MBB: NESCAC

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

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toad22

Re freshmen who will contribute: Cole Teal, a Williams FY, will be a really fine player right away. He is a 6'3" G from Chesterton, IN. He is a really good shooter, fine ball handler, and the best 1-1 defender Williams has had since Jim Frew in the late 90s. I expect that he will get minutes in the backcourt right away. He played with one of the top AAU programs in the country, so he won't need much time to become used to the level of play in the NESCAC. I expect, over the next couple of years, that he will become a top player for Williams. He plays a lot like Chuck Abba, one of my favorite Eph players of all times.

pinseeking1

I was looking at a few of the 2014-15 schedules and noticed that Bates' schedule shows most upcoming games to have live stats, but only two to have video feeds. Do we have any Bates posters here who can tell us if Bates generally broadcasts most games via video? I'm hoping that their online schedule just isn't updated yet for the full video schedule. Most other NESCAC schools seem to offer video feeds for most games...

P'bearfan

NescacFan5 - thanks for the great overview.  I also can't wait for the season to start.

The player I think may surprise everyone is Jacob Nabatoff from Amherst.  He only played in 19 games last year and then averaged just more than 5 mpg so he's flying under the radar.  However, his recruiting video showed a long, rangy kid who hadn't grown into his body yet but has plenty of underlying athleticism.  Maybe he is still another year away but I think he may make some folks notice him this year.

You're spot on regarding Tufts.  If they put it all together they will be a difficult opponent but as you and others have mentioned "if".   I agree that the Jumbos will have a tough front court but I'm not sure I'd ordain them the best in the conference.  Amherst, Bowdoin, Trinity (at least defensively) and possibly Bates will all be very tough up front.  With so many teams losing key players, the quality of the front court play may depend on how the whole unit gels. 

Should be a fun season.

nescac1

In the nice-problem-to-have category, Amherst is going to have some very good big men sitting the bench.  George and Pollack are locks to start at the 4 and 5, and for limited minutes behind them, there is Mussachia, Nabatoff, Levine, all of whom saw significant court time last year, and the highly-touted transfer from Arizona.  All of those guys are primarily interior players and really need to play the 4 or 5.  At most two of those four are going to get substantial PT.  And that excludes two other returning big guys on the roster who figure to be relegated to deep bench duties, likely for the duration of their careers given the guys in front of them.

For Tufts, the big question will be point guard.  Tarik Smith (who has some good moments as a frosh) is the only returning point guard on the roster, and a lot is going to be on his shoulders in replacing the ball-handling, defense, and leadership of Cohen and Firepong.  Those guys were good intangibles players who made a bigger impact than box scores might suggest.  Tufts is loaded everywhere else, though, so they don't need a ton of scoring at the point, just facilitation. 
 

P'bearfan

QuoteIn the nice-problem-to-have category, Amherst is going to have some very good big men sitting the bench.

nescac1 – yes I agree.   Amherst strength this year will be in the front court and they will be very deep here which is always good in case of injuries or foul trouble. 

And while it was impressive that Amherst could attract not just one but two D1 transfers – they didn't necessarily help themselves that much. 

Eric Conlin (transfer from AZ) could turn out to be a very good NESCAC player but given Amherst's strength and depth in the front court, his incremental value to Amherst is relatively low.  In other words, the LJ's have so many good front court players that it's hard to imagine that Conlin is substantially better than the next guy off the bench (and that assumes Conlin is the guy who gets on the floor). 

As you say, it's a "nice problem to have" as other teams with strong front courts are not nearly this deep.

lefrakenstein

#18515
Quote from: nescac1 on October 27, 2014, 08:50:39 AM
In the nice-problem-to-have category, Amherst is going to have some very good big men sitting the bench.  George and Pollack are locks to start at the 4 and 5, and for limited minutes behind them, there is Mussachia, Nabatoff, Levine, all of whom saw significant court time last year, and the highly-touted transfer from Arizona.  All of those guys are primarily interior players and really need to play the 4 or 5.  At most two of those four are going to get substantial PT.  And that excludes two Gother returning big guys on the roster who figure to be relegated to deep bench duties, likely for the duration of their careers given the guys in front of them.

I don't think either George or Pollack will see any time at the 4. Very highly doubt that they will start next to each other.

Hixon only plays guys with range on the wing. When big guys have played positions other than the pivot for Hixon, they've always been able to shoot from distance (see Fletcher Walters, Brandon Jones). Even when Hixon has two very talented guys at the center position, he's proven quite reluctant to play them together (see Jeff Holmes, Peter Kaasila). This is a major reason that it's so ridiculous that the Jeffs have so many centers (George, Pollack, Nabatoff, Sanderson, Levine, Curtis). Hopefully Hixon sees the Arizona transfer as more of wing, otherwise that log jam will be further exacerbated.

toad22

Too bad one or two of those centers didn't end up at Williams. We're begging for centers!

lefrakenstein

Quote from: toad22 on October 27, 2014, 04:20:33 PM
Too bad one or two of those centers didn't end up at Williams. We're begging for centers!

I think I'd be willing to trade Pollack for Wohl. Pollack is one year younger, but has health questions. Both very good players.

lefrakenstein

Quote from: lefrakenstein on October 27, 2014, 02:52:54 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on October 27, 2014, 08:50:39 AM
In the nice-problem-to-have category, Amherst is going to have some very good big men sitting the bench.  George and Pollack are locks to start at the 4 and 5, and for limited minutes behind them, there is Mussachia, Nabatoff, Levine, all of whom saw significant court time last year, and the highly-touted transfer from Arizona.  All of those guys are primarily interior players and really need to play the 4 or 5.  At most two of those four are going to get substantial PT.  And that excludes two Gother returning big guys on the roster who figure to be relegated to deep bench duties, likely for the duration of their careers given the guys in front of them.

I don't think either George or Pollack will see any time at the 4. Very highly doubt that they will start next to each other.

Hixon only plays guys with range on the wing. When big guys have played positions other than the pivot for Hixon, they've always been able to shoot from distance (see Fletcher Walters, Brandon Jones). Even when Hixon has two very talented guys at the center position, he's proven quite reluctant to play them together (see Jeff Holmes, Peter Kaasila). This is a major reason that it's so ridiculous that the Jeffs have so many centers (George, Pollack, Nabatoff, Sanderson, Levine, Curtis). Hopefully Hixon sees the Arizona transfer as more of wing, otherwise that log jam will be further exacerbated.

Just watched some of Conklin's highlights from high school. Unless he has come a long way towards developing an outside shot, he won't be playing anything but 5 for us either. That leaves 7 guys, including George, Pollack and Conklin, all sharing 40 minutes per game.

Meanwhile, Green, Mussachia, Dawson and maybe someone else who steps up will be left to split 120 minutes per game. Amherst really needs either Johnny McCarthy or one of the freshman wings that didn't play at all last year to be able to contribute. Mussachia did not look like a starter last year, much less like a guy you'd want on the court for 40 minutes. Green is also no lock to stay healthy.

Bucket

Quote from: toad22 on October 26, 2014, 08:24:28 PM
Re freshmen who will contribute: Cole Teal, a Williams FY, will be a really fine player right away. He is a 6'3" G from Chesterton, IN. He is a really good shooter, fine ball handler, and the best 1-1 defender Williams has had since Jim Frew in the late 90s.

Let's let the young man play a college game first before we declare him the best 1-on-1 defender at Williams in 15-20 years!

P'bearfan

QuoteJust watched some of Conklin's highlights from high school. Unless he has come a long way towards developing an outside shot, he won't be playing anything but 5 for us either.

That was my impression after watching the video as well.  The challenge is that most walk ons at major D1 programs spend the majority of their time simulating opposing defenses so they don't get that many opportunities within the team to develop their offensive skills.  Of course he may have put that time in himself.

middhoops

Who are the candidates to play the 4 for the LJs if you're going to keep Pollack on the bench?
Must say as a non-LJ fan that I'm enthused to hear this (seemingly reasonable) historical perspective.
George/Pollack would be a bear to play against.

nescac1

Toad, I loved Jim Frew, maybe the toughest competitor the Ephs ever had and, indeed, a heck of a defender.  But while a tough call, I'd say that Jaris Cole was the best one-on-one perimeter defender I've seen play for the Ephs.  In all events, if Teal is even in the same league as Frew or Cole as a defender, that would be a huge plus as Williams has generally lacked elite defenders at the guard position -- Nate Robertson and Daniel Wohl being the two best in the Maker era, but neither quite in the Frew/Cole league in terms of being able to individually lock down even elite offensive players. 

I think in general, the Ephs are going to have to play much stronger defense this year to compete, because Duncan and Mayer were both ridiculously good offensive players, perhaps the two most efficient in the country last year, so the offense can't possibly be as strong without them (not to mention Epley).  But Williams is going to field a MUCH more athletic team than they have since, at least, 2011 ... lots of fairly long, quick guys up front like Wohl, Aronowitz, Sime, and Hayes, plus a deep and pesky group of guards.  The Ephs don't any notable bulk or muscle on the interior, but they do have depth and quick feet, so I think their best bet this season is to apply a lot more consistent, aggressive ball pressure than they did in the Maker years, to try to create turnovers and disrupt teams before they can settle into a half-court offense and exploit Williams' lack of size. 

Lefrankenstein, I simply can't imagine that Hixon will forego using two bigs together this year.  Pollack seems to have decent shooting range out to around 20 feet and is a good passer ... he can play the four.  Mussachia is a banger and will also play at the four and can give 10-15 solid minutes per game.  That would allow Nabatoff, Levine, and Conlin to compete for back-up minutes at the five.  What Amherst loses in floor spacing they will make up for in offensive rebounds and mismatches on the interior.  Hixon is a smart coach and will adapt to the personnel on hand -- there just doesn't seem to be a Workman or Wheeler or Walters or Waller type on the roster (maybe he needs to recruit another "W")  who is more of a wing type player who can guard fours as well.  Rather than try to fit a square peg into a round hole while sitting a whole bunch of his most experienced and talented guys, I trust Hixon will find a way to work a 3-out-2-in type of system, maybe with Pollack operating a lot out of the high post.  Other than Green Amherst is lacking in elite perimeter shooting (unless Racy is ready to be a key guy next year), so you have to figure the three ball won't be the emphasis this year.  Especially with so many physically overpowering guys at almost every position.  I figure Amherst's lineup will probably go something like George-Pollack-Green-[competition at 2 between McCarthy/Racy/Magana/etc.]-Dawson, with Nabatoff/Conlin, Mussachia, 1-2 of the young wings, and Berman as the second unit. 

toad22

#18523
Quote from: Bucket on October 27, 2014, 05:56:57 PM
Quote from: toad22 on October 26, 2014, 08:24:28 PM
Re freshmen who will contribute: Cole Teal, a Williams FY, will be a really fine player right away. He is a 6'3" G from Chesterton, IN. He is a really good shooter, fine ball handler, and the best 1-1 defender Williams has had since Jim Frew in the late 90s.

Let's let the young man play a college game first before we declare him the best 1-on-1 defender at Williams in 15-20 years!
You're going to love this kid, or maybe hate this kid, depending on how you look at it. He is going to be a good one. Williams hasn't had many effective 1-1 defenders over the years, so perhaps that emboldens me when I see one!

P'bearfan

http://athletics.bowdoin.edu/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/2014102812w6j4

It's official....Scott Faucher is the new ABC at Bowdoin.  Good luck to Coach Faucher and the team as they kick off the season!