, including the only non-conference opponent (Tufts) which they both beat.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 13, 2020, 09:35:07 PM
Hope the coin toss is more legit than Iowa Caucus!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 15, 2020, 03:45:21 PM
Babson  82   Wheaton  57

Senior Day @ Staake.  Ulrickson got the start (senior) in place of Ainge.  But Ainge was in street clothes for this game.  Oh boy.  Can't afford another possible injury with key games next week @ Emerson and @ Springfield.

Coach Brennan emptied the bench in this one.  Jaworski had another complete game of 22/8/5 in 27 minutes of action.  Already a 1st team All-NEWMAC in my opinion, he will be a challenger for best player in New England in his senior season.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 17, 2020, 04:58:48 PM
(https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/img/mw=710/cr=n/d=5v3wn/rw46qdpbe3zw5xzo.jpg)

In two weeks, the regular season will be over. If teams want to still be playing in March, the time to get it done is now ... including conference tournaments, some of which start for some this week.

This week will also bring with it a better understanding of which teams are in position to be playing in the NCAA Tournaments.

Monday on Hoopsville, we will chat with several programs which have positioned themselves atop their conference races and hope home court will help them punch tickets to the NCAA tournaments. However, they also know the difference between playing at home or in the NCAAs could be a single game still to be played.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):
- Charlie Averkamp, Benedictine women's coach
- Trent Milby, Berea women's coach
- Jake Ross, Springfield senior guard
- Dean Burrows, Wesley men's coach
- Bob Quillman & Ryan Scott, Top 25 Double-Take

Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com) is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch Monday's show LIVE starting at 7:00 pm ET in the following ways:
- Main page: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville
- Show page: http://bit.ly/3bQmnlR (or www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2019-20/feb17)
- Facebook Live Simulcast: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
- YouTube Simulcast: www.youtube.com/d3hoopsville
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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 19, 2020, 01:17:58 PM
Week 2's Regional Rankings are out: https://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2020/02/men-regional-rankings-second
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 19, 2020, 01:59:53 PM
thanks Dave
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 19, 2020, 07:21:40 PM
Ross just too good tonight (like most nights). WPI cut it to 7 with 5 mins left and Mr Ross took over.  Couple of 3s in a row. Seemingly every rebound and oh then you can't get the hall out of his hands and he hits every free throw.

I hope these teams play again in 10 days and I very much look forward to a long run by Springfield in the big tourney.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 19, 2020, 07:44:16 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 19, 2020, 07:21:40 PM
Ross just too good tonight (like most nights). WPI cut it to 7 with 5 mins left and Mr Ross took over.  Couple of 3s in a row. Seemingly every rebound and oh then you can't get the hall out of his hands and he hits every free throw.

I hope these teams play again in 10 days and I very much look forward to a long run by Springfield in the big tourney.

Did Wisniewski play?  I didn't see him in the box.  Your best defender and all-around solid player.  All hands needed on deck when you take on Springfield.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 19, 2020, 08:01:07 PM

Ross also went over 2500 career points tonight.  He's just 110 away from Joey Flannery.  Very possible.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 19, 2020, 08:59:08 PM
 Babson  92   Emerson  77

Babson went on a 15-0 run from the 10 minute mark of the 2nd half to increase a 58-55 lead to 73-55 with 7 minutes to play. 
Just a tremendous game for all of the core 8 rotation.  Best of all, Coolahan (who poured in 26 for game high honors) is the only one graduating from this group.

Early in this game Babson seemed to be rushing shots in the paint.  Perhaps Houston's 6'10" presence was in their heads.  He's certainly someone you must be aware of.

The only thing to spoil this one was Jaworski turning his ankle landing on Houston's foot in rebounding action with 3 minutes to play.  Needless to say, Jaworski is invaluable to this team.  He had back-to-back 20-foot bounce pass assists through traffic to driving teammates.  Highlight stuff.

Now it's on to Springfield for the regular season finale.  With The Pride already locked into the #1 seed I think it would be advisable for coach Brock to rest Ross & Post.  ;)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 20, 2020, 10:30:22 AM
Babo - I only saw last 10 minutes (and without volume) - Wisniewski did not play - which was too bad given it was senior night.  I do not have any info - hope it is something short term (sickness?).  Will let you know if I find out anything.

NEWMAC close to set - what color uniforms Babson/WPI wear in first round up for grabs and perhaps MIT can still play their way into 5th if they beat WPI and Emerson beats Coast Guard.  Would be second or third tiebreaker as they split their games.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 22, 2020, 04:17:14 PM
Springfield  84   Babson  78  (OT)

Just a great NEWMAC basketball game that played like a NEWMAC Final, rather than the regular season finale.  Babson nearly spoiled the 2nd Senior Night of the week, but in the end The Pride prevailed.

This was a close game throughout.  So many clutch plays.  Coolahan was on fire in the 1st half (19; 31 for the game)  for Babson and would have been POG, but, as with the game at Babson, they were one stop away from closing this one out.

Play of the game, end of regulation, Babson up 3 with under 10 seconds on the clock.  Ross is double-teamed at the 3-point line and is forced to give it up to Witter, who misses a trey.  The ball is loose and gets knocked out to Ross, who drains an open 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left.

Ross (35) had 16 in the second half, and 8 in OT.  That's what great players do.

Even after all that both Ainge and Jaworski had 2-shot FTs in the last 20 seconds that would have tied the game, but uncharacteristically missed all 4.

Round 3 next week?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 25, 2020, 02:42:13 PM
The Week 3 men's regional rankings are out: https://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2020/02/men-regional-rankings-third
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 27, 2020, 09:04:04 AM
Coast Guard wins at Emerson in the 4/5 play-in game, 80-78, overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit that was culminated in a 14-0 Emerson run with a buzzer-beating 60-footer.

This will be Coast Guard's first appearance in the NEWMAC semis in 9 years.  While they will have a mountain to climb in getting past Springfield, the Bears are on a 5 game winning streak, are healthy, and are getting into a good rhythm led by their senior trio of Baldez, Kane, and Witkowski.  Sophomore Drummond continues to impress with his shooting. 

Their problems center around team defense and rebounding.  While they are 0-6 against the 3 remaining teams, they'll play for 40 minutes and won't be intimidated by the situation.  Now if they can hold Ross under 30 ...
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2020, 10:13:24 AM
Babo - any preview of WPI/Babson III?  I have no info on Wiesnewski - last game WPI beat Babson he was a huge factor - he has missed both recent losses - not sure if he is back tonight?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 28, 2020, 01:10:54 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 28, 2020, 10:13:24 AM
Babo - any preview of WPI/Babson III?  I have no info on Wiesnewski - last game WPI beat Babson he was a huge factor - he has missed both recent losses - not sure if he is back tonight?

Well, one thing I'm pretty sure of ... Coach Bartley will control tempo and he'll play the players who are prepared to lock down on defense for however long they're on the court.  WPI is so deep they can continually rotate fresh bodies and wear you down.

Wisniewski in/out is a big deal to me.  I consider him WPI's best all-around player, certainly their best defender, strong rebounder, and will clean up offensive rebounds when Stephenson draws doubles on the low block.  Stephenson has a size/strength advantage over Babson's big men, so he'll see 2 defenders on every touch in the paint.  He's got very good post moves if he's established position.

The other two players that concern me from a Babson perspective are Downing and Lowther.  Downing is an excellent perimeter defender, which is key with Babson's deadly 3-point shooters.  And Lowther, who I've been high on as a FY NEWMAC player is averaging 10.5/6.2 in conference play, making him the team's 2nd leading rebounder and 4th highest scorer.

Babson is going to need big games (50 points or more) from their top 3 (Jaworski, Coolahan, and Ainge).  Jaworski is coming off an uncharacteristic horrid game shooting against Springfield.  I expect him to bounce back.  Coolahan is going to need to have the 3-point stroke going.  Bradanese/Smith are going to need to try to deny/front Stephenson.  FY Players Kirkpatrick and Gao will both see 15+ minutes on the court so they'll need to be productive and contribute - they are both capable.

Ultimately I think for Babson to win their A/TO needs to be around 2.0.  Gotta keep turnovers under 10.

I think if Wisniewski is healthy and plays WPI has the edge.  If he's not ready flip a coin.  The projections I've seen say WPI may be in the tournament win or lose.  Babson may be in precarious shape if they lose.

I'm glad to see the Springfield-Coast Guard game is @ 5pm, so I'll watch some of that too.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2020, 06:48:42 PM
Awesome. Game 1 was incredible. I could only get live stats but Springfield goes down!!  Jake 44 and still had to commit the last 3 team fouls!  Not a true bubble buRSTER unless CG wins again Sunday. NEWMAC.  AMAZING.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 28, 2020, 06:51:03 PM
Coast Guard takes down Springfield!

No fluke!  Playing without their best big man, Justin Kane, the quick guards, Baldez and Drummond kept getting to the rim for their own buckets, or kicking out to Witkowski (29).  Really, despite Ross (44), the story of the game was the speed and quick hands on defense of Drummond and Baldez.

Can't take The Guard lightly!  Could be deja vu, ala Emerson 2019!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 28, 2020, 07:45:37 PM
Babson should consider themselves fortunate to be down only 6 at the half with their 12 TOs.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2020, 08:46:43 PM
WPI most assuredly played thier way in tonight. Looked the better team most of the way. Gave the Beavers a few chances to shoot their way back in but depth and size proved too much. I would think Babson becomes WPI fans now as I would be hard pressed to imagine 4 from the NEWMAC if CG pulls the upset Sunday.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 28, 2020, 08:53:20 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 28, 2020, 08:46:43 PM
WPI most assuredly played thier way in tonight. Looked the better team most of the way. Gave the Beavers a few chances to shoot their way back in but depth and size proved too much. I would think Babson becomes WPI fans now as I would be hard pressed to imagine 4 from the NEWMAC if CG pulls the upset Sunday.

Wish it was a better game, but the best team definitely won.  You said it ... depth and size.  Congrats!

It will be a clash of styles in the championship.  CG likes the wide open game, but I don't think your coach will allow much of that.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: D3 Junkie on February 28, 2020, 09:48:18 PM
I'm sorry..don't want to be that guy. But if we have frank oftring we win that game no problem (see game 1). Bradanese got torn up inside. Too young to make a big enough impact. Frank, not only with his interior defense, but also offense presence wins that game. Good luck WPI - I hate to say it but I'm an engineer fan on Sunday. I think babo will get the bid with an engineer win. But I hate saying engineer win 🤢
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 01, 2020, 03:19:36 PM
Wow congrats Coast Guard. WPI and the video feed had a rough second half. CGA storms back from 25 down. I could not get video to work in 2nd half. I guess I am glad!  Nothing really to say. Now we wait. 2, 3, or 4 from the NEWMAC. GOOD LUCK TO ALL.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2020, 02:22:19 PM
4!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 02, 2020, 04:12:02 PM
Looks like interesting early-round matchups.

If Babson gets by Ithaca, they run into the Swarthmore buzzsaw.  We (MIT) prefer not to remember them.

I'd expect Coast Guard to have their hands full against Brockport, but the Bears have been peaking at the right time.

Springfield looks like they ought to take care of SUNY-Canton; if they do (and St. Joseph beats Hobart), then it's the Pride vs. Jim Calhoun.

WPI and Yeshiva.  Quite a record, Yeshiva has.  But not exactly in the strongest conference.

Well, we're on the outside this year  :( and unfortunately Smith beat our women in that final, so for the first time in a while just spectatin'...
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2020, 04:43:02 PM
Stay on board the NEWMAC train rlk - we need all comers.

PS - WPI plays Friday at 1:00 - Yeshiva can't play at night on Fridays!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 02, 2020, 04:58:55 PM

Probably one of the worst possible matchups for WPI.  Yeshiva is a good passing team with lots of movement and many different capable scorers.  They naturally run an offense that will give the WPI defense trouble.  Obviously WPI is very good at what they do, so execution will be very important.  Gabe Leifer is an All-American and he got beat out for Skyline POY by his teammate Ryan Turrell.  They've also got a 1500 point scorer who's a dead eye three point shooter - and they'll be playing in Baltimore (where senior center Dani Katz is from) with a large Jewish community and it'll likely feel like a home game for them.  I know JHU is looking into splitting the session to accommodate Yeshiva fans.  I'm planning to be there, but it will be an incredibly uphill battle for WPI.

Babson has a difficult game against Ithaca - obviously more difficult without Oftring.  With him, I'd give them a fighting chance against Swarthmore.  Without him, that's also going to be a tall task (if they win Friday).

Springfield has a better path.  I think their toughest test before Ft Wayne will be St. Joe's.  They've got size and depth and more weapons than Springfield does.  You're going to need typical heroics from Ross.  I think Springfield matches up favorably with Colby, unless Sam Jefferson is back at full speed.  The team we just saw lose the NESCAC final, I think, also loses to Springfield.

It'll be fun. I'm glad all the NEWMAC teams got interesting draws.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on March 02, 2020, 05:14:55 PM
I don't have the geography information and I know that is obviously a huge factor, but Ryan, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to swap the Randolph-Macon pod with the Stevens pod? That feels like a brutal reward for a Johns Hopkins team that just beat Swarthmore, and a weird way to reward a Springfield team that doesn't have a lot of impressive wins---unless then the committee took Stevens H2H win over JHU into consideration and decided to reward them instead?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 02, 2020, 05:41:25 PM
First let me say I think the draws/seeds/pods were very fair to the NEWMAC teams.

Fully half of the league made the Big Dance.  Think about that! 

Now a dose of reality.  Other than Springfield, we have no team in the top 16 in the country.  So, if you go by chalk, only Springfield could be reasonably expected to survive through 2 rounds and make their way to the Sweet Sixteen.

WPI:  It will be really tough right from the jump.  I've seen Yeshiva play 3/4 times.  Fun team to watch.  Fundamentally strong.  If I were WPI, I'd pick them up high on defense and force them to try to score inside.  And give Lowther more minutes!  I know he's a FY, but they are a better team with him on the court.  If WPI gets through the first round, JH is likely next, and I think that's a mountain too high to climb.  (I saw the 2nd half of Swarthmore-JH ... great game between 2 powerhouses).

CG:  It's been a great run, but they'll now have to take on a team playing at home where they are undefeated.  But it can't be any tougher than what they've already done, taking down Springfield and WPI on their home floors.  Baldez is playing at his best level of the year.  This team is fearless.

Springfield:  The best chance for a NEWMAC team to get through the 1st weekend.  But, wow, St. Joe's possible in round 2!  Talk about speed/quickness, and a tenacious defense.  That would be a fun game if it comes to pass.  I'm high on St. Joe's, so I wish, as a NEWMAC fan that the schedule didn't bracket them together.

Babson:  Ah what might have been if Oftring hadn't gone down to injury.  It seems like the domino effect has been that the frontcourt players are wearing down, and now Ainge is noticeably hobbled.  All that said, Ithaca seems to be a team without the size/depth to overwhelm the Beavers.  It should be a good game.  But it would take a miracle to get past Swarthmore after Ithaca.  (I think both Swarthmore and JH make the final 8).

Go NEWMAC!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 02, 2020, 08:32:40 PM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on March 02, 2020, 05:14:55 PM
I don't have the geography information and I know that is obviously a huge factor, but Ryan, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to swap the Randolph-Macon pod with the Stevens pod? That feels like a brutal reward for a Johns Hopkins team that just beat Swarthmore, and a weird way to reward a Springfield team that doesn't have a lot of impressive wins---unless then the committee took Stevens H2H win over JHU into consideration and decided to reward them instead?

Springfield was #1 in the NE; JHU was #2 in the MA.  They got spots according to their ranking.  Those seem very fair.  This is, by far, the best bracket I've ever seen - and this is the 20th year I've been following D3.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on March 02, 2020, 09:17:13 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 02, 2020, 08:32:40 PM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on March 02, 2020, 05:14:55 PM
I don't have the geography information and I know that is obviously a huge factor, but Ryan, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to swap the Randolph-Macon pod with the Stevens pod? That feels like a brutal reward for a Johns Hopkins team that just beat Swarthmore, and a weird way to reward a Springfield team that doesn't have a lot of impressive wins---unless then the committee took Stevens H2H win over JHU into consideration and decided to reward them instead?

Springfield was #1 in the NE; JHU was #2 in the MA.  They got spots according to their ranking.  Those seem very fair.  This is, by far, the best bracket I've ever seen - and this is the 20th year I've been following D3.

Fair enough---I was thinking more along the lines of Macon not getting matched with Hopkins.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 02, 2020, 09:42:18 PM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on March 02, 2020, 09:17:13 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 02, 2020, 08:32:40 PM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on March 02, 2020, 05:14:55 PM
I don't have the geography information and I know that is obviously a huge factor, but Ryan, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to swap the Randolph-Macon pod with the Stevens pod? That feels like a brutal reward for a Johns Hopkins team that just beat Swarthmore, and a weird way to reward a Springfield team that doesn't have a lot of impressive wins---unless then the committee took Stevens H2H win over JHU into consideration and decided to reward them instead?

Springfield was #1 in the NE; JHU was #2 in the MA.  They got spots according to their ranking.  Those seem very fair.  This is, by far, the best bracket I've ever seen - and this is the 20th year I've been following D3.

Fair enough---I was thinking more along the lines of Macon not getting matched with Hopkins.

Macon was a 1 and JHU was a 2, so that makes sense in that spot.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 03, 2020, 09:14:31 AM
Love this every year - odds to win games by round - courtesy of our guy Massey.

https://www.masseyratings.com/tourn?t=1253
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 03, 2020, 12:22:04 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 02, 2020, 04:58:55 PM

Probably one of the worst possible matchups for WPI.  Yeshiva is a good passing team with lots of movement and many different capable scorers.  They naturally run an offense that will give the WPI defense trouble.  Obviously WPI is very good at what they do, so execution will be very important.  Gabe Leifer is an All-American and he got beat out for Skyline POY by his teammate Ryan Turrell.  They've also got a 1500 point scorer who's a dead eye three point shooter - and they'll be playing in Baltimore (where senior center Dani Katz is from) with a large Jewish community and it'll likely feel like a home game for them.  I know JHU is looking into splitting the session to accommodate Yeshiva fans.  I'm planning to be there, but it will be an incredibly uphill battle for WPI.

They'll probably get fans from NY/NJ.  They wouldn't have time to get home after the game, but I suspect some people will find friends to stay with.  I've only seen Yeshiva once, and not relevant to today (mid 1980's) when they visited us at MIT (we won by 10-15 points).  It was practically a home game for them, based on fans.  I think it was a midweek game, so more convenient for those traveling from New York, but I'm sure if anything that their fans are even more intense now.  Very raucous crowd, too (if you've ever been to an Orthodox Jewish wedding, you'll know exactly what I mean).  At one point, one of their photographers yelled something at the ref when he didn't like a call.  The ref stopped the game and told him to shut up or he'd be out of there.  Something I know better than to do when shooting games (I keep quiet and just concentrate on photography and stretch out during breaks).

WPI fans are quite capable of being loud themselves.  Hopefully it's not just for MIT that they do that.

Yeshiva likely has older players, because in Israel everyone does military service for a few years after high school.

Splitting the session would be a really good idea.  This was a problem for MIT a few years ago at Ramapo, when they sold tickets for both games in one session.  Because of all the Ramapo fans buying tickets for the second (Johns Hopkins) game, there were very few seats in the MIT section left to buy, even though it was largely deserted since the Ramapo fans hadn't shown up yet.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 03, 2020, 12:47:21 PM
Quote from: rlk on March 03, 2020, 12:22:04 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 02, 2020, 04:58:55 PM

Probably one of the worst possible matchups for WPI.  Yeshiva is a good passing team with lots of movement and many different capable scorers.  They naturally run an offense that will give the WPI defense trouble.  Obviously WPI is very good at what they do, so execution will be very important.  Gabe Leifer is an All-American and he got beat out for Skyline POY by his teammate Ryan Turrell.  They've also got a 1500 point scorer who's a dead eye three point shooter - and they'll be playing in Baltimore (where senior center Dani Katz is from) with a large Jewish community and it'll likely feel like a home game for them.  I know JHU is looking into splitting the session to accommodate Yeshiva fans.  I'm planning to be there, but it will be an incredibly uphill battle for WPI.

They'll probably get fans from NY/NJ.  They wouldn't have time to get home after the game, but I suspect some people will find friends to stay with.  I've only seen Yeshiva once, and not relevant to today (mid 1980's) when they visited us at MIT (we won by 10-15 points).  It was practically a home game for them, based on fans.  I think it was a midweek game, so more convenient for those traveling from New York, but I'm sure if anything that their fans are even more intense now.  Very raucous crowd, too (if you've ever been to an Orthodox Jewish wedding, you'll know exactly what I mean).  At one point, one of their photographers yelled something at the ref when he didn't like a call.  The ref stopped the game and told him to shut up or he'd be out of there.  Something I know better than to do when shooting games (I keep quiet and just concentrate on photography and stretch out during breaks).

WPI fans are quite capable of being loud themselves.  Hopefully it's not just for MIT that they do that.

Yeshiva likely has older players, because in Israel everyone does military service for a few years after high school.

Splitting the session would be a really good idea.  This was a problem for MIT a few years ago at Ramapo, when they sold tickets for both games in one session.  Because of all the Ramapo fans buying tickets for the second (Johns Hopkins) game, there were very few seats in the MIT section left to buy, even though it was largely deserted since the Ramapo fans hadn't shown up yet.

Only one of the Yeshiva players is from Israel.  Most of them are from the US.  JHU did officially split the session, so the WPI-Yeshiva game is at 1pm and JHU plays at 6.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 03, 2020, 02:41:14 PM
I'm setting my line (not that I'm taking bets) at 5 total tournament games won among the 4 NEWMAC entries. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 03, 2020, 04:26:38 PM
Regardless, wishing Babson, Coast Guard, Springfield, and WPI the best in the tournament.  Do NEWMAC proud!  It benefits all of us.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 05, 2020, 04:09:25 PM
(https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/img/mw=710/cr=n/d=6qldo/d0hc2yt7zhtbhulo.jpg)

The Division III Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments are set to get going. It all starts at 1:00 p.m. ET on Friday with the first men's game.

However, before you get fully wrapped up in the games make sure you go into it fully informed.

That means tuning into Hoopsville on Thursday night for our tournaments preview episode. We will not only take a fresh look at the brackets, but we will also talk to a number of coaches getting their teams ready for first-round games. From a Conference Cinderella, to a couple of Conference Champions, and a coach looking to finish his career with a bang.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):
- Kevin Jaskiewicz, Coast Guard men's coach
- Steve Moore, Wooster men's coach
- Brian Lane, Transylvania men's coach
- Carissa Sain, No. 18 Chicago women's coach
- Mike Miller, No. 19 Messiah women's coach

Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com) is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch Thursday's show LIVE starting at 7:00 p.m. ET in the following ways:
- Main page: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville
- Show page: http://bit.ly/2TTWFVp (or www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2019-20/mar5)
- Facebook Live Simulcast: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 06, 2020, 12:49:55 AM
NO FANS AT HOPKINS TOMORROW!!!!  Holy cow! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: magicman on March 06, 2020, 10:57:50 AM
It's sad that the fans of the teams at the Johns Hopkins site won't be able to watch their teams play in person. Yeshiva, is making only their 2nd appearance in the NCAA tournament and would have had a large contingent of fans on hand. I'm sure the WPI, Penn State-Harrisburg, and Johns Hopkins fans also are extremely disappointed.

What I find strange is that these 2 DIII games would have drawn around 1000-1300 fans for each game, at the most. (Johns Hopkins' gym only holds 1200 people) So no one is allowed to watch these games in person, because there have been some recently confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Maryland.

Yet tonight, Sunday and Tuesday, approximately 40 miles from Johns Hopkins, when 12,000 to 20,000 people show up to watch the Washington Wizards play 3 home games, well that's OK, they don't need to worry about the coronavirus.

This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.       
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 06, 2020, 11:05:23 AM
Agree completely Magicman. 

There is one more factor (though I still think this is a way overblown reaction).  A Yeshiva student (non-basketball) contracted the virus this week.  All associated with the team have been medically cleared to travel and play though!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: magicman on March 06, 2020, 12:06:40 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 06, 2020, 11:05:23 AM
Agree completely Magicman. 

There is one more factor (though I still think this is a way overblown reaction).  A Yeshiva student (non-basketball) contracted the virus this week.  All associated with the team have been medically cleared to travel and play though!

Yes, I read about that. There is a big discussion on the NCAA Tournament board in the multi regional topics page. They are allowing people with media credentials to attend the game. Apparently the hotel that Yeshiva had made reservations at, canceled their reservations because of the virus case discovered on the Yeshiva campus. They were able to find another hotel tht gave them reservations, though.   

Johns Hopkins is allowing spectators at a lacrosse match taking place on campus, which doesn't seem consistant with what they are doing with the basketball games.  Someone suggested because the lacrosse game is outdoors there is less risk.

 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 06, 2020, 12:40:41 PM
Has there been any explanation given as to why the tip-off has shifted from 1pm to 2pm?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 06, 2020, 02:03:40 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 06, 2020, 12:40:41 PM
Has there been any explanation given as to why the tip-off has shifted from 1pm to 2pm?

"Paperwork."
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 06, 2020, 03:01:56 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 06, 2020, 02:03:40 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 06, 2020, 12:40:41 PM
Has there been any explanation given as to why the tip-off has shifted from 1pm to 2pm?

"Paperwork."

That's going to make things somewhat tight for the Yeshiva team, particularly if it goes into OT.  Sunset is apparently around 6:05 PM, and they have to be back at their lodgings 30 minutes or so prior.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 06, 2020, 03:04:40 PM
And speaking of the game...it looks like WPI has a mountain to climb in the second half (51-30 YU).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 06, 2020, 03:41:39 PM
Yikes - I think Yeshiva might be able to leave well before sunset and still hold on!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 06, 2020, 07:07:00 PM
Ithaca  94  Babson  88  (OT)

Another game where Babson was one stop away from closing it out, but it was not meant to be.

I'll see that dagger 3 from Skylar Sinon in my sleep.  It was well-defended, and was the second he hit in a row to put Ithaca ahead for good, 86-80.

Two evenly matched teams, similar sizes and styles.

Gutsy, gutsy games from the starting 5 for Babson, with productive bench help from Gao, but not enough to overcome a strong 2nd half comeback from Ithaca.

Congrats to Ithaca & Babson's  graduating seniors;  and Thank You for a most enjoyable season!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 06, 2020, 11:17:55 PM

Got to see WPI and Babson tonight.  WPI just got steamrolled by a great team on a great night.  Babson seemed pretty shocked they couldn't close it out. Obviously a tough season for them and they performed very well this evening, even if it wasn't quite good enough.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: jmcozenlaw on March 07, 2020, 10:56:32 AM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 06, 2020, 11:17:55 PM

Got to see WPI and Babson tonight.  WPI just got steamrolled by a great team on a great night.  Babson seemed pretty shocked they couldn't close it out. Obviously a tough season for them and they performed very well this evening, even if it wasn't quite good enough.

I could not believe that Babson had no answer for Thompson in the first half. He got to or near the rim at will.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 07, 2020, 03:16:03 PM
Quote from: jmcozenlaw on March 07, 2020, 10:56:32 AM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 06, 2020, 11:17:55 PM

Got to see WPI and Babson tonight.  WPI just got steamrolled by a great team on a great night.  Babson seemed pretty shocked they couldn't close it out. Obviously a tough season for them and they performed very well this evening, even if it wasn't quite good enough.

I could not believe that Babson had no answer for Thompson in the first half. He got to or near the rim at will.

That was a tough matchup.  Ideally, Ainge would cover him, but Ainge has been battling leg injuries the 2nd half of the season and does not have the same burst he had at the start of the season.  The last few games he's only played for 4-5 minute stretches.  In December you'd never see him give the ball up to a teammate in the backcourt to start the offense.  The last few games it's been common.  And he only played 10 minutes in the 1st half yesterday.

While Babson had backup guards on the bench, what you might gain in defensive quickness you'd lose in all the other ways Ainge helps the team, even at 60%, or whatever.

This is in no way intended to make excuses.  Every team has injuries to deal with.  And yes, between Thompson in the 1st half and Sinon in OT, Ithaca was able to get the looks they wanted for much of the game, though their 3-point game didn't click til the end.

The only player move I'd have preferred would have been Gao over Pattyson, for better athleticism, size, and rebounding.  2nd half rebounding was again a factor (wearing down?).  But I think Brennan went with experience over the freshman.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: jmcozenlaw on March 07, 2020, 08:42:47 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 07, 2020, 03:16:03 PM
Quote from: jmcozenlaw on March 07, 2020, 10:56:32 AM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 06, 2020, 11:17:55 PM

Got to see WPI and Babson tonight.  WPI just got steamrolled by a great team on a great night.  Babson seemed pretty shocked they couldn't close it out. Obviously a tough season for them and they performed very well this evening, even if it wasn't quite good enough.

I could not believe that Babson had no answer for Thompson in the first half. He got to or near the rim at will.

That was a tough matchup.  Ideally, Ainge would cover him, but Ainge has been battling leg injuries the 2nd half of the season and does not have the same burst he had at the start of the season.  The last few games he's only played for 4-5 minute stretches.  In December you'd never see him give the ball up to a teammate in the backcourt to start the offense.  The last few games it's been common.  And he only played 10 minutes in the 1st half yesterday.

While Babson had backup guards on the bench, what you might gain in defensive quickness you'd lose in all the other ways Ainge helps the team, even at 60%, or whatever.

This is in no way intended to make excuses.  Every team has injuries to deal with.  And yes, between Thompson in the 1st half and Sinon in OT, Ithaca was able to get the looks they wanted for much of the game, though their 3-point game didn't click til the end.

The only player move I'd have preferred would have been Gao over Pattyson, for better athleticism, size, and rebounding.  2nd half rebounding was again a factor (wearing down?).  But I think Brennan went with experience over the freshman.

Do you know the back story behind Ainge's tranfser from Utah State?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on March 07, 2020, 09:21:24 PM
Wanted to be closer to home---Babson is in Wellesley, MA, his home town. Without trying to assume too much, I don't think the Mormon mission makes life as a college basketball player any easier, taking all of that time off and then trying to come back and compete at a pretty high level.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 07, 2020, 09:44:04 PM
Yikes that is a haunting finish for Springfield. They missed all but one of their last 20 shots (maybe not exactly) to lose at the "buzzer".

NEWMAC 1-4. Too bad.

Can't wait for next Nov.

Lowther is all  NEWMAC minimum. Maybe NEWMAC player of the year. Looking forward to a strong WPI team.

Good luck to the sweet 16 this year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: rlk on March 07, 2020, 10:38:43 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 07, 2020, 09:44:04 PM
Yikes that is a haunting finish for Springfield. They missed all but one of their last 20 shots (maybe not exactly) to lose at the "buzzer".

NEWMAC 1-4. Too bad.

Can't wait for next Nov.

Lowther is all  NEWMAC minimum. Maybe pjj ok sure of the year. Looking forward to a strong WPI team.

Good luck to the sweet 16 this year.

The women, however, are still in -- Smith won tonight to go to the Sweet 16.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 08, 2020, 11:08:26 AM
Go Smith!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: thebear on March 08, 2020, 07:40:05 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 07, 2020, 09:44:04 PM
Yikes that is a haunting finish for Springfield. They missed all but one of their last 20 shots (maybe not exactly) to lose at the "buzzer".

NEWMAC 1-4. Too bad.

Can't wait for next Nov.

Lowther is all  NEWMAC minimum. Maybe pjj ok sure of the year. Looking forward to a strong WPI team.

Good luck to the sweet 16 this year.

They led by 12 49-37 with 13:44 left, and proceeded to go 4 x 19 down the stretch, 1x10 from the arc.  :-(
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on March 15, 2020, 12:37:13 PM


   WPI      10-4      20-8      X Stephenson      X McNamara      X Downing      10 Walker***      X Wisniewski – Sr      9 Lowther      9 Needleman      8 Wheeler   
   SPRINGFIELD      13-1      23-5      X Ross – Sr      X Post – Sr      Witter – Sr      X Lindsay      X Costa       X Cummings      Baum      Sandifer   
   BABSON      10-4      20-7      X Coolahan – Sr      X Jaworski      X Ofring*** - Sr      X Ainge      15 Bradanese      14 Kirkpatrick      Pattyson      Bean/Welch/10 Gao   
   Emerson      7-7      14-12      X O' Connor – Sr      X Houston      X Waterhouse      X Martin      Beckwith      Davis***      X McLean      Holding – Sr   
   COAST GUARD      6-8      14-14      X Witkowski – Sr      X Baldez – Sr      X Kane – Sr      X Perez      10 Drummond      16 Cox      9 Frazier – Sr      8 Graytok – Sr   
   MIT       5-9      12-13      X Hinkley      14 Cho***      12 Chatziveroglou      X Pilsbury      18 Kordonowy***      10 Masys      Manyika***      Kostolansky***   
   Clark       3-11      8-17                                                   
   Wheaton MA      2-12      7-17                                                   
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: D3 Junkie on March 17, 2020, 01:26:05 PM
I definitely understand why he couldn't make an All Region team due to injury, but Frank Oftring might have been the best big man in New England this year. In his 4 games against 4 other All-Region big men (Rogers, Post, Stephenson, Rapoza), he averaged 17 points and 8.3 boards on 65%(!) shooting. This includes 29 and 10 on 11-16 against first team big man Rogers from Tufts.

A few incredible performances that can't be overlooked regardless of how many games he played.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 17, 2020, 03:15:51 PM
Agreed -- half the season is too little, though, really. We generally set the cutoff at two-thirds of games.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 18, 2020, 08:33:41 AM
^^  Greek Tragedy - great chart - what do the *** signify?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on March 18, 2020, 09:12:35 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 18, 2020, 08:33:41 AM
^^  Greek Tragedy - great chart - what do the *** signify?

They didn't play a full season for one reason or another.  Injury? Eligibility etc. Some guys only played 6, 10, 14 games, for example.

X - starters. If there is a num er in front of the name, that's how many games they started if they didn't basically start every game. If a guy started 22 of 27 games, he just got an X.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 10:54:40 AM
Quote from: D3 Junkie on March 17, 2020, 01:26:05 PM
I definitely understand why he couldn't make an All Region team due to injury, but Frank Oftring might have been the best big man in New England this year. In his 4 games against 4 other All-Region big men (Rogers, Post, Stephenson, Rapoza), he averaged 17 points and 8.3 boards on 65%(!) shooting. This includes 29 and 10 on 11-16 against first team big man Rogers from Tufts.

A few incredible performances that can't be overlooked regardless of how many games he played.

Yeah, what might have been.

Regarding the D3Hoops teams I'm pretty shocked that Jaworski got totally shut out.  He made the NABC 2nd team, which I thought was about right, but wasn't considered good enough for the D3Hoops 4th team?

Next year things will be interesting.  We've had 7 years with players of national prominence from within the conference (Flannery -> Ross). 

WPI returns a loaded senior class, plus Lowther, and if this 6'8" recruit (Ryan Biberon) can play they should be ranked all year.

I think MIT will make a significant jump upward with a healthy PG (Cho), greater familiarity with the rotation  playing together, and their ability to recruit outstanding student-athletes around the globe.

Babson should be in the top half of the NEWMAC.  Ideally they'll add a wing shooter and a big man/interior defender.

There are so many underclassmen within the conference who played significant minutes the future becomes more difficult to predict.  You just never know who will adjust to the college game, work on their game in the off-season, and get "coached up" to the point they look like a new star.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on March 18, 2020, 11:06:41 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 10:54:40 AM
Quote from: D3 Junkie on March 17, 2020, 01:26:05 PM
I definitely understand why he couldn't make an All Region team due to injury, but Frank Oftring might have been the best big man in New England this year. In his 4 games against 4 other All-Region big men (Rogers, Post, Stephenson, Rapoza), he averaged 17 points and 8.3 boards on 65%(!) shooting. This includes 29 and 10 on 11-16 against first team big man Rogers from Tufts.

A few incredible performances that can't be overlooked regardless of how many games he played.

Yeah, what might have been.

Regarding the D3Hoops teams I'm pretty shocked that Jaworski got totally shut out.  He made the NABC 2nd team, which I thought was about right, but wasn't considered good enough for the D3Hoops 4th team?

Well, our voters would say the same about Coolahan -- good enough for our team but not the NABC team?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 18, 2020, 11:15:48 AM

Those two lists are very different voting panels and very different processes.  They're going to produce different results.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 11:34:55 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 18, 2020, 11:06:41 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 10:54:40 AM
Quote from: D3 Junkie on March 17, 2020, 01:26:05 PM
I definitely understand why he couldn't make an All Region team due to injury, but Frank Oftring might have been the best big man in New England this year. In his 4 games against 4 other All-Region big men (Rogers, Post, Stephenson, Rapoza), he averaged 17 points and 8.3 boards on 65%(!) shooting. This includes 29 and 10 on 11-16 against first team big man Rogers from Tufts.

A few incredible performances that can't be overlooked regardless of how many games he played.

Yeah, what might have been.

Regarding the D3Hoops teams I'm pretty shocked that Jaworski got totally shut out.  He made the NABC 2nd team, which I thought was about right, but wasn't considered good enough for the D3Hoops 4th team?

Well, our voters would say the same about Coolahan -- good enough for our team but not the NABC team?

Yes, I saw that.  Taking nothing away from Coolahan, who was a major contributor to the team, Jaworski is the better all-around player.  I've watched them both their whole college careers.  I don't like to lessen one player by comparing him to another, so this is awkward.

Not to make too much of one game, but since Ryan, I believe, was in attendance at the Ithaca-Babson game, it was pretty clear that without Jaworski, Babson wouldn't have been able to hang with Ithaca as long as they did.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 18, 2020, 11:43:32 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 11:34:55 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 18, 2020, 11:06:41 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 10:54:40 AM
Quote from: D3 Junkie on March 17, 2020, 01:26:05 PM
I definitely understand why he couldn't make an All Region team due to injury, but Frank Oftring might have been the best big man in New England this year. In his 4 games against 4 other All-Region big men (Rogers, Post, Stephenson, Rapoza), he averaged 17 points and 8.3 boards on 65%(!) shooting. This includes 29 and 10 on 11-16 against first team big man Rogers from Tufts.

A few incredible performances that can't be overlooked regardless of how many games he played.

Yeah, what might have been.

Regarding the D3Hoops teams I'm pretty shocked that Jaworski got totally shut out.  He made the NABC 2nd team, which I thought was about right, but wasn't considered good enough for the D3Hoops 4th team?

Well, our voters would say the same about Coolahan -- good enough for our team but not the NABC team?

Yes, I saw that.  Taking nothing away from Coolahan, who was a major contributor to the team, Jaworski is the better all-around player.  I've watched them both their whole college careers.  I don't like to lessen one player by comparing him to another, so this is awkward.

Not to make too much of one game, but since Ryan, I believe, was in attendance at the Ithaca-Babson game, it was pretty clear that without Jaworski, Babson wouldn't have been able to hang with Ithaca as long as they did.

There were a number of games Coolahan kept them in, too.  It seemed like a team effort most of the year.  Hard to pick one star on that team, especially once Oftring went down.  I was impressed all around with how they responded to the loss.  That game was a truly impressive performance, even in the loss.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 01:44:39 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 18, 2020, 11:43:32 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 11:34:55 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 18, 2020, 11:06:41 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 10:54:40 AM
Quote from: D3 Junkie on March 17, 2020, 01:26:05 PM
I definitely understand why he couldn't make an All Region team due to injury, but Frank Oftring might have been the best big man in New England this year. In his 4 games against 4 other All-Region big men (Rogers, Post, Stephenson, Rapoza), he averaged 17 points and 8.3 boards on 65%(!) shooting. This includes 29 and 10 on 11-16 against first team big man Rogers from Tufts.

A few incredible performances that can't be overlooked regardless of how many games he played.

Yeah, what might have been.

Regarding the D3Hoops teams I'm pretty shocked that Jaworski got totally shut out.  He made the NABC 2nd team, which I thought was about right, but wasn't considered good enough for the D3Hoops 4th team?

Well, our voters would say the same about Coolahan -- good enough for our team but not the NABC team?

Yes, I saw that.  Taking nothing away from Coolahan, who was a major contributor to the team, Jaworski is the better all-around player.  I've watched them both their whole college careers.  I don't like to lessen one player by comparing him to another, so this is awkward.

Not to make too much of one game, but since Ryan, I believe, was in attendance at the Ithaca-Babson game, it was pretty clear that without Jaworski, Babson wouldn't have been able to hang with Ithaca as long as they did.

There were a number of games Coolahan kept them in, too.  It seemed like a team effort most of the year.  Hard to pick one star on that team, especially once Oftring went down.  I was impressed all around with how they responded to the loss.  That game was a truly impressive performance, even in the loss.

So true.  Be well.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: jmcozenlaw on March 19, 2020, 10:39:05 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 01:44:39 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 18, 2020, 11:43:32 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 11:34:55 AM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on March 18, 2020, 11:06:41 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 18, 2020, 10:54:40 AM
Quote from: D3 Junkie on March 17, 2020, 01:26:05 PM
I definitely understand why he couldn't make an All Region team due to injury, but Frank Oftring might have been the best big man in New England this year. In his 4 games against 4 other All-Region big men (Rogers, Post, Stephenson, Rapoza), he averaged 17 points and 8.3 boards on 65%(!) shooting. This includes 29 and 10 on 11-16 against first team big man Rogers from Tufts.

A few incredible performances that can't be overlooked regardless of how many games he played.

Yeah, what might have been.

Regarding the D3Hoops teams I'm pretty shocked that Jaworski got totally shut out.  He made the NABC 2nd team, which I thought was about right, but wasn't considered good enough for the D3Hoops 4th team?

Well, our voters would say the same about Coolahan -- good enough for our team but not the NABC team?

Yes, I saw that.  Taking nothing away from Coolahan, who was a major contributor to the team, Jaworski is the better all-around player.  I've watched them both their whole college careers.  I don't like to lessen one player by comparing him to another, so this is awkward.

Not to make too much of one game, but since Ryan, I believe, was in attendance at the Ithaca-Babson game, it was pretty clear that without Jaworski, Babson wouldn't have been able to hang with Ithaca as long as they did.

There were a number of games Coolahan kept them in, too.  It seemed like a team effort most of the year.  Hard to pick one star on that team, especially once Oftring went down.  I was impressed all around with how they responded to the loss.  That game was a truly impressive performance, even in the loss.

So true.  Be well.

I coached both Coolahan and Thompson (Ithaca) when they were just little kids in the Council Rock School District. It was great to see them play against each other at Swarthmore.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 20, 2020, 05:41:39 PM
Quote from: jmcozenlaw on March 19, 2020, 10:39:05 AM

I coached both Coolahan and Thompson (Ithaca) when they were just little kids in the Council Rock School District. It was great to see them play against each other at Swarthmore.

That's a cool story.  Small world.  I guess you set a good foundation for them.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: sac on March 29, 2020, 09:02:42 AM
Trevor Arico   G  Saline, Michigan will attend Emerson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPM75QhPN1Y&feature=youtu.be

Mother is the Univ. of Michigan head women's basketball coach.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 30, 2020, 09:04:58 AM
Checking in under quarantine - good stuff folks - hope all are well.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 30, 2020, 01:46:38 PM
Quote from: sac on March 29, 2020, 09:02:42 AM
Trevor Arico   G  Saline, Michigan will attend Emerson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPM75QhPN1Y&feature=youtu.be

Mother is the Univ. of Michigan head women's basketball coach.

Thanks for the update.  He looks like someone who can step in and help right away, providing points to the offense.  Seems like he can put the ball on the floor well enough to create space for himself.  Highlights often don't show much on the defensive end, so that skill set is very much a "?"
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on April 20, 2020, 01:18:49 PM
I would not sleep on Clark next year, and in particular going forward.  Based on early returns, new coach Tyler Simms looks like he will be in impressive recruiter.  In his first class, he landed highly touted wing Jordan Richard and big man Khai Smith, who was just named to Boston Herald's super team.  With the entire roster returning and those additions, Clark could be a feisty team next season, and the future is certainly brighter ...
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on May 04, 2020, 08:03:20 PM
Big-time big man recruit for WPI:

https://newenglandrecruitingreport.com/recruits/john-adams-2020

Along with another 6'8 forward, Ryan Biberon (#6 in R.I.), they should be stacked up front for years. 

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on June 15, 2020, 08:57:04 AM
Coach Bartley really re-loading - bringing in 6 freshman next year - the 2 big men referenced above and 4 guards - including one from Cali and one from Hawaii.  Will be a big bench and great JV squad (assuming there still is JV?) - but WPI graduates 8 next year - so the re-load "a year early" is most welcome!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on June 29, 2020, 03:52:29 PM
WPI89....Hope you are well!  With 8 seniors aboard and 6 fys to arrive, how many players will WPI have on the varsity?  Nescac has a soft limit of 15 players still...no JV team.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on July 02, 2020, 10:56:49 AM
Sounds like the NEWMAC is planning (subject to change) for a reduced fall/winter/spring schedule.

“ Our primary athletics conference, the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), launched a COVID-19 response team dedicated to developing plans for a return to training and intercollegiate competition while maintaining a baseline of protocols and understanding among institutions relative to student-athlete safety. Accordingly, at this time and subject to change based on health and safety data, our intent is to play condensed conference-only seasons (fall, winter, and spring) with the flexibility to add non-conference games in order to meet NCAA minimum requirements for championship access.”

Can someone tell me what the “NCAA minimum requirements for championship” are, and whether those requirements are possibly going to be relaxed in this environment?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on July 02, 2020, 01:14:30 PM
There relaxed several weeks ago by DIII. Basically half of the maximum in most sports. For basketball it is 12 for this season.

It is actually to make sure schools can keep their minimums for sport sponsorships more than anything.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on July 02, 2020, 02:55:11 PM
Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on July 02, 2020, 01:14:30 PM
There relaxed several weeks ago by DIII. Basically half of the maximum in most sports. For basketball it is 12 for this season.

It is actually to make sure schools can keep their minimums for sport sponsorships more than anything.

And the details:
https://www.d3football.com/notables/2020/06/preseason-start-date-set-for-aug-10
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on July 02, 2020, 04:33:03 PM
Thanks Dave & Pat
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on July 19, 2020, 01:06:42 PM
Not surprising, the NEWMAC has now cancelled fall sports and won't begin a winter schedule until Jan. 1, if at all.

https://newmacsports.com/general/2019-20/releases/20200717i4wrr2
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on July 22, 2020, 02:34:02 PM
Yuck
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on August 10, 2020, 05:04:33 PM
(https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/img/mw=710/cr=n/d=ev7hd/sv26ba99wwms5530.jpg)

The off season has hit August and with it has come news of Division III Fall Championships being canceled for the same reason Winter Championships were derailed and Spring Championships pulled earlier this year: COVID 19 Pandemic.

The decision came on the heals of a vast majority of DIII institutions curtailing fall sports and many pushing winter sports starts on their campuses until January at the earliest.

What does this mean for the 2020-21 season of college basketball? Specifically what does it mean for Division III? Will there be a basketball season? Will it be a six-week-or-so-sprint? Or is there a way to adjust things?

On the Mid-Summer edition of the Hoopsville Podcast, we try and get some answers to those questions. We talk to one coach who actually has put together a proposal to start the season in January, with some changes to make it work including crowning a champion in April. And we talk to an administrator who also serves on the DIII Management Council to better under stand the decisions made to cancel championships and if shift a season like basketball is even possible.

Plus, we honor the best of the best in the last decade of Division III women's basketball. Gordon Mann joins us to discuss how the 2nd D3hoops.com Women's All-Decade came together (and hints of work on the men's list).

Guests include:
- Philip Ponder, Oglethorpe men's coach
- Jason Fein, Bates Athletics Director and DIII Management Council member
- Gordon Mann, D3hoops.com Senior Editor

And of course, there is always the Hoopsville Notebook. A few things we take note of that have made headlines since the beginning of July. We also tip our hat to a few of those who have always helped the show be it's best.

You can listen to the podcast here: https://bit.ly/3kGZ962

Hoopsville (http://www.d3hoopsville.com) broadcasts from the WBCA/NABC Studio. All guests are featured on the BlueFrame Technology Hoopsville Hotline. The offseason plan is to do a podcast each month. The shows will be audio-only leading up to the start of the 2020-21 when we will restart the video shows.

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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Floppah on November 02, 2020, 03:04:30 PM
NEWMAC cancels winter sports. https://www.newmacsports.com/general/2020-21/releases/20201019gv93q8
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 02, 2020, 04:12:45 PM

With the new Massachusetts restrictions today, there's no way for anyone to even practice, really.  The other Mass conferences will have to follow, unless they're going to gamble these are going to be brief restrictions.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 02, 2020, 05:19:00 PM
Not surprising, but disappointing nevertheless. 

I feel especially bad for all the seniors.  It remains to be seen how many will return for another year of eligibility.
Each year within the NEWMAC was building to the point where WPI would have 7 seniors on the roster.  Now it won't happen.  They'll be hurt the most, although their underclassmen and strong recruiting class will likely keep them in the top 3 of the league anyway.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 10, 2020, 06:57:38 PM
Sad on so many levels. WPI loaded with seniors. I only hope some pursue advanced degrees in Worcester. May have been the strongest WPI team yet.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 12, 2020, 10:26:57 PM
Great to see a top New England '21 recruit commit to Babson.  They really needed size to match up with the bigs from WPI and Emerson.

Parker Mason 6'8" (#42 in New England).

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Floppah on January 19, 2021, 11:57:02 AM
Babson will be playing this winter.
https://www.babsonathletics.com/general/2020-21/releases/20210119evw9ov
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 19, 2021, 02:16:52 PM
Thanks for posting, Floppah.

As much as I miss basketball, I wonder if all NEWMAC teams are on board with this.  I have mixed feelings.  Guys that held onto another year of eligibility might be better off (maybe still will) returning in the fall, rather than playing an abbreviated schedule with no postseason tournament.

I guess the positive view would be that the roster will now have more clarity for us fans. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: ronk on January 19, 2021, 02:52:57 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on January 19, 2021, 02:16:52 PM
Thanks for posting, Floppah.

As much as I miss basketball, I wonder if all NEWMAC teams are on board with this.  I have mixed feelings.  Guys that held onto another year of eligibility might be better off (maybe still will) returning in the fall, rather than playing an abbreviated schedule with no postseason tournament.

I guess the positive view would be that the roster will now have more clarity for us fans.

I think it was stated that playing this season will NOT affect one's eligibility.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 19, 2021, 06:56:05 PM
Playing this season will not effect anyone's eligibility. There is a full waiver no matter how many games are played by any team in any sport.

FYI by my research only three NEWMAC schools plan to play games at least in the near future. However, at least one could delay it to March at any moment.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 20, 2021, 09:05:41 AM
Thanks Ron and Dave for the info.  I guess I've misread prior reports on eligibility.

Babson only has 4 games listed on their schedule so far, but then again, the site does not fully reflect coaching and roster changes.  Maybe they just haven't gotten around to the updates, or maybe they're hoping to fill in dates with other programs that may restart.

The only NEWMAC teams listed as TBA on the Babson schedule are Springfield and Coast Guard.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 29, 2021, 02:45:56 PM
Babson has updated its website for coaching and roster changes.  It had already been reported that Assistant Andrew Habermehl had left.  Thanks coach.
If the roster is accurate and everyone is healthy I'll predict a starting 5 of Jaworski-Bradanese-Gao-Ainge-Kirkpatrick.  The 4 FY all look good.  I'm particularly interested to see Jesse Jones who played in a strong program @ Montverde.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 29, 2021, 06:58:01 PM
I'm also looking forward to women's FY Nihanika Noel who I presume is related to Nerlens Noel (both going through Everett MA).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 29, 2021, 07:17:23 PM
(https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/img/mw=710/cr=n/d=npmg3/t0vp4323yzpeajt8.jpg)

The Division III basketball season technically started nearly three months ago, but it has taken until the end of January for it to start feeling like the season is really underway. Even so, only about a quarter of the division has played just a single game. Another quarter of the division will never take to the court. And in between is wide gulf of different options.

On the first video-version of Hoopsville this season, Dave McHugh is joined by much of the D3hoops.com crew, Pat Coleman and Ryan Scott, to react to what has been one of the more unique seasons ... to say it lightly.

We react to the challenges schools are facing, what coaches are grappling with on a daily basis - especially beyond games and practices, and why schools are making so many different decisions.

We also discuss what is likely the future of this season's NCAA Championship Tournaments and, more importantly, when the decision on those tournaments will be made.

Plus, will there be a Top 25? No. Well, yes. Kind of. Tune in to learn more on what's coming. Plus a lot more including Dave spinning off Pat's thoughts on those wishing to attend games.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch the show by clicking on the video player above. Or you can listen to the podcast available on any of the service options in the right panel.

If you have questions about Division III basketball, feel free to send them and we will answer them on a the show. Email them to hoopsville@d3sports.com or use any of the social media options to the right.

You can WATCH the show or listen to the podcast here: https://bit.ly/3oASGKl or https://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2020-21/january

Hoopsville broadcasts from the WBCA/NABC Studio. All guests are featured on the BlueFrame Technology Hoopsville Hotline.

If you have questions, ideas, or want to interact with the show, feel free to send them to hoopsville@d3sports.com or use any of the social media options available.

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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 30, 2021, 09:42:20 AM
Well, that didn't last long.  Less than 24 hours before the first scheduled game between Babson & Fisher the Saturday and Sunday games have been moved 2 weeks out.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 20, 2021, 08:22:30 PM
Babson 80   New England College 69

Finally some basketball.  Both teams play again tomorrow, this time on NEC's court.

Well, for whatever reason Crew Ainge was one-and-done on the basketball court at Babson.  Maybe it wasn't worth the shortened season, maybe he graduated early ...

Also, Andrew Kirkpatrick, a starter last year did not play, although he IS listed on the roster.  They could have used his ball-handling tonight because Babson had trouble with NEC's traps and quickness.

Welch had the best game of his Babson career (22) with back-to-back 3's in the 2nd half that moved a 11-point game to 17.
Bradanese also had a strong game at both ends and matched Welch with 22.

NEC has a lot of quickness and Allen (25) and Cheek (21) were a handful all night.  They cannot be taken for granted by anyone.  They returned a strong nucleus from a tournament team last year that was 13-0 at home, beat Tufts and WPI, and lost by 1 at Middlebury.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 21, 2021, 07:22:45 PM
Babson 80  New England College 73

This win impressed me even more than yesterday's game.

Andrew Kirkpatrick was back and was masterful in handling ball pressure and getting the team into the offense with excellent spacing.  Even without Ainge, the point guard duties are in good hands.  He finished with 7 points, but bigger than that was 9 assists against 4 turnovers, while dogged all over the court.

Andrew Jaworski had a solid 24/8 game that only lacked his 3-point stroke.  But hey, it's only game 2.

Bradanese had the steady game I've come to expect at both ends, finishing with 9/5.

FY Gorgol shows he belongs, played very meaningful minutes (29 total) and ended with 12/5.  He's listed at 6'4", but he plays bigger than that.

The entire 8-man rotation played well, in a multitude of combinations.  That's a credit to the coaching.

Beau Smith had a solid game, with a 2nd half dunk on one end, followed by a block at the other.  Nice to see he and Welch both playing well as juniors.

If the schedule holds, NEC will have been a good prequel to St. Joseph CT, which is scheduled in a couple of weeks.

Jamal Allen (25 points) for New England College is one exciting player.  Limitless range (5/9 on 3's), near impossible to keep out of the paint, and finishes on shots with extremely high degree of difficulty.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 27, 2021, 06:42:24 PM
Babson 80  Lasell 72

(3 straight games scoring exactly 80)

A rocky start for the home team, down 20-13, but Welch made 3 treys in a 13-0 run and Babson never fell behind the rest of the way, although the lead was only 3 at halftime. 

Welch has always been a good deep shooter and has always been squared to the basket, so everything looked like it was dead on.  I think the difference this year, unlike past years, is he's no longer drifting left or right while taking the shot.  He's now 11/17 on 3 pointers for the abbreviated season, finishing 5/8 today.

In all 7 different Babson players hit 3's.

It was also nice to see a healthy Max Gussen play 14 meaningful minutes (career high) after 2 injury-plagued seasons.  His size was needed because Beau Smith did not see action.

Jaworski was a solid 25-6-7 with only 1 turnover.  In a normal season he would have been a strong NEWMAC POY candidate, and probably other postseason accolades.

First glimpse at FY Jack Staiti.  The future looks bright.

For Lasell, Nunez and Day had strong games.  Day is super-quick and did not play in last year's game.  He is a handful for anyone ... he had 2 38-point games against Albertus Magnus last year.

Same teams, same time, same venue tomorrow.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 28, 2021, 06:27:36 PM

Babson 97  Lasell 55

This one got lopsided very early.  It was 30-12 ten minutes in, and the lead kept expanding from there.

Babson's 1-8 rotation is as consistent as it has been for some time with no noticeable drop off on either the offensive or defensive end.  A large part of that is due to the continued development of the junior class.  Welch has gotten off to a terrific start;  Gussen has put together back-to-back solid games (19/8 tonight);  Teddy Sourlis saw action and contributed;  and of course Bradanese continues to improve year to year.  It's a testament to Gussen and Sourlis for putting in the work after both largely missed the first 2 years with injuries.

This was the second game in a row with Beau Smith missing.  Other than that just 2 FY players did not see action.  Given the score I assume their absence is injury/health related.

Up next is a home/away weekend with St. Joseph's if the schedule holds to form.  This will be the toughest test thus far.  In particular the defensive board must be protected.  It will take all hands to hit the glass against that unit and if Smith isn't part of the rotation the task becomes harder.

On a side note that Yeshiva-St. Joseph's game was something special.  Lots and lots of talent on both sides.  Yeshiva is really fun to watch.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 02, 2021, 01:05:49 PM
Can't believe you messed up your 80 point streak, Babo!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 03, 2021, 08:59:06 PM

Babson 83  Mitchell 58

Not a strong test here.  Babson closed out the first half by extending a 25-24 advantage to a 37-24 margin with a 4 3-pointer sequence from Welch-Welch-Gao-Pattyson, the last just before the buzzer.

Once again Welch provided the spark off the bench, finishing with 21 (team high), including 5/10 from the arc.  Kirkpatrick was also hot deep, draining 3 of 5 and finishing with 13 overall.  Lots of good spot up 3-point shooters on this squad.

Bradanese was about the only inside force offensively and had a double-double (17/11).  Jaworski had a quiet night offensively, but did the important things when the shot isn't falling.

Nice to see Beau Smith back in action and a first look at FY Jones. 

Looking ahead to St. Joseph's, Bradanese is going to need inside help holding the Bluejays size off the glass.  Having the full complement of Bradanese-Gussen-Smith could be key.

And it appears another game with Mitchell has been added at Home.

[Good to see WPI89 check in]
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 06, 2021, 03:07:37 PM

St. Joseph 73  Babson 67

A tale of two halves.  Babson had a strong first half on both ends, good rotation on offense and good help defense (eventually) in the paint to open a 14 point halftime lead.  The 3-point game was working (9/17), they were shooting over 53% from the field and had only 4 turnovers.

But then ...  Bradanese picked up his 3rd foul early in the 2nd half with Babson up 10, and the Blue Jays just kept working the inside, picking up fouls, getting to the bonus early, and by the time Bradanese got back it was a 5-point Babson lead.

The offensive flow suffered, and SJ dug in more by extending their defense and maybe wearing Babson down with a deeper rotation.  Babson shot just 26% in the 2nd half.

It was still 64-64 with just over 2 minutes left when Sullivan found O'Neill out of a trap and converted a dagger 3.

Bradanese had a strong game for Babson (Powell was not much of a factor), but Smith struggled on both ends and Gussen never saw the court in the 8-man rotation.  Unavailable?

Credit to SJ for sticking with their game, so much of which comes within the restricted area.  Powell arguably had the quietest game of the Blue Jays starters. 

Same teams tomorrow @ SJ.



Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 07, 2021, 03:49:33 PM
St. Joseph 92  Babson 82  (3OT)

This one almost had a storybook ending, but the Blue Jays prevailed in triple overtime.

For about 38 minutes of game action it looked like it would be a case of too much Blue Jay quickness and too much size for Babson to win.  Much like the 2nd half of the first game Babson was denied open looks from the arc (5/33) and every other shot was contested.  And they had their hands full on both boards, where the Blue Jays had a decided advantage.

But with 2:30 left in regulation, down 60-50, and without the ball Babson closed on a 12-2 run to tie it, and had a contested shot by Jaworski at the buzzer that didn't drop.

They had the ball again in a tie game at the end of OT1, but turned it over.

St. Joseph won this game (again) inside and at the line.  Just a real tough matchup for this Babson roster.  There aren't many teams with the quickness all over the floor to stay with the ball rotation on the perimeter and still recover to smother the paint.

Powell more than made up for yesterday with 30 and 12.  O'Neill is overshadowed on this team, but he put up 17 in both games and had 16 boards for the weekend.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 10, 2021, 08:23:19 PM
Babson 90  Mitchell 66

Good to see liberal use of the bench, early and often.  Just 3 players didn't see the court, presumably due to health/injury.

Just 2 games left on the schedule now with Eastern Nazarene Sat & Sun.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 13, 2021, 02:32:41 PM
Babson 72  Eastern Nazarene  64

More than anything, I came away impressed by EN, particularly since they were playing their first game of the season.  They gave the home team all they could handle, opening a 14-point 1st half lead.  It was still a one possession game with under 2 minutes left, so the final score in no way reflects the competitiveness.

Good to see Babson trying to take it inside more in the 2nd half and down the stretch.  Jaworski and Bradanese had clutch baskets to close this one out.

Just one more game - tomorrow @ EN.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 13, 2021, 04:26:05 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 13, 2021, 02:32:41 PM
Babson 72  Eastern Nazarene  64

More than anything, I came away impressed by EN, particularly since they were playing their first game of the season.  They gave the home team all they could handle, opening a 14-point 1st half lead.  It was still a one possession game with under 2 minutes left, so the final score in no way reflects the competitiveness.

Good to see Babson trying to take it inside more in the 2nd half and down the stretch.  Jaworski and Bradanese had clutch baskets to close this one out.

Just one more game - tomorrow @ EN.

I didn't get to see the game, but I was surprised by the score.  Not only is ENC playing their first game, they graduated a lot last year - this is a lot of guys in new roles on top of just starting to play.  Tomorrow should be interesting - alas, I'll miss that one as well; I'm headed down to VA to watch RMC-Trine.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 14, 2021, 04:45:35 PM
Babson  70   Eastern Nazarene  59

Good team effort before they got sloppy in the last 10 minutes.  So,  that ends this crazy season.  Kudos to the entire athletic department for making this possible.

Most Improved:  This one's easy.  Welch became an integral force in the offense.  He was 2nd on the team in scoring, despite coming off the bench.  He went from a 4ppg scorer up to 14.5;  a 52 pct. shooter overall, and a terrific 47pct. from the arc.  And his shot selection and decision making have improved.

Most Valuable:  I have to go with Bradanese.  He was 1st in rebounding and 3rd in scoring.  Maybe "most indispensable" is the more accurate tag for Bradanese, because of his production, which has increased year by year, and the inconsistency of backup big men.

Graduating Seniors:

Matt Pattyson:  Not the most gifted physically, but solid on both ends.  Whenever the team was getting away from what was needed you could always rely on him to steady the ship and be a coach on the floor. 

Andrew Jaworski:  In a normal year he'd have been a NEWMAC POY candidate.  He was one of my favorite players the last 4 years.  His game always seemed to rise to the occasion.  Fundamentally sound in every area.  And he was tireless without any loss of production.  He finished (I believe) 18th in career scoring, despite the shortened season.  This season it appeared he was playing through something because his FG and 3-pt FG percentages took a noticeable dip, and he no longer got to the foul line.  Whatever the case, he provided endless enjoyment for us fans.  Vintage Jaworski was on display in last year's thrilling win over Amherst when he did his classic up-fake at the arc, drove and finished a difficult layup off the glass to effectively close the game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: sac on March 16, 2021, 08:59:27 AM
Apologies if previously posted
Bryce Vanderweire  6-7 F  Schoolcraft, Michigan will attend Coast Guard.

I believe his dad played ball at Kalamazoo College in the early 90's.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 06, 2021, 11:27:22 PM

Expect an application for membership soon:

https://www.hartford.edu/about/athletics-transition.aspx
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on May 07, 2021, 10:51:22 AM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 06, 2021, 11:27:22 PM

Expect an application for membership soon:

https://www.hartford.edu/about/athletics-transition.aspx

Ryan,

Do you have a source suggesting that the NEWMAC will be extending an invitation, or is this more an educated prediction?  Only the NEWMAC?  What about the GNAC maybe?
Generally, the sports mix (assuming Hartford doesn't drop any) looks like a fit.  As a NEWMAC fan, I'd be against this.  I'd expect a pretty substantial drop-off in their talent pool in a highly competitive NE region once scholarships disappear.
But mostly I'd fear that as the NEWMAC might grow in numbers the home & away games that we now enjoy in basketball would disappear and become unbalanced like it is on the (larger) women's side.  And if I'm correct that they fail to attract competitive recruits the NEWMAC SOS will suffer.  I think the current mix of out of conference games is perfect, both in the number of games and the quality of opponents.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 07, 2021, 11:33:10 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on May 07, 2021, 10:51:22 AM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 06, 2021, 11:27:22 PM

Expect an application for membership soon:

https://www.hartford.edu/about/athletics-transition.aspx

Ryan,

Do you have a source suggesting that the NEWMAC will be extending an invitation, or is this more an educated prediction?  Only the NEWMAC?  What about the GNAC maybe?
Generally, the sports mix (assuming Hartford doesn't drop any) looks like a fit.  As a NEWMAC fan, I'd be against this.  I'd expect a pretty substantial drop-off in their talent pool in a highly competitive NE region once scholarships disappear.
But mostly I'd fear that as the NEWMAC might grow in numbers the home & away games that we now enjoy in basketball would disappear and become unbalanced like it is on the (larger) women's side.  And if I'm correct that they fail to attract competitive recruits the NEWMAC SOS will suffer.  I think the current mix of out of conference games is perfect, both in the number of games and the quality of opponents.

There's no information, really.  I just assume the NEWMAC will be their first call.  I think they'd love to be associated with the schools in the conference, although I don't think there's much incentive for the NEWMAC to expand.  The GNAC is probably the more natural fit, although who knows what kind of shuffling will take place in New England by 2023 or 2024 when they're actually going to need membership somewhere.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on May 07, 2021, 12:05:07 PM
If memory serves, in Hartford's internal report, it was suggesting the CCC as the most logical destination.  I think NEWMAC was the other top choice.  Possibly they were even - those were definitely the top two. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 07, 2021, 12:51:19 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on May 07, 2021, 12:05:07 PM
If memory serves, in Hartford's internal report, it was suggesting the CCC as the most logical destination.  I think NEWMAC was the other top choice.  Possibly they were even - those were definitely the top two.

The CCC is sitting pretty at 10 members right now.  Not sure they're all that interested in expansion either.  But, again, things in NE will definitely be changing in the next few years.  There's time, for sure.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on May 07, 2021, 12:59:25 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on May 07, 2021, 12:05:07 PM
If memory serves, in Hartford's internal report, it was suggesting the CCC as the most logical destination.  I think NEWMAC was the other top choice.  Possibly they were even - those were definitely the top two.

Thanks for that.  If this is the report you referenced

https://www.hartford.edu/about/campus-leadership/office-president/_files/Hartford-Feasibility-Study_CarrSports.pdf

it looks like the CCC, LEC, and NEWMAC were all deemed 'viable' D3 options, if D3 was the desired route.  Interestingly the adverb 'very' was inserted before 'viable' for just the CCC and NEWMAC.  Not sure why the GNAC wouldn't have been an option worth considering.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on May 07, 2021, 02:26:02 PM
Ahh, yet, that's the report.  LEC makes less sense to me (and it does appear to be third based on that nomenclature) because it's almost entirely a state school league and Hartford is private (although the proximity to Eastern and Western Conn would no doubt be appealing). 

I imagine that Hartford would LOVE to join the NEWMAC, both because of the athletic and academic branding of that conference.  Springfield is in NEWMAC and (many years ago) made the move to D3 after spending years as a scholarship-level athletic program, so there is some precedent there. 

And I agree with Ryan that, five years from now, the D3 New England landscape will look very different.  The sad reality is that a bunch of small D3 New England schools are struggling to survive, and the pandemic certainly didn't help matters, and at least several more than the handful who already have will be shuttering their campuses this decade.  NEWMAC, NESCAC, and LEC are probably the only D3 New England leagues that are likely to look much the same as they do now in five years. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on May 07, 2021, 08:46:38 PM
The NEWMAC, at least in basketball I think, also has a really unique set up where there are 7 men's teams and 11 women's teams, which sets up really nicely for a double round robin and a single round robin respectively. Bumping that to 8 and 12 would get tricky, not to mention the travel between member institutions is really great and would probably have to be compromised in favor of some sort of NESCAC style travel partner system (have fun on Hartford/Coast Guard weekend!). I know none of those things would ultimately be make or break decision wise, I just know as a fan it has always been enjoyable to be able to count on consistent marquee matchups on both Wednesdays and Saturdays, especially in years where there are legit contenders at the top.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 07, 2021, 11:17:50 PM

8 men's teams these days.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on May 08, 2021, 09:46:10 AM
Not sure what math I was doing but it would still be a lot easier to play 14 conference games than it would to play 16.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 08, 2021, 10:58:39 AM

If it were still seven, Hartford might have a chance, but there's no real incentive now.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: amh63 on May 08, 2021, 11:21:32 AM
Interesting topic line....been sitting on the sidelines and am a little puzzled.  Does financial health factored in on this topic...state sponsored schools aside?  Hartford...a private school...is in the same grouping as Springfield...the home of basketball!...and AIC ( the school of a former coach great coach at UConn) when one looks into financial health.
There maybe a number of small private colleges going out of business, IMO, in the not too far future unless they quickly improve their financial health.   
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on May 08, 2021, 12:49:49 PM
Ryan is correct of course.  The only thing certain is change.  Attrition will take place.  Some schools will close, and frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see a reduction in the number of team sports at the remaining institutions.

One more thing about the NEWMAC.  As I mentioned earlier, the men play each other home and away within conference.  That's doable in an 8-team league with a 14 game conference schedule.  The women (at 11) do not play home and away.  That's not practical.  But they do play a 16 game conference schedule, so 6 teams are played home and away.  And if you were to add another school (Hartford or anyone) it reduces the chance of that home/away for historical rivals a little bit more.  That could be important for the exclusively women's colleges, Smith, Wellesley, and Mount Holyoke.  So, the women's side might have a lot to say on a new entrant.

On a side note, MH is on something like a 75+ game conference losing streak, many losses occurring by huge differentials.  No one likes to see that.  I look at the athletic department at MH (which is a great academic college) and wonder if the commitment to the athletic programs is still strong.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 08, 2021, 01:02:01 PM

Sixteen is probably the most common length of conference schedule across d3. The MASCAC is at 12, the shortest, and a couple conferences do 20. You're right, the women's teams complicate the NEWMAC. Hartford does want to be with scouts they see as peers. Not sure they'll get their wish, though.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on May 11, 2021, 12:10:11 PM
Interesting topic - did not know about Hartford's situation.

On a side note - WPI will kick off the entire 2021-22 D3 hoops season with a Midnight game in Harrington against Worcester State - on November 5th!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Floppah on July 08, 2021, 07:57:28 AM
21-22 Babson schedule out today. https://www.babsonathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2021-22/schedule
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on September 30, 2021, 08:46:05 AM
Hamilton's Vincent Conn, a speedy guard who has had bad injury luck in his career, is playing as a grad student at Emerson.  He's a good addition.   I saw that Sam Grad, who was Bowdoin's second best player (12.5 and 7.5 plus 2 bpg), is a grad student at Emerson as well.  If he's playing hoops (he has one year of eligibility left but I'm not sure if he's doing so) Emerson could be loaded this season, with everything else they bring back. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on September 30, 2021, 11:13:59 AM
Speaking of players new to NEWMAC, keep an eye out for Bobby Crouch, a tough incoming PG out of Florida who could be very good at Babson.  He is attending with his older brother Davey who also looks like a solid player.  They seem to really fit the Babson mold.  Along with highly touted big man Parker Mason, Babson should have a really strong incoming class to work with. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on September 30, 2021, 08:50:30 PM
Quote from: Floppah on July 08, 2021, 07:57:28 AM
21-22 Babson schedule out today. https://www.babsonathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2021-22/schedule

It's a pretty brutal out of conference schedule with 4/5 possible top 25 opponents.  Their 8-game winning streak vs. NESCAC teams will be severely tested with 5 games (assuming a match-up with Tufts in the Big 4 tournament).  SOS should not be an issue.

If they can win 3 out of these 5 I'd sign up now:  St. Joe's (H); Colby (A); Brandeis (A); Tufts (N); Amherst (A).  And Bates (H) won't be easy.

Glass half full - they should be toughened up by January.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on October 14, 2021, 10:14:18 AM
MIT's roster (see below) for this season shows that Ian Hinkley and Hamilton Forsythe are back for fifth years.  MIT should be much better than its down year in 2019-20.  Everyone who contributed significantly other than Kael Kordonowy is back, and Forsythe took that season off, so he is a massive addition to the core roster.  WPI (which will have three grad students in the starting lineup) looks like the class of NEWMAC this year, but MIT and maybe Babson look like contenders if WPI slips, and don't sleep on Emerson, which could be a surprise team with at least one and possibly two grad transfers from NESCAC added to a good core of returning talent. 

https://mitathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2021-22
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 14, 2021, 11:56:04 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on October 14, 2021, 10:14:18 AM
MIT's roster (see below) for this season shows that Ian Hinkley and Hamilton Forsythe are back for fifth years.  MIT should be much better than its down year in 2019-20.  Everyone who contributed significantly other than Kael Kordonowy is back, and Forsythe took that season off, so he is a massive addition to the core roster.  WPI (which will have three grad students in the starting lineup) looks like the class of NEWMAC this year, but MIT and maybe Babson look like contenders if WPI slips, and don't sleep on Emerson, which could be a surprise team with at least one and possibly two grad transfers from NESCAC added to a good core of returning talent. 

https://mitathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2021-22

Maybe you posted the wrong link, but I don't see Forsythe listed.  Nor did he play in 19-20 (and of course 20-21).  No doubt if he plays and he's improved even a little it's a whole different story in the NEWMAC.  He is a former ROY and was a stud and matchup nightmare. 

As for the NEWMAC as a whole, with the obvious caveat that so much is unknown, I think WPI has a slight edge, but not as much as consensus opinion seems to suggest.  They lost a lot of experience (seniors) in the Covid year and I'm not sure they have dependable go-to guys on offense.  They'll always be good defensively and they have a + coaching staff.
I see MIT, Emerson, and Babson interchangeable in 2-4.  Each team (on paper, and going off the last time they played) has its weakness:  MIT (shooters);  Emerson (experience);  Babson (rebounding).  That's an oversimplification, but if any of these 3 can address these areas they become contenders for the top spot.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on October 14, 2021, 12:17:48 PM
Maybe I'm going crazy but I could have SWORN he was on there when last I looked.   Either I just had a total brain freeze, or he was once listed and has since been removed.  Without him I'm a lot cooler on MIT, certainly ...

Your overall take sounds good and certainly you know more about NEWMAC than I do! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on October 18, 2021, 10:58:50 AM
Should be fun - WPI went from what would have been their most experienced and deep team perhaps ever last year - to extremely young.  They will have 12 FR/SO - almost certainly several in the starting lineup.  I have seen conflicting rosters - one indicating a few of the last year's seniors (Downing, Walker, McNamara) coming back for graduate school - not sure if that is true?  Watched tape on some of the freshman - they added some size for sure - remains to be seen how the scoring will translate from HS/Prep school.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: PoppersMacsLive on October 18, 2021, 01:54:29 PM
From what I've been told, Downing and McNamara are back, and Walker is not.

Quote from: WPI89 on October 18, 2021, 10:58:50 AM
Should be fun - WPI went from what would have been their most experienced and deep team perhaps ever last year - to extremely young.  They will have 12 FR/SO - almost certainly several in the starting lineup.  I have seen conflicting rosters - one indicating a few of the last year's seniors (Downing, Walker, McNamara) coming back for graduate school - not sure if that is true?  Watched tape on some of the freshman - they added some size for sure - remains to be seen how the scoring will translate from HS/Prep school.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on October 18, 2021, 02:09:40 PM
The (not-yet-published-but-accessible) roster seems to have all three of them as grad students.  If they have those three plus Lowther starting (so four guys who started at least 9 games, all of whom averaged between 9 and 12 ppg), plus some combo of Adams, O'Donnell and Biberon manning the middle, that seems like a very potent lineup on paper .... depth on the perimeter is a big question mark, so they will need 2-3 of the big group of frosh and sophomores to be solid players off the bench. 

https://athletics.wpi.edu/sports/mbkb/2021-22/roster
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 18, 2021, 03:24:25 PM
Lowther is a strong candidate for NEWMAC POY (with the caveat that he's been under wraps for 2 years). 

On the inside the question for this year is whether either frosh can give them the production that Stephenson had in his last year.  Don't overlook the matchup problems he presented within the NEWMAC, where bigs over 6'7" who work in the low post are rarer than say the NESCAC.  It remains to be seen whether the new bigs are more comfortable on the wings or the paint.

On the outside the question is whether they have knock down wing shooters.

With WPI you know every year the coaching will be strong, the defense will be strong, and the depth will be there.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 02, 2021, 10:16:53 AM
Babson has 21 players listed on their roster.  I do believe that's an all-time high.  Still playing with one basketball at a time, right?  I don't envy the coaching challenges keeping everyone happy with minutes and assimilating 9 new young men.  All of last year's underclassmen are back.

Of the 9 new guys only 5 are true freshmen.  There are 2 D2 transfers (a grad from St. Anselm's (Cline) who may provide bench depth at C/F, and an intriguing F from Pace (Dorney) coming in as a sophomore.  They also have a grad transfer from Claremont (Kirsch) who had started there since his sophomore year.

It's not unusual to have transfers filling out the roster at Babson.  The Flannery years undoubtedly brought in the best group ever;  who wouldn't have wanted to play alongside him?  On the other hand, the 17-18 squad brought in 3 D1 xfers (2 are still playing pro ball in Europe), yet it showed how difficult it can be to get new guys to mesh with each other and play within the system in a short period of time.

I think, overall the team's ceiling is limited only by the caliber of help/depth for Bradanese on the inside.

(And the women's team has 10 FY.  Crazy times).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 02, 2021, 10:24:24 AM

I imagine it's hard to plan future rosters when you have three more classes of players who may or may not use that fifth year. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 05, 2021, 10:19:35 PM
Around the NEWMAC on opening weekend:

A couple of city bragging right games and maybe one for southeastern MA bragging rights.

WPI delivered easily vs. Worcester State.  They started a FY at PG (Callahan - 9 assists) and looked solid for the half I watched.  But Adams was the guy I really wanted to check out and he looked really smooth on both ends.  He's a potential double-double machine night in and night out (like tonight).  And of course Lowther (23) is as strong and fundamentally sound as ever.
I don't know if Adams qualifies for ROY with the Covid off-year, and it's early, but he's got to be in the running.
So, a potential NEWMAC ROY and POY, and maybe a PG to run the offense.  Not fair.

Springfield did nothing to dispel my feeling that this year would be a drop to the 2nd division.  They'll surely lose their ORV points when the next poll comes out.  WNEC is/was the better team tonight and may be a legitimate challenger for the CCC crown. 

Wheaton got blown out late by a better, more athletic UMass-D team.  Until proven otherwise I consider Wheaton in the 2nd division as well.  In the replay I watched FY Bubar looked like he has potential.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 06, 2021, 08:32:52 PM
Babson 69   UMass-Boston  63

Whew!  There better not be 24 more nail-biters like this one.  The Beacons gave the home team all they could handle for 39 minutes before James Welch hit a 3-pointer to extend a tenuous lead to 6 with 1:15 left.  If UM-B is truly just the 5th best team in the Little East (preseason poll) we may need to rethink the power conferences of New England.

Babson started Bradanese and Gorgol, and FY Crouch, FY Amado, and Kirsch (grad xfer).  In normal years if you were told Babson played 11, and had you not seen the game roster you'd assume a blowout or foul problems.  But Babson has a 21-man roster in this odd year.

Babson does not win this game without a huge effort from Bradanese who finished with 13 & 14 and kept the team in this game when they were struggling.  The best of the new blood was Amado, who was known as a prolific scorer in MA HS, but had a solid all-around game, finishing with 15 (team high) & 6 rebounds.

At times Brennan went with a 2-bigs lineup of Bradanese-Cline and Bradanese-Smith.  I'll have to warm up to that combo.  Both Cline and Smith struggled in the 1st half, but both settled in nicely in the 2nd with Smith scoring 6 straight points on 2 baseline reverse layups and one across the lane.

Both Mitchell brothers were matchup problems.  Babson has historically had issues handling quick guards off the dribble, and that was certainly the case tonight.

Surprised that we didn't see blue chip FY Parker Mason.  I don't know what that means.  The other surprising absence from the floor was Andrew Kirkpatrick, who started much of the last 2 years.

Going forward it will be interesting to see who develops into the dependable wing shooters in this offense. 

Need to do damage in these first 4 games and win a minimum of 3 if they want to be a tournament team.

Side note:  It was a tough weekend for the NEWMAC
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on November 07, 2021, 02:19:10 PM
I saw that MIT got smoked by RIC. Hinkley with a good game, but overshadowed by Darby?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 07, 2021, 03:01:26 PM
Quote from: Greek Tragedy on November 07, 2021, 02:19:10 PM
I saw that MIT got smoked by RIC. Hinkley with a good game, but overshadowed by Darby?

I watched most of the first half.  It didn't look like either team was playing all that well.  RIC's played together a lot more than MIT and Darby is a very strong offensive player.  I think MIT has a lot of learning and growing to do.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 07, 2021, 04:00:52 PM
I think MIT dressed maybe 9 guys.  The Babson-UMB looked like maybe 37 (both teams).

MIT is thin after Hinkley, Pilsbury, and the Greek Geek.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 07, 2021, 06:22:10 PM
Babson 91  Suffolk 66

Babson wins their Invitational, which they've won most every year once they got smart and disinvited Endicott and Keith Brown.  Just kidding.  Sort of.

This one was more the up-tempo style more suited to Babson's offense.  (UMass-Boston was often going deep into the shot clock on most possessions).  Suffolk had their way with Coast Guard yesterday, and treated Staake Gym as its second home court.

I can't stop raving about Bradanese, who put on a clinic in this one.  He gives up inches and pounds to most big men he faces, but he gave Rowe (6'8") the complete repertoire of up-fake and drive, baseline jumper, and taking him away from the rim.  And he kept Rowe off the offensive glass.  Bradanese finished with 25/8 in just 21 minutes and may have had the play of the game on a block of Rowe at the rim.

And I know it's early, and I haven't seen all the FYs, but Nate Amado 14/10, starting and looking very comfortable at this level is sure to get consideration for NEWMAC ROY.  He had a highlight dunk thrown in.

Babson did a great job picking the Rams up at the arc, helped out on defense, and took care of business on the glass.  After falling behind 12-2 the defense really locked in and took control.  They harassed Hale, a 20+/game scorer into 4/17 shooting.

I love the veteran steadiness they're getting from Kirsch.  Gorgol continues to expand his offensive game.  Welch fits in perfectly as firepower off the bench.  Depth, depth, depth, without a drop off in commitment to the system nor intensity.  Kudos to the coaching staff.  This can't be easy.

And we still haven't seen the heralded FY Parker Mason!

17 young men played 3 or more minutes for Babson.  I won't consider calling this 'emptying the bench' until they play at least 20.

It's early, but I'm really excited about this team's potential.

Finally, it always warms my heart to see a guy like Max Gussen, now a senior, who has battled adversity and challenges for playing time.  He returned to campus with a 21-man roster, yet played the final 5 of this one with everything he's got.  How can you not root for guys like that?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on November 10, 2021, 09:24:35 AM
No Hinkley for MIT last night??
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 10, 2021, 08:52:29 PM
Quote from: Greek Tragedy on November 10, 2021, 09:24:35 AM
No Hinkley for MIT last night??

I saw that.  After playing all 40 minutes in the prior game.  I have no insight on the reason for his absence.  They certainly need him.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 10, 2021, 09:28:41 PM
Babson 70  Lasell  67

This Lasell team is essentially the same team they beat twice last year at home;  the first one was close, and the second was a rout.

Lasell is a veteran team (2 seniors and 2 grads starting) and the offense runs through guards Day & Nunez. Day is super quick off the dribble and has very active hands on the defensive end. 

After having only 14 TOs through their first 2 games (total) Babson had 14 in this game.  Some were caused by the quick hands of Lasell every time the ball was put on the floor, others were just a lack of focus, including a cross court pass in the last minute that sliced the Babson lead to 1.

63-63 with 3:30 to go and Bradanese got the lead back with a FT, steal, and coast-to-coast layup.  They held Lasell to just one FG the rest of the way.

Nunez had a monster game (28/8).  He and Day continued the unsettling trend of quick guards getting by their man deep into the lane and finishing or dishing.  Babson is going to need to work harder on help to shut off these drives.  They'll be seeing more of this a week from now when St. Joe's and Martin come to Staake.

Bradanese finished with 14/11 for Babson.  Coach Brennan went mostly with his veterans down the stretch.

So, with a couple of wake-up calls, Babson has held serve at home (3-0).  Their next game with Salve Regina is their first road test.  Then the next 4 get tougher, and the next four tougher still.

Still waiting to see the leading FY recruit Parker Mason and junior Kirkpatrick.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on November 11, 2021, 01:17:49 PM
Anyone know why MIT's game time got moved up 3 hours? Is there a big storm coming in?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 11, 2021, 02:09:29 PM
Quote from: Greek Tragedy on November 11, 2021, 01:17:49 PM
Anyone know why MIT's game time got moved up 3 hours? Is there a big storm coming in?

I believe this game was originally going to be played at MIT and was moved to UM-Dartmouth.  Beyond that, and the reason for the venue change ... ???
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on November 11, 2021, 02:14:50 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on November 11, 2021, 02:09:29 PM
Quote from: Greek Tragedy on November 11, 2021, 01:17:49 PM
Anyone know why MIT's game time got moved up 3 hours? Is there a big storm coming in?

I believe this game was originally going to be played at MIT and was moved to UM-Dartmouth.  Beyond that, and the reason for the venue change ... ???

Rockwell Cage is hosting rounds of the NCAA DIII Women's Volleyball Championship starting tomorrow-- hence, the venue change.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 11, 2021, 06:27:50 PM
MIT took it to UMass-Dartmouth for 30 minutes, building a 17 point lead, but UM-D roared back in the next 5 minutes to even the game and eventually win it in OT.

MIT's Chatziveroglou had a monster game (33/16/6) and did a great job running the offense out of the high post (kinda like Tim Roberts of a few years ago).  It looked like the tight MIT rotation, and another game without Ian Hinkley might have led to fatigue down the stretch.

Nevertheless, for 2 years away from competitive games, there are signs that this team can be a factor in the NEWMAC down the road.  But they need Hinkley back.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 13, 2021, 03:47:09 PM
Salve Regina 78 Babson 70


Bad loss.  Bad loss.

No reflection on Salve Regina, who were the better squad on this day.  Babson did almost nothing right and still had chances at the end.

Despite the 3-1 start to the season this was the 4th straight slow start.  Too much of Babson's offense was at the perimeter and too many Seahawk players were posting up down low.  When they weren't converting, they were getting to the FT line.

For the game, Salve Regina was +14 in FT makes, and that's not a complaint.  Sometimes it's as simple as one team scoring inside, and the other not able to do so.  Babson could not stop the low post game for long sequences.  Collins, Spencer, and Kelly mostly had their way inside.

For Babson, other than FY Amado, too many players had very quiet games, including Bradanese, who had his least productive game in 2+ years.  Some of it was due to early foul trouble, but there are no excuses.

Outrebounded by 10.  Even in past years with smaller lineups Babson has been able to protect the paint and the glass better.

And wing players are going to need to consistently knock down 3's to open things up inside.

Another wake up call.  The schedule now gets much more difficult.  Lots of things to improve upon when St. Joe's comes to Staake Gym.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 13, 2021, 05:43:12 PM
Very nice early win for WPI. Only saw last 10 mins. But the ability to lock down what I assume will be a very competitive Colby is quite encouraging. I saw last 15 mins and ot for Colby last night vs NEC and they looked like a team that will win 15+ games this season, even in the NESCAC. today they looked out of sorts on offense. If WPI can knock down shots like first 2 games and lock down like tonight, they will be tough to beat. Had no idea what to expect this year. Congrats to the coaches and players on a very nice early tourney championship! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 13, 2021, 07:27:36 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 13, 2021, 05:43:12 PM
Very nice early win for WPI. Only saw last 10 mins. But the ability to lock down what I assume will be a very competitive Colby is quite encouraging. I saw last 15 mins and ot for Colby last night vs NEC and they looked like a team that will win 15+ games this season, even in the NESCAC. today they looked out of sorts on offense. If WPI can knock down shots like first 2 games and lock down like tonight, they will be tough to beat. Had no idea what to expect this year. Congrats to the coaches and players on a very nice early tourney championship!

Congrats!  Adams is a stud.  Great win for WPI & the NEWMAC
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 15, 2021, 09:49:18 AM
Exciting game added to WPI's schedule as they travel up to Burlington to play the University of Vermont tomorrow night at 7 pm.

The game is on ESPN3 if you are interested.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 16, 2021, 07:10:30 PM
Legit broadcast is fun!  https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/bad7a018-bc42-4d29-8742-53b2d17f874d
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 16, 2021, 07:54:54 PM
The boys look great.  Funny thing to say down 20 at the Half.  But especially early - classic Bartley/WPI - running their offense and playing tough d.  Had some tough breaks and tons of UVM 3s going down while WPI 3s keep going halfway down.  Too much size for UVM for us to truly compete - but really fun and proud of the boys!  Adams/Lowther and others belong.  Not getting dominated with guard play at all.  UVM pushing our offense out - but again - fun game.

PS - I think UVM will win their normal 20+ games - they gave Maryland all they could want on Saturday
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 16, 2021, 08:41:12 PM
Going to end up a 40 point or so loss.  The only thing I will add is classy (as always) by Bartley - to give the entire squad minutes. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: stlawus on November 17, 2021, 08:06:38 PM
Does Babson always use a CCTV security camera to livestream their games?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 17, 2021, 09:52:29 PM
St. Joseph's CT  76  Babson 59


The game got out of hand in the last 10 minutes, but honestly this one was never in doubt.  Babson played St. Joe's twice last year and had a chance to win both, but ended up on the short end of both.  But this year St. Joe's has more veteran leadership, has a deeper bench, and has an extra gear when they need it.

Jacee Martin 20/6 was outstanding, and Tyree Mitchell 14 and Jalen Samuels 12/7 off the bench could not be contained.  They didn't even need a big game from Powell, though he had 6 boards and 2 blocks.

For Babson, other than Bradanese 19/7 and Amado 10/10 the offense was struggling all night.  And Amado was only 1/13 from the field.  He's got talent, but he also has freshman moments.  So far, no one has stepped up to consistently hit from the outside.  34% from the field and 3/19 from the arc won't keep you in many games.  And the only other low post threat (Beau Smith) went down with an injury in only 5 minutes of action.  Cline has size, but his game tends to be on the perimeter or fall-aways.

With most of the game operating out of a half-court offense the team needs better ball distribution from their guards, which right now is PG by committee.  Andrew Kirkpatrick still hasn't played this year and his steadiness on offense is missed.

And now, if Smith is going to be out for an extended period it will put more of a load on the shoulders of Bradanese (who himself left the game briefly with an injury).  Without Parker Mason being ready for action the current 7 game gauntlet is now looking even more daunting.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 17, 2021, 10:07:35 PM
Quote from: stlawus on November 17, 2021, 08:06:38 PM
Does Babson always use a CCTV security camera to livestream their games?

I think their coverage is better than most.  Emerson does some of the best camera work I've seen, including multiple cameras and replays, but that's kinda their lane.  As long as the camera operator is always following the ball I'm happy.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 19, 2021, 12:52:09 PM
While I didn't see the game, Emerson had a quality home win over #25 Brandeis.

Still very early and the quality of opponents is all over the place, but from the games I've watched so far I'd rank the league like this:

WPI   Head and shoulders #1.  Lowther came back looking even more muscular and stepped up his already solid game.  FY Adams looks like a vet already.   Those 2 are very realistic POY & ROY respectively.  After them there are steady contributors but no 1st team level players imo.

(2-4 are so close they are interchangeable)

MIT   If the first 7 in the rotation stay healthy they'll be a force in conference play.  They took it to UM-Dartmouth (best team in NE?) for 30 minutes before wearing down maybe.  Hinkley and Chatziveroglou are both key to their success and Hinkley has already missed 2 games.

Babson   I was higher on them earlier, expecting to have seen FY Parker Mason by now, and junior PG Kirkpatrick still hasn't played.  They aren't getting enough production from their guard play (and too many TOs), and if Bradanese ever goes down the inside depth drops off considerably.  Hopefully the tough out of conference schedule has them playing well when league play begins in January.

Emerson   They looked very meh against Nichols, but then get a solid win over Brandeis.  There's plenty of experience (Waterhouse, Martin, Houston), but not guys that take over a game like they've had in the past like Gray and O'Connor.

Clark   Off to a good start.  Maybe one quality win (Bates).  Biko Gayman is quick, but can be hot one game and ice cold another.  Davern gives them inside strength.  The team is rebounding off the conference floor, but I need to see them against more quality opponents before ranking them higher.

Coast Guard  Not much after Drummond.

Springfield   The cupboard looks bare.  There was nobody that was going to replace Ross or Post, but this looks like a multi-year rebuild

Wheaton  I can't see them finishing any higher than 7th.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 19, 2021, 08:16:03 PM
+1 Babo
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 20, 2021, 03:06:53 PM
Babson  82 Bates  71


Spencer Cline with the game of his career (including St. Anselm's), finishing with 31/6, including 4/8 from the arc, and 11/12 FTs, including front-ends of 3 1 and 1s.  Bradanese was a steadying force with 18/10.  And Dorney with easily his best game at 12/5.

For Bates, Baxter didn't shoot for a great percentage, but requires constant attention and finished with 26.  Ward (8/10) impressed me with his low post finishes and stout defense.  I believe this was his first game of the season.  He looks like a good one.  Harris was a factor in the paint on defense altering shots in limited minutes due to foul problems.  On offense though he lacks the strength to hold his position.  He's reminiscent of what I saw from Sarr 2 years ago.  Speaking of which ...

The game was notable for some key absences.  Bates: Sarr;  Babson: Smith (walking boot), Welch, and Amato from the normal rotation.

The game started out ugly with TOs (Bates didn't have more points than TOs til 6 minutes left in the 1st half) and Babson opened up a 22-4 lead.  Once Bates started taking better care of the ball they stormed all the way back to take 1-2 point leads in the second half.  Then Cline seemingly couldn't miss from anywhere.

Absolutely had to have this one.  Next up Colby in Maine.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 22, 2021, 12:46:55 PM
My reflections on the WPI-Wesleyan game (having watched 30 minutes):

While this was a dominating win for Wesleyan, I don't think this is a seismic correction to the New England power teams.  I still think WPI is a 20+ win team bound for the tournament as an AQ or otherwise.

I do think Wesleyan is one of the few NE teams (very short list) capable of both smothering the low post action and closing out on perimeter shots.  They certainly contained WPI's top forwards in this one.  That said, I think coach Bartley's game plan was sound.  WPI is built to create offense from the inside first.  They tried and tried again, with small successes, usually on 2nd chance putbacks.  Many teams would have relinquished the paint a lot sooner.  I think that is a mistake.

I do think there was one adjustment that WPI was late to make.  They were feeding Adams too often from the wing and the double-team was coming from the weak side.  Later on they interchanged Adams and Lowther on the high and low post, allowing for a pick & drive or jumper.

But above all, when the double arrives and the ball is kicked out to an open wing man they must knock down those shots with better efficiency.  Admittedly there weren't a lot of wide open looks in this one, but there were some, and this continues to be the only recurring problem with WPI defeats.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 23, 2021, 09:35:33 AM
Thanks, Babo - I missed the game entirely.   - thanks for the analysis.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 23, 2021, 07:04:51 PM
Colby 78  Babson  74 (OT)

Another winnable game slips away on the road.  This one is harder to take than Salve Regina, because Babson had a 13-point lead and the ball with 10 minutes to play.  But defensive lapses allowed Tyson to heat up and hit 4 key 3-pointers down the stretch to get the game headed to overtime.  Kirsch had an open 3 on the last possession but his shot was off line all the way.

Very uncharacteristic of Babson teams to be unable to close out games like this, but it's largely a reflection of how many new young players are in the rotation.

This also snapped a 9 game winning streak against NESCAC teams going back 3 years.


Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 28, 2021, 02:44:14 PM
Babson  78  Bowdoin  54

This one got out of hand early, with Babson jumping out to a 17-0 lead in the first 7 minutes behind some smothering perimeter defense and sloppy play by the Polar Bears. 

Good matchup for Babson.  While Bowdoin has talent, they're young and don't have the dominant inside game nor the quick slashing guard that gives Babson trouble.

The infirmary must be filling up fast in Wellesley.  Cline is the latest DNP after 2 strong games.  That adds to the rotational absences of Amato, Kirkpatrick, Welch, Gao, and Smith.  Most troubling, without the 2 'bigs' who normally give Bradanese a blow, Cline and Smith, it will stress the interior defense if these are prolonged injuries.

But, maybe due to these absences, or maybe because he was ready, we got the first look at 6'8" Parker Mason, subbing for Bradanese.  Mason finished with 9/6 in 16 minutes.  He's got a good outside stroke, but rushed things inside, as often happens with frosh.

Bradanese ... what can you say?  26/5 (12/15) in just 24 minutes.  He had everything working.

Hopefully the roster gets healthier soon.  The schedule doesn't have any breathers.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on November 30, 2021, 08:34:23 AM
Good work, Babo. +1 turkey giblet.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 30, 2021, 11:31:39 AM
I've got to give some respect to a couple of teams that have struggled to rise within the NEWMAC.

Clark is off to a 6-0 start and it's entirely possible they could be 11-0 at the start of league play.  While they haven't had a murderers row schedule the same could be said of other teams around the region.  And in the past Clark has found a way to come up short against even lesser opponents.  They are being led by soph guard Saintilus 17.7/7 who is playing his first year.
Dalvern F and shifty GR Biko Gayman G are returning, key contributors.  Clark's best win is probably Bates, so they certainly haven't been fully tested.  They still like to run, run, run, and get into a shooting match.  I still don't see them cracking the top 4 spots of the NEWMAC, but I'll concede I didn't see Saintilus being this productive.

Wheaton at 5-3 has faced a tougher schedule than Clark.  But the story here is Alex Carlisle, who is averaging 30.5 ppg.
And he has not been shooting in crazy volume; he's been extremely efficient:  60.1%, 48.1%, and 88.1%.  And he's getting to the line a lot, as good scorers do.  He's averaging 7.4/game on FTs alone.  I like FY Bubar's game too.  He's been productive at 8.9/4. 

Both teams are in action tonight.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 03, 2021, 09:47:26 PM
Brandeis  72  Babson 65 

Opening night of the Big 4 Challenge.  Brandeis (H) will face Tufts in the championship, while Babson will play Salem State tomorrow in the consolation.

Hard to explain how out of sync the Babson offense looked tonight.  Did they have final exams on their mind?  Bradanese (7) was bottled up all night by Hagerty.  But there was little support from the rest of the lineup.  Moreover, they were underwater in A/TO (8/10 vs. Brandeis at 16/8).  The ball wasn't moving like it should.  And they continue to struggle from deep.  Babson fans have been spoiled by very good 3-pt shooters for years.  Suddenly that's not an area of strength.

On a positive note, Kirkpatrick played his first game of the year in a sub role and  Welch, Amato and Cline returned after missing several games each.

Brandeis had been beaten handily by NEWMAC's Emerson (with Eastman) @ Emerson and WPI (w/o Eastman) at home just 3 days ago.  Brandeis was the better team tonight.

Just one more D3 opponent before the break.  Salem State's zone defense may either be a remedy or ...

Right now I am dropping Babson to 5th in the NEWMAC, with Clark jumping up to 4th.  5-1 at home but 0-3 away has something to do with that.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 04, 2021, 03:33:53 PM
Babson 82  Salem State  80  (OT)

Consolation game of the Big 4 Challenge.

Whew.  Well, not technically an away game (neutral court), but nice to finally win one away from the friendly confines of Staake Gym.

For Babson, a big game from Dorney (21/21) who is settling in nicely as a starter and being assertive on the offensive end.  Welch had a huge pull-up jumper to help close things out in OT.

For SS, a monster game from Conner Byrne (27/19) on 12/14 from the floor.

SS had the better looks most of the game, but gave up a ton of 2nd chance opportunities on the boards.

This certainly helps going into the break at 6-4, rather than 5-5.  Lots to work on before traveling to Amherst at the end of December.  Babson will play an exhibition game against Harvard on Monday.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on December 04, 2021, 04:10:42 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on December 04, 2021, 03:33:53 PM
Babson 82  Salem State  80  (OT)

Consolation game of the Big 4 Challenge.

Whew.  Well, not technically an away game (neutral court), but nice to finally win one away from the friendly confines of Staake Gym.

For Babson, a big game from Dorney (21/21) who is settling in nicely as a starter and being assertive on the offensive end.  Welch had a huge pull-up jumper to help close things out in OT.

For SS, a monster game from Conner Byrne (27/19) on 12/14 from the floor.

SS had the better looks most of the game, but gave up a ton of 2nd chance opportunities on the boards.

This certainly helps going into the break at 6-4, rather than 5-5.  Lots to work on before traveling to Amherst at the end of December.  Babson will play an exhibition game against Harvard on Monday.

The exhibition game will mark the 30th anniversary of the game of December 11, 1991, where Babson defeated DI-Harvard, 100-80, at what was then the Briggs Athletic Center (now known as Lavietes Pavilion)  Babson went on to get their first NCAA DIII tournament appearance in program history that year under former head coach Serge DeBari.  Current Babson coach Stephen Brennan was an assistant under DeBari in the 1991-92 season.  Harvard was coached that year by former DII-Bentley coach Frank Sullivan, with former Brandeis head coach Kevin O'Brien serving as an assistant under Frank Sullivan.

ESPN+ will carry the exhibition game Monday night at 7 PM Eastern.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on December 06, 2021, 08:08:14 PM
Babson up 9 at Harvard with 15 minutes to go. Harvard spreading the minutes around more than usual but still playing all of their top guys.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 06, 2021, 08:36:43 PM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on December 06, 2021, 08:08:14 PM
Babson up 9 at Harvard with 15 minutes to go. Harvard spreading the minutes around more than usual but still playing all of their top guys.

Yeah, it wasn't sustainable, but nice while it lasted.

I was at the Holy Cross-Williams game that Williams won, attending the game with a Holy Cross alum.  I said before the game 'You'll probably regret scheduling this game'.  Crotty was superb.  Not a fluke win by any means.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 30, 2021, 02:02:52 PM
Kudos to Clark, now 10-0.  A Massey Rating  of 'just' 101 and SOS of 386 going in.
(For some reason Massey is missing the win over Gordon).

Massey still has 4 NEWMAC teams ranked higher (i.e. half the conference).

Since the NEWMAC expanded to 8 men's teams in 13-14, Clark has had just 1 winning season overall and no winning seasons in conference play.

If, as I expect, they beat Wentworth today, they'll enter the new year and league play at 11-0.  And yet, I won't be surprised if they are shut out from ORV in the next poll.  I'm not suggesting they should get votes (really low SOS), but it would be quite the outlier (any historical precedent?) for an 11-0 team to not receive votes.

4pm (H) Wentworth today
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 30, 2021, 02:15:57 PM
Babson picks up a much needed big man in early commitments:

Mark Woolhouse 6'9"

https://twitter.com/NERRHoops/status/1474059156256657418?s=20

Interior size has been a deficiency in recent years and some of the recent recruits seem more suited as wings.  With the caliber of big men Babson faces within the NEWMAC, NESCAC (4-5 games per year) and elsewhere, an inside presence is essential.  He looks like he's comfortable inside, but 'bigs' at D3 level are usually a multi-year project.

With Bradanese and Smith likely moving on next year and Grad xfer Cline leaving, the depth at the post was questionable.  They still may covet another grad xfer for experience.  It will be interesting to see if Houston returns at Emerson, but regardless, WPI has major inside depth.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 31, 2021, 03:18:14 PM
Babson 70  Amherst  59

Proud of the team.

This one was reminiscent of the 18-19 game at LeFrak when Babson played without Andrew Jaworski and I gave them no chance of winning, but they came away with a double-digit win.  This time Babson's best player (imo) Bradanese didn't play the entire 2nd half, but they dug in, played with poise, and pulled away late.  I sure hope Brad is ok.  They'll need him for conference play.

Understandably Amherst was without Robinson, but this game shouldn't be considered a fluke.  Babson has now won 4 straight against Amherst, and 4 of the last 5 at LeFrak.  Also, it's now 11 wins in the last 12 games against NESCAC foes, with the sole loss coming in the OT game at Colby.

Day was spectacular for Amherst to keep them in the game much of the way.  That said, I thought Amherst's frontcourt trees were more hurtful than helpful.  I've seen enough of Amherst to believe that they don't have the inside agility and finishing moves as Williams and Wesleyan in the NESCAC.

Positives for Babson: 

First game back for Beau Smith after suffering an injury against St.Joe's in mid-November.  I thought he'd be done for the year.  He's vital as Bradanese's main replacement.  Had a solid contribution in this one, including a sweet reverse layup.

FY Amado (17/7 in this one), easily the most athletic player on the roster, and a possible NEWMAC ROY continues to show star potential down the road.  His looong, clock shot winding down 3 @ the 4 minute mark stopped a mini-Mammoth run and put Babson up 8.  Then, a beautiful turnaround jumper effectively ended the game at the 2 minute mark (up 10).

Andrew Kirkpatrick in the starting lineup.  Yes!  He's missed most of the season and brings veteran leadership and poise when running the offense.  We could have used that at Colby.

Just 5 turnovers for the game.

Dorney, Cline, Crouch, and Kirsch continue to reduce forced shots as they get better acclimated to each other and what is expected from their roles.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 05, 2022, 09:29:01 PM
Babson  80  Emerson  73

Finally the real (conference) season begins and we're able to compare apples to apples.

Wow.  What a game at Staake.  Babson overcomes a monster game from Emerson's big man Houston, who put up the unconventional triple-double of 24-19-10 (10 blocks)!  The senior also altered innumerable other shots and has gotten better and better each year on offense, setting up camp in the low post and imposing his will.  Really only WPI can match up with him in the NEWMAC.

It was a 1 possession game with 30 seconds left and Babson passed beautifully, culminating with Kirsch finding Bradanese for an easy lay-in.

Dorney has emerged as the X factor for Babson on both ends.  Over the last 5 games he's led the team with 16.3 and 8.8 (20/10 tonight).  Really good rebounder and he's expanding his inside game week by week.

Andrew Kirkpatrick:  This is why I kept harping on the hope he wouldn't be out all season.  In just his 2nd full game back he played 34 minutes and finished with a team high 21.  That only begins to tell the story of how he stabilizes the offense and makes sure the right guy gets the ball in the right spot.

Beau Smith has put things together in his senior year where he is now contributing in meaningful ways in key situations.  He had a nice block on Houston, held his own, and finished with 7/3.

FY Nate Amado started, had a solid 9/7 and was on the floor at the end.  He'll be in the NEWMAC ROY mix.

Overall there's reason to believe this unit will be able to close games out if they have late leads.

The only rotational piece missing in this one was Gorgol, who also missed the Amherst game and is perhaps the team's best wing defender.

Emerson's seniors accounted for 60 of their 73 points.  They'll lose a lot to graduation.

The conference schedule is very favorable to allow the team to get out to a good start.  5 of the 7 games the first time through are at home, with only WPI & Clark on the road.  If they hold serve at home they should be no worse than 5-2.

And getting way ahead of things, there is still a path to an NCAA bid even without the AQ.  I believe with their strong OC SOS, if they can go 10-4 in conference, and get to the NEWMAC championship, they'd still be 18-9 if they don't get the AQ.  They'd be straddling the fence for sure, but they should match up favorably with other fence-straddlers.  Of course it would matter which 10 games they win;  it's conceivable they could sweep Wheaton-Springfield-USCG, and split with Emerson-MIT-Clark-WPI; and getting a W against WPI would almost be a must.

Next up, Springfield at home on Saturday.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 05, 2022, 09:47:50 PM
It's officially time to stop dismissing Clark University.

They beat MIT on the road tonight in OT to reach 12-0.  MIT was missing a couple of players, but still ...

FY guard Isaiah Taylor is averaging 23.8 over his last 4 games (against improving competition);  sophomore Saintilus continues to be productive on both ends;  and Davern is Mr. Dependable for that team.  Since they've gotten this far they may not be stopped until traveling to WPI Jan. 19th.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on January 06, 2022, 09:31:50 AM
I watched the 2 NEWMAC games from last night on-demand this morning.

Clark v MIT had no commentary.

Babson v Emerson had Tyler Davey on PxP.  Mr. Davey also does color for DII-Saint Anselm basketball on NE10Now, and also does PxP for ESPN+'s coverage of DI Harvard men's hockey.

I enjoyed Tyler Davey's commentary on the Babson/Emerson game.  He seemed more well-rounded and did not reflect the persona of a hockey person trying to do basketball commentary (unlike Ralph "Rocky" Perrotta who did PxP of the RIT women's basketball game on Tuesday.)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 07, 2022, 10:15:35 AM
Babo - sadly looks like WPI heading for empty gym home games - any other NEWMAC schools doing that?  There is a last-minute push to allow parents/family, but I do not believe that has approval yet.  What are other schools doing?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 07, 2022, 11:45:49 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on January 07, 2022, 10:15:35 AM
Babo - sadly looks like WPI heading for empty gym home games - any other NEWMAC schools doing that?  There is a last-minute push to allow parents/family, but I do not believe that has approval yet.  What are other schools doing?

I believe only Clark & Emerson have taken it to that extreme.  MIT (the way I understand it) only allows MIT pass-holders (i.e. no away team fans).

Very sad to see this, particularly for a team like Clark that finally has a strong team and they won't get the home crowd lift they deserve.  And when you include WPI and Emerson, and half of MIT, that puts a real damper on what would otherwise be more entertaining games at the top of the NEWMAC.

Babson requires vax and masking.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 08, 2022, 03:16:29 PM
Babson  83  Springfield 74

I sometimes get the feeling this team is playing to the level of their competition.  That can be good or bad.

Springfield, which had been reeling and came in 2-8, on a 3-game losing streak, and blown out at home in their last game (WPI), gave Babson all they could handle for 35+ minutes before Babson settled in and closed this one out at home.

Until Nate Amado scored on an offensive rebound and put back with just over 2 minutes to play this outcome was still in doubt.  Just a freshman, he was the home team star and finished with 20/5.  And Welch gave a solid contribution off the bench with 21, including 5/9 from 3.  He is instant offense when he starts feeling it as he did all of last year's abbreviated season.

Beau Smith had good effort in 20 minutes of action.  On the other hand, he got more time because Bradanese's minutes have been dwindling since the Amherst game when he missed the entire 2nd half.  The last 2 home games he's been limited to 4-minute runs and is on the stationary bike when not on the court.  Hamstring?

The first half was a combination of soft passing into tight windows, poor spacing, and questionable shot selection from the home team.  12 first half turnovers - hard to watch.  In the 2nd half they took it inside more, got Springfield into early foul trouble, and fought back into the game.

For Springfield, Nick Bray demolished his career high of 7, with 21, 4/6 from 3, and too much quickness for any of the Babson guards.  Costa chipped in with 20, including several highly contested jumpers.

The focus and effort will need to be much better than this when they travel to WPI next Wednesday.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on January 10, 2022, 05:40:53 PM
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Monday night on Hoopsville, we chat with teams who are still playing for now. Plus those who may deserve a little more attention thanks to tremendous starts to their seasons. And hear from those who are steadily flying slightly under the radar.

We also take a look at all the postponements and cancelations and discuss what may or may not happen as we move forward with the season.

Plus, we react to the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 polls released on Monday.

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Guests include (order subject to change):
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Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 12, 2022, 08:52:29 PM
WPI  88   Babson  57

This was a take-you-behind-the-shed-butt-whipping.

When this was still a game in the first half, it wasn't the usual suspects of Lowther and Adams doing damage, but WPI has such size that 6'10" O'Donnell supplied production inside, and guards McNamara and Callahan were scoring on drives to the rim, floaters, and 3-pointers (25 between them in the 1st half) to open up an 11 point advantage at the half, including a long buzzer-beater from Callahan.  The guards torched their counterparts.

For the game, Babson shot 2-18 from the arc, compared to 8-23 for WPI.  It should have still been a competitive 2nd half, but Babson lost its composure while WPI was cooking on all cylinders.

Babson will have to find a way to win one against WPI if they have any hope of getting into the tournament.  They may get 2 more chances.

I've said it before;  I believe WPI will go as far in the tournament as their guard play (Downing-McNamara-Callahan) takes them.  Their defense and frontcourt (Lowther-Adams-O'Donnell) will hold their own with just about anyone.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 13, 2022, 11:56:57 AM
Wow - thanks for the recap Babo.  I was not able to watch last night.  Suprised with the final score - but as you said about WPI and their Wesleyan game - sometimes you just need to throw one out.  Fun next 2 months ahead - hope the virus behaves and we can all get to a few games.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 15, 2022, 02:57:43 PM
I watched a little over half of the Babson scrimmage against Wheaton @ Staake Gym.  The only thing noteworthy to me was the Babson lineup.  Since we're still dealing with Covid it's certainly possible that guys who played on Wednesday tested positive after that.  But I also wonder whether Coach Brennan used this as an opportunity to give minutes elsewhere.  Nothing should be made of a blowout game against a NEWMAC bottom-dweller that was missing Alex Carlisle.

The more compelling game was WPI @ Emerson.  I watched the last 12 minutes.  Adams and Lowther are sooo physically strong.  And Adams was taking it to Houston inside.  WPI plays fundamentally consistent for 40 minutes.  Low turnovers.  Good screening.  Movement.  Spacing.  They may go the rest of the regular season undefeated.  MIT, Clark, Emerson, and Babson could conceivably give them a game, but it will take an A-effort to get the job done.
The only disappointments in this game was no crowd and just one average camera shot;  not what I've come to expect from the Emerson crew.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 19, 2022, 08:51:23 PM
Babson finds a way to win one at home over MIT 69-62 without Bradanese who fouled out just 1 minute into the 2nd half, and after just 11 minutes of court time.  Suffice it to say coach Brennan will not be inviting this crew to dinner anytime soon, but I won't go there.
In truth, Babson was struggling mightily to defend the paint on one end and lacked any rhythm or efficiency on offense for most of the first half.  Only a brief 5-0 run to close the half reduced an 11 point deficit to 6 when it looked like the game was slipping away.
MIT was playing one of the few games all year with all of their normal starters and rotation.  They've lost some winnable games that I'm convinced would have gone the other way with everyone available;  but such is '21-22.

For Babson Kirsch, Dierney, and Amado had strong games and the focus on both ends was much better in the 2nd half.  Coach Brennan held this one together with duct tape (Smith & Kirkpatrick unavailable, Bradanese out early).  Holding MIT to 21 2nd half points was a total team effort.

Had to have this one to hold serve at home and maintain any hope for a postseason bid.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 22, 2022, 03:12:13 PM
Babson handles Coast Guard easily at home, 89-72.  Bradanese, Dorney, and Amado all had strong games.  The only noticeable absence was Beau Smith (2 straight games now).  Jack Staiti made his first appearance of the year after seeing action last year.
Amado had a gorgeous put-back and nearly had a double-double in the first half, finishing with 17/10.
Coast Guard is probably just a year away from moving into the top 4 of the NEWMAC; good young players with size.

So far 5-1 in the NEWMAC has been as expected, with a very favorable home-away schedule (also 5-1).  It would be very nice to end the first round with an away win @ Clark.  This should be a competitive game, featuring 2 FY stars in Taylor & Amado.  Babson is only 1-3 in true away games; 1-0 on neutral court.  With 6 of the next 8 games away from Staake, and the only 2 remaining home games against WPI & Clark, the road to the finish won't be easy.

WPI had all they could handle @ Wheaton before pulling it out in the final seconds on a Downing 3, 80-77.   Alex Carlisle was back for the Lyons and had 19 in the first, got poked in the eye in the second, and couldn't make it back for the last 10 minutes.  But Aaron Williams was a Lyons force with 31/12.  He's always had a strong inside game and has worked himself into better playing shape.
But WPI always finds a way.  They battled back from 13 down and played better down the stretch.  Lufkin (19) was huge off the bench.
Wheaton played a 2-3 zone a lot, including on the last 3 by Downing.  Puzzling choice.  They don't have the quickness to deny shooters.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 23, 2022, 02:45:32 PM
Looks like WPI isn't going to wait til the last possession to put away Hamilton in Worcester.

WPI smothering everything inside and causing some of the 15 first half TOs, leading to a 29-11 lopsided start  (that's a halftime score, believe it or not).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 26, 2022, 09:31:06 PM
I wish I could've watched 3 games at once, but I'll have to catch some replays.

The game I watched had Babson over Clark in OT @ Worcester 71-68.  Ugly first half for Babson with only 9 FGs and 15 TOs.  Down 10 at the half, but it felt like 20 the way they couldn't handle the full court press (reminded me of the J&W game a few years back) which Clark hasn't used this much in NEWMAC play.  But when it works, why get away from it.  Babson didn't even score for the first 5 minutes, but fortunately was only down 5.
Babson played with better poise in the 2nd half and went with mostly vets.  They didn't take their first lead until under 3 minutes left.  In OT Bradanese and Kirsch helped close it out.
If they play the 2nd half style of team defense and offensive poise they should be competitive in all remaining NEWMAC games.  So, they finish the first half of conference play 6-1.

With the stunning CG win over WPI, WPI and Babson are 6-1, and Emerson is 5-2 in conference play.  This Saturday's Babson @ Emerson game takes on added importance.

Speaking of Emerson, Jarred Houston put up another ridiculous line of 28-21-6 (6 blocks).  He should be up for postseason regional honors.

Nothing will be easy for Babson in the 2nd half of conference play.  Only 2 of 7 at home (WPI & Clark).  But if they keep on grinding and don't get complacent they have enough talent to make some noise.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 27, 2022, 09:53:13 AM
I watched the replay of the CG win over WPI, being particularly curious to see why Lowther played only 11 minutes despite finishing with only 2 fouls.  He apparently hurt his right wrist/hand boxing out on a rebound around 18:30 of the 2nd half.  Looked like he got it taped up but never returned to the action (WPI down 9 at the time).  I saw him on the sidelines tossing a ball at a practice rim, so I'm guessing it's not too serious, but what do I know.

VIDEO:

https://www.newmacsportsnetwork.com/uscga/?B=315535


Cameron Brown for CG is an up-and-coming FY star.  He held his own with Adams from WPI.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 30, 2022, 03:30:57 PM
What a game going on @ Emerson ... going to OT ... NEWMAC at its finest
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 30, 2022, 04:07:52 PM
Tremendous game with Babson prevailing in OT over Emerson.  I'll bet this was a 3 point or less game for 35+ minutes of regulation.  Intense all the way.

Houston was his usual unstoppable self inside 21/11, but had a rough game at the FT line (1/6).  Max Davis kept them in the game in regulation with some fearless 3-point shooting before going quiet in OT.

For Babson, Kirkpatrick had the key 3-pointer to force OT, then Bradanese took over in OT (3/3) with a killer 3 ending the run.

This is such a better running offense since really the Colby game.  They were getting the shots they wanted throughout.  Coach Brennan has tightened the rotation to upperclassmen, with the exception of FY Amado who plays like one.  They are more focused and grinding on both ends.  And now they've won back-to-back road games against top-level NEWMAC competition.  Now 7-1 in the NEWMAC, tied with WPI.  Next up @Wheaton who went to the wire with WPI and better not be taken for granted.

Video replay:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT_8parx8nw

Next Sat. facing WPI @ Staake.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 02, 2022, 09:53:26 PM
Babson takes care of business @ Wheaton by 10.  Alex Carlisle played in this one after missing the game @ Babson.  It was good to see that for the most part the team didn't develop bad habits and was locked in defensively.  The 2nd half was a little shaky at times, but they were subbing liberally with a fairly safe lead.  Strong games for Dorney 16/15, Bradanese 19, and Kirkpatrick 13, all playing under 30 minutes.  Carlisle had a very quiet night (8), well off his 26 average.

Elsewhere WPI demolished Emerson at home, setting up a Saturday matchup @ Staake Gym with both teams coming in at 8-1 in league play.  Lowther is fully back for WPI.  I expect Babson to put up a far better showing in the rematch now that they've tightened the rotation and players have gotten more familiar playing with each other.  Both teams could really use the 'W';  WPI to solidify their chances for hosting NCAA games;  Babson to get safely within the tournament bubble.

MIT beat Springfield in a battle which may determine the 5th, and final playoff berth.  Daryl Costa has missed the last couple of games for Springfield, which hurts their chances.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 03, 2022, 11:37:25 AM
The Hoopsville Marathon is here!

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The show is hitting the air at 12:00 PM ET and going for at least NINE hours for the 8th Annual Hoopsville Marathon Show.

Show link: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2021-22/marathon

This year's show featured coaches, administrators, student-athletes, and many others around Division III who gave us a sense of the season to date and what is to come. There is only a month or so left in the regular season, so there was plenty to talk about.

The marathon is also a chance to celebrate the final month of the Division III basketball regular season.

Guests include (in order of appearance, subject to change):
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 05, 2022, 02:54:54 PM
WPI does it again, blowing out Babson @ Babson by 19.

Just when I thought Babson was ready to give the Engineers a game they ran into a team that was firing on all cylinders.  This is a tough matchup for Babson because Adams (16/14) & Lowther (26/9) are so physically strong.  When they set up on the low block and they get the ball it's a mismatch.  Unfortunately, Babson does not have the physical makeup to deny them position or alter their shots and Babson has been unable to deny the entry pass.
It was still a game for about 10 minutes, but WPI was shooting lights out in this one.  At halftime WPI had these gaudy stats:  60% FG pct; 6/9 3-pt; 7/7 FT;  compounded by 13 points off TOs.
A microcosm of the 1st half had Babson holding for the last shot, down 15.  Kirkpatrick turned the ball over, resulting in a layup, FT, and 18-point deficit.

Other than Amado (17/10)  and Dorney (17), the rest of the team had rough games.  Kirkpatrick has been key to the team turning around since coming back full time, but he was uncharacteristically off his game.

So, a lot of hard work went into climbing back into the NEWMAC race and NCAA contention, but this is a huge setback.  Sitting at 15-6, even winning out of the regular season and getting to the NEWMAC championship may not be enough, particularly if they get blitzed by WPI again.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 09, 2022, 08:47:35 PM
Good to see Babson suffered no ill effects after Saturday's loss to WPI.

Tonight's crushing of Springfield on the road (96-71) keeps hope alive for a tournament berth, but there's a lot more work to do.

This was the 4th straight road win after struggling away from home early in the season.  Coach Brennan was able to empty the bench with 5 minutes left and up by 30.

Kirsch had another strong all-around game with 16 points, 7 assists, and no turnovers,  He leads the NEWMAC in A/TO at 4.7 in conference games.
Dorney had another double-double with 21/10.
Gao had a nice, meaningful 14 minutes.  He's been largely out of the rotation, but if he can contribute down the stretch, that would be a big help.  He's got more quickness than the other rotational small forwards.  With Clark's quick, shifty lineup coming to Staake on Saturday he could be a factor.

Elsewhere around the NEWMAC, all the top teams won.  Barring something unforeseen WPI will be #1 seed, Babson #2, Emerson #3, and Clark and MIT will play the 4-5 game in the NEWMAC tournament.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 12, 2022, 05:02:31 PM
Another thumping, this time Babson over Clark in the final home game of the season.  It got up to 34 before Coach Brennan started to empty the bench.

Dorney with another strong game 17/11 and Kirsch finished with 8 assists that should have been at least 10 if not for some easy baskets that were rushed off beautiful feeds.

This time Babson clearly was better prepared for the full court press that really didn't bear any fruit.  Just 8 turnovers in all, some at the end, and a stellar team A/TO of 23/8.

Looks like Clark will lock up the 4 seed as MIT went down @ Wheaton.  WPI-Babson-Emerson-Clark-MIT for the NEWMAC tournament.

Babson, now 17-6 finishes the regular season on the road at Coast Guard and MIT.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 12, 2022, 05:20:01 PM
WPI blows out Coast Guard @ home, but Lowther got injured again (oddly, against Coast Guard again) and played only the first 2 minutes.  Once again it was in rebounding action.  Looked like a leg injury.  May have stepped on a foot, but almost looked like non-contact).

Video: (@ 17:58 of 1st half)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxHo61Jbju4
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on February 15, 2022, 03:46:55 PM
Week 2 Regional Rankings - which are ranked now: https://d3hoops.com/notables/2022/02/men-regional-rankings-first
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 16, 2022, 07:43:42 PM
Halftime @ Coast Guard with Babson up by 1, but the real story is no Bradanese or Dorney (top 2 scorers and 2 of the top 3 in rebounds).  Looks like only half the team and coaches made the trip, so I assume this is Covid-related.
It's going to take huge games from the rest of the team to overcome the loss in production.

I also see Lowther is out for WPI too, though they are beating Wheaton handily.  If this is a season-ending injury it changes WPI's ability to go deep in the NCAA tournament.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 16, 2022, 08:53:24 PM
Babson grinds out another road win (5 in a row now) with a depleted roster @ Coast Guard.

Basically a 7 man rotation (cup of coffee for Cross), calling on guys that don't usually play as many minutes.

Kirsch was again tremendous; 16 points, 4/7 from 3 with daggers down the stretch, and 5 assists, including a beautiful feed to Beau Smith out of a double-team for a layup +1 to put the game away.
Welch had a team high 19 and shot the 3 like he did most of the abbreviated season last year.
Gao battled and battled oversized forwards, set picks, didn't force things, and provided 4 boards in 16 meaningful minutes.
Beau Smith did a fine job filling in for Bradanese.
And FY Amado, who is already the team leader in RPG had 17/16, seemingly finding his way to every board near him.

For CG, Cameron Brown had 16/12 and continues to impress as a FY.  He'll be key to his team's future.

Hopefully Babson gets back to full strength quickly.  It's one thing to steal one shorthanded here and there, but they need all their starters back to do damage in the postseason.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 19, 2022, 08:24:05 AM
Babson @ MIT canceled today.  The game wouldn't have changed postseason seeding.  I assume this is Covid-related on Babson's side since Babson played Wednesday with a depleted roster and MIT played with its full complement.

Admittedly I haven't paid a lot of attention to whether Covid testing will continue past Selection Sunday.  If it does we may see more depleted rosters and 'upsets'.  I hope I'm wrong.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 19, 2022, 04:50:53 PM
Congrats WPI on a great regular season and NEWMAC championship. No Lowther today, but would never have expected it. I have no info if resting/rehabbing or out? 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 19, 2022, 06:15:48 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 19, 2022, 04:50:53 PM
Congrats WPI on a great regular season and NEWMAC championship. No Lowther today, but would never have expected it. I have no info if resting/rehabbing or out?

Congrats on the regular season title.  You want to hear a sick stat?  WPI (which is shooting 47.8 FG% for the year) has shot over 50% from the field against the #2, #3, and #4 NEWMAC teams in 5 of the 6 games played.  In the 6th game they shot only 47.2% with some late misses in a rout over Clark.  Otherwise it would have been 6 for 6.

Adams & Lowther are 1st team NEWMAC locks in my book, and McNamara and Downing 2nd team.  Hopefully Adams gets accolades beyond the NEWMAC too.  He's so disciplined and fundamentally sound for a sophomore (but really just his first season).

As for Lowther, I hope I'm wrong but I think he's injured as I mentioned in the Coast Guard recap.

Frankly I don't see Emerson, Babson, or Clark/MIT being able to hang with WPI in the NEWMAC postseason, even though it's hard to beat a good conference foe 3 times in one season.

I'll be rooting for your guys in the NCAA.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on February 21, 2022, 07:30:00 PM
Is Houston going to be POY, and if he isn't, who will? Adams or Lowther or someone else?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 21, 2022, 07:59:08 PM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on February 21, 2022, 07:30:00 PM
Is Houston going to be POY, and if he isn't, who will? Adams or Lowther or someone else?

I'd have Houston as POY.  The NEWMAC tends to give awards based on conference games, which I think is the only fair way to compare apples to apples.  Houston has 18/15 per game in conference.  I'd have Adams next 14.1/10.4.  The NEWMAC also awards DPOY and based on Houston's huge lead in rebounding and 3.7 blocks/game he's a clear choice; a rare double-winner if it comes to pass.  I think Houston's awards beyond the NEWMAC may be limited if you were to say 'well, but Emerson went 0-4 against the top 2 conference teams with a senior-laden roster, so ...'

Adams may own the POY for the next 2 years.  I do think he could benefit by playing more out of conference games against teams with size.  WPI will be loaded again next year ... maybe even better, so maybe they're thinking on adding an opponent like Amherst if scheduling works out.

I don't put much emphasis on 2 guards, 2 forwards, etc. when considering a 1st team.  Right now I'd have Houston, Adams, Lowther, Hinkley and another spot determined by the postseason tournament.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 22, 2022, 09:55:03 PM
MIT wins big @ Clark in the 4/5 play-in game 88-71.

Let's start by saying it's never easy to win 3 games in a season against a conference foe, which is what Clark was trying to do.  But while Clark had won the first 2, there's no doubt in my mind that at full strength (not common for this MIT edition) the Engineers are the better team.  Both Hinkley and Chatziveroglou missed the first game between the two and it seemed to set the tone for this crazy MIT season (5-8 in league play).

For this game Hinkley 26/6 in 39 minutes showed why he is a 1st team NEWMAC on my unofficial ballot.  Inch for inch he does as much as anyone in the league, usually the main rim protector for his team at 6'4".  Chatziveroglou had a big game 22/3/7 but went down with an injury halfway through the 2nd half and didn't return.  They can't catch a break.  Just guessing, but I'd say he's very unlikely to play against WPI on Thursday.  He's had an up and down year, but his 33/16 game @ UM-Dartmouth is an indication of what he can do. 

MIT shot 62.2/61.1/80.8 for the game.  Those numbers will win you most times.

For Clark, a promising season that started out 12-0 showed weaknesses once league play began.  By the end of the season it looked a lot like Clark circa 2015-2020, with fewer touches on offense, a lack of focus on defense, and relying on athleticism and steals to generate production.  18-8 is a positive step, but here are some other stats that suggest maybe not a lot has changed:  0-6 against the NEWMAC top 3;  7th in FG pct; 8th in 3PT pct; 6th in rebounding; 6th in 3PT defense.
Taylor had 20 and 5 steals and probably solidified his ROY credentials.  But his gaudy numbers look a lot like Gayman's as a FY, and now Gayman is moving on, as is Davern, who was their best, consistent inside-outside threat.  They'll need a strong incoming class and strides from others to make up for what they're losing.

As good as MIT looked tonight facing WPI is a daunting challenge, with or without Chatziveroglou.  WPI will be feeding Adams low early and often.  He's too strong for anyone on MIT to handle one-on-one and he's a willing passer if you try to send help.  And WPI won't be conceding open looks like they got tonight.  In the prior 2 meetings MIT didn't crack 50.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 24, 2022, 02:13:29 PM
Just my opinion on the top 10 NEWMAC Most Indispensable Players for the 21-22 regular season.  By my thinking, if your team didn't make the 5-team playoffs in an 8-team league you may well be good, but not indispensable.
Most of these players will find their way onto the official postseason teams (1 & 2), but because they tend to force a F/G mixture I think it tends to distort things a bit.  To illustrate, none of my top 5 would be considered guards, though Hinkley is listed that way.

1. Houston (Emerson)
2. Adams ((WPI)
3. Hinkley (MIT)
4. Lowther (WPI)
5. Dorney (Babson)
6. McNamara (WPI)
7. Saintilus (Clark)
8. Kirsch (Babson)
9. Waterhouse (Emerson)
10. Cho (MIT)

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on February 24, 2022, 08:53:28 PM
What a finish to regulation in Wellesley
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 24, 2022, 09:41:34 PM
Emerson wins @ Babson for the first time in 12 years in OT 85-77.

Not to be a broken record, but it's never easy to win 3 conference games against the same team in a season, even when you have a 16 point lead with 15 minutes left;  or even when you have a 5 point lead with 20 seconds left while shooting FTs in the double-bonus and inexplicably foul on an offensive rebound stopping the clock and awarding FTs at the other end;  or even when you have a 3 point lead and throw away an inbound pass with 13 seconds left;  and when seldom used Trevor Arico hits a game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation the point is never clearer.

For the longest time in this game it was only Houston and Waterhouse for Emerson (36 of their first 40 points).  But once others started heating up, especially Arico (14 points - all after halftime), whose previous NEWMAC high was 4, the momentum shifted.

It looked like Babson was running on fumes at the end.  Maybe the 8 days between games (and Covid issues) was a factor, but the mental mistakes down the stretch were uncharacteristic.  I will also note some absences of key players:  Amado for Babson;  McLean and Davis for Emerson.  While Amado would have helped out with his length as a wing defender and is the top Babson rebounder, Emerson was losing a lot more production.  Davis is the guy I feared most off the bench as the 6th man who scores on drives and with his quick release from the arc. 

Waterhouse (28) and Houston (25/10) were the full-game stars for Emerson, playing 89 of 90 minutes combined, but they needed everything Arico provided to get the W.

Dorney (17/16) was gutsy in 42 minutes, but he needed help after Bradanese fouled out late and it wasn't forthcoming.

I've seen mocks that say Babson would still be on the bubble with a loss.  I'm dubious about that.  Even if it's the case they would now be firmly seeded 4th in a pod against the host team in the first round.
I've also seen that the winner of this game is probably getting invited.  I think that's likely.

Good luck to Emerson & WPI.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: 7express on February 26, 2022, 12:39:30 AM
Quote from: BaboNation on February 24, 2022, 09:41:34 PM
Emerson wins @ Babson for the first time in 12 years in OT 85-77.

Not to be a broken record, but it's never easy to win 3 conference games against the same team in a season, even when you have a 16 point lead with 15 minutes left;  or even when you have a 5 point lead with 20 seconds left while shooting FTs in the double-bonus and inexplicably foul on an offensive rebound stopping the clock and awarding FTs at the other end;  or even when you have a 3 point lead and throw away an inbound pass with 13 seconds left;  and when seldom used Trevor Arico hits a game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation the point is never clearer.

For the longest time in this game it was only Houston and Waterhouse for Emerson (36 of their first 40 points).  But once others started heating up, especially Arico (14 points - all after halftime), whose previous NEWMAC high was 4, the momentum shifted.

It looked like Babson was running on fumes at the end.  Maybe the 8 days between games (and Covid issues) was a factor, but the mental mistakes down the stretch were uncharacteristic.  I will also note some absences of key players:  Amado for Babson;  McLean and Davis for Emerson.  While Amado would have helped out with his length as a wing defender and is the top Babson rebounder, Emerson was losing a lot more production.  Davis is the guy I feared most off the bench as the 6th man who scores on drives and with his quick release from the arc. 

Waterhouse (28) and Houston (25/10) were the full-game stars for Emerson, playing 89 of 90 minutes combined, but they needed everything Arico provided to get the W.

Dorney (17/16) was gutsy in 42 minutes, but he needed help after Bradanese fouled out late and it wasn't forthcoming.

I've seen mocks that say Babson would still be on the bubble with a loss.  I'm dubious about that.  Even if it's the case they would now be firmly seeded 4th in a pod against the host team in the first round.
I've also seen that the winner of this game is probably getting invited.  I think that's likely.

Good luck to Emerson & WPI.

I can one up you here!  Down here in Connecticut I think it was 4 or 5 years ago either in 2017 or 2018 I believe it was a state quarterfinal game; a team is up 4 points with 7 seconds to play and they lost!  How??  The opponent took and made a 3 and got fouled.  Now in Connecticut, the clock continues to run on a made basket in the 4th quarter, so the ball went through the net at about 5 and change, so really the opponent can hold the ball for 4.5 seconds until theres about 1.5 left and chuck one down court or up in the air and hopefully the clock runs out.  The kid made the free throw to tie the game to force OT and they ended up winning in OT.  Sad thing is, the team that was winning at that 8 second point had been leading the entire way, and outside of 0-0 I don't even think the game had even been tied again, so in actually it would have been more beneficial to them if they put all 5 defenders out of bounds and not even played defense.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 26, 2022, 03:51:16 PM
Congratulations WPI!!!  What a season. Emerson was great in the first half and then went cold.   Lowther great. Extra-long and extra special hugs from coach B with O'Donnell, Downing, and McNamara!  Boy, this has to feel great, especially for them!

Gotta believe they get to host a pod next weekend!  Unless there is some dynamic I do not know about?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 26, 2022, 05:51:20 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 26, 2022, 03:51:16 PM
Congratulations WPI!!!  What a season. Emerson was great in first half and then went cold.   Lowther great. Extra long and extra special hugs from coach B with Downing and Macnamara!  Boy this has to feel great for both of them!

Gotta believe they get to host a pod next weekend!  Unless there is some dynamic I do not know about?

Congrats.

WPI will definitely host the 1st 2 rounds.  Depending how the rest of the weekend plays out and how the first 2 rounds go they may even host the round of 16 pod.

Lowther is a man of steel.  Misses 3 games and comes back to be tourney MVP.  And Adams went toe-to-toe with Houston for 3 games and more than held his own.

I'm hoping at least one more bid comes to the NEWMAC.  Emerson would get a bid before Babson.  Hoping for a deep postseason run by WPI.  Success helps the whole conference.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on February 26, 2022, 08:50:22 PM
Given how few upsets there have been, Emerson and Babson are almost surely locks to make the tourney at this point. 

I think WPI, Williams, Wesleyan, and St. Joe's are all going to host pods.  RMC, Marietta and Oshkosh are all going to be top seeds I expect which leaves room for one New England team to potentially be a top seed in a quadrant.  I think if Wesleyan wins tomorrow, they will very clearly be the top seed among those four teams, and most definitely will be a top seed overall in a quadrant.  If Wesleyan loses tomorrow, those four teams are very close -- any of the four of them, or Christopher Newport, could conceivably be the last top quadrant seed.  My guess is it would be Christopher Newport, unless they keep them in RMC's quarter of the bracket for geographic reasons, in which case it would likely be Williams edging out WPI and St. Joe's.  But all of those teams have an argument, they are all going to end up REALLY close in the ratings if Williams and St. Joe's win out.  Wesleyan is the only one from that group that, with another win, would have separated itself from the pack a bit. 

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 28, 2022, 01:21:54 PM
Congrats NEWMAC on 3 in the dance.  Not thrilled with WPI's pod - but happy to be hosting.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 28, 2022, 05:36:26 PM
While the NEWMAC had their best-ever men's total (4) in 2020, that was an outlier, with Coast Guard coming from nowhere to win the AQ.  And of the 4, only Springfield got out of the first round.

This year, with 3 on the men's side and 3 on the women's side helps build on a sustained record of achievement for the conference.  And having a host on both sides (WPI and Smith) is also a good sign.

Taking this only a round at a time, WPI should advance.  On paper it looks like they may have been dealt a bad hand to face a potential tougher than one might expect opponent  (St. Joseph's) in round 2.  But it looks like the committee might have figured it this way ... you can host the first 2 rounds and face a tough 2nd round opponent;  or, you can travel and face a more mid-level round 2 opponent.  WPI appears to fall into the former category.

Emerson got a real tough 1st round matchup in UM-D, but when you are one of the last 4 in that's the way things go.  Hopefully they get Davis and Martin back.  Both missed the NEWMAC tourney and that's a lot of production (25 ppg) to be without.

Babson, like Emerson is one of the last 4 in no doubt.  They should be happy to still be playing.  On paper DeSales should be a toss up game.  The winner gets Randolph-Macon.  Fair.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 01, 2022, 08:55:24 PM
Postseason awards are out.

https://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/20220301fmrmtw


Team   Name   Institution
First Team All-Conference   Jarred Houston   Emerson College
First Team All-Conference   John Lowther   WPI
First Team All-Conference   Ian Hinkley   MIT
First Team All-Conference   Colin Bradanese   Babson College
First Team All-Conference   John Adams   WPI
       
Second Team All-Conference   Zach Waterhouse   Emerson College
Second Team All-Conference   Colin McNamara   WPI
Second Team All-Conference   Alex Carlisle   Wheaton College
Second Team All-Conference   Isaiah Taylor   Clark University
Second Team All-Conference   Mitchell Kirsch   Babson College

Houston was voted POY and DPOY as I thought would be appropriate.  They definitely weighted the non-conference stats more than I would.  As much as I love Bradanese I gave the nod to Dorney who had better conference stats and was left out entirely.  And as many awards go, when you have 2 players from the same team the upperclassman wins out.
Carlisle also dropped off quite a bit from his non-conference stats.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 03, 2022, 04:21:47 PM
Oof - from Ryan's lips to God's ears. He has WPI going to the final 4.  I truly believe that is possible.  I also believe Lowther and Adams will not disappoint!  We will need somebody (or somebodies) to knock down 3's as well!  My bet is Downing - but I will take it from McNamara or a group effort (Callahan/Lufkin/etc).

Get me to 70 each game and I love our chances.  Be efficient - maybe 11-26 from 3 and LETS GO.  Get the other teams in foul trouble.  Will likely need to win ugly as we move on.........................

Very exciting.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 04, 2022, 07:14:28 PM
Emerson suffers a haunting defeat to UM-Dartmouth after leading by 18 in the 2nd half and up 6 with under a minute to go.  But Waterhouse, who had a monster game (28/5) missed both FTs, Houston (16/25 and 5 blocks) fouled out with 23s left up 2, and the miss on the ensuing FT led to an offensive rebound and 3 pointer to give UM-D the first lead of the game since 4-2.  Azor had a quiet 1st half, but you knew that wouldn't last, finishing with 27/10.  UM-D had 55 2nd half points.  Relentless.


Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 04, 2022, 07:31:00 PM
Babson enjoys rare size advantages in a 1st round win one DeSales.  MAC POY Kachelries had difficulty getting clean looks, but Tim Edwards had 23 of their 1st half points, doing damage way too low to keep DeSales in the game.

Edwards finished with a season high 34 and 11 boards but Babson had an answer for every run.  All the starters had strong games with Dorney 19/8, Bradanese 18/10, and Amado 16/7 leading the way.

So, now it's on to Randolph-Macon.  Time to shock the D3 world.  I'm sure the pregame pep talk will include something along the lines of  "we gave Harvard a strong showing ... "
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2022, 08:20:17 PM
WHOOOOOHOOOOO!  That's it for now.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 05, 2022, 08:38:07 PM
Babson keeps it close for a half but Randolph-Macon with too much skill, versatility, and talent to overcome.  Congrats to R-M.

Good job by the R-M broadcast crew.  One of the best I've heard all year.

It's up to WPI now (big winners again) to carry the NEWMAC forward.  Represent!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2022, 09:34:08 PM
RPI just prevented a Wesleyan revenge game. WPI v RPI.

Seems a decent chance WPI could host again?  You guys that are dialed in, what say you?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2022, 09:37:08 PM
Although looking at the brackets, might we have to go to Randolph-Macon?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 05, 2022, 10:02:31 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on March 05, 2022, 09:37:08 PM
Although looking at the brackets, might we have to go to Randolph-Macon?

Almost certainly.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 10, 2022, 09:11:42 PM
Springfield will be looking for a new HC with Brock's retirement.

https://springfieldcollegepride.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/20220228u8cg0u
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 10, 2022, 09:36:39 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 10, 2022, 09:11:42 PM
Springfield will be looking for a new HC with Brock's retirement.

https://springfieldcollegepride.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/20220228u8cg0u

Seems like a good fit for Ryan Cain, if he wants it.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 11, 2022, 08:52:27 AM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 10, 2022, 09:36:39 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on March 10, 2022, 09:11:42 PM
Springfield will be looking for a new HC with Brock's retirement.

https://springfieldcollegepride.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/20220228u8cg0u

Seems like a good fit for Ryan Cain, if he wants it.

I'd be surprised with that move.  He has a pretty good situation at Keene and may not be able to draw from the same pool of recruits.
Just a guess but I imagine Springfield looks at the ascendancy of Clark, the logjam of D1 assistants who can recruit but have a potentially long wait for a HC job at that level, and pick someone from those ranks like Clark did.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on March 11, 2022, 09:06:18 AM
If I'm Cain, aren't I just content racking up wins in the LEC until whenever Bartley retires? That might not be for awhile but seems like an obvious plan.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 11, 2022, 09:54:57 AM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on March 11, 2022, 09:06:18 AM
If I'm Cain, aren't I just content racking up wins in the LEC until whenever Bartley retires? That might not be for awhile but seems like an obvious plan.

I'm with you there.  He has all he needs where he is now to achieve continued success and get to the tournament on a fairly regular basis.  WPI would indeed be a long-term perfect fit, but if his record continues on the current track there may be other attractive options before Bartley's retirement that are too good to turn down.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 11, 2022, 10:04:18 AM
Interesting topic.  Good luck today boys - exciting stuff!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 11, 2022, 06:32:32 PM
WPI is ELITE!  SLOPPY TENSE GLORIOUS.

WPI and RPI VERY similar teams.  Their best was a little better than our best tonight - but our supporting cast did just enough.

Certainly not an A game from WPI - but I am sure many RPI opponents leave "feeling" that way - they play in your face D - WPI was never comfortable - a couple runs, a couple big 3's made the difference!

Going to need our A-game tomorrow against either team - 56 points will certainly not win it - might need 80+ I would think.

Congratulations boys - enjoy rest-up.  Go get em tomorrow!

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 11, 2022, 10:20:17 PM
WPI is the last team standing from New England.

McNamara gets overlooked in the shadow of Lowther and Adams, but he is just as dependable in his role.  He played all 40 minutes, had the go-ahead bucket and the steal in the lane to seal the victory.
And FY Callahan showed a lot of poise despite being hounded by a strong defender in Black for most of the game,

WPI is going to need to keep RMC in the 60's I think.  I expect McNamara to be on Anthony.  McNamara is a very good defender and will make his man work on both ends.  The other matchup I'm anxious to see is Adams vs. Mallory.

Should be fun.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 12, 2022, 10:02:16 AM
While I certainly like our chances more if the game tonight stays in the 60s, I see a scenario where WPI can hang with Macon in the high 70s. Will involve knocking down 3's and streaks of dominance from Lowther/Adams....... WPI has scored 74 or more in 20 games this year, albeit several of those wee lopsided wins.

Fun stuff regardless.

I was at our last final 8 appearance in 1985 as a senior in hs "recruit".

Widener college took the air out of the ball and if I remember correctly won the game in the 20s????  Or low 30s. (No shot clock yet). I am going to go look that score up.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 12, 2022, 10:04:26 AM
41-38 Widener.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 12, 2022, 09:16:51 PM
No joy. Congrats Randolph Macon. Too good.

Congratulations to the WPI team on their history making season. Can't wait for next year!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on March 21, 2022, 08:02:36 PM
How's the NEWMAC look next year? Any seniors returning for their "Covid" year?

WPI - lose McNamara and Downing (and O'Donnell)

Babson - Bradanese, Kirsch, Welch, Cline

Emerson - Houston, Waterhouse, Martin, DiCenzo, McLean

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 22, 2022, 10:42:38 AM
I don't have any inside knowledge into who will add a Covid year.  Sometimes I think I read too much into the Senior Day hugs to gauge whether a player is truly leaving.

It's obviously very early to project next season but I don't think it unreasonable to suggest that the gap between WPI and the rest of the NEWMAC will only widen.

I think the loss of McNamara hurts more than Downing, but WPI always seems to have an off-ball guard that's a tenacious defender and good at dribble-drive.  Before McNamara it was Wisniewski.

But the team is still loaded.  Adams (listed as soph, but WPI had the Covid year) was named D3Hoops National ROY.  The thought of him being around for possibly 3 more years is scary.  If he adds a 3-point shot to his repertoire (not that he needs to) he'll have a total game.  Lowther for another year (or 2);  Callahan running the point as a true freshman and playing very well deep into the tournament;  and capable subs that are ready to step into larger roles (Lufkin, Morelli, et al).  This is a team that just went 27-3 and 15-1 in league play yet I think they'll be better next year.

I think Emerson got hurt the most, losing Houston, Waterhouse and the senior core.  But it's hard to imagine them dropping lower than 4-5.  I could see Max Davis upping his production (20 ppg?) as he becomes a larger focus of the offense.

Babson has a small nucleus of strong returning starters in Dorney, Amado, and Gorgol (their best wing defender who missed the conference season due to injury), and Kirkpatrick but there's a noticeable drop after that.  They really need to hope that either/both Parker Mason and/or early recruit Woolhouse can play the 5 so that Dorney can stay at his more natural wing.  I'd guess that Horan, Rob Crouch, Cross, and Staiti are the guys rounding out the 8-9 man rotation.  The wild card for Babson is always transfers.  Right now I have the roster size at 16 (21 - 7 + 2 early commits).  The 21-22 team got huge contributions from Dorney and Kirsch, and flashes from Cline.  Only Dorney returns.  On average they add at least one xfer.  If you treated this like NFL free agency you'd look for an upperclassman f/c and a pg.

Clark should be in the 2-4 range.  They'll probably look strong again OOC and Isaiah Taylor could start to put up gaudy numbers if he can improve his shooting pct. and shot selection.  They will miss Davern for sure, particularly when conference season begins.  I think they need another strong recruiting class to be legit.

MIT is the sleeping tiger that can recruit all over the globe.  Covid interrupted things, but it's very unusual for them to be non-factors for the last 2 seasons.  Here again, they've lost a lot (presumably) in Hinkley-Chatziveroglou-Pilsbury.  Maybe another year at 5?

Springfield?  New coach and lots of roster questions.  I'd guess 6-7.

Wheaton?  I mean, if they don't move into 3-4 this year with Carlisle, Williams, Cook, and Duncan Bubar (who looks like he has upside) it may never happen.  And maybe play some defense.  84 ppg last year.  Sheesh.

Coast Guard?  Lost a lot in Drummond and Perez.  Cameron Brown is probably going to make the biggest year 2 jump.  I thought he played Adams tougher than anyone in the NEWMAC.  But the team (on paper) does not look like a contender.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on March 22, 2022, 02:29:56 PM
Thanks. +1
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 23, 2022, 04:08:20 PM
I was just coming in to do a hack job of what Babo did better than I could - I will leave next year alone.  +1 BABO

My last congratulations to WPI - finishing 9 on the top 25 final rankings.  I am assuming that is the highest end-of-year ranking we/they have had.  Almost certain they were higher than that for a short spell (or spells) during the season - during Ryan Cain era..........................but not end of year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on June 15, 2022, 06:12:59 PM
I was beginning to think I missed the announcement, but Springfield has its new HC. 

Michael McClendon

https://springfieldcollegepride.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/20220601d2096h
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on July 06, 2022, 12:55:15 PM
Babson has mostly published its schedule and the first 11 games (pre-conference) look daunting to say the least.

What catches my eye:

Only 3 of the 11 are at home;  2 are possibly "neutral" at the Big 4 Challenge at Tufts gym, but the opening game opponent is not listed yet (Tufts, Salem State, or Brandeis, unless the teams have changed); 6 on the road.  Twice as many on the road vs. at home.  I figured with that lopsided H vs. A that maybe the home games were front or back loaded to handle changes to the facility or something, but that's not the case.

A game at Brandeis, even though they may face each other earlier in the Big 4 Challenge.

End of year trip to Hope (yikes) and Chicago.

Lasell (A)
Salve Regina (H)
St.Joseph CT (A)
Big 4 (N)
Big 4 (N)
Amherst (H)
Bowdoin (A)
Bates (H)
Brandeis (A)
Hope (A)
Chicago (A)



https://www.babsonathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/schedule
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: stlawus on July 06, 2022, 05:24:21 PM
We saw last year that W% was vastly outweighed by SOS, so it looks like the Beavers tailored their schedule accordingly.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on August 12, 2022, 01:13:27 PM
WPI non-Conference:

Worcester State
Rutgers-Newark
Me-Farmington
Emmanuel
Fitchburg State
Hamilton
Husson
Salem State
St Joseph (CT) Tourney (Christmas Week)  WPI vs Eastern CT and St Joes v SUNY POLY

Think that leaves one more?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on August 13, 2022, 08:33:07 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on August 12, 2022, 01:13:27 PM
WPI non-Conference:

Worcester State
Rutgers-Newark
Me-Farmington
Emmanuel
Fitchburg State
Hamilton
Husson
Salem State
St Joseph (CT) Tourney (Christmas Week)  WPI vs Eastern CT and St Joes v SUNY POLY

Think that leaves one more?

Seems like they'd play Tufts every year.  I wonder if they've swapped Hamilton for Tufts. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on August 18, 2022, 04:03:20 PM
They didn't play Tufts last year either so that would check out. Seems like a much harder trip.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 23, 2022, 08:39:28 AM
Babson & MIT have posted rosters.

https://www.babsonathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/roster

https://mitathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster?path=mbball

Now that I've picked my jaw up off the floor, Kieran Dorney is not listed for Babson.  He would have been their top returning scorer and only a junior.  Not sure if he transferred, but he'd provide immediate production to any D2/D3 program.  Different circumstances for sure, but somewhat reminiscent of another xfer, Crew Ainge, who also turned out to be a one year phenomenon.
And while Alex Cho had a year of eligibility remaining, his apparent loss at MIT is equally damaging.  Kostolansky also had a year left, but he too is missing.  Although he wasn't the same presence as Cho he would have been very useful this year with the other losses to graduation.  Can't expect everyone to use their Covid year.  Life happens.

It also caught my eye that 2 would-be seniors are not listed for Babson:  Matt Corey and Dave Crouch.  While neither was starting or particularly productive it's curious, especially for Corey who had been with the program for 3 years.  Dave's brother Rob (both xfers last year) is also not listed after seeing action in 18 games as a FY.  In total, 12 players from last year's 21-man roster are gone.

So Babson has 2 seniors and a new grad xfer guard, while MIT has no seniors at all.
It's only October, and forecasts this early are probably worthless, but if neither Babson nor MIT are in the top 4 of the NEWMAC, well, without looking it up, I'm not sure that's ever happened before.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on October 23, 2022, 09:37:08 AM
Wow, those are big losses. 

MIT is not surprising -- they always have a very high attrition rate because the academic work load is so insane there.  But man, MIT has been on quite a downward trajectory ... 2018: 25-6, two-point loss in Elite 8; 2019: 23-5, blown out in second round; 2020: 12-13; 2022: 13-12; and 2023 looks VERY rough unless their frosh are REALLY good REALLY fast ... only six returning guys who COMBINED scored 15 ppg last year on a mehh team.  They could well be the worst team in the NEWMAC this year.  No knock on Larry Anderson -- he's an elite coach, and it was always a miracle that he could get such high-level players between MIT's insane admissions standards for athletes and how many guys burned out on the varsity hoops - academics combo.

As for Babson, wow, those are big losses, especially combined with losing a very strong graduating class (and only one transfer, which is light for Babson of late).  Dorney was really good down the stretch (15.3 ppg and 9.1 rpb while lighting it up from 3 vs. strong competition), I saw him as a dark-horse all-American candidate and with Adamo one of the best 1-2 punches in D3.  Now, a lot is going to rest on Adamo's shoulders.  Babson plays its usual tough non-league schedule (Tufts, St. Joe's, Amherst, Hope and Brandeis are the highlights) so it's going to be a real challenge for them. 

It does seem like WPI and Emerson are WAY ahead of the field in NESCAC this year (Emerson hasn't posted its roster yet but my understanding is that most of its key seniors are returning for a fifth year, including Waterhouse and Houston).  And it also seems like this opens the door for a dark horse in NEWMAC ... not sure who that might be, though. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 23, 2022, 09:52:06 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on October 23, 2022, 09:37:08 AM
Wow, those are big losses. 

MIT is not surprising -- they always have a very high attrition rate because the academic work load is so insane there.  But man, MIT has been on quite a downward trajectory ... 2018: 25-6, two-point loss in Elite 8; 2019: 23-5, blown out in second round; 2020: 12-13; 2022: 13-12; and 2023 looks VERY rough unless their frosh are REALLY good REALLY fast ... only six returning guys who COMBINED scored 15 ppg last year on a mehh team.  They could well be the worst team in the NEWMAC this year.  No knock on Larry Anderson -- he's an elite coach, and it was always a miracle that he could get such high-level players between MIT's insane admissions standards for athletes and how many guys burned out on the varsity hoops - academics combo.

As for Babson, wow, those are big losses, especially combined with losing a very strong graduating class (and only one transfer, which is light for Babson of late).  Dorney was really good down the stretch (15.3 ppg and 9.1 rpb while lighting it up from 3 vs. strong competition), I saw him as a dark-horse all-American candidate and with Adamo one of the best 1-2 punches in D3.  Now, a lot is going to rest on Adamo's shoulders.  Babson plays its usual tough non-league schedule (Tufts, St. Joe's, Amherst, Hope and Brandeis are the highlights) so it's going to be a real challenge for them. 

It does seem like WPI and Emerson are WAY ahead of the field in NESCAC this year (Emerson hasn't posted its roster yet but my understanding is that most of its key seniors are returning for a fifth year, including Waterhouse and Houston).  And it also seems like this opens the door for a dark horse in NEWMAC ... not sure who that might be, though.

I wouldn't want you to share info that would make you uncomfortable, but I'm curious about Houston and Waterhouse returning.  I'm certainly not in their orbit, but I haven't seen anything on that.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on October 23, 2022, 11:38:53 AM
I have no personal info on the Emerson guys, just stuff I saw on social media.  Houston, at least, appeared to confirm in a Twitter exchange with a D3hoops pollster that he was returning.  If he's back it's just a monster year for veteran big men in New England - Sobel, Houston, Adams, Nate Karren, Jeff Hunter ...
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on October 23, 2022, 01:24:37 PM
FWIW, his Twitter account has Emerson '23.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 23, 2022, 02:49:00 PM
nescac1 & Greek

Thanks
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on October 23, 2022, 03:10:40 PM
It's been confirmed that Houston is back. Waterhouse is not.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 24, 2022, 10:31:35 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on August 12, 2022, 01:13:27 PM
WPI non-Conference:

Worcester State
Rutgers-Newark
Me-Farmington
Emmanuel
Fitchburg State
Hamilton
Husson
Salem State
St Joseph (CT) Tourney (Christmas Week)  WPI vs Eastern CT and St Joes v SUNY POLY

Think that leaves one more?

Taking another look at what WPI has posted for a schedule it looks a little different.  No game against Eastern CT.  Instead it's SUNYIT.  And it doesn't look like a holiday tournament with games 11 days apart at 2 different venues.

https://athletics.wpi.edu/sports/mbkb/2022-23/schedule

And they always used to play a game on the last weekend of November, but no game this year after Nov 22nd.
I imagine they couldn't find a date that worked for an opponent, but as a fan I'd sure have liked to see how they matched up with a Nichols, Keene State, Williams, etc.
There will probably be some games where they let their guard down a little, but other than St. Joe's (a home game) it's not unlikely they enter conference play 10-0 and while conference rivalries always get the juices flowing it's hard to see a strong challenger there either.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on October 24, 2022, 02:58:39 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on October 23, 2022, 11:38:53 AM
I have no personal info on the Emerson guys, just stuff I saw on social media.  Houston, at least, appeared to confirm in a Twitter exchange with a D3hoops pollster that he was returning.  If he's back it's just a monster year for veteran big men in New England - Sobel, Houston, Adams, Nate Karren, Jeff Hunter ...

Houston is indeed listed as returning in the info provided by Emerson to our pollsters from last week.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on October 25, 2022, 07:08:39 PM
Emerson roster is out.  As others reported here, Houston back, Warterhouse not.  Nate Martin, another starter, returns for a fifth year.  Then also add Sean Coman, a graduate transfer who started at Hendrix last year.  With Coman, Beckwith, Martin and Davis, Emerson has tons of perimeter scoring to keep defenses honest around Houston.  Point guard and depth up front are probably the question marks. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 25, 2022, 08:13:51 PM
Clark's roster & schedule are out.

Full credit to the substantial improvement in the OOC schedule which includes Bates, Tufts, and Williams.  Nice to see.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 27, 2022, 12:44:01 PM
Now that we know Houston is back for Emerson I decided to watch the WPI vs. Emerson games (3) again from last year, paying special attention to the Houston-Adams matchup.

The videos are still available. 

The first is @ Emerson and is a little hard to watch in the depths of Covid (very un-Emerson with just one overhead camera and no audio).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzWlLzWUsY

This is the first time these 2 faced each other in NEWMAC play and Adams finished with his 2nd highest point total of the year (23) on 11-15 (vs Houston's 14 on just 5-8), and Adams finished with the rebounding edge 10-8.
Houston tested Adams early and got his only 4 FTs of the game, but Adams did a great job denying the entry pass, and showed the strength and lateral quickness to disallow the back down Houston uses against smaller and weaker opponents.
Unless Houston is able to get a shoulder turned to the basket he's not got an edge on this matchup.
Adams was able to frequently set up low, pass out, and reset for foul line jumpers before Houston had the speed or willingness to close out.  He did the same after setting a screen on the wing. And he took it to Houston low if he could take advantage of his lateral quickness.
Recognizing full well that these 2 were not matched up at all times and WPI had the stronger squad, I come away (as I did then) thinking that Adams was the better player on this night.

The 2nd (regular season) game is @ WPI with an annoying 5 second audio lag for most of the first half.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7_OKVy1SLY

This one got away from Emerson early, but that had a lot to do with not being able to get Houston going.  He had his 2nd lowest shot attempts for the year (5) and didn't take his first until about 5 minutes left in the first half (missed put-back offensive rebound) and didn't score until 1:30 left in the half.  And then Adams takes Houston one-on-one for a nifty reverse along the baseline on the next possession.
The half finishes (when it was still somewhat of a game at 33-21) with Houston at 2 points (on 2 shots) and 6 rebounds and Adams at 10-6.
The second half isn't worth a deep dive because the game got out of hand and neither player was a standout statistically.  Houston finished with a line of 8-9 with 5 TOs and 4 fouls;  Adams' line was 10-10 with 3 TOs and 3 fouls.
I again give an edge to Adams in this matchup.  When your team is up against it early you need to demand the ball and get involved.  It's striking that Houston's only 1st half basket came when he fought through a tough triple-team in the restricted area because he was mostly contained straight up by Adams.

NEWMAC Final

This was Houston's best game.  Much more assertive.  Emerson actually had a 2-point halftime lead.  The game got away in the 2nd half, but that was really more about the superiority of WPI's surrounding cast.
Houston finished with 21-12 vs. Adams at 15-15.

Maybe this summary is going to come across as Houston bashing.  I hope not.  He's an undeniable talent and if they counted altered shots or "hmm, maybe I better not drive the lane on this guy" as a stat he'd be 1st team AA in those categories.
He's certainly taken it to my favorite squad.
And I take nothing away from him that he's dominant over guys where he has a 40 pound weight, or 5 inch height advantage.
It's not his fault that he went up against Tufts when Luke Rogers was hurt.
It's not his fault that the team didn't schedule Wesleyan to see how he'd match up against a Jordan James type who could give some inches and still have the strength and athleticism to be a force.
However, as few big men as there are at the D3 level, guys in the 6'7" - 6'8" with upper body strength, weighing in the vicinity of 225+, with lateral quickness can match up with Houston defensively and present problems offensively where he is not quick and has a tendency to stay home in the key, offering opportunities for guys with mobility and range.
So as I take a look at the Emerson schedule this year we have the same 2 regular season matchups with WPI and Adams (and likely a NEWMAC tourney game as well).  There aren't a lot of other games that have players who might suggest a matchup challenge before the national tournament.  Maybe Turner Kurt or Nick Everett (Wooster).  Not much else that I can see.

What I come back to time and time again is what a stud Adams showed himself to be in his first year.  If he even upped his game 10% over the summer watch out.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on October 27, 2022, 02:30:33 PM

Watching Houston in the TBT this summer really revealed his lack of footspeed.  That's something you can work on and improve, for sure, so I'm looking to see how he moves when the season gets going.  I think he'd have a much better chance against Adams if he can get to where he wants to be a step or two faster.  It's definitely something he'll have to improve if he wants to play professionally.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on October 27, 2022, 08:48:42 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on October 27, 2022, 02:30:33 PM

Watching Houston in the TBT this summer really revealed his lack of footspeed.  That's something you can work on and improve, for sure, so I'm looking to see how he moves when the season gets going.  I think he'd have a much better chance against Adams if he can get to where he wants to be a step or two faster.  It's definitely something he'll have to improve if he wants to play professionally.

I didn't realize he could play in that with eligibility still available to him.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on October 28, 2022, 01:50:41 AM
Quote from: Greek Tragedy on October 27, 2022, 08:48:42 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on October 27, 2022, 02:30:33 PM

Watching Houston in the TBT this summer really revealed his lack of footspeed.  That's something you can work on and improve, for sure, so I'm looking to see how he moves when the season gets going.  I think he'd have a much better chance against Adams if he can get to where he wants to be a step or two faster.  It's definitely something he'll have to improve if he wants to play professionally.

I didn't realize he could play in that with eligibility still available to him.

As long as the team didn't pay him, he's good. I assume the d3 guys are covering their own expenses for that tourney.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on October 31, 2022, 04:19:34 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on October 27, 2022, 02:30:33 PM

Watching Houston in the TBT this summer really revealed his lack of footspeed.  That's something you can work on and improve, for sure, so I'm looking to see how he moves when the season gets going.  I think he'd have a much better chance against Adams if he can get to where he wants to be a step or two faster.  It's definitely something he'll have to improve if he wants to play professionally.

Wouldn't it be fair to assume that Adams has more room to improve than Houston does? He is younger by a few years and just only completed his first season of college basketball. Whatever areas Houston improves in physically, it should stand to reason that Adams do the same in some form or another.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 07, 2022, 09:55:52 AM
WPI midnight game tonight against a very capable Worcester State team - interesting early test.  Let the fun begin!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 07, 2022, 12:55:50 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 07, 2022, 09:55:52 AM
WPI midnight game tonight against a very capable Worcester State team - interesting early test.  Let the fun begin!

I'll be watching.  The Clarkson grad xfer, Swedberg should provide a good frontcourt presence, experience, and production on both ends.  It will be interesting to see how he's used down the road (alongside Adams or a backup for he and Lowther).

I'm guessing the starting lineup will be something like:

Adams
Lowther
Marelli
Lufkin
Callahan

but it wouldn't surprise me to see one of the FYs start (Newman?).  Whoever fits the tenacious defender G mold will get minutes for sure, even if it's as a 6th man.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 08, 2022, 07:39:35 AM
Yikes. Babo I did not stay up. Love a report if you did. I really think Worcester State will be good this year, but didn't expect this close. Glad to get the win and move on.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 08, 2022, 07:49:03 AM

Swedberg didn't play at all. Not sure if there's an injury. WPI looked rusty. They had trouble getting the ball in the paint and keeping Worcester out of it. It didn't seem like any individual dropped the ball, but collectively they were not ready to play together. That being said, the threes were falling and they have two all Americans, so they survived. Callahan was excellent and Worcester State was amazing. On opening night, a W is a W. You can't be too upset.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 08, 2022, 08:25:21 AM
Wow.  Too bad this was a midnight game 1 because this one was really good.

Worcester State was not intimidated at all and fought back all night.  They've got enough frontcourt size and mobility, and enough overall team quickness to be disruptive defensively.  Looking ahead I think they'll give Emerson fits.

Adams was the best player on the floor.  The last 2 possessions made his case for AA.  Down 70-69 Lowther found Adams out of a double-team for an easy layup;  then, after a WS turnover Adams snuck away for a 50-foot inbound pass for a breakaway layup (how did WS not have someone long?).

The top 3 players for WPI (Adams, Lowther, and Callahan) were the go-to guys, though Lowther had some tough times getting open looks.  Few teams will be able to keep WPI off the low block like this.

Beyond the top 3 I think WPI will still be searching for steady contributions.  Sevilla surprised me to be starting.  Coach Bartley tried out 5-6 different combos in the 1st half before coming back to the starters he trusted down the stretch.  If there are issues beyond the top-3 it may not affect the team until the tournament.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on November 08, 2022, 09:26:49 AM
Worcester State definitely looked like a very solid team.  They will be fighting with Westfield State for the MASCAC crown this year.  Sam Dion is absolutely legit at guard, Rubenskas and Bjorn are a burly, veteran interior duo who will look at a lot better against most teams than they did dealing with Adams and Lowther, and they've benefited from some added talent transferring in from Nichols, in particular, big wing Aaron Nkrumah who is a solid athlete and excellent two-way player.  As a Williams fan, I'm not delighted that they got this confidence-booster (even with a loss) as they will be a tough opponent in the Ephs' opening game in one week; the Ephs can't afford too much time to work the rust off in that one or there could be an upset. 

WPI looked like a top 25 team but not like a top 10 team.  Adams played to his all-American billing and was excellent.  While not Lowther's best game he is still a star player.  And I agree that Aidan Callahan looked really good - very smooth and crafty, perhaps a third star in the making.  The question is depth and perimeter quickness.  Lufkin and Sevilla hit some key open shots and Sevilla is your prototypical WPI guard, a real scrapper on both ends, but they don't seem as disruptive on the perimeter on either end as they were last year.  Worcester penetrated a little too easily at times and burned WPI in transition.   WPI's bench also struggled to contribute at all (although missing the top big man off the bench surely played a factor).  The good news for WPI is that its schedule is ridiculously easy this year.  NEWMAC seems a bit down, overall, from last year, after the top two teams, given all the guys Babson, MIT and Clark lost.  And St. Joseph (CT) is the only high-caliber non-conference game remaining (although Maine Farmington might be pesky).  I think WPI is going to have another gaudy record this year, Adams an Lowther are just too good, but how far they ultimately go will depend on developing their depth behind the big three.  Plenty of time to do so ...

Oh, and the scene was awesome in Worcester.  Huge band, packed house, fans of both teams super-pumped.  What a great tradition, hope they do it every year!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: warriorcat on November 08, 2022, 09:46:50 AM
WPI and Worcester State wanted to do Midnight Madness last year but Covid considerations forced them to move it to an evening game.  Worcester actually did this a couple of times with Clark (another in town opponent).  It produced the same energetic atmosphere at both schools with WSU winning the last two games.  Clark chose not to play Worcester after 2020. WPI and WSU quickly agreed to start their seasons this way.  Hopefully, they will continue at WSU next year.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 08, 2022, 09:53:16 AM
Thanks for all the reports/details folks - I feel like Scott Hanson on Redzone - are you ready for "5 months of non-stop action"?  Should be a fun season, look forward to communicating via the various boards all year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 09, 2022, 09:37:04 PM
Babson opens with a 76-65 victory on the road at Lasell.  While this is not one of the top teams they'll play by any means you take any win you can get, especially with 8 of 11 out of conference on the road.
And it should be said that Lasell took Babson down to the last minute last year on Babson's home floor when Babson had more seniors and grad xfers on the roster.

I don't want to make too much of the first game, but the first half was hard to watch.  Bad shooting.  Unforced turnovers.  Too little motion on offense.  Too slow closing out on shooters.  Collectively Babson shot 3-16 from players not named Amado and Kirkpatrick, and 1-10 from the arc, leading to a 5 point halftime deficit.

The second half was better, especially defensively, but the supporting cast is going to need to provide more production.

Amado was the difference.  He finished with 25/15 and could have had a lot more if the team wasn't shooting 5/30 from the arc, since his game is slashing through the lane and scoring in the paint.  Babson started 2 FY (Lauder and O'Toole) and brought another FY (Woolhouse - who I think shows a lot of potential) off the bench in the 2nd half.  The grad xfer Cibull seemed to be rushing his shot (1 of 8) but again, it's game 1, last year's grad xfer started slow too, and Cibull did distribute the ball well.  He averaged 10 ppg last year so he should contribute.

It's going to take time for the FYs and sophomores to develop.  Hopefully the vets can continue to keep them in games til that happens.

EJ Day filled it up for Lasell (29) and got to the rim often with his speed and shiftiness.

I also caught the MIT blowout loss on Tuesday at home.  They started 3 FY and a sophomore.  Suffice to say I won't feel compelled to watch them again until they become competitive again.  Sad to see, particularly when they have an assistant coach who was a star for the program just a few years ago.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 12, 2022, 05:26:49 PM
Babson wins its home opener over Salve Regina, 80-72.

Where would this team be without Nate Amado (29/7)?  I'll answer my own question - in the middle of the pack.
Despite forcing some shots early, Amado kept them going every time they needed a boost,often through double teams.  Kirkpatrick also had a good game (13 pts. 9 assists), and O'Toole looks like the FY that is most ready to contribute right away.  He had 12 points despite getting himself into 1st half foul trouble (4).  He's a little too handsy on defense, but in the early going seems to be pretty good keeping his ground down low.
Someone needs to be a consistent outside threat to open up the inside game for Amado.  There have been too many uncontested ugly 3's in the first two games.

I like that the 2 Babson bigs (Mason and Woolhouse) seem to be rotating for each other.  I hope as the season progresses we'll see one of these guys establishing an offensive presence down low.

For SR, Mikey Spencer (34, after 28 in last year's game) was a force.  He has a nice stroke on the perimeter and took everyone Babson threw at him off the dribble.  Thankfully he's graduating, so we won't have to face him next year when SR joins the NEWMAC.

There are several Babson roster guys who didn't play in this one or have missed both games.  Most notably Horan, Lauder (started game 1), and Cross.  I saw someone on the sideline with a walking brace.

Looking ahead to Game 3 @ St. Joseph's I'd like to see the defense sag inside except on O'Neill.  STJ's game is in the paint through Martin and Babson's roster does not have the team speed to get spread out and chase against that kind of quickness.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 14, 2022, 09:18:46 PM
ST. Joe's CT breaks open a 52-52 game and takes Babson to the woodshed on a 25-4 run to close the game, winning 77-56.

Same as it ever was.  Too much speed and quickness for STJ causing havoc on both ends.  Babson's offense simply couldn't penetrate the paint (other than Amado, often on double teams).  Even with size advantages no one could post up low or take a man off the dribble.  Or put back an offensive rebound for that matter.   Too green a team right now.
On defense, picking up high meant chasing a Blue Jay to the basket.

It ended something like 40-14 points in the paint.  You can't win that way.

Everyone on Babson other than Amado (20/10) had rough nights.  Mason (12/4) had a decent stat line, but even fouling out with just 2 points I think FY Timmy O'Toole shows the better 2-way game.

And in the 2nd half even Amado took some ill-advised drives into double and triple teams, but as I looked at the floor there weren't exactly better options.

As much as I respect coach Brennan I didn't like the defensive sets spread out like they were.  As I expected, O'Neill (23/6, 4/8 from 3) can kill you from deep, but STJ is not a team built to beat you from the perimeter.  You (Babson) are a slow team.  Why not sag inside against a very average 3-pt team that wants to take you inside?  They played right into Jaecee Martin's (13 points, 6 assists) hands. 

Having seen STJ against Babson (and others) for 3 years now I don't think this is #13 in the country.  A team with a strong point guard, a low post presence (or two), and floor balance will hang with them capably.  Jaecee Martin stirs the drink.  Same as it ever was.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 16, 2022, 10:06:51 PM
Bad night for the NEWMAC. Looking like a down year?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 17, 2022, 09:09:33 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 16, 2022, 10:06:51 PM
Bad night for the NEWMAC. Looking like a down year?

Yeah, looks like a down year for sure, maybe the worst in the last 10 years.

Emerson misses a lot with Waterhouse's graduation, but they've also played without Max Davis to start this season.  If they want to be sure of a Pool C bid they need to go on a run.  Quickly. 

Clark may finally have a winning conference season, but I don't see them being substantially better than last year.

All of the above is a concern for WPI's postseason hopes.  They may go through Jan-Feb without being tested.  Still waiting to see Swedberg in action.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on November 17, 2022, 09:54:48 AM
While not a great loss at ALL for Emerson, Bridgewater State seems to have brought in some legit talent in the off-season.  They are led by three guys all new to the team: Precious Okoh, putting up a 24-3-4, was a regular rotation player as a first-year and sophomore at UMaine (but did not play there last year), Emerson Halblieb, a 6'9 big man who is averaging 16-10 on 73 percent shooting, is a grad transfer from Purdue, where he was the MVP of the club team league, and frosh point guard Dante Kikuba is averaging an impressive 10-6-7 in his first three college games.  Their other two leading scorers are another first-year and a transfer who was a starter at Nebraska Wesleyan, which typically has a strong hoops program.  None of those five guys seems to have played varsity college basketball last year, so you figure there will be some rust to work out and it will take time for them to mesh as a unit ... a good sign for a team that's already 3-0.  That Halblieb played all-American Houston to a statistical standstill is especially impressive, he must be legit. 

Bridgewater State's coach was just elevated to the head job in May so that is an impressive job already scouring some off-the-beaten track places (as well as finding quality frosh) for top-shelf talent.  A sign that it may be a program to watch in the region ... I like also that he is clearly unafraid to schedule tough non-league games, Christopher Newport, Wesleyan, Emerson, UMD, Guilford, that's some quality competition. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 17, 2022, 02:02:31 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 17, 2022, 09:54:48 AM
While not a great loss at ALL for Emerson, Bridgewater State seems to have brought in some legit talent in the off-season.  They are led by three guys all new to the team: Precious Okoh, putting up a 24-3-4, was a regular rotation player as a first-year and sophomore at UMaine (but did not play there last year), Emerson Halblieb, a 6'9 big man who is averaging 16-10 on 73 percent shooting, is a grad transfer from Purdue, where he was the MVP of the club team league, and frosh point guard Dante Kikuba is averaging an impressive 10-6-7 in his first three college games.  Their other two leading scorers are another first-year and a transfer who was a starter at Nebraska Wesleyan, which typically has a strong hoops program.  None of those five guys seems to have played varsity college basketball last year, so you figure there will be some rust to work out and it will take time for them to mesh as a unit ... a good sign for a team that's already 3-0.  That Halblieb played all-American Houston to a statistical standstill is especially impressive, he must be legit. 

Bridgewater State's coach was just elevated to the head job in May so that is an impressive job already scouring some off-the-beaten track places (as well as finding quality frosh) for top-shelf talent.  A sign that it may be a program to watch in the region ... I like also that he is clearly unafraid to schedule tough non-league games, Christopher Newport, Wesleyan, Emerson, UMD, Guilford, that's some quality competition.

That's all good stuff and I agree BS has improved, but there's no getting around Emerson being 1-2 with all games at home.  I'm just looking at some simple math assuming they don't get the NEWMAC AQ.  I expect they go 0-2 against WPI and lose at least one other in the NEWMAC.  That would be 5 losses (6 really if they lose somewhere in the NEWMAC postseason).  They still have games @ Brandeis, @ Keene State, Wooster (N), Worcester State (H) ...

And while Tufts is a quality team I don't think they are as good as they were last year when Luke Rogers was healthy, despite what comparative records might show and despite what they may well do to my squad on Saturday.

Emerson has Suffolk at home for their next D3 game.  No gimme.  If they don't pull that one out the hole will get very deep.

On a side note Williams looks very, very good.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on November 17, 2022, 02:36:03 PM
Agree on all BaboNation!  Emerson is definitely in dicey shape, especially with a LOT of challenging non-league games ahead (at Keene, Wooster, at UMass Lowell (!), at Brandeis, maybe WSU and Suffolk too). It's quite possible NEWMAC is a one-bid league this year.  Although then again SOMEONE is gonna get some pool C's from regions one and two and there seem to be a lot of conferences with one contender and then a big drop in those regions (maybe everyone outside of NESCAC, and even there, I'd say there are two teams and then a big drop).  I'd agree with your take on Tufts.  I think they are probably in the 3-4 range in NESCAC but I'm not sure just how deep NESCAC is going to be this year. 

I was mostly just curious about Bridgewater given how TERRIBLE they were last year (and losing their best players heading into this year) and was surprised at some of the new guys on the roster.  I am very curious how a just-hired coach found / ended up with really good players from the Purdue club league and Nebraska Wesleyan, plus a guy who had been a sometime-starter at Maine, certainly ...

I'm definitely excited to see what Williams does this season ... if how they played in the second half vs. WSU is the starting point, the team looks a lot better than last year.  But, it's very early! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 19, 2022, 05:02:10 PM
Tufts 82-73 over Babson, building a 14 point halftime cushion with fundamental basketball:  pick-and-roll, backdoor cuts, high-low lobs, etc. that caused some 2nd half defensive adjustments.  The Jumbos are a good balanced team.

The game got down to 4 in the last few minutes, but the deficit was too great to overcome.
Babson's offense consisted largely of Amado slicing through the lane, Amado jab-stepping for a fallaway jumper, and Amado driving and dishing.
Right now there's too little coming from the starting guards.  I like Kirkpatrick, but when his jumper isn't falling it seems to affect his whole game.  He ended up playing just the first 9 minutes.  Injury or coaching decision?  And grad Cibull has not provided production either.  Those 2 should be expected to provide more veteran leadership.
Still need to find someone capable of posting up low besides Amado who gets swarmed.
I do like FY O'Toole, but he's going to need time to develop his game.  And I like FY Lauder, but he hasn't played since starting game 1, so I assume he's banged up.

If the 22-23 Babson edition is going to write a story it may as well start with the Big 4 Consolation game against Salem State.  That was the same opponent that started a Babson run last season.

Til then, Nate Amado (31 today - 26/9 through 4 games) is worth tuning in to see.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 22, 2022, 07:41:45 PM
Needed one like tonight Fitchburg wrong place wrong time. Turkey will taste much juicier after putting one together on all levels.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 23, 2022, 03:05:14 PM
Babson wins its 5 straight in the annual rivalry with Amherst 66-54.

This was one Babson absolutely had to have with just 3 out of conference home games and Ryker Vance not playing for Amherst (to me, their best all-around player).

Nate Amado was again the best player on the court (20/6) but injured his right arm with about 5 minutes left and favored it thereafter.  Such is the state of the team that he played the rest of the way but he missed the handshake line to chat with the trainer.  He's essential to this team on both ends.  And his 6th straight 20 point game is the longest streak in team history since some guy named Flannery.

The game was almost a replica of the Tufts game in reverse.  Babson dominated on both ends (even outrebounding the taller Mammoths), racing out to leads of 11-0, 19-3, before ending the half up 35-21.  But careless Babson ball-handling and better Amherst execution in a spread offense cut it down to 4 or 5 before Babson settled down to close it out.

At 4-2 the remaining 5 games before conference play are all probably in the 40-60% winnable probability (assuming Amado is healthy).  The Hope game is a lot more realistic if Evan Thomas is still sidelined with his injury.

It's still too early to say how good the team is.  Probably in the 3rd spot in the NEWMAC, but 2nd or 4th if things go either way.

I don't think Amherst is a NESCAC contender this year, but they certainly will need Vance to make any kind of run.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 27, 2022, 02:54:25 PM
Babson falls to Bowdoin in Maine 82-74.

Werkman, McGowan (28), and even FY Bessire took it to Babson in the paint, off the drive, and on some basic cuts that got them back in the game and in control down the stretch.
The FT disparity in Bowdoin's favor was a reflection of one team's ability to generate mismatches down low.

We got a glimpse of Babson's offense without Amado (22) when he left the game down the stretch for about 5 minutes;  some god-awful possessions.

Trick or treat right now for Babson fans with a very green team that isn't getting enough from the upperclassmen.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 08, 2022, 09:11:01 PM
Babson wins @ Brandeis 88-76.

You never know what kind of game you're going to get around final exam time, and I wonder whether outside thoughts played into this one.

Anyway, 3rd chance is the charm for Babson in terms of getting a signature win after losing to St. Joe's and Tufts earlier in the season.

Very interesting starting lineup going small with Amado jumping center.

Andrew Gao with the best overall game of his Babson career 15/3 and strong deny defense.  Grad Ryan Cibull with his (hopefully) breakout game with 10 points, 5 assists and no TOs.  Kirkpatrick off the bench, playing under control with 18 points and 5 assists.  Gorgol (7/7) with great board work.  And Amado 16/7/5 didn't have to carry the offense for the first time all season.  Just 4 team TOs for the game and a 31-24 rebounding edge with a smaller lineup most of the night.

I don't know if this will be a trend, but the two Babson bigs (Mason/Woolhouse) played a season-low 12 minutes combined. 

Harris (23) Lien (20) and Edwards (15) got Brandeis off to a torrid start hitting 8-11 from the arc in the first half, but why was Justice playing so few minutes?  And as much as I want to compliment the Babson offense there was some bad defense played by the Judges in the 2nd half particularly.

That's it until the Hope & Chicago holiday trip. 

Side notes: 

Always enjoy listening to Jonah White on the play-by-play.  Good game prep.  I guess this was his last game for the season,  He had a nice stat, saying Babson has something like the 8th fewest FT attempts in all of D3 (a reflection of the team offense to date).

Another Babson player has departed from the roster (Staiti).  I don't think we need to read anything into this, but that makes 6 since last year, not including graduations.  So, from a Covid high of 21, the size is now 13.  The one that's missed the most by far is Dorney.

Edit:  Congratulations to women's coach Judy Blinstrub on win #700!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: D3Parent1 on December 09, 2022, 06:19:06 AM
Bobonation thank you for the great analysis   I have no skin in this game but I alway appreciate your thoughts.   Good luck to Babason
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on December 09, 2022, 07:00:42 AM
Thanks to Brandeis for temporarily keeping an archived feed of last night's Brandeis v Babson men's basketball game up on their live video website.  I was able to rewatch the second half of the game this morning.

Jonah White did confirm that last night's Brandeis vs Babson basketball game was his final game as the regular PBP commentator for Brandeis Athletics, as he is studying abroad for the spring semester and is scheduled to graduate in May.

Joshua Hertz, who served as color analyst last night for Jonah White, will be taking over the PBP for all Brandeis home athletic contests-- scheduled to start with the NYU at Brandeis doubleheader on January 7th, and will be doing the PBP for all Brandeis UAA men's and women's basketball home games, and then will continue in the spring with Brandeis baseball and softball games.

Josh Hertz started PBPing for Brandeis last March with baseball and softball, and did some Brandeis home soccer games in the fall already.  Mr. Hertz currently serves on campus as the general manager for the Brandeis student radio station, WBRS 100.1 FM, in addition to his PBP and color duties for Brandeis Athletics as well as pursuing his Brandeis undergrad studies.

BTW, Babson, great game last night.  You earned the win, and hopefully you can be in the Pool C conversation again come conference tournament time.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 14, 2022, 12:06:00 PM
Belated congratulations to Coach Bartley on win 400.  Here's to many more - 24 or so this year would be a great start!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 19, 2022, 07:47:33 PM
I watched the Emerson-Wooster game from Florida, with Wooster winning 63-56.

Houston only played the first 5 minutes of the first half after picking up his 2nd foul.  He finished the game with 12/13 but Nick Everett did a very good job fronting him, recovering, harassing his dribble all game.  The other Wooster big man (Kurt) didn't show the same quickness and strength in ball denial.  Houston's light afternoon of 4/4 from the field is a little misleading because Wooster fouled him a number of times to put him at the line (4/6) or in non-shooting situations.

Emerson probably overdid the entry passing when it wasn't there, leading in part to 21 TOs.

Still no Max Davis sighting for Emerson, though he's still on the roster.  I don't want to sound like the guy is an AA, but his game would help.  A lot imo.

So Emerson is 5-4 with the tournament game against Augsburg tomorrow and @ Keene St before the new year and conference play begins.  With no real signature win to date and losses mounting they are probably going to need to win the AQ to make the tournament or go on a tear.  A win @ Keene is a huge lift, but it might be necessary to achieve the latter path.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 29, 2022, 11:13:22 AM
Around the NEWMAC in holiday week:

WPI is still the clear head of the pack, but the loss at Hamilton certainly shows some vulnerability and will give other conference foes hope to steal a game when league play begins.

Concerns:  Outside shooting and rotational depth behind Lowther and Adams.  WPI under coach Bartley has always looked for inside offense first, and he's had some dominant threats inside.  But when teams are able to take that away they must be able to hit outside shots consistently.  Beyond Callahan, there are still questions.  Furthermore, always a strong defensive team, they've been uncharacteristically less than dominant on the glass where they have a marginal edge thus far.  They miss what O'Donnell could give them backing up Adams last year, and while Sevilla is a strong defender he's a notch or two less productive than what they were accustomed to receiving from McNamara the last few years.  I expected they'd get a lot more from Swedberg, given what he produced at Clarkson, but I'm assuming he's got a lingering injury.

Holiday week games:  Fri. St Joseph's CT (H).  Really tough matchup.  Full disclosure:  I didn't think STJ was a worthy #13 after downing Babson.  In my (weak?) defense, I think STJ has taken it to another level since then and are really locked in now,  Kinder especially.  WPI will find it very, very difficult to get clean looks anywhere inside.  Everything will be contested, and someone will step in to deny a drive.  So, outside shooting to open up spaces will be essential.

Clark:  Not head and shoulders #2, but they show some flashes of improvement, and have faced better OOC competition (notably Tufts) than in years past.  Isaiah Taylor is a legitimate threat to become the all-time top scorer in team history.  They still favor a fast paced, wide open game.  I like McArdle a lot inside (15.3 RPG in the last 3 are Houston type numbers).  He's much more of a low post presence than what they got from Dalvern for years and he has helped flip the team FG and RPG totals from net negatives to positives.  Normally I'd say let's wait til conference play to see if this holds up, but with the upgrade in OOC scheduling I think it's likely to continue.  I'm anxious to see McArdle against Houston and Adams.

Holiday week games:  Williams (H) Nazareth (H).  Um, better hope you catch Williams flat, but even then, there's so much depth that it could get ugly quickly.  I haven't seen Nazareth, but their resume is daunting.

Babson:  Hope (A);  Chicago (A).  Babson catches a break with Evan Thomas out, but Hope is still very good.  McKenzie is a pure shooter with great range.  The team picks up defensively much higher than what Babson usually sees.  It will be interesting to see if Babson sticks with the smaller unit they played against Brandeis. Would need no worse than a split to keep within Pool C consideration, and a victory over Hope would add another signature win.  Going forward it remains to be seen whether FY Tyler Lauder will be back from injury to solidify the inside.  He hasn't played since game 1 and it's asking a lot from a FY, but I think he's the only strong matchup they have against Houston and Adams.

Emerson:  Fri Keene State (A).  At 5-5, with no signature wins they are hanging by a thread for any Pool C hope.  They'd almost have to have this one and/or run the table in NEWMAC play.
Max Davis (14 ppg) saw his first '22-'23 action the last 2 games.  The offense is still iffy and stagnant beyond Houston and the defense is middle of the pack.

It's been a rough start to the NEWMAC season, and while these 4 seem to be the clear top half of the conference I won't be shocked if they come out of this week 0-6 (fwiw, Massey has WPI over STJ as the only 'W').
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on December 29, 2022, 06:15:19 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on December 29, 2022, 11:13:22 AM
Clark:
Holiday week games:  Williams (H) Nazareth (H).  Um, better hope you catch Williams flat, but even then, there's so much depth that it could get ugly quickly.  I haven't seen Nazareth, but their resume is daunting.



Ironically, Clark caught a flat Williams team today and lost by 17. They built up a 16 point lead in the first half on 7 made threes but went into half up 6 after some really sloppy play and lost all the momentum. It was over after that. Isaiah Taylor went 3-19, that didn't help either.

I have seen Clark in limited stretches this year but see no reason why they can't steal the NEWMAC. Now, it's unlikely, but they play a very defined style that is perfect for pulling upsets. Plus, if the presumed championship game against WPI (no offense to anyone else, they've only played in about 6 in a row) is played at their tempo, they have more firepower to win a shootout. Plus, McArdle can bang against Adams and Houston at least at a serviceable enough level to force others to put them away.

Normally you would say a 3pt shooting team has just as much of a chance to shoot themselves out of the game too, but they have 4 guys shooting over 40% from 3 on 4+ attempts each. Those numbers will definitely go down as their schedule improves in conference play, but it seems fairly reliable so far through 10 games.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 29, 2022, 08:55:13 PM
Quote from: SpringSt7 on December 29, 2022, 06:15:19 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on December 29, 2022, 11:13:22 AM
Clark:
Holiday week games:  Williams (H) Nazareth (H).  Um, better hope you catch Williams flat, but even then, there's so much depth that it could get ugly quickly.  I haven't seen Nazareth, but their resume is daunting.



Ironically, Clark caught a flat Williams team today and lost by 17. They built up a 16 point lead in the first half on 7 made threes but went into half up 6 after some really sloppy play and lost all the momentum. It was over after that. Isaiah Taylor went 3-19, that didn't help either.

I have seen Clark in limited stretches this year but see no reason why they can't steal the NEWMAC. Now, it's unlikely, but they play a very defined style that is perfect for pulling upsets. Plus, if the presumed championship game against WPI (no offense to anyone else, they've only played in about 6 in a row) is played at their tempo, they have more firepower to win a shootout. Plus, McArdle can bang against Adams and Houston at least at a serviceable enough level to force others to put them away.

Normally you would say a 3pt shooting team has just as much of a chance to shoot themselves out of the game too, but they have 4 guys shooting over 40% from 3 on 4+ attempts each. Those numbers will definitely go down as their schedule improves in conference play, but it seems fairly reliable so far through 10 games.

You may be right, but I need to see Clark win big games before I can believe in them.  I really didn't give them much of a shot against Williams and even up 18 I thought Williams hadn't yet committed defensively.  Then Saintilus went down and Clark just doesn't have quality depth whereas Williams (as you know) has it in spades.  Taylor takes some god-awful low percentage shots.  And they have to lock in more defensively. 
They can score.  Can they defend?  TBD
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 29, 2022, 09:29:01 PM
Babson 83 Hope 60 in a 1st ever matchup (this one at Hope).

Before getting into game action kudos to the announcers for a top-notch call of the game.  I have to catch a Hope-Calvin game sometime.  Both great facilities.

I knew 6'2" Nate Amado was ready for this one when he tugged the jersey of 6'7" Lauder off the jump circle to take it himself and win the tip.  Amado has great hops, length, and timing.  He put up a great 1st half (13) before getting injured.  He tried to go again for a couple of minutes into the 2nd half before icing his knee for the remainder.

This is a game the team never would have won earlier in the year when it was Amado, Kirkpatrick, Amado, Kirkpatrick, or bust.  But everyone is contributing now and the defensive intensity has improved dramatically.

It would have been great to see both Evan Thomas and Amado for 40 minutes, but it wasn't meant to be.

Back-to-back signature wins @ Brandeis and @ Hope will look great in March if they can keep focused.

And, per my earlier post today, FY Tyler Lauder has indeed returned for his first action since game 1.  He's going to be a future NEWMAC star.  He'll definitely be matched up on Adams, Houston, and McArdle down the road and will only grow from the experience.

Some may focus on Babson shooting lights out from 3 (11/25), but the defense was the story for me, holding Hope well below their average and chasing them off the arc.  I have to believe coach Brennan makes the arc defense a focus because they often get beaten off the dribble and foul or get beaten inside.  Seems analytics-based to me (2's vs. 3's).

Ryan Cibull has gotten better and better and was immense 13-2-3 and 2 steals with no TOs in 17 minutes;  Aaron Gao, who is as disruptive, inch for inch, as anyone on the roster finished with 8-5-3 and 2 steals in 30 minutes off the bench and fought like hell against anyone he switched onto.  FY Woolhouse with easily his best game of the year with 12-8 and 3 from deep.  With everyone contributing the forced shots that became common from Kirkpatrick and Amado late in the clock have almost disappeared.

Side note:  Yet another roster change.  FY Jeremiah Paul is listed and played his first game in the closing minutes.  I knew he had committed last winter, but I figured he hadn't been enrolled.  Roster size now at 14.

Get well Nate.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 30, 2022, 12:08:01 PM
Big one at 2:00 - a win and even Dave will have to put WPI back in his top 25 - lol.  I had planned on being in Worcester - but I will be on video.  Very much looking forward to it.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 30, 2022, 01:48:51 PM
I'll set the over/under for WPI to win at 8.5 3-pointers.  They will have to space STJ's and be hitting outside shots to win.  The inside-first priority won't open up until STJ's respects your outside game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on December 30, 2022, 02:14:55 PM
Is the video feed of this game screwed up for everyone?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Coache on December 30, 2022, 02:17:07 PM
Yes the video just keeps glitching.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on December 30, 2022, 02:22:25 PM
I apologize for forgetting his name because I know I've heard it before, but the silver lining here is that the WPI play by play is as good as it gets at this level, it's like listening on the radio.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 30, 2022, 02:30:06 PM
Alex Gutierrez

Edit:  my bad Jorge Bannister
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 30, 2022, 02:46:37 PM
Yes glitchy for me too.  Interesting half  Rust from both with 2/3 weeks off.  If WPI can hit a few 3's they hang the whole way.  This game deserves a student body but oh well - big 20 mins to come.  5-10 from 3 and get Adams involved (and stay at only 2 fouls for a while).  Might need another 13 from Lowther!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 30, 2022, 02:56:06 PM
Funny Babo - I just saw your 8.5 prediction on 3's.  My 5 needed above would put us at 8.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 30, 2022, 02:58:05 PM
I can't even watch the delay/glitching is worse.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 30, 2022, 03:59:09 PM
Clark goes down again, this time to a strong Nazareth team, 82-63.

It was still just a 3 point deficit with 10 to play, but got out of hand late.

It probably wouldn't have affected the outcome, but Bruce Saintilus did not play.  He had left the Williams game when they were still up 38-24.  I doubt he would have affected the outcome there either, but he's Clark's 2nd leading scorer (16.9), just behind Taylor.  I'd project him to be a 2nd team ALL-NEWMAC on a roster that isn't deep.  He's a very important cog in Clark's game.
Hopefully he's back soon (as with Amado for Babson) because these are key individuals to both teams' long-term success.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 31, 2022, 05:09:41 PM
UChicago 73 Babson 64 to close out holiday week and the OOC portion of the schedule.

No Nate Amado for this one.

Chicago came in shooting just .295 from 3, but hit on .625 in this one, on 10-16 shooting across several players.  Without the benefit of replay I'd say no more than 3 were uncontested, but a mental lapse on defense led to a dagger 3 from Kenah to make it 64-53 with 5 minutes to play.
That said, Babson fought back and had a chance to make it a 1 possession game with 1:30 left but came up empty.

Too many unnecessary fouls (all fouls were earned - no griping from me) led to Chicago +15 points from the stripe.
And early 2nd half fouls put Babson in the double bonus way too early.  With a 9 man rotation they had Gao pick up his 5th with 8 to play after knotting the game at 52-52; Lauder reached the limit with 6 to play; and O'Toole and Woolhouse playing with 4 fouled out in the final minute.

The FY class will be very good I think in years to come.  Woolhouse (7 today) is already substantially better than the first 5 games.  Lauder has the size, strength, mobility that he needs to trust more.  He picked up a foul that is illustrative of green players at this level:  his man was asking for an entry pass on an isolation at the elbow, and with all eyes on the matchup he's using his full body to push his man off the spot.  Too many fouls over the back.  Too many fouls not being vertical.

Babson needed more from the vets (Kirkpatrick 5/16 in a homecoming of sorts, Gao 4 points, 4 TOs) with only Cibull (21) answering the bell.

In addition to Amado, Parker Mason has missed the last 2 games.  After being injured most of his first year the guy can't seem to catch a break.

All in all, considering the lopsided OOC schedule with only 3 of 11 home games, 7-4 is not bad at all.
They have a very small margin for losing much more for Pool C, but the main thing now is whether Amado is out for long.  The first NEWMAC game is @ Emerson.  Only 3 of the first 13 are at home.

Side Notes:

* This loss will change things, but Babson came in only slightly behind WPI in Massey (52 vs. 45), and actually ahead of WPI in Matt Snyder's R2 rankings (4 vs. 5 due to Babson's better SOS). 

* A somewhat expected poor showing from the (in my mind) pretty clear top 4 NEWMAC teams, going 1-5 collectively, with the sole win coming from Babson over Hope.

* The announcers got it wrong; this was not the 1st ever meeting between the schools.  This is the 3rd meeting, with the only Babson win coming in the National Championship season.  Hey UChicago, how 'bout coming to our gym?

* Credit to Chicago, because the UAA, always very good, is loaded at the top half this year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 04, 2023, 06:59:25 PM
Emerson 79 over Babson 70

Nate Martin (20) and Houston (17/8) too much for Babson in this one in Boston.

Only a 3 point game with 2 minutes to play, but the game swung when they denied Houston on a drive, but left the weak-side rebound open to Beckwith for a put-back +1.

Houston had a huge impact on bothering shots of the FYs (Waterhouse, O'Toole, and Lauder) who were seeing him for the first time. 

For Babson, Amado and Mason still in street clothes, and now Horan, who has been part of the rotation missed this one.  Any game til Amado comes back is going to be a slog.

Elsewhere, FY Mitch Shettles (25) hits a buzzer-beater to lift Coast Guard to just their 3rd win, this one over Wheaton 75-74.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 07, 2023, 01:02:15 PM
This crazy season just got crazier.

Kieran Dorney is back on the roster, dressed for the game.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 07, 2023, 03:48:11 PM
Babson 59  @ Springfield 55

A win is a win, even when it's extremely ugly.

Babson had most of its firepower sidelined for this one and it made me wonder where the offense would come from. 

Witness:

* Top returning scorer from last year, Kieran Dorney sighted for the first time all season, dressed for the game, but didn't even   participate in shoot around.  What's up with that?
* Top scorer for this year, Nate Amado is still in street clothes
* Top scorer over the last 4 games, Ryan Cibull (16.3) wasn't even at the game

Neither team shot over 36% from the field;  neither team could hit more than 57% of FTs;  Babson was an atrocious 1/15 from the arc until Gorgol hit an all day to think about it corner 3 to break a 50-50 tie in the last minute.  Babson went without a point over a 6 minute stretch to the 90 second mark, and missed the front end of 3 or 4 1 and 1's along the way.

This Babson offense, without returning some firepower, is not going to win many more games.  It's not sustainable.  Half of this game's minutes were FY and sophs.  The FY trio of Woolhouse, O'Toole, and Lauder will, I think, be very good in years to come, but right now are struggling on offense but are holding up well defensively.

For Springfield, maybe the new coach has different ideas, but I'd be sure to give Daryl Costa (the last remaining key contributor to the great tournament teams) at least 30 minutes a game.  He missed some time, but he's a better option than his replacements.

Elsewhere, the biggest upset was Wheaton over Clark.  Clark playing without Saintilus is going to be an issue I think.  Isaiah Taylor put up 28, but hoisted 29 FGs, making 7.  Having not seen the game I won't comment on his shot quality.
Wheaton?  It's now or never for this squad of seniors.  Aaron Williams had 33/11/4 and is now averaging 21.5 and 8.4 on nice 49.1/32.2/77.7 percentages.  And for fantasy lovers, he's averaging 29.6 over his last 7 games, and since being reinserted into the starting lineup.
The other senior starters, Carlisle and Cook are putting up 17.9 and 11.3 ppg respectively.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 11, 2023, 09:36:28 PM
WPI 61 @ Babson 49

WPI has now won 5 in a row in this series.  This was Babson's first home game in 41 days.

About what I expected in this one considering Babson is without Amado (they say he'll be back in 2 weeks), Cibull, Mason, and Dorney.  Dorney dressed again but didn't get in the game.

Unlike recent games against WPI Babson actually held up well on defense in the half court set.  Lowther 2/11 (4) and Adams 2/10 (6) did not abuse the interior as they have in the past.  FYs Lauder (5 blocks), Woolhouse, and O'Toole (7 rebs; 2 blocks) kept a body on them, denied position, and contested every shot.
The WPI supporting cast - Marelli (12), Callahan (13), and Sevilla (11) did most of the work on offense.
It was a 33-29 WPI lead when the wheels came off the Babson offense in the 2nd half, turning the ball over under pressure and unable to find buckets from range. 
They finished just 4/21 from 3, and that's with 3 makes in the final 5 minutes.  The FY trio are still struggling to find their offense consistently.  Kirkpatrick really needs a blow running the offense and Cross is a little too green right now.
WPI went on a 17-1 run, mostly in transition off turnovers to make it 50-30 and it got no closer than 12 after that.

The future now depends on team health.  How soon can they get pieces back?  How many pieces are coming back?  Is Dorney going to come back in time enough to mesh with all the new faces?

If all these guys come back I still feel very good about Babson's chances down the road.  But, like Clark without Saintilus, they may dig themselves into such a hole that they are forced into the 4 vs. 5 seed playoff game, or worse still miss the NEWMAC tournament entirely.

Elsewhere in the NEWMAC, Max Davis goes off for 31 and Houston grabs 20 boards as Emerson pastes Clark.  I nominate Davis for the most unorthodox jump shot in the NEWMAC.  But he's an offensive force.

And Wheaton takes down Springfield to slide into the #3 position for the time being at least.  They've yet to play WPI or Emerson.  Aaron Williams has transformed his body noticeably since his FY.  Three years ago he'd be almost walking into the frontcourt on  each possession.  But he's had nifty low post moves all along.

Wheaton @ Babson on Saturday suddenly is an important game for NEWMAC standings.


Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 14, 2023, 03:09:41 PM
Wheaton 64 @ Babson 56

Without becoming a broken record there'll be more of this until/unless some/all missing pieces return.  I'm guessing the offensive totals for the last 3 games (59-49-56) is probably a streak of not reaching 60 that goes back at least 12 years.

And Clark loses to Coast Guard to match Babson's downward spiral.

The only problem WPI is having right now is with their video streaming (again). 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 18, 2023, 10:30:22 PM
Babson 62  @  MIT 52 (OT)

Nice win, coming from 16 down at the half.  Babson got Cibull back but Woolhouse joined the large group of inactives and then Gorgol went down to injury.

I'll dispense with the game summary and instead extol the talents of MIT's FY Rome Delgado-Gonzalez who should be a shoo-in for NEWMAC ROY.
He's almost single-handedly carrying this team.  As a FY.  He doesn't dazzle you with quickness or athleticism, but he's a solid all-around basketball player who has a pure stroke, can take his man off the dribble, and plays big for his size (listed at 6'3").
He reminds me a little of Babson's Andrew Jaworski in years past, but to quickly acclimate as a FY is very impressive.

Consider: 
He had 38 @ Keene State. 
He played all 45 minutes tonight, his 8th wire-to-wire game this year. 
He had 30 of his team's 52 in this one on 10-15, 3-3, and 7-8.
For the year he's averaging 18.8 / 7.1 / 2.8 on %'s of .471/.289/.926.

Hopefully he stays around for 4 years and MIT gets him some running mates in recruiting.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on January 19, 2023, 10:27:20 AM
Watched the second half of WPI/Clark last night.  No surprise in this rivalry game that Clark hung around - in fact Clark was up with 5:30 to go.  The surprise to me was that the game was played "in the 80's".  Clark finally cooled at the end and still shot basically 50% from the floor and 50% from 3.  (and 11-12 from the line) - good away NEWMAC win for WPI. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 21, 2023, 04:57:14 PM
Babson 79  @ Coast Guard 60

Another nice road win.  Coast Guard is not the iron of the NEWMAC, but they have been competitive in conference play.

The Babson FY trio (2 starters) of Lauder, O'Toole, and Woolhouse combined for 23 points and 21 rebounds.  The frontcourt defense continues to improve.  I like coach Brennan's use of Cibull and Cross to start off games for better perimeter defense and bringing Kirkpatrick off the bench.

Woolhouse returned after a 1 game absence, but Gorgol's injury in the last game kept him out of this one.

Dorney must still not be ready, though still showing up in uniform.  The bench was emptied of everyone else who dressed.

Some stats that capture the current state of the Babson squad:
They rank 2nd (behind only WPI) in defensive efficiency, but 7th (in an 8 team league) in offensive efficiency.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 25, 2023, 09:09:40 PM
Babson 87  Clark 64

First game back since Dec. 29th for Saintilus (Clark) and Amado (Babson).  Weird that arguably Clark's MVP and certainly Babson's went down on the same date and both around halftime of those games.

While Amado didn't look to be pushing himself he still finished with 15 and had 2 dunks to advertise he's back.  Saintilus (10) looks like he's working himself back too.

Before extended garbage time the story here was Babson's strong defensive stand in the first half.  Cibull (18), Gao (15), and Cross (10) were disruptive in passing lanes leading to 9 1st half TOs and a 21-point halftime lead in a wire to wire rout.
And once again, the FY forward trio Lauder-Woolhouse-O'Toole did a very good job denying the paint and controlling the boards (23 of 35 rebs.from this group).  Lauder has improved game by game.  He had been too (needlessly) aggressive defensively culminating in the Wheaton game where he fouled out in just 5 minutes of court time.  In this one he had 4 points, 11 boards, and most importantly just 1 foul in 22 minutes of action.

Everyone who dressed saw minutes again. 

It should be a very good measuring stick game on Saturday when Emerson comes to town.  Babson, now at 4-3 in conference play, is in a 4 game string of games where they will face 4 of the 5 likely NEWMAC tournament teams.

Clark, sitting at 2-5 will still probably take the 5th spot, though they are currently tied with Springfield and Coast Guard.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on January 28, 2023, 03:15:15 PM
Babson 60  Emerson  56

Emerson almost came all the way back in this one after Babson went without a FG, up 58-47 with 6:23 to play.  Gao (16 pts. and player of the game for me) gave Babson the 11-point cushion with a 3-pointer (4-7 for the day).
But Nate Martin was big down the stretch (7 of his team-high 16) to get Emerson within 2 with :38 to play.
Houston (13/5) went to the FT line at :13 with a chance to tie but missed the front end.
Cibull canned 2 FTs for Babson's only points in the last 6+ minutes.

Nate Amado (7), who was already having a rough game looked to turn his ankle with about 13 minutes to play and hobbled around with an ice pack on the bench after that.  Tough luck after just his 2nd game back.

The 3 Babson FY forwards were the team top 3 in rebounds:  O'Toole (10), Lauder (6), Woolhouse (5).  Lauder fouled out late but did a creditable job with Houston.
Babson is probably the only NEWMAC team that lets Houston back down his man from 15 feet on a clearout, preferring to deny the pass out to men at the arc.

At 12-7 and 5-3, and with 4 wins in a row (last 2 against likely NEWMAC tournament teams) the team is in excellent shape to make the NEWMAC playoffs.  But a 2 seed would be a lot better than being in the 4-5 play-in game or placing 3rd and playing at  the 2, particularly if the #2 is Emerson.

Really proud of the young men.  Nice gritty, grinding win.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on February 01, 2023, 08:52:54 PM
NEWMAC Conference update--

Final from Boston, MA--

Emerson 71, #12 WPI 66

WPI suffers their first NEWMAC conference loss of the season and drops to 8-1 in NEWMAC play with 5 games to go before the NEWMAC tournament.  As a result of the loss, WPI's lead in NEWMAC now shrinks to 1 game over 2nd place Emerson, who now improves to 7-2 in NEWMAC play, also with 5 games left before the NEWMAC tournament.

For Emerson, Max Davis scored a game high 31 points, while Jarred Houston had a double double with 14 points and 16 rebounds.  Nate Martin was the third Lion in double figures tonight, scoring 10 points.

For WPI, Donovan Sevilla scored a team high 21 points, while John Lowther scored 20 points, and John Adams scored 10 points.

Overall, WPI is now 16-3 on the season, while Emerson improves to 12-8.

According to Matt Snyder's net efficiency handicapping system, Emerson came into the game tonight as a +6.5 point home underdog.  The predicted scoreline tonight was WPI 67, Emerson 61; the predicted game tempo was 67 possessions per team, and the over/under total was 128.5

On the actual results, the home underdog won outright, and the actual game total was 137, which meant that the over won tonight.

Emerson had approx 64 possessions in the win.

Matt Snyder's net efficiency ratings can be found at:

tomaroonandgold.blogspot.com/p/division-iii-mens-basketball-efficiency.html (http://tomaroonandgold.blogspot.com/p/division-iii-mens-basketball-efficiency.html)

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 01, 2023, 08:53:19 PM
WPI goes down at Emerson. Kind of sloppy quiet weekday game. Not much excitement in gym. WPI close to single digits % from 3. Better now than March! 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 01, 2023, 09:29:03 PM
Babson 61  @  Wheaton 55

Not the biggest game in the NEWMAC tonight (more on that later) but playoff intensity in Norton MA.

Babson trailed for 35 minutes in this one before Kirkpatrick nailed a turnaround jumper to knot things at 48.  Alex Carlisle hit a falling out of bounds, clock winding down, desperation 3 to reestablish a 51-48 lead and temporarily deflate the visitors.
But an Amado jumper and a Gao reset from traffic 3 gave Babson its first lead of the night at 53-51 with under 3 to play. 

55-all again when Amado comes off a screen to hit a dagger 3 with 1:00 to play.   Then he harasses Carlisle into a miss at the other end and O'Toole buries a corner 3 (off some soft bounces) to put the game away.

Just a tremendous defensive performance against a Wheaton team that came in averaging 78 per game, #1 in NEWMAC ppg and #1 in NEWMAC offensive efficiency.  And despite its offensive woes Babson hasn't allowed more than 64 points in 8 straight games (all conference opponents).  That bodes well for the future considering 2 FY forwards (Lauder and O'Toole) played 30 and 28 minutes respectively and were both on the floor down the stretch.  Defense will keep you in a lot of games.

Amado looks maybe 80% but still finished with 17/13/2 and faced doubles most of the night.
On a night when Babson had Gao limited with foul trouble, Kirkpatrick struggling to find his shot, without Woolhouse to give rest to the forward line and defend the NEWMAC leading scorer Williams, and missing other rotational pieces (Gorgol, and Mason, to say nothing of Dorney) this was another grinding, confidence building win - now 5 in a row.

I came away increasingly impressed by Wheaton's FY guard Tristan Henry who is a very good defender and took at least 3 charges tonight.

Now 20 games into the season I wonder if Dorney will see the court at all.  Is it possible he takes a hardship year, depending on what his future plans might be?

Next up @ WPI.  Having beaten 3 straight NEWMAC tournament foes Babson will be attempting the Bobby Jones version of the impregnable quadrilateral.

Elsewhere, Emerson over previously unbeaten WPI.  I said back in December Emerson could really benefit if Max Davis got back.  Well, he went off for 31 in this one.  I'll have to watch the replay but the guy can ball when he's in his zone.  And, oh well, Houston had a double-double at halftime.
Like most conferences, rivalries being what they are, it's really difficult to go unbeaten in conference play.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on February 02, 2023, 09:46:30 AM
What's up with WPI? Not to overreact to a loss but they haven't really been the same team all year.

What's weird is that the biggest concerns were replacing Downing and McNamara but all things considered they are doing that just fine:

2021-22: McNamara/Downing/Callahan: 32.6 ppg on 11.2-25.1 shooting (44.6%), 4.9-11.9 from three (41.2%)

2022-23: Callahan/Sevilla/Lufkin: 29 ppg on 10.6-24.4 shooting (43.4%), 4.1-10.8 from three (38.0%)

A slight dip in production across the board (rebounds and assists are almost identical as well) obviously but if you told anyone before the season started that was what they were going to be replaced with, you would take that in a heartbeat. Needless to say they have not gotten nearly what they needed from Adams and Lowther but why is that? Are the guards not getting them the ball in the right spots? Are they being doubled more? The defense is better statistically this year as well.

They will probably still win the NEWMAC and click off a few games in the tournament which is nothing to scoff at but they have not looked like last year's team at all.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on February 02, 2023, 11:46:13 AM

I don't think they're as deep as last year and you can't really replace the intangibles of two senior guards, even if production is similar. They're maybe 90% of what they were last year and they're performance seems to match. Emerson's record isn't great, but that's a good team and a bad matchup for WPI. I wouldn't be too worried.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SpringSt7 on February 02, 2023, 01:18:54 PM
I had been meaning to ask for a few weeks, the Emerson loss just reminded me. There's nothing wrong with that loss at all, but it doesn't change the fact that Lowther is shooting 39.8% from the field and Adams is shooting 48%.

Agreed that there are certain things the seniors did, McNamara in particular, that don't show up on the stat sheet. But they are getting a ton more production from their guards especially in terms of making shots than was expected. Callahan is a stud. Just weird that the bigs are struggling, I thought they were the best frontcourt in the country last year and it was their first year together.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 02, 2023, 02:36:16 PM
Well, the WPI loss is something in at least a couple ways, at least to me.  It certainly gives confidence to the top half of the NEWMAC that WPI is not invincible come NEWMAC tourney time.  And whereas they were home for rounds 64/32 in the NCAA last year I think this loss puts hosting in further jeopardy than it may have already been.  Their best wins aren't going to stack up well come selection day.  New England has some stud teams with better ranked wins that are sure to host.

I watched the WPI-Emerson game on demand this morning.  Sevilla (full disclosure: I was not sold on him as a starter in December) is the best defensive guard in the NEWMAC imo.  Great lateral quickness, fights over screens, denies penetration, disrupts passing lanes.  WPI always, always, always has a strong defensive guard.  Max Davis was feeling it and was typically matched up with Callahan.  Davis has a very quick release and Callahan had difficulty staying up on him.  He can be trick or treat, but he won't lose his confidence to shoot.

I think both Lowther and Adams, while still 1st team NEWMAC have not risen their games this year.  As we all know a slight, nagging wrist injury is all it takes to affect a shooting touch.  I wonder if something is going on with Lowther particularly.

Still a ways to go but I'd make Houston my early voting NEWMAC POY.  If they collected stats for altered shots and non-shooting fouls drawn before the bonus my guess is he'd be top-10 in the country in both.  And I'd start chiseling his bust onto the NEWMAC Mt. Rushmore.

Houston-Martin-Davis are going to make Emerson a tough out in the tourney.

You heard it here first ... one of these teams will lose @ Wheaton
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 04, 2023, 04:46:46 PM
WOW!  WPI scores last 4 to best Babson at home by 1. Will wait for Babo recap ad I only watched last 5 mins!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 04, 2023, 05:43:48 PM
WPI 55  Babson 54

Heartbreaking way to lose a game.

Babson was up 1 with the ball and an inbounds off a made basket with :20 seconds to play.
With WPI at 7 fouls I was questioning keeping Lauder on the floor on the chance they'd put him at the line for a 1 and 1.  But it never came to that.  The inbounds pass went to Cibull (19 pts., who carried Babson in this one) and he was fighting off a double-team (maybe thinking a whistle was coming);  he finds Gao along the backcourt sideline falling out of bounds, and in an effort to avoid a time violation he tries to pass to Amado who was overplayed.  Turnover and basket of a nice baseline reverse layup by Sevilla with 2 seconds to play.

Lowther (22) carried WPI in the first half with his inside game.

Whatever the leg ailment is that seems to be recurring with Amado rendered him a non-factor, rarely looking or physically able to drive off his leg; just 2 FTs in the last minute off 0-3 shooting and a lot of time on the bench down the stretch.
On the other side Adams finished with 1 on 0-7.  Tough night for some stars.

The gap between these teams is not as large as it was last year, but WPI executed when it counted and Babson did not.

And Clark defeated Emerson at home to throw things into further disarray.

WPI 9-1 Emerson 7-3 Babson 6-4 Wheaton 6-4 Clark 5-5.  Those are pretty certain to be the NEWMAC tourney teams, though the order is fluid after WPI at #1.

While WPI gets closer to NCAA selection even without the AQ, they're going to need to play at a higher level than I've seen the last 2 games when they get there.  They'll almost certainly be on the road for the 1st weekend, unlike last year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 04, 2023, 06:37:35 PM
So yes agree with most. However (despite SOS) I gotta believe WPI wrapped up pool c bid today if they lose in NEWMAC tourney. Also, if they win tourney, I think they will certainly host first weekend.

Now to the stuff I agree on. For sure they need to step up on offense to get a win much less past first weekend. The bright side is I don't think Adams and Lowther have yet to have big games together. And for sure Adams/Lowther/Supporting cast have not. They shot just above 30% the 2 games this week. Not going anywhere with that.

I am normally a cautious/skeptical fan. I just feel we have not seen this teams best yet.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 08, 2023, 11:56:48 AM
Babbo - I take back all I said above - I am stunned WPI is ranked 5 in region 2.  SOS is king.  Seems to be all that matters.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on February 08, 2023, 12:09:32 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 08, 2023, 11:56:48 AM
Babbo - I take back all I said above - I am stunned WPI is ranked 5 in region 2.  SOS is king.  Seems to be all that matters.

Rankings are alphabetical this week.    WPI starts with a W.  LOL.

Actually, WPI is 4th alphabetically on the list, followed by WestConn and Western New England.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 08, 2023, 01:41:19 PM
 Glad I didn't overreact!  Lolololol. Sorry all.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 10, 2023, 08:52:11 AM
Some reflections on the first regional rankings:

The state of the NEWMAC,  '22-23 edition is captured quite clearly - a 5-36 record against RRO, with the 5 wins coming only against NEWMAC conference teams that were ranked.

WPI               2-2
Emerson        2-5
Wheaton        1-3
Coast Guard   0-2
Babson          0-4
Clark             0-5
MIT               0-5
Springfield     0-10

Springfield leads the conference with the most RRO games (0-10).  I give credit to them for scheduling some opponents that were sure to be formidable and others that have been better that expected:  Keene St., Williams, WNE, West CT, Trinity, and Wesleyan.  And they even scheduled teams that were near misses (Mitchell) or have been historically elite, just not this year (Amherst).

On the whole I think the RRO performance is a reflection of the relative youth of conference rosters:

MIT: An historically NEWMAC champion contender with no seniors;  top-4 scorers are FY-SO-FY-SO.  It also doesn't help that there are often 8 or fewer players dressed to play.

Clark:  1 Grad sub and 1 Sr who only plays at end of games;  a relatively new coach whose recruits are mostly FY and SO because he was hired late; top-4 scorers are SO-JR-FY-SO

Coast Guard: 1 Sr and 1 Jr (who hasn't played);  top-4 scorers are SO-FY-SO-SO

Springfield:  1st year coach;  top-4 scorers are GR-SO-FY-FY;  GR (Costa) missed or was limited in half their games due to injury;  2nd most productive, JR-Blauner has missed all conference games.

The top half of the NEWMAC, WPI, Emerson, Babson, and Wheaton are a combined 0-8 against OOC RRO (St. Joe's CT (2), Tufts (2), Keene St, Hamilton, Trinity, and Wooster.  Still poor, but no one has beaten St. Joe's and the largest loss in other games was 9 points - not exactly blowouts.

So in summary, while I can admit this has been a particularly bad season for the conference as a whole, and they'll only get (and deserve) one bid if WPI gets the AQ, there's reason to believe the future will improve as the rosters mature.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on February 11, 2023, 03:04:58 PM
Finals today--

WPI 69, Coast Guard 62
Emerson 99, Springfield 71

The NEWMAC does not have their conference tiebreaker rules published on the website, but if the second tiebreaker is results vs subsequent teams in the standings in descending order from 3rd to last until a winner is determined, then it looks like WPI clinched the #1 seed in the NEWMAC tournament today on the second tiebreaker, due to WPI's sweep of third place team Babson vs Emerson's 1-1 split vs Babson.

As it stands, WPI has a 2 game lead over Emerson with 2 games left to play, and can clinch the #1 seed outright with a win on Wednesday at Wheston (MA), if WPI does not have the #1 seed already.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on February 14, 2023, 07:32:53 AM
Good analysis of the league BaboNation.  I too expect Newmac to be worlds better next year.  Only Emerson looks like it will experience a big drop. 

I was impressed by Clark's top six guys, all of whom are coming back, but you need more depth to play the frantic style they employ.  And when Santilus got hurt in the Williams game they fell off a cliff.  I think they could be a dark horse for a big year next year with the top six back if they can add a few quality recruits who can provide immediate depth. 

MIT has just had so much attrition and this year's 5x40 box scores have been wild.  If they can just field a real team by keeping guys in the program four years, we know Anderson can bring in a ton of talent and really coach. 

I know Babson has been destroyed by injuries too.  If Amado and Dorney return healthy those two alone should make you tough next year and Babson always seems to add a big recruit or grad transfer (or two) to the mix. 

WPI should be a top ten preseason team if Lowther uses his extra year of eligibility.  If not, still very solid. 

Overall I do expect Newmac will be a lot closer in quality to Nescac next year, where Colby, Wesleyan, Midd, Hamilton, Williams and Tufts all lose at least one massively impactful player (many of them fifth year seniors). 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on February 15, 2023, 12:55:47 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on February 08, 2023, 12:09:32 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 08, 2023, 11:56:48 AM
Babbo - I take back all I said above - I am stunned WPI is ranked 5 in region 2.  SOS is king.  Seems to be all that matters.

Rankings are alphabetical this week.    WPI starts with a W.  LOL.

Actually, WPI is 4th alphabetically on the list, followed by WestConn and Western New England.

The NCAA for some reason sorts all caps teams at the top of the alphabet for their letter. That's one of the changes we have to make in even the alphabetical rankings.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 15, 2023, 10:50:09 PM
So no tiebreakers needed. NEWMAC field set. 2/3/4 seeds may be fluid based on tiebreakers. But 5 teams are set.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 16, 2023, 08:59:04 AM
I believe the Saturday games will not change the playoff picture.

Currently we have:

WPI          12-1
Emerson   10-3
Babson      9-4
Wheaton    8-5
Clark         6-7

WPI has locked up #1.

Emerson and Babson could end up tied, but though they tied HTH, the tiebreaker advantage belongs to Emerson by virtue of their win over the #1 seed (top to bottom rank tiebreaker)

Similarly Babson and Wheaton could end up tied, but though they tied HTH, the tiebreaker belongs to  Babson by virtue of their win over the #2 seed (Emerson) that Wheaton does not have (neither team beat the #1 seed).

Wheaton is locked into the #4 seed because they can't be caught by Clark.

I believe the 4 vs. 5 play-in game will be Tuesday, Feb 21st:

Clark @ Wheaton

Then the semifinals are typically Thursday:

Wheaton/Clark winner @ WPI
Babson @ Emerson

Championship on Saturday @ highest remaining seed
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 16, 2023, 09:37:34 AM
Oops, might have gotten ahead of myself.

The #3 and #4 seeds could still be either Babson or Wheaton I suppose.  I forgot that Wheaton plays Emerson on Saturday.
If Wheaton beats Emerson and Babson loses to MIT they'd both end up 9-5, tied HTH, and with the same records against all ranked teams right down to the 6th seed.  And without giving myself a migraine, Springfield, MIT, and Coast Guard look like they could all end up at 3-11.  It may come down to whether Babson's potential loss to MIT is 'worse' than Wheaton's loss to Coast Guard that's already on the books.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 16, 2023, 10:23:11 AM
Thanks Babo.  +1

I hate to ever choose an opponent - but seems there is a chance WPI could have to beat both Babson and Emmerson to win NEWMAC - that seems like the hardest possible path.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 21, 2023, 09:19:28 PM
Clark @ Wheaton   NEWMAC 1st round

Clark wins it 73-71.

It's an eternal truth that it's difficult to beat a conference opponent 3 times in a season, which was what Wheaton was trying to do.

They looked in control and were up 13 with 10 minutes to play when Clark got rolling.  It started harmlessly enough at the FT line where Clark was taking its first attempts of the night.  Then Calabrese (their best 3 pt, shooter) hit 2 3's, Saintilus got fouled on a made 3, and after canning the FT it was only a 1 point game with 6 minutes to play.

Clark was able to continue the run, cultimating with a big-time layup from Saintilus, giving them a 73-66 lead with 1:50 to play.

And yet Wheaton almost came all the way back from that.  Carlisle (23) had a layup slide tantalizingly off the rim with 5 seconds left for the potential tie.  Then, after O'Brien missed both FTs for Clark, Carlisle had a looong look for a 3 that would have won it at the buzzer.

It will be interesting to see what becomes of the key trio of Wheaton seniors.  Though they have 6 seniors in total it's Williams, Carlisle, and Cook who contribute the most by far.  They had 63 of Wheaton's 71 points in this one and are 1-2-3 in ppg.
With Wheaton having no graduate program (as far as I understand) these guys would need to transfer if they want to continue with basketball and use their Covid year (sounds unlikely).

Kudos to student-athlete, do-it-all, play-by-play announcer, baseball player, media major, Jackson Walsh who is as good as any student announcer I've heard this season.  Great enthusiasm; has natural ability to rise to the moment.  He even did a great job with a halftime interview with the Wheaton AD, where I learned Wheaton is adding water polo and fencing, and this was their 1st home playoff game since 2009.  And as Keith Jackson would say, "he's only a sophomore".
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 22, 2023, 09:12:37 AM
Great analysis Babo.  Went to WPI/Clark game Saturday - it was 18-0 before anyone sat down.  WPI may be clicking at the right time.  Although I do not expect any 40+ point leads tomorrow night.

Emerson/Babson seems to be a toss-up, no?  Look forward to possible pre-game thoughts from you!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 22, 2023, 05:47:37 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 22, 2023, 09:12:37 AM
Great analysis Babo.  Went to WPI/Clark game Saturday - it was 18-0 before anyone sat down.  WPI may be clicking at the right time.  Although I do not expect any 40+ point leads tomorrow night.

Emerson/Babson seems to be a toss-up, no?  Look forward to possible pre-game thoughts from you!

I'll try to preview the semis tomorrow morning.  For now, let me say, and this is not me talking, but the consensus of at least 6 different guys I follow who live and breathe this stuff, it's very, very unlikely that WPI will host any games this year.  I haven't seen anyone projecting WPI as a host unless we see a lot of bid thieves and WPI wins the NEWMAC.  And that includes guys that rank WPI higher than the D3Hoops ranking.
It's all about SOS and the horrendous bottom-3 records in the NEWMAC this year.  Three teams in an 8 team league that are in the bottom third of the Massey rankings.  Awful.
Drew Pasteur for example, while not infallible, is a go-to guy for projections.  He thinks the NEWMAC gets 1.19 teams in.  Translation:  1 bid for the NEWMAC.  And I think I'm a pretty objective guy, but 1 bid sounds absolutely right this year.  Without looking it up I think the last time the NEWMAC got just 1 bid was 2013.  It's been an awful year for the conference.  Some of it is conference youth and injuries.

And here's a nugget that really stings - WPI (at 22-3) may be facing a must-win game tomorrow.  Pasteur has them pretty comfortably in by winning tomorrow, but a loss against Clark will present a lot of anxiety on selection day.  And I think there will be one more regional ranking factored in before teams are selected.  WPI's highest ranked wins are Babson home and away.  Should Babson lose tomorrow and drop from the rankings that would be 2 fewer wins against RROs.

And most projections have WPI as a #2 seed in a pod if they win the AQ.  Again, because of SOS and RRO and the 500 mile travel limit they could find themselves in a pod hosted by St. Joe's or Williams.  Rough sledding.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on February 22, 2023, 06:01:08 PM
Because Babson is ranked this week, in the next to last regional rankings and the final published regional rankings before Selection Sunday and Bracket Monday, Babson is now considered regionally ranked for selection purposes and cannot lose its status even if Babson is not ranked in the final regional ranking list that gets released after the bracket comes out.

WPI keeps those 2 RRO wins vs Babson for selection purposes even if Emerson defeats Babson in the NEWMAC semifinals tomorrow.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 22, 2023, 06:07:39 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on February 22, 2023, 06:01:08 PM
Because Babson is ranked this week, in the next to last regional rankings and the final published regional rankings before Selection Sunday and Bracket Monday, Babson is now considered regionally ranked for selection purposes and cannot lose its status even if Babson is not ranked in the final regional ranking list that gets released after the bracket comes out.

WPI keeps those 2 RRO wins vs Babson for selection purposes even if Emerson defeats Babson in the NEWMAC semifinals tomorrow.

Thanks for the clarification.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 22, 2023, 06:44:09 PM
So, I went back to check and it looks like the last time the NEWMAC got a single bid was 2012 (I was off by a year).  It's so rare that it has been more common in the last 10 years to get 4 bids (fully half the league) than to get just 1.

Now if someone wants to do further analysis there's probably a correlation between the number of bids awarded to the NEWMAC vs. the NESCAC in the same years (i.e. an inverse relationship where one conference gets more and the other gets fewer).  The NEWMAC's misfortune should bode well for NESCAC bubble teams, though that in itself won't get them to the promised land.

2012 1 bid
2013 2 bids
2014 4 bids
2015 3 bids
2016 2 bids
2017 2 bids
2018 2 bids
2019 2 bids
2020 4 bids

2022 3 bids

Edit:  Over a 10 year stretch that works out to an average of exactly 2.5 bids per year.  And until Emerson joined the conference for the '13-14 season it was only a 7 team league.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 22, 2023, 10:07:54 PM
Just my 2 cents ...

Clark @ WPI  NEWMAC Semifinal

Previous meetings this season: 

WPI 83 @ Clark 75   on Jan. 19
WPI 86 Clark 56        on Feb. 18

Everything will have to go Clark's way to win this one.  I'd give them a 10% chance.  They've got to keep Lowther and Adams from the offensive glass, they've got to reduce the turnover margin, they've got to get enough inside points (12-15+) from McArdle  to open things up on the perimeter, they've got to force an up-tempo the best they can, and I think they've got to find a way to give more minutes to Calabrese, even at the expense of O'Brien and Richards.  Calabrese is their best 3-point shooter, brings energy off the bench, and is a better FT shooter (O'Brien's 2 misses at the end of the Wheaton game were nearly costly and he's barely hitting 50%).  They need a game into the 70's+ to have any shot imo.  The game at Clark was a toss-up in the final minutes and they were able to do some of this ^^^.

And what's going on with Isaiah Taylor?  Has he been coached out of drive penetration?  His shot totals are way down over the last month, but he looks fine and his minutes have been steady.  Through January he had 10 games with 15+ fg attempts;  since then, just once.  And he seems to mostly be content (or coached) to drift at the arc.  He needs to give them 15+ (his average) minimum.  He's capable of 25, but Sevilla is the best NEWMAC guard defender, so he's going to need his A-game, and settling for 3's won't cut it.

I watched WPI over the last 3 games (@Coast Guard, @Wheaton, and Clark).  The kind of effort I saw against Coast Guard won't cut it going forward.  That said, I thought the last 2 games were their best in over a month.  They look locked in, and both games were against NEWMAC tournament teams, fwiw.  Lowther is once again playing like an AA at both ends.  I was beginning to wonder about him in early February, but he's allayed my concerns.  Defensively, Sevilla, Lowther and Adams are shutting penetration down.  Any number of guys are capable of stepping up if Lowther is having an off-day shooting:  Callahan, Lufkin, Marelli, Newman ...

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 23, 2023, 09:00:28 AM
 ...

Babson @ Emerson  NEWMAC Semifinal

Previous meetings this season: 

Babson 70 @ Emerson 79   on Jan. 4
Babson 60 Emerson 56        on Jan. 28

ppg in these 2 games (or 1 game for injured players):

Houston     15       Cibull          15
Martin        18        Kirkpatrick  14.5
Davis          5.5      Gao             13.5
McNamara 11        Amado        7
Beckwith    6.5       Woolhouse 5.5
Allen           6         O'Toole       2.5
Coman       2.5       Lauder        1


On paper this should be the more competitive semi by far.  Massey has it 71-70 Emerson, which feels about right.  The home team advantage is worth something.
Emerson (10-2 in the shoebox gym) hasn't lost at home since mid-November (before they got Max Davis back) and those 2 losses were by 2 points to Tufts in OT, and 2 points to Bridgewater State.   I'd be a little surprised if the final margin is more than 6 either way.

I expect the 3 top Emerson grads (Houston, Martin, and Davis) to give them about 50 points.  On the other side I expect the Babson core-4 (Cibull, Kirkpatrick, Gao, and Amado) to put up 50 as well.  Injuries are part of the game, but the wild card tonight is whether we see vintage Amado or the guy who has been gutting things out for the last month.

Babson has the more productive second level.  Emerson's supporting cast (FY McNamara, and seniors Beckwith and Allen) are capable of providing another 20.  Babson's next 4 (FYs Woolhouse, O'Toole, and Lauder, and soph. Horan) can likewise go for 20 combined while providing 20+ minutes apiece.  Horan will probably see reduced minutes as the playoff bench gets tightened.  Cross could spell the PGs for for 5 minutes.  The 2nd Babson group I've mentioned put up a combined 45/game in the last 2 games (against an undersized Coast Guard, and a warm-body-limited MIT) with 3 of the guys setting personal bests.  They won't score 45 in this one, but they need to contribute, and 20 is doable.

Keys for Babson:

Limit touches for Houston by pressuring entry passes on both ends;  if he gets the ball on the low block with a full shoulder facing the basket, stay vertical, and don't give him an and-1 opportunity.  Don't waste fouls and jeopardize the rotation depth.

Gao and Cibull need to limit Martin's drive penetration. 

Force Davis to beat you off the dribble; no clean looks from the arc where he can go off for a big night.

Woolhouse needs to bring Houston out deep to respect his stretch game and open the inside for cutters.

Cibull needs to be the most reliable 2-way player that he's been since the holiday tournament at the end of December.

Amado needs to be on the court for 25+ minutes, even if he's at 60%.

Gao has been at his best in big games and needs to do the same here.


Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on February 23, 2023, 09:49:06 AM
Matt Snyder's Daily DIII Men's Basketball Score and Pace Predictions formula based off the efficiency ratings for each team:

tomaroonandgold.blogspot.com/p/division-iii-mens-basketball-efficiency.html  (http://tomaroonandgold.blogspot.com/p/division-iii-mens-basketball-efficiency.html)

Main scores, margin, and totals include a standard 3.5 point home field advantage.

Warning:  For entertainment purposes only-- Do not gamble on these scorelines.

NEWMAC semfinals-- Predicted winning team's score given first.

1.)  Clark at WPI--

WPI 75, Clark 59.    WPI has a 92% chance to win this game, and is a -16.0 point home favorite.

Predicted game tempo is 67 possessions per team, and the predicted O/U total is 134.5

2.)  Babson at Emerson

Emerson 69, Babson 67   Emerson has a 57% chance to win this game, and is a -2.0 point home favorite.

Predicted game tempo is 70 possessions per team, and the predicted O/U total is 136.5
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 23, 2023, 04:55:23 PM
Thanks, boys - I am always careful about what I say here as I feel like our comments have some mystical effect on the selection process.  That being said, should WPI lose tonight, they deserve to sweat out the selection show.

I also believe that if they win the NEWMAC, and end up 23-3 - with 2 of the losses to potential tourney teams (and one of them to #1 in the nation) - they will have favorable first-weekend matchups.  Not going to wish or dream or think about who I would have them avoid until after the conf tourney.

Really hoping WPI takes care of tonight so I can switch over to Emerson/Babson.  Fingers crossed.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: deiscanton on February 23, 2023, 09:06:43 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on February 23, 2023, 09:49:06 AM
Matt Snyder's Daily DIII Men's Basketball Score and Pace Predictions formula based off the efficiency ratings for each team:

tomaroonandgold.blogspot.com/p/division-iii-mens-basketball-efficiency.html  (http://tomaroonandgold.blogspot.com/p/division-iii-mens-basketball-efficiency.html)

Main scores, margin, and totals include a standard 3.5 point home field advantage.

Warning:  For entertainment purposes only-- Do not gamble on these scorelines.

NEWMAC semfinals-- Predicted winning team's score given first.

1.)  Clark at WPI--

WPI 75, Clark 59.    WPI has a 92% chance to win this game, and is a -16.0 point home favorite.

Predicted game tempo is 67 possessions per team, and the predicted O/U total is 134.5

2.)  Babson at Emerson

Emerson 69, Babson 67   Emerson has a 57% chance to win this game, and is a -2.0 point home favorite.

Predicted game tempo is 70 possessions per team, and the predicted O/U total is 136.5

Reviewing the results from today-- Winner's score given first.

1.)  WPI 72, Clark 56-- WPI covered the -16.0 point home favorite spread.

WPI had approx 63 possessions in the win.

Game total is 128-- Under won that one.

2.)  Babson 69, Emerson 64--  Babson won outright against the spread as road underdog.

Babson had approx 73 possessions in the win.

Game total is 133-- Under won that one.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 24, 2023, 08:52:41 AM
Congratulations to @WPI89 and all Engineer fans.  Now that you're pretty safely in the NCAA Tournament it's probably a good idea to rest your starters for the NEWMAC final and have them fresh and healthy for next weekend.

But seriously, the final will probably be played in the low 60's.  I think we'll see the best 2 teams in the conference.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on February 24, 2023, 09:42:15 AM
Babson has no shot at a Pool C, but they are one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning 10 of 11. Their only loss was a 1-point loss at WPI. Nice to have Amado back, apparently.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 24, 2023, 09:47:24 AM
LOLOLOL and thanks - and ditto - I only saw the last 2 mins - all free throws of Babson game.  Well done by the Beavers.  They would be a dangerous (house money type) matchup against anyone if they were to win their way in tomorrow.

Against the run of my thoughts, I am hoping WPI can have a 10 or so-point lead down the stretch.  Babson is due to beat WPI in a close game.  WPI is on a 6 or 7-game win streak against Babson (my guess is the longest either way in the rivalry).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 24, 2023, 10:10:42 AM
Quote from: Greek Tragedy on February 24, 2023, 09:42:15 AM
Babson has no shot at a Pool C, but they are one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning 10 of 11. Their only loss was a 1-point loss at WPI. Nice to have Amado back, apparently.

For sure Pool C is off the table for Babson.  I could be a glass half empty guy and wonder what might have been had they not been without their top returning conference scorer (Dorney) for the entire year, or had they not lost 2 starters to season-ending injuries (Mason and Gorgol), or had Amado out or injury limited for a stretch of winnable games that ended in losses.  But I am a glass half full guy that realizes they are starting 2 freshmen, 6 of their 9 guys playing last night are freshmen and sophs, and they were playing against 3 grads (one an AA) and 2 seniors on their home floor, and are now in the conference finals.
It's a credit to great coaching, and a talented group of young men that are all about team play.  So proud of all of them.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 25, 2023, 03:53:23 PM
Congratulations @BaboNation and Babson. Going to the dance!  Go NEWMAC. Will be a dangerous team to play!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 25, 2023, 05:03:11 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 25, 2023, 03:53:23 PM
Congratulations @BaboNation and Babson. Going to the dance!  Go NEWMAC. Will be a dangerous team to play!

Thanks.  I hope Lowther's injury isn't serious.  He's come back from so many things in the past I figured he was indestructible.  As tough as they come.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2023, 12:58:11 PM
May the selection gods with the NEWMAC - hopefully, Babson gets a decent draw and WPI gets in.  I watched a good bit of mock show last night and I know WPI got zero love.  I still don't see it.  21-4.  3 losses to tourney teams.  A good bit of weak SOS is out of their control.

I still think they are getting a bid.  We shall see shortly
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2023, 01:01:23 PM
pushed back a half hour.............................
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on February 27, 2023, 05:23:34 PM
Kudos to the selection committee for being true to the directives and consistent in their 20 pool C selections.  However, the overwhelming emphasis on SOS seems off to me.  60% of the schedule is set by the conference.  Admittedly as we have gone over, it was a soft year for sure for the NEWMAC - that killed WPI's SOS.  3 of WPI's 4 losses were to tourney teams - including #1 in the country.  They beat 3 tourney teams and ended up 21-4.  After not really losing much from a final 8 team last year.

swap 2 wins against weaker teams for losses against top teams and they would be in for sure at 19-6.  Not sure that is the spirit of the selection process.

Welp - I will be watching from afar and look forward to a great tourney - wishing the scarlet and grey (not even our colors anymore I don't think?)  had a shot.  Go Beavers.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 27, 2023, 06:38:35 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on February 27, 2023, 05:23:34 PM
Kudos to the selection committee for being true to the directives and consistent in their 20 pool C selections.  However, the overwhelming emphasis on SOS seems off to me.  60% of the schedule is set by the conference.  Admittedly as we have gone over, it was a soft year for sure for the NEWMAC - that killed WPI's SOS.  3 of WPI's 4 losses were to tourney teams - including #1 in the country.  They beat 3 tourney teams and ended up 21-4.  After not really losing much from a final 8 team last year.

swap 2 wins against weaker teams for losses against top teams and they would be in for sure at 19-6.  Not sure that is the spirit of the selection process.

Welp - I will be watching from afar and look forward to a great tourney - wishing the scarlet and grey (not even our colors anymore I don't think?)  had a shot.  Go Beavers.

There are a couple of reasons why I root for all conference teams.  Don't get me wrong, my first allegiance is to my squad.  But after that, a stronger conference gets each team better prepared for post-season play on the court.  And secondly, the broad strength of the conference helps the top teams mathematically come selection day.  A rising tide lifts all boats.
So while this was an especially difficult year for the conference it just reinforces that each team needs to do whatever it can to play teams outside the conference that are likely to help them out with SOS.  Next year Salve Regina will join the conference.  I don't think it's been announced yet, but I assume we'll continue the H&A format on the men's side.  That means 16 conference games instead of 14, and only 9 OOC instead of 11.  That should be fine most years, but I gotta say, without factoring in recruits and xfers, '23-24 may look similar to '22-23.  Emerson and Wheaton will lose a lot of their stars.  Clark and Springfield may rise over them, but maybe not to the level of Emerson and Wheaton's records. And Salve Regina's roster kinda looks meh, and now they are jumping up a bit.  No offense to SR fans, but at least for 1 year they may be another anchor weight.
Now I don't know how much of the '23-24 schedule is already locked in as far as OOC opponents, but if I'm Clark, Springfield,  WPI, and Babson I try to upgrade my schedule knowing that I'm confident in my team's chances to make the NEWMAC tourney and a decent chance at the NCAA Tournament.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 28, 2023, 07:39:55 PM
NEWMAC Postseason Awards:

POY   Houston
DPOY Houston
ROY   Delgado-Gonzalez MIT
Coaching   WPI

Team                                       Name                   Institution
First Team All-Conference.         Jarred Houston        Emerson College
First Team All-Conference.         John Lowther           WPI
First Team All-Conference.         Aaron Williams        Wheaton College
First Team All-Conference          Alex Carlisle            Wheaton College
First Team All-Conference          John Adams             WPI
Second Team All-Conference      Andrew Kirkpatrick   Babson College
Second Team All-Conference      Max Davis               Emerson College
Second Team All-Conference      Aidan Callahan         WPI
Second Team All-Conference      Nate Martin             Emerson College
Second Team All-Conference      Isaiah Taylor           Clark University

Houston with back-to-back POY & DPOY.  We're unlikely to see that ever again.

Bruce Saintilus (Clark) and Nate Amado (Babson) did not play in 60% of league games to qualify for any award.

https://www.newmacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/releases/20230227sf2vez
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 03, 2023, 09:29:15 PM
Utica 72  Babson 60

Fun season comes to an end.

Babson with a 32-30 halftime lead, but the heavy load carried by Nate Amado was not sustainable, with 14 from Nate (and 24 for the game), but just 11 from the other core upperclassmen (Cibull, Gao, and Kirkpatrick).  The 2nd Babson scorer at the half was FY Lauder with 7.  And FY starter O'Toole ended the half with 4 fouls (even without hindsight, it was stupefying to keep him in while the game was still close).

And naturally the only player to suit up every game this year (Kirkpatrick) got injured in the 1st half, came back when the game was getting away (down 11 with 11 minutes to play), and gave it a go but was not his usual self.

The 3 Jersey home state players had particularly rough nights: Gao (5 on 2/13); Cross (0 for 3); Woolhouse (0).  Maybe Jersey jitters.

And the FY foul frenzy put the team in a hole both halves;  O'Toole with the aforementioned 1st half, that kept him out until they were down 9 with 12 minutes left (and fouled out in 14 minutes of court time);  and FY Woolhouse picked up back-to-back-to-back needless fouls in 30 seconds of court time.  These fouls and others put them at the limit too early against a team that was 74 pct. for the season and hit 22/29 tonight.

But take nothing away from Utica.  Lots of pure shooters, maybe the best group they faced all year.  Grad Hopkins (21 on 8/12) and savvy senior Brantley (14) drawing fouls (12/14 FTs).  All can create inside and out.  And they hit their FTs.

I can't get too  worked up about this one.  On the whole the season exceeded all expectations.  Thank you seniors, grad, team, and staff.   Keep grinding Babo.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on March 18, 2023, 12:17:07 PM
So, any word if some listed seniors like Lowther (WPI), Kirkpatrick and Gao (Babson), or Williams and Carlisle (Wheaton) are returning for 5th/grad years?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on March 18, 2023, 12:59:07 PM
Quote from: Greek Tragedy on March 18, 2023, 12:17:07 PM
So, any word if some listed seniors like Lowther (WPI), Kirkpatrick and Gao (Babson), or Williams and Carlisle (Wheaton) are returning for 5th/grad years?

I haven't seen anything official, but from a Babson perspective I'll be pretty surprised if either of their guys come back.  Despite getting to 3 straight NCAA tournaments not one player has taken advantage of the extra Covid year as yet.  And that's pretty much true across all sports.  The hockey team was loaded (13 seniors; defending NEHC champion) and only 1 came back for a grad year, though some moved to D1.  It's not that they don't love the school.  Life awaits.
And without reading too much into this, Kieran Dorney, who didn't play all of 22-23 has dropped Babson from his twitter bio line.  A mystery inside an enigma:  not roster listed until January;  then in uniform on the bench for 5 games or so;  then gone again, though still roster listed.

Wheaton's Williams and Carlisle would have to change schools with no grad program at their college.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: ImTold on June 18, 2023, 10:34:40 AM
I'm Told Babson has added a former all-NESCAC guard
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on June 18, 2023, 12:58:47 PM
Regarding Babson, Will King, I assume?  That would be a huge addition for them if so ...
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on June 19, 2023, 08:57:32 AM
I won't dwell on the Babson rumor for now, but bringing in a veteran guard, particularly a PG, has become a regular occurrence over the last 10 years; almost expected:

D1 undergrad xfers (Kenny Ross and Crew Ainge) and grad xfers (Kirsch and Cibull).  If another PG xfer comes in that would be 4 in the last 5 years, and Ross and Ainge were pre-Covid, so it's been a long-term phenomenon.

While the team has also recruited their own 4 year PGs (most notably Chris Lowry, Shy Ulrickson, and Andrew Kirkpatrick) the minutes and production have been heavily weighted to the xfers over the 10-year period.

Ever since the season ended I expected 1 or 2 xfers in the backcourt where there is a huge gap (no disrespect to returning players and the incoming recruit), but losing Kirkpatrick, Cibull, and Gao (none of whom are returning) is the kind of veteran presence not easily replaced. 

Babson has a 2 year window to capitalize on the talents of their alpha dog, Nate Amado.  He's probably doing some recruiting of his own, much like Joey Flannery was influential in bringing in key xfers.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on June 20, 2023, 11:31:44 AM
If (and that's just an if at this point it seems) Will King is joining Babson, Amado-King might be a top five backcourt duo, nationally (assuming Amado is back to full health).  Is Dorney expected to play next year?  Not sure what the deal was last year but a King-Amado-Dorney trio would be really interesting.  Babson needs to figure out a go-to guy up front, otherwise, but at least has some big bodies in Woolhouse/Lauder/Mason, one of whom maybe pops next year ...

Lots of "ifs" in NEWMAC as whether Lowther is returning for WPI will dramatically impact its upside, as well ...
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on June 20, 2023, 02:12:37 PM
I have no insight on Dorney, neither last year, the present, nor the future.  But I love his game.  He was 1 made 3-pointer (33/68) away from 50% in conference play.  Their best shooter from distance by percentage or volume.  He also finds ways to score in the midrange and is sneaky good at rebounding despite a thin frame (was 2nd on the team).  Dorney could help any D2//D3 program.  If it's not in the cards at Babson I wish him all the best if he continues to play elsewhere.

Amado is such a hybrid.  He led the team in rebounding as a freshman.  More often than not he takes the opening jump despite having teammates 5-7" taller (and wins most tips).  Great hops.  Not speedy, but long strides, slashing, elevation, and high basketball IQ makes him very effective.  He's the team's only legitimate 3-level scorer.

The team needs one of its bigs - Lauder, Mason, or Woolhouse - to develop more as scorers in the paint;  Mason and Woolhouse particularly settle for the stretch shot, or the pick and pop game.

Some intriguing recruits coming in.  I don't know if Jared Flaks is related to the FY (Evan, who had a very nice year) @ Middlebury, but if Babson gets as much rotational depth from the next class as the prior class they'll be well positioned for the future.

My way too early, way too crude prediction for next year:

With neither a transfer PG nor SG:  top 3 in the league, along with WPI and Clark; miss the tournament
With one transfer PG/SG: league final loss, but Pool C slot winner
With one transfer PG/SG + Dorney:  Sweet 16 team
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on June 21, 2023, 02:59:45 PM
NEWMAC 25th Year All-Time Team

https://newmacsports.com/news/2023/6/16/newmac-announces-mens-basketball-25-year-all-newmac-team.aspx

I wish they had listed a 1st and 2nd team instead of just bunching them all together.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on July 07, 2023, 08:37:12 AM
Babson's 23-24 schedule is out and it has some significant changes from recent years.  I'm guessing this has a lot to do with adding the 9th league member (Salve Regina), thereby increasing the league games from 14 to 16, and reducing the OOC games from 11 to 9.

Gone is the Big 4 Challenge tournament that rotated venues between Tufts, Brandeis, and Salem State, although the rivalry game with Brandeis remains outside of a tourney setting.

Gone are traditional NESCAC opponents Amherst and Bowdoin.  Altogether, NESCAC games have been reduced from 4 (Amherst, Tufts, Bates, and Bowdoin) to just Bates.  I especially hate to see the Amherst game go if this becomes normal.

Also, 2 conference games have been moved to early December, keeping 11 games before January 1st.

While these changes might suggest a weakening of the schedule, at least for this year it looks formidable and won't hurt the SOS one bit.

They've added the Lopata Classic at WashU (essentially replacing the Big 4 Challenge slots);  they're playing year-end games in the WIAC at WI-Oshkosh and WI-Stout;  they play @ Albertus Magnus; they keep St. Joseph's (CT); and only 3 of 9 OOC games are at home.

In short, after the season-opener with Lasell, who they've dominated, there are no breathers in the OOC portion.  I can only hope the other NEWMAC teams are paying attention - moving from 8 to 9 teams means you must have an ever more challenging OOC schedule for Pool C bids.

Lasell - H
Albertus Magnus - A
WashU Lopata Classic (1)
WashU Lopata Classic (2)
Brandeis - H
Bates - A
St. Joseph's (CT) - H
WI-Oshkosh- A
WI-Stout - A

https://babsonathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on July 07, 2023, 10:17:03 AM
That looks like a strong schedule Babo.  WPI is partially out - 3 tournaments this year.  Our early Ted Coughlin Tourney.  Then a Tourney at Bridgewater State - also before Thanksgiving.  And finally - they go to Stevens during Christmas Break.

no info on other teams in any of those tourneys yet.

Also - Tufts, Fitchburg, and Worcester State are scheduled.

One other quick note - Babson/WPI first game in Worcester is super early - December 9th.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on July 07, 2023, 10:21:19 AM
I might be late to the party as I am catching up here - but this surprised me.  Cain to Hopkins.

https://hopkinssports.com/news/2023/6/30/ryan-cain-named-head-mens-basketball-coach.aspx
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on July 07, 2023, 10:54:09 AM
Quote from: WPI89 on July 07, 2023, 10:17:03 AM
That looks like a strong schedule Babo.  WPI is partially out - 3 tournaments this year.  Our early Ted Coughlin Tourney.  Then a Tourney at Bridgewater State - also before Thanksgiving.  And finally - they go to Stevens during Christmas Break.

no info on other teams in any of those tourneys yet.

Also - Tufts, Fitchburg, and Worcester State are scheduled.

One other quick note - Babson/WPI first game in Worcester is super early - December 9th.

Good stuff WPI.

Yeah, the early December conference games are another unwelcome byproduct of adding a 9th NEWMAC team IMO.  When you back-schedule form the NCAA tournament, then back-schedule from the NEWMAC tournament,  and play 2 league games a week starting the first of the new year, you still have 2 games left over.  Those 2 games needed to be moved to early December, asking student-athletes to hang on campus longer than most undergrads. 
Babson has finals very early in December, and most students will already be gone for the semester break.  So this does not foster a strong attendance with a heavy student presence.  At least in Babson's case these games will be largely attended by locals, friends, and families.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Stretch4 on July 10, 2023, 01:10:11 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on July 07, 2023, 10:17:03 AM
That looks like a strong schedule Babo.  WPI is partially out - 3 tournaments this year.  Our early Ted Coughlin Tourney.  Then a Tourney at Bridgewater State - also before Thanksgiving.  And finally - they go to Stevens during Christmas Break.

no info on other teams in any of those tourneys yet.

Also - Tufts, Fitchburg, and Worcester State are scheduled.

One other quick note - Babson/WPI first game in Worcester is super early - December 9th.

Here is the lineup for the Stevens Holiday tournament - another solid one this year ... Stevens, WPI, Gettysburg and Amherst - all four teams should be good this year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on July 10, 2023, 01:17:28 PM
Amherst may no longer be a team you can presume will be good.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: ImTold on July 10, 2023, 10:06:52 PM
I'm Told John Lowther will not be returning to WPI for a 5th year.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on July 11, 2023, 04:48:13 PM
Quote from: ImTold on July 10, 2023, 10:06:52 PM
I'm Told John Lowther will not be returning to WPI for a 5th year.

I cannot confirm this, but I can confirm a guy named John Lowther worked at the SD Padres mascot for four years.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on July 17, 2023, 04:55:13 PM
John Lowther is now a commissioned officer in The United States Army.  He was in ROTC at WPI.  He will now be protecting all of us, instead of just the defensive end at Harrington.  Congratulations John!

Babo - you may need to re-look at your NEWMAC rankings.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on July 17, 2023, 08:46:56 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on July 17, 2023, 04:55:13 PM
John Lowther is now a commissioned officer in The United States Army.  He was in ROTC at WPI.  He will now be protecting all of us, instead of just the defensive end at Harrington.  Congratulations John!

Babo - you may need to re-look at your NEWMAC rankings.

Thanks for the update WPI89.  Mixed emotions.  He leaves a huge hole in the NEWMAC.  If he had played another year he'd have likely finished in the top 5 in school scoring along with all-time greats.  Still he was a 1000-point man in 3 years.  He and Houston @ Emerson were the top 2 in the NEWMAC (and accolades beyond) over the last 4 years.
I've heard nothing but praise for his character and leadership.  I wish him all the best.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on July 27, 2023, 09:37:10 AM
Stephon Baxter (Bates) has enrolled at Babson for grad school.

He's a lock to start and provide much needed backcourt scoring.  Although he's not a prototypical PG if he can provide A/TO of 2+ the team will be in good hands.
While I don't expect him to carry as heavy a load as he did at Bates he's a guy who has the quickness and ability to beat his man off the dribble, find seams, and finish in tight areas - skills in short supply on the roster.  18 ppg is a very reasonable target I think.
If every other undergrad who played last year returns I can visualize a 10+ man rotation with a return to a more up-tempo game (before even considering if any of the FY players can see minutes).

And the added spice comes with the altered schedule where NESCAC opponents have been reduced to just 1.  The Nov. 26 game @ Bates becomes more intriguing.

On another note Babson has added its own Elite Camp next month.  I believe this is a first for the school and adds another competitive recruiting edge that so many schools have used in recent years.  I believe the NYU coach said no less than 3 incoming players were part of their offering.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Greek Tragedy on July 27, 2023, 09:55:12 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on July 27, 2023, 09:37:10 AM
Stephon Baxter (Bates) has enrolled at Babson for grad school.

He's a lock to start and provide much needed backcourt scoring.  Although he's not a prototypical PG if he can provide A/TO of 2+ the team will be in good hands.
While I don't expect him to carry as heavy a load as he did at Bates he's a guy who has the quickness and ability to beat his man off the dribble, find seams, and finish in tight areas - skills in short supply on the roster.  18 ppg is a very reasonable target I think.
If every other undergrad who played last year returns I can visualize a 10+ man rotation with a return to a more up-tempo game (before even considering if any of the FY players can see minutes).

And the added spice comes with the altered schedule where NESCAC opponents have been reduced to just 1.  The Nov. 26 game @ Bates becomes more intriguing.

On another note Babson has added its own Elite Camp next month.  I believe this is a first for the school and adds another competitive recruiting edge that so many schools have used in recent years.  I believe the NYU coach said no less than 3 incoming players were part of their offering.


Less of a load at Babson, but score more than at Bates?
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on July 28, 2023, 08:54:34 AM
Quote from: Greek Tragedy on July 27, 2023, 09:55:12 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on July 27, 2023, 09:37:10 AM
Stephon Baxter (Bates) has enrolled at Babson for grad school.

He's a lock to start and provide much needed backcourt scoring.  Although he's not a prototypical PG if he can provide A/TO of 2+ the team will be in good hands.
While I don't expect him to carry as heavy a load as he did at Bates he's a guy who has the quickness and ability to beat his man off the dribble, find seams, and finish in tight areas - skills in short supply on the roster.  18 ppg is a very reasonable target I think.
If every other undergrad who played last year returns I can visualize a 10+ man rotation with a return to a more up-tempo game (before even considering if any of the FY players can see minutes).

And the added spice comes with the altered schedule where NESCAC opponents have been reduced to just 1.  The Nov. 26 game @ Bates becomes more intriguing.

On another note Babson has added its own Elite Camp next month.  I believe this is a first for the school and adds another competitive recruiting edge that so many schools have used in recent years.  I believe the NYU coach said no less than 3 incoming players were part of their offering.


Less of a load at Babson, but score more than at Bates?

Yes, I recognize that what I wrote may seem contradictory, but it was intentional.  I may prove to be wrong, but I envision more like a 32 mpg ceiling, possibly as low as 30.  Some of the uncertainty will become clearer when the roster is finalized.
In short, he can be more efficient in the minutes he plays.  He will have the experience that comes with 5th year players.  I think he'll get to the FT line more in the NEWMAC too.
There are a lot of similarities in the stat lines and style of play I see when comparing him to Alex Carlisle who just graduated from Wheaton (MA).  Both played similar minutes;  both were/are SG, but asked to shoulder the PG role; both had higher scoring averages as juniors (in Baxter's case 20ppg); both very good FT shooters; both very good off the dribble and scoring in the paint.
Finally, even though I am a fan of the NEWMAC, I recognize the quality of competition is higher in the NESCAC.  I'm awarding Baxter a completely arbitrary, unscientific, 2ppg additional "conference differential".
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 05, 2023, 10:58:26 AM
Some movers from last year's conference rosters:

Alex Carlisle goes from Wheaton to D2 Assumption
James Beckwith goes from Emerson to D3 TCNJ (without seeing the 23-24 Emerson roster, losing Houston, Martin, and Beckwith leaves a lot of holes)
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 05, 2023, 11:29:35 AM
Clark University has their 23-24 roster out.

Notable:

All 7 of their top scorers return from a team that was ousted by WPI in the NEWMAC semis, but beat a senior-laden Wheaton team in the 4 vs. 5 playoff
Dylan Ahearn is a D2 xfer from Slippery Rock (didn't play a lot)
Looks like another good incoming class, though we'll see in a month or more

My early projection is anywhere from 1st to 4th in the NEWMAC

EDIT: Clark, not Springfield
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 20, 2023, 01:48:10 PM
NEWMAC Preseason Rankings are out:

2023-24 NEWMAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

Rank   School (first-place votes)   Points
1   WPI (5)   60
2   Babson (3)   58
3   Clark (1)   52
4   Emerson   38
5   MIT   26
6   Springfield   24
7   Coast Guard   22
7   Wheaton   22
9   Salve Regina   21

I don't know how much the coaches know about the off-season changes of their foes, but what strikes me about this list is that (knowing only about subtractions) Wheaton looks to have dropped to about where I expected, but Emerson (decimated by losses) clings to the 4th spot.  Emerson has only 8 players listed on their roster (returning upperclassmen) before adding FYs and any xfers.  I'd expect a minimum of 5 additions;  but 7-8 is conceivable.

Some of the league teams have cleared out last year's grads, but we are probably still a day away from full roster lists (other than Clark's, which is out).
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 21, 2023, 07:36:55 AM
Springfield's roster is out

https://springfieldcollegepride.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/roster

This feels like a preliminary list with walk-ons before finalization, because it has 24 guys, including 10 FYs.  Or maybe they're starting a JV program.  I don't think I've ever seen a basketball team go into a season with 24.  For comparison the 22-23 roster had 17.

Anyway, they return the 2-5 top scorers from last year, losing only Costa.

And they have a GR xfer, Joe Hoch, from Trinity.


Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 21, 2023, 08:04:44 AM
MIT's roster is out

https://mitathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster

I think MIT may be on the rise again, after the deep slide of the last few years, bottoming out at 4-19 last year on a team that had no seniors.

Notably the roster size goes from 13-21, and some of the tape on the 9 FYs (yeah, it's only tape, so we need to see it in a D3 setting) looks like a very strong class.  This should mark the end of the days of dressing 7-8 and 4 guys playing 39+ minutes.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 23, 2023, 02:14:55 AM
Babson's roster is out

https://babsonathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster

At 15 players (same as last year) it's suddenly the smallest of conference teams published so far.

They are losing the 2-4 scorers from last year.  3 FYs and 1 xfer grad (Baxter from Bates) new to the team.  Just 2 seniors: Gorgol, who has gone down to season-ending injuries 2 consecutive years; and Watson, who hasn't played much.

Early guess at the starting 5: Amado, Baxter, Mason, Lauder, and Gorgol.

Mason (much heralded as a recruit) has been plagued by injuries both years.

Concerns:

Someone needs to step up as a consistent #3 scorer after Amado & Baxter.

One of the sophomore /junior bigs (Mason, Woolhouse, or Lauder) needs to show improvement as inside scorers.

Can someone other than Amado/Baxter handle PG responsibilities?  They will likely have trouble with ball pressure from teams with defensive quickness.  For all their other talents, neither Amado nor Baxter excel at ball handling.  I expect Cross, Chalumeau, Watson, and Flaks to battle for the PG role, but all are likely to do so as subs, at least initially.

At least 2 of the 3 FY players are going to need to be contributors, both for this year and continuity into the future.

Strengths:

They should be very good on the defensive glass.

If healthy, and not burdened with carrying the whole team on his back, Amado has AA potential.

Strong coaching team remains intact.








Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 24, 2023, 01:10:21 PM
Coast Guard's roster is out

https://coastguardathletics.com/sports/mbball/roster

Reversing the NEWMAC trend, only 12 players listed.

They return the top 3 scorers from last year's 4-21 2-12 (conf) team, including their top scorer Rooney, who blossomed 13.9 as a soph on a very young team.  No seniors on this year's roster and they don't list 2 of their top 3 rebounding bigs (who were just sophs), Cameron Brown and Countryman.  The loss of these bigs (who I believe were at the CG height limit) really hurts. 

But it's CG.  No team will play harder.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 25, 2023, 09:21:07 AM
Emerson's roster is out

https://emersonlions.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2023-24

They lose their top 4 scorers, top 4 rebounders, and 4 starters, including Jared Houston.  Massive losses, including Beckwith who transferred.

No one over 6'5" listed.

And maybe this was posted elsewhere, but top long-term assistant coach and recruiter, Jack Barrett has joined Ryan Cain @ Johns Hopkins.  In this modern age it's rare to see just one assistant coach (Sean Coman) listed.  That's all Emerson shows for Bill Curley.  And Coman just graduated last year after transferring to Emerson.  So, a huge coaching loss as well.

2 Grad xfers, Jerry Lawson, by way of UC Santa Barbara and Irvine Valley College (although I don't think he played ball at UCSB); and Allen Li from the South China University of Technology.  They also have a FY from Spain so they win the NEWMAC award for who traveled the farthest.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on October 25, 2023, 10:16:15 AM
Salve Regina's roster is out

https://www.salveathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2023-24/roster

First year in the NEWMAC.

They lose their all-time top scorer in Mikey Spencer (2068 pts.)

They have 2 xfers:  Sean Seymour, a soph guard who hardly played at D2 St. Rose; and Stefanos Spassof, a senior guard who likewise played a little D2 ball at St. Michael's.
The roster also lists 2 other "grads", but I think they're actually freshmen;  easy mistake with "F" and "G" adjacent on the keyboard.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 02, 2023, 09:12:50 AM
WPI's roster is (finally) out

Maybe WPI89 can provide some insight

https://athletics.wpi.edu/sports/mens-basketball/roster

Wheaton is the only NEWMAC team that has yet to post

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 02, 2023, 09:12:59 PM
And Wheaton's roster completes the conference

https://wheatoncollegelyons.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster

15 players; Just 1 senior with no career starts.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 04, 2023, 09:38:14 AM
Babo - I do not have much yet.  I know coach is pumped about the incoming Freshman - I am excited to see some reach out of the state of Mass!  Will be back to you when I know anything substantive.

One thing about the early schedule is that we "chose" Willimas for first round game of our Coughlin Tourney - The other game is now Dickinson v St Joe's (Maine) - No offense to St Joe's - but I would have expected The Red Devils vs Williams in one game with us hopefully getting the winner.

I am sure is has tot do with the SOS issue we had last year and being left out of tourney.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 04, 2023, 12:06:34 PM
Quote from: WPI89 on November 04, 2023, 09:38:14 AM
Babo - I do not have much yet.  I know coach is pumped about the incoming Freshman - I am excited to see some reach out of the state of Mass!  Will be back to you when I know anything substantive.

One thing about the early schedule is that we "chose" Willimas for first round game of our Coughlin Tourney - The other game is now Dickinson v St Joe's (Maine) - No offense to St Joe's - but I would have expected The Red Devils vs Williams in one game with us hopefully getting the winner.

I am sure is has tot do with the SOS issue we had last year and being left out of tourney.

Yes, the number of FYs outside of New England caught my eye;  then again, some played prep ball in NE or were at camps.
Given the number of returning upperclassmen who played regular rotation minutes I expect one or 2 FYs will see significant minutes like Newman did last year.
For sure the guarantee of a match against Williams will be critical to SOS.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 07, 2023, 09:19:48 AM
Just one man's stab at the conference records for the 23-24 season

I see 4 teams as pretty clear favorites to make the 5-team conference playoffs:

WPI, Babson, Clark, and Springfield.

And I see 4 teams likely to miss the playoffs:

Salve Regina, Coast Guard, Emerson, and Wheaton.

The wild card for me is MIT.  I expect a huge rebound off last year's 2-12, and 4-19 overall record.  The slide that began after the graduation of Jurko, Jomard, et al is likely over.  I see a strong recruiting class and roster depth that will keep players fresh and permit them to stay in games for 40 minutes.  I can see them finishing as high as 3rd, or as low as 5th, which gives them a playoff berth.

The biggest discrepancy I have with the NEWMAC preseason poll is Emerson.  Maybe the coaches didn't have awareness of competitors' rosters at the time of voting.

I think you can flip a coin between WPI and Babson for the #1 seed.  If everything breaks perfectly, Clark is a dark horse.

Conference prediction on the expanded (9-team, 16 game) schedule:

WPI 13-3
Babson 13-3
Clark 11-5
MIT 9-7
Springfield 8-8
Coast Guard 6-10
Salve Regina 4-12
Emerson 4-12
Wheaton 4-12
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 07, 2023, 11:53:48 AM
Big test and early indicator right away for WPI tomorrow.  This is not your father's Worcester State team!  From what I can tell, everyone back from the 22-win tourney team last year - certainly, most of their points are back.  Should be very interesting.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SKUD on November 08, 2023, 07:49:54 AM
Thanks, Jason, please stick to basketball!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 08, 2023, 08:20:04 PM
Not sure who Jason is?  Maybe wrong region chat?

In any case. Pleased to be 1-0. Had a really strong stretch end of first half and never were really challenged. 2nd half was sloppy. State sort of sold out and pressure did not bother WPI much. Lots of missed open 3s. Will need to knock those down presumably to hang with Williams on Saturday. 12 players took a shot or free throw. Will be a search for shorter rotation pre-conference games.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 09, 2023, 03:07:41 PM
Great to be back on campus for the home opening win over Lasell.

Random observations:

Rule #1: Don't get carried away one way or the other after one game.

Lasell doesn't look like a team that will be strong this year, so if nothing else, with so few OOC home games, this was a must-win.  There is no EJ Day (former All-American) caliber talent on this Lasell team, and they are somewhat small, which caused problems on both backboards.  It looked like every potential rebound was a 50/50 proposition, and in fact LU only out-rebounded Babson on their own glass 13-11 in the first half.

Bummer to see Parker Mason in street clothes.  Can this guy catch a break after missing huge chunks of 2 seasons?   I was (hopefully still am) expecting big contributions from him this year.

Bummer #2:  FY Fortes sporting a knee brace,  He was the FY I was most anxious to see in action.

I had 4 out of 5 correct on my predicted starting 5, and I think Mason (just a guess) would have started in place of O'Toole had he been available.

This Babson team will be solid up front defensively and better on D generally than on O.

The core engine of this team is Amado, Baxter, and Lauder.

Amado was filling the stat sheet in limited minutes.  Baxter was able to create space for his shots almost whenever he wanted.

I love Lauder's game and upside.  I think he'll be 1st team NEWMAC in a year or two.  He works so well with Amado, cleans the glass, runs the floor well, and is far better at finishing down low this year.

The biggest surprise was JJ Paul.  He logged more minutes in this one game than all of his freshman year.  In fact, he was the last off the bench last year, and when he did see action he frankly looked lost and unsure of himself.  Last night he looked comfortable all the way around.  That said, I'm not convinced his shot is yet where it needs to be.  But, a huge, unexpected step up to his game.

Great to see Gorgol back on the court after missing huge chunks the last 2 years.  His senior leadership and steady all-around game is extremely beneficial.

O'Toole is a strong defender, with relentless energy and quick hands.  He still needs to work on the O side, but he's still just a soph and a key starter or 6th man.

The team can go 9/10 deep against most of the teams they'll face this year, but the rotation will necessarily get tightened against the elite competition.

Everyone in uniform saw action and scored.  If only every game could be like this.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: SKUD on November 09, 2023, 07:38:49 PM
Thanks for the recap stick with basketball, Babonation/Jason. Soccer is not your strength. Go Babo
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 11, 2023, 06:31:28 PM
Babson had it to a one possession game with under a minute left, but Albertus Magnus held them off for the 75-72 final.

For AM, Justice Washington's big body was too much to handle on both ends 16/14 on 8/9 shooting in 24 foul-plagued minutes.  And he's quick too, as evidenced by a strip of Baxter and coast-to-coast layup.  And Bonilla (14) was coming up big when they needed a bucket.
AM is the type of team that always presents trouble for Babson:  quick, pressing, slashing, beating you off the dribble, getting you in foul trouble, and a big guy down low.  St. Joe's (CT) is similarly constructed and is a future opponent.  AM looked very good for its first game and should be a legit GNAC title contender.  There is no other team in the NEWMAC that can prepare you for a team like AM (Clark is the closest, but AM, and St. Joe's are at another level).

For Babson, the absence of a true PG really hurt.  Baxter (9) carried some of the early PG load, but had back-to-back strips for coast-to-coast layups.  I said when he transferred he's much better suited as a SG.  But no one gets excused for all the soft cross-court passes, weak side strips, and dribbling into pressure in this game.  Cross is a better option as a PG, but I understand him coming off the bench because Babson needs Baxter's scoring ability.

How many ways can you quantify the speed/quickness differential:  23-2 in fast break points; 15-8 in steals; 38-24 points in the paint (for AM this is mostly slashing to the basket).

And whereas the answer is unknowable, I wonder what the final score would have been if Amado (32) hadn't been available to almost pull this one out.  His ball-handling wasn't what it should be, but with Baxter fouling out with over 13 minutes left, down 3, he scored 14 of their last 23 points, fighting through double-teams.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 12, 2023, 08:32:50 AM
I couldn't get into the site yesterday. Exciting stuff in Worcester! Great early season win.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: nescac1 on November 13, 2023, 09:37:55 AM
Williams didn't play particularly well on either end vs. WPI and was missing a few key players up front due to injury, but even so, WPI looks like a very legit top 25 team to me and seems better than last season even without Lowther.  Every guy in the lineup is tough, very physical and plays WPI's trademark stifling D.  John Adams looked like a physically dominant force on both ends and I suspect will have the all-American season folks were expecting of him last year.  Aidan Callahan is also an elite player, controls the game from the PG position - he's extremely crafty and knows how to create space off the dribble.  Those two guys along with Nate Amado are clearly the class of NEWMAC players.  Sevilla and Lufkin (whenever he returns) will provide the outside shooting around those two guys.  Newman and Morelli are solid glue guys who defend. 

But where WPI has really improved is depth thanks to an impressive FY class.  Justin Molen has struggled with his shot to start the year but definitely looks the part of a really solid two-way wing.  If the shots start falling he will be a big asset for them even as a FY.  JT Veiking is already a solid back-up big guy who should be a starter down the line.  And Bleier and Bledsoe give some deep shooting off the bench.   If they can handle Tufts at home I expect WPI will be undefeated and ranked fairly highly heading into the Babson game. 
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on November 13, 2023, 11:41:40 AM

I agree, WPI showed everything people needed to see this week.  They just have to keep it up, now.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 16, 2023, 11:44:59 AM
I caught a half of MIT's loss @ Endicott, and a half of Coast Guard's win at home over Roger Williams.

MIT can't seem to catch a break.  The last couple of years it was short rosters and starters playing 38+ minutes.  This season they seem to have fallen to the injury/health bug.  Their #1 (Delgado-Gonzalez), #2 (Killeen), and #5 (Spann) scorers from last year have yet to play a single minute.  Those guys were also 1-2-3 in rebounding, and, oh yeah, Delgado-Gonzalez was NEWMAC ROY.  That's a loss of 40.2 ppg in scoring average, and the loss is felt just as badly on the front line defense.

On the flip side of the health ledger, Coast Guard has started out well.  While they haven't beaten anyone of consequence, last year's 4-21 (2-12 in conference) team is now 2-0 and could conceivably enter the new year at 9-2 or 8-3.  Notably, Cameron Brown, who wasn't roster listed earlier is back, they have a nice 4-guard rotation led by junior Declan Rooney, who I project as 2nd team NEWMAC, Shettles, Yagey, and FY Frazer.  Luke Farrell 9.0/6.5 looks more polished as a soph.  A nice combination of skill sets, but let's see if their early success is sustainable against better competition.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on November 17, 2023, 10:04:48 PM
Stellar game from Baxter, but Babson falls in OT @ WashU.

Babson led virtually the entire game, but was unable to inbound cleanly up 3 with 18 seconds left, and gave up a tying 3.  Still had a chance to win in regulation, but Baxter lost the handle on what appeared to be an open layup with 2 seconds left.

They hung with a very good team for 40 minutes.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 19, 2023, 12:29:19 PM
I watched the second half and OT of Bason vs Wash U.  Babson certainly looked their equal.  Very well played fun game.  Bodes well for Babson this year. 

WPI was tested against Bridgewater, I think they went down 49-48 several minutes into the second.  Then their D took over and Adams refused to give up on the offensive boards!  Somehow he was credited with 2 offensive rebounds.  There was one play where he had 3 alone, before putting it in!  He looks so strong running the floor.  Sevilla and Callahan continue to lead and take care of the ball.  Molen, Morelli, Bleir, and Bledse certainly fitting in nicely.  Fun start to the season
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on November 21, 2023, 06:49:51 AM
Congrats to WPI on an impressive last 12 minutes last night. One more thing, get Fitchburg off the schedule!  Lol. Enjoy your well earned Turkey, boys!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: 3isdaone on November 21, 2023, 12:01:48 PM
Clark is very underrated this year... deep and fundamental team in Main South.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: iloved3hoops on November 23, 2023, 10:11:56 AM
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Thanks for welcoming me to this platform. As I sit here patiently watching my turkey marinate in a variety of spices that I will not disclose, I can't help but think about how little we are talking about the Clark Cougars. Taylor and McArdle could be the best duo that Worcester has seen since Cherry and Hicks in the 80's. Their schemes, sets, actions, and adjustments are sophisticated and leave opponents heads spinning. Time for us to seriously put some respect on their names, as they continue to stand on business!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 01, 2023, 09:13:43 AM
Sort of a State of the NEWMAC from one fan's perspective as we end November.  After a pretty awful '22-'23 comparable period collectively, there is unmistakable improvement this year.
Putting aside the OOC opponents each team faced each year, and eliminating games played against D1 or D2 teams, the bump in conference W-L record is encouraging.  I didn't include Salve Regina because they weren't a conference member in 22-23.

Team/22-23/23-24

Babson 4-3 4-3
Clark 6-0 5-1
Coast Guard 1-5  4-2
Emerson 2-3 2-4
MIT 2-5 1-6
Springfield 1-5 2-3
WPI 5-0 6-1
Wheaton 3-3 4-2

Total 24-24 28-22

Team assessments:

Coast Guard has already equaled their entire season win total of last year (4).  Nice 4-guard rotation of Rooney (9.0), Shettles (13.2), Yagey (12.3), and Frazer (11.2).  No signature wins, but they're improving and never a team to be taken for granted when conference play begins.

MIT continues its puzzling, recent history.  They are still missing 3 of their top returning guys from last year and have started 4 freshmen in every game.  Is there another D3 team in the country doing that?  If/when they get everyone back they will surely be more competitive, and could still be a NEWMAC playoff team.  FY's Gogolin 13.1 / 5.6 on .493/.400/.720 and Bland 12.6 / 4 on .508/.385/.719 could be in contention for NEWMAC ROY.

Wheaton is being led by 2 sophomore guards, Henry and Pedevillano.  It's a very young team that lost a lot through graduation and Carlisle's xfer so it's hard to see them finishing above 7th in the NEWMAC.

Emerson has been a pleasant surprise, even at 2-4.  They've beaten Colby in Maine, and took Albertus Magnus to OT in CT.  Their offense is potent when they are draining 3's.  Guards Arico (17.8) and McNamara (16.2) are streaky, but deadly when they're on.  FY Gasset Ruiz from Spain looks like a solid all-around player and is leading the team in rebounding.

Springfield is uber-athletic, but they don't shoot very well, turn the ball over a lot, and sometimes don't play with the necessary focus.  That combination was on display in the last 10 minutes last night when they lost after leading by 14 against Amherst at home.

Clark is off to another fast OOC start and they are doing the right thing again with SOS.  Almost pulled one out against a strong Tufts team.  It will be interesting to see if McArdle (17.3/10.8) can score on Adams (WPI) inside, he being one of the few big men with low post skills in the conference.  Upcoming games against Trinity (TX), Westfield St, and CWRU will help in determining whether they have Pool C credentials if the AQ isn't in play.

WPI lost Lowther to graduation, but their incoming class looks loaded:  Molen is starting, and Bledsoe, Bleier, and Veiking are all playing 10+, meaningful mpg.  Bledsoe is an absolute sniper (11/20 from 3) with a quick release, but all these guys are playing with poise you don't typically find with freshmen.  Then they have Adams playing better than ever, a regional AA candidate in Callahan, a solid off-guard and defender in Sevilla, and senior starter Lufkin hasn't even dressed yet.  A big win over NE regional power Williams and a competitive game with Tufts will help their SOS.  Barring injury or an unexpected stumble they're a likely tournament team, even if they don't get the AQ.

Babson is off to a start that very much looks like last year:  Building a strong SOS, but not able to quite close out winnable one-possession games (WashU, Albertus Magnus, and St. Joseph's CT); best win to date Brandeis (again); and far too reliant on too few scorers (Amado 22.6 and Baxter 20.6).  They desperately need someone else who can score in the paint if they are to reach a higher level.  Still hoping that Mason can be ready by the new year for rotation help, but he plays a stretch forward, so the inside scoring void will still be present.  I can't complain about 3 consecutive tournament appearances, but a recruiting class like WPI just brought in would do wonders for the continuity of the program.

There's still a long way to go, but right now I'd rank WPI a clear #1, Clark and Babson close for #2 and #3, giving the edge to Clark because Babson has problems handling McArdle, and then there's another drop in talent level for a group of teams battling for the #4 and #5 seeds in the NEWMAC tournament.  Having seen each team a few times, I'd submit Coast Guard, Springfield, Emerson, MIT, Salve Regina, and Wheaton for 4-9.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: stlawus on December 01, 2023, 04:27:29 PM
Great write up as usual.   As to this "They are still missing 3 of their top returning guys from last year and have started 4 freshmen in every game.  Is there another D3 team in the country doing that?"  Skidmore currently starts 4 freshmen.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 04, 2023, 09:54:47 PM
Great job, Babo!
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on December 13, 2023, 02:25:49 PM
Babo was hoping for a recap of Saturday.  I only got to read the recap and box.  Clearly a rough shooting night - hopefully, WPI d had something to do with that? 

Hope you are well and join back in the chat soon.

Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on December 15, 2023, 01:11:26 PM
Hey WPI89,

For sure the WPI defense showed up in this one.

Belated congrats to your squad.  I remarked in my last post how similar this year has started for Babson compared to last year.  Then the similarities got even eerier.
Last year Amado missed the first game between the two teams, and he was out again on Saturday.  And the final score (61-49) was the exact score of that first meeting last year.  Amado's absence might not have changed the L to a W, but at present there's no reason to believe Babson can beat top competition like WPI without him.

Again, points in the paint were a huge factor (edge WPI).  And both Callahan and Sevilla were able to penetrate to create opportunities.  Lufkin was back for his first game in limited minutes.  His experience should help.  I think Bledsoe is going to be a terrific player going forward.  His setup and stroke on the 3 is as technically sound as I've seen in recent years, and when you factor in that he's only a FY, that he can create space for his shot, and that he's canning shots in crunch time, he could have a great career.
Adams looks better than ever.  He's great at setting up down low;  he's very good at the pick and roll off the high post;  and he cleans the defensive boards while being a force on the offensive boards as well.  And he clearly loves hitting the weight room.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: BaboNation on February 24, 2024, 06:18:33 PM
So proud of the Babson squad in what has been a truly challenging season.

With back-to-back conference championships they are now tied with MIT at 6 for the most all-time.  And in both championships they had to go on the road to beat the #1 and #2 seeds.  Going to the NCAA  tournament 4 years in a row also ties a program record.

It certainly didn't look promising as recently as 7 days ago with Amado out of action since January 20th and more player games missed due to injury than any in recent memory.  In one stretch they lost a starter per game in 3 straight outings and were forced to use guys like Parker Mason who himself is still working his way back.

So while watching some horrid performances against the bottom of the league, including blowout  losses by 68-38 @ Salve Regina, and 90-54 @ Springfield I struggled to stay confident that the season could be salvaged.  That said, I think when Timmy O'Toole (top rebounder) was lost for 9 games during the holiday Wisconsin trip coach Brennan probably figured at 5-5 Pool C was looking like a long shot, even though their year-end SOS was something like 10th in the country, so get the team healthy and ready for late February.  Brennan, Dorney, et al deserve all the accolades for getting this team in peak form at the right time and the postseason game plans were superb.

The usual stars deserve the lion's share of attention, but I want to single out some lesser known players who really played well down the stretch.

David Cross:  The best defensive guard on the roster had trouble staying on the court because he seemed to lose his offensive game and that in turn affected his overall play.  While never a top scorer, he was missing open looks by wide margins.  But when the calendar flipped to February he was back and his contribution on both ends was outstanding.  The job he did defending Taylor in the final was a key to victory.  30+ mpg in the 3 postseason games, when he hadn't done that once all season speaks for itself.

Tyler Lauder:  He held his own against the best 2 conference bigs in back-to-back games (Adams & McArdle).  Still just a sophomore, his offense needs work, but he denied and frustrated both guys for long stretches when it counted.  That he almost matched McArdle point for point (8 vs. 10) was an unexpected plus.

Timmy O'Toole:  Best rebounder, 2nd in steals, rotates in coverage at every position but the point.  You can overlook all he does until he's gone for 9 games and you wonder why we can't grab a rebound or shut down a forward inside.  And, like Lauder, just a sophomore.

NeJohn Fortes:  The most anticipated FY recruit, he didn't see action til mid-season due to a knee injury, but he's already worked his way into the rotation.  He provides depth for the forwards with wingspan and hops that surprise the opposition.  He looks like he's still adjusting to his dramatic increase in height (listed at 6'6") but he's a 3-level threat that is somewhat rare beyond Baxter and Amado.

Not to criticize the different D3 experts who gave Babson a small chance at the championship (the mathematical models gave them something like a 6-8% chance, and game-by-game losses by double digits) but you'd have to know that the first time they had Baxter-Amado-O'Toole-Lauder-Cross-Fortes all available at the same time was game #1 of the postseason.
Title: Re: MBB: NEWMAC
Post by: WPI89 on March 05, 2024, 09:21:53 AM
Didn't know we were back.  Congrats Babo!  Great mini-run by Babson and a pretty competitive effort in the tourney.

Can't believe the NESCAC is killing it in the tournament - on what I thought may have been a "down-ish" year.  Congrats to our big brother.

And congrats to D3hoops - the new board has a great look and feel - can't wait to chime in on off-season news and then of course as we ramp up to 24-25.

Best of luck to the sweet 16.