MBB: Centennial Conference

Started by swish, March 01, 2005, 04:51:33 PM

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McBuckets

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 04, 2019, 06:31:48 AM
Quote from: CCD3Basketball on December 03, 2019, 08:56:43 PM
Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on December 03, 2019, 08:39:48 PM

Gettysburg is the CC team with the real impressive resume thus far, to me.

Agree 100%. He's got year 2 of his system and a bunch of young guys in place to pick up on it and results are showing.

Muhlenberg at 7-0 has been impressive as well. We'll see if they can keep the momentum up.

Gettysburg/JHU tomorrow night, should tell us a lot about both

Didn't mean to demean Muhl, just that Gettysburg's schedule seems a mite tougher thus far.

Ryan, it will be interesting to see how the Mules big man plays against conference teams.  He could be a real difference maker.  They have strong guard play already.

CCD3Basketball

Swarthmore got all they could handle from the Ursinus last night, but I think the Garnet will have to get used to that. Coming off that title game appearance last year and having that #1 next to their name means that they are going to get EVERYONE'S best shot this season. We saw it last night with Ursinus (who also is a good team with shooters everywhere) and we saw it last week with WAC (who led for the first 25 minutes before a big run from Swat did them in after being handled by Swat 3 times last year) and that's a trend that will probably continue all year. Scary to think that they keep on winning while trying to figure out a permanent solution at PG following Wiley's departure.

Elsewhere, even in a loss Gettysburg showed last night that their hot start to the early season isn't a fluke. Looks like Coach Dunne has them heading back in the right direction after a down couple of years. As for the Blue Jays, good test for them and a good win at home. That first matchup with Swat can't come fast enough.

Muhlenberg, well, they caught fire from three point range (not a surprise; it's what they do after all) and got the win over a scrappy WAC team as a result. If they keep hitting those shots, they'll be a tough matchup for anyone in this league. A showdown with Johns Hopkins at home looms on Saturday. That's the matchup of the weekend for sure, although Gettysburg/Swat should be a doozie too. As for WAC, well, they gave up quite a few open looks last night, which is something they'll need to tighten up if they want to be back in the playoff picture again this year. They've got an intriguing matchup at home against F&M on Saturday.

Speaking of F&M, something is a miss with the Diplomats so far this year. Haverford beat them last night in Lancaster by 16 for the first time since 1977. And yes, I think Haverford is dramatically improved this year (which is funny to think, considering they graduated such a dynamic player like Scibelli and the pieces he had around him too), but something doesn't look right in Lancaster so far.

And then there's Dickinson, which got a MUCH needed win over McDaniel. Both of these teams have lots of questions so far this year that need to be answered, but luckily, there's still 16 conference games to go.



Saturday's schedule looks great. Gettysburg/Swarthmore, JHU/Muhlenberg, Haverford/Dickinson (eyeballs should be open if the Fords win that one on the road to get to 3-0 in the CC), F&M/WAC (a pair of playoff teams from a season ago, both in search of a much needed CC win; keep an eye on this one), and Ursinus hosting McDaniel. Good day for CC basketball!

Wow, this post was longer than I thought it would be. Sorry for rambling, guys.
Broadcaster. Writer. Analyst. Fan. Voter. Centennial Conference focus, with an eye on D3 as a whole. D3 Basketball runs my life for over a quarter of the year and I have no problems with that. My wife feels differently about that last part.

BeRightOn

Quote from: CCD3Basketball on December 05, 2019, 06:26:34 PM
a scrappy WAC team

Excellent summary; not a ramble! And I'm gratified we chose the same adjective to describe WAC.

McBuckets

Was finally able to take in a Swat game live this year as they played Gettysburg yesterday.  Boy did they put on a clinic.  They looked great for 40 minutes and dominated the game.  They shared the ball well, had excellent shot selection and crashed the boards. Quite a performance.

BeRightOn

Indeed. And their best scorer (Visconti) was unavailable for the second straight game.

centfan

congrats to the Fords....keep on rolling!

Swat Fan #1

Fantastic game last night between Swat and JH. It had the intensity of a NCAA Tournament game. Long stretches where each team couldn't buy a bucket but they both played hard the entire game. Swat is a fantastic team but I still think they are searching for a true point guard. They are playing full court and are deeper than last year. JH is a very good team and will make noise in the league. That #1 on their back will make every team play them much harder this year but will be good come tournament time.

Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)

Quote from: Swat Fan #1 on December 11, 2019, 05:22:34 PM
Fantastic game last night between Swat and JH. It had the intensity of a NCAA Tournament game. Long stretches where each team couldn't buy a bucket but they both played hard the entire game. Swat is a fantastic team but I still think they are searching for a true point guard. They are playing full court and are deeper than last year. JH is a very good team and will make noise in the league. That #1 on their back will make every team play them much harder this year but will be good come tournament time.

Their PG is sitting on the bench in street clothes with his elbow wrapped up.  Hopefully not for too long, though.
Lead Columnist for D3hoops.com
@ryanalanscott just about anywhere

BeRightOn

Point guard by committee is Swat's destiny this year. I like that no one person has to fill Cam's shoes. They miss Sallah with the elbow injury as Ryan says. Even when he's back though, Ingram will be the reliable and effective floor general, the freshman DeAngelo will get more consistent, and Visconti will handle the rock in the guts of the game.

Swat Fan #1

Quote from: BeRightOn on December 12, 2019, 06:25:05 PM
Point guard by committee is Swat's destiny this year. I like that no one person has to fill Cam's shoes. They miss Sallah with the elbow injury as Ryan says. Even when he's back though, Ingram will be the reliable and effective floor general, the freshman DeAngelo will get more consistent, and Visconti will handle the rock in the guts of the game.

Sallah is not nearly the scorer Cam was, so I wonder who will be the go to guy when they really need a bucket. Having said that, they are so big and disciplined that it will be a battle to beat them. Some of the perimeter players are not having as big a season due to not having Cam's penetration and kick out. I will say that wearing a Swat Hoops shirt now brings discussion in public as the basketball community knows how good they are. What is also funny is that anyone who knows anything about Swarthmore College always brings up the fact that Obama didn't get in there. Somehow, Hoops and Obama always go hand in hand when talking about Swat. =)

Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)

Quote from: Swat Fan #1 on December 13, 2019, 10:08:47 AM
Quote from: BeRightOn on December 12, 2019, 06:25:05 PM
Point guard by committee is Swat's destiny this year. I like that no one person has to fill Cam's shoes. They miss Sallah with the elbow injury as Ryan says. Even when he's back though, Ingram will be the reliable and effective floor general, the freshman DeAngelo will get more consistent, and Visconti will handle the rock in the guts of the game.

Sallah is not nearly the scorer Cam was, so I wonder who will be the go to guy when they really need a bucket. Having said that, they are so big and disciplined that it will be a battle to beat them. Some of the perimeter players are not having as big a season due to not having Cam's penetration and kick out. I will say that wearing a Swat Hoops shirt now brings discussion in public as the basketball community knows how good they are. What is also funny is that anyone who knows anything about Swarthmore College always brings up the fact that Obama didn't get in there. Somehow, Hoops and Obama always go hand in hand when talking about Swat. =)

It seems pretty clear so far that Visconti will have the ball in his hands at the end of games.  In many ways, a pass-first PG is a great fit for the system they run, which is all based on passing and movement.  It's not like they're lacking for scorers.
Lead Columnist for D3hoops.com
@ryanalanscott just about anywhere

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Sallah not being the scorer Cam is I think is fine. Sometimes Cam's ability to score took away from what they were trying to accomplish. There were times one would be yelling "nooooo" just as he scored and others when "noooo" was followed by a shake of the head. I liked the way Cam played most of the time, but it took him a number of years to fully buy in ... and even then they would have him on the bench for key points of the game because he was being a little too selfish (he wasn't selfish, just moments of that style).

I thought Sallah showed in the final four especially that he can be a weapon and he can score when needed or when defenses slack off of him. That will be an important key for Swat ... when he gets back.
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

centfan

historically sallah's scoring and shooting percentage numbers are not strong, including his free throw percentage. we shall see whether or not a scoring point guard is needed for swat. i think it is tough to win it all without a strong point guard who can score and distribute. we shall see.

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Quote from: centfan on December 17, 2019, 06:25:40 PM
historically sallah's scoring and shooting percentage numbers are not strong, including his free throw percentage. we shall see whether or not a scoring point guard is needed for swat. i think it is tough to win it all without a strong point guard who can score and distribute. we shall see.

I've seen teams win it all with PGs who can distribute and score just as easily making them a challenge. I have also seen teams with a PG who barely even takes a shot and just focuses on getting his team in the best position. It depends so much on the coach, the scheme, and the players around them. There are many ways to skin a cat. :)
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

centfan

Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on December 18, 2019, 02:23:43 PM


I've seen teams win it all with PGs who can distribute and score just as easily making them a challenge. I have also seen teams with a PG who barely even takes a shot and just focuses on getting his team in the best position. It depends so much on the coach, the scheme, and the players around them. There are many ways to skin a cat. :)
i agree that it is possible to win with a non scoring/shooting point guard. but i prefer one who can shoot/score/break down the defense and distribute.