WBB: American Southwest Conference

Started by Pat Coleman, March 17, 2005, 02:27:01 AM

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BJ - DSU SID

I am still hanging around this room on occassion since I made so many friends on my trip to Texas a few weeks ago.

I have enjoyed reading the banter and want to congratulate the Lady Jackets on a great season and for winning the National Title.

I just wanted to weigh in on the debate over the last few days about the '08 Howard Payne being the best ever.

I have been fortunate in my 12 years watching Division III basketball to see some really good teams and some really good players.  DeSales plays in the Freedom Conference who up until last year included The University of Scranton and King's College, who have each had great teams and great players.  I also worked at Johns Hopkins University during the 1999-00 season and got to see the Washington U. dynasty play once that year.  And of course this year I was able to see HPU play in their undefeated season.

Here are my opinions.  The Wash U. team of 1999-00 was the last of the great teams if I remember correctly in the Wash. U, era (although its tough when to be great you have to make a Final Four, which I guess is the standard Wash U., has on themselves these days).  I think they won the national title in 2001 too, but the 99-00 verson was the better team of the two.  They had two really, really, really good post players (Alia Fischer and Tasha Rodgers).

This year's HPU team was awesome.  They did something very tough to do and that is beat a good McMurry team 4 times.  They always say its tough to beat a team 3 times, well they did it four.  Then they cruised the rest of the way.  Sure Hope gave them a good game, and I did not stick around to see it, but I think by reading the box score, they could have played all night long and Daniels just would not have let them lose and Hope had no answer for her (but then again who did).  WIth that being said, like Wash U., HPU has two stud players (Daniels and Blalock).

Its really tough to compare era's but I will say this, Fischer would have been a very difficult match-up for even Blalock and I am not sure how HPU would have stopped Rodgers at the PF position.  She was really good.  But in the same sentence, I am not sure Wash. U. could have stopped Daniels.  I'll say this about Daniels.  I always feel that good guard play wins national titles, Daniels was the best guard I have seen in my 12 years at the Division III level.  She was SILLY GOOD.  I think its crazy she only won ONE national title, but that's just proof that teams win national titles and not players, the pieces just all came together this year.

The time I saw Wash. U play they beat Hopkins that year by 36 at Hopkins (it wasn't even that close, the game was over in the first 10 minutes).  A tough trip from Missouri to Maryland and they still hammered us.  And Hopkins was 21-6 that season with a really good team and a really, really good point guard (Leslie Ritter) and a really strong post presence (Marjhana Segers). Fischer ate Segers alive and Ritter was controlled.  Of course this year HPU beat DeSales handily, although we did hang for a bit in the first half (only allowing 23 points) and when Burke hit back-to-back treys in the second half it was only a 9-point game, followed by a 23-2 HPU run that sealed our fate.

Golfniz...with all due respect and as good as Daniels is, I would give the edge to that Wash U., team.  They were good, with solid guards who got the job done and two post players that could do it all and dominated games.  Don't take this as disrespect to HPU.   I was more than impressed with everything about them, the players, the coaches, the gameday staff, the gym (I loved it), the community, etc...

With that being said, I am not sure I will ever see a player better than Daniels.  If I were starting a team and I had the first pick of the draft and the all-time list of women's Division III players was at my disposal, I'd take Daniels and build around her.

Ok back to the spring for me.

golfniz1

DSU-SID welcome back and thank you for your comments.  By the way what did you shoot in your round of golf when you were down?  The weather was great if I'm not mistaken.  I think alot of HPUs success was due to the type of defense that we ran.  From the sweet 16 games to the final 4 everyone ran man to man and we were the only zone team that I saw.  DeSales I dont believe had played against an aggressive zone like that all year as Wisconsin WW and Messiah did and it caught them off guard.  The zone defense we ran does not allow you very many transition baskets as does a man to man.  No disrespect to Washington U. no doubt had 4 very good basketball teams but this HPU team was just that "a good all around team" from the starters to the bench.  When Coach K put his bench players in the intensity did not drop off and he could go 5 to 6 deep. So I will not compare the two  :) as Sandman said "we will let the historians do that."

golfniz1

Man people are being harsh with karma now I know how inthepaint feels!

Ralph Turner


BJ - DSU SID

Golfniz - I shot 88.  Greens were aerated (so putting was difficult) but I could tell once things turned green in the summer, that the course was a really nice one.  I played OK for the first time out since October.

I will agree with you on the zone defense.  But I don't think its the zone that makes you so effective as much as it is the players, playing the zone.  You had the perfect roster of players to play that zone.  Quick guards, who can recover well on skip passes and have long arms.  Then down low Blalock was 6-2 with very long arms, so she just clogged and controlled the middle of the paint allowing the two post wings the freedom to roam about on the sideline/baseline.  Its a very effective zone with the right personnel.  And you certainly had the right personnel.   We could practice all we want in practice against our third team on the zone but I am not sure there is a team in the country that can re-create the kind of pressure, recover ability and inside presence HPU had in that zone during a game.  It is tough to prepare for when the personnel playing it is so perfectly suited.

Ralph Turner

Quote from: BJ - DSU SID on April 02, 2008, 12:05:01 PM
...   We could practice all we want in practice against our third team on the zone but I am not sure there is a team in the country that can re-create the kind of pressure, recover ability and inside presence HPU had in that zone during a game.  It is tough to prepare for when the personnel playing it is so perfectly suited.
Which makes the case for male practice players... ;)

Rob Don

Quote from: Ralph Turner on April 02, 2008, 01:09:52 PM
Quote from: BJ - DSU SID on April 02, 2008, 12:05:01 PM
...   We could practice all we want in practice against our third team on the zone but I am not sure there is a team in the country that can re-create the kind of pressure, recover ability and inside presence HPU had in that zone during a game.  It is tough to prepare for when the personnel playing it is so perfectly suited.
Which makes the case for male practice players... ;)

I would guess that all the contendors in DIII utilize a male practice squad/scout team.

golfniz1

BJ yes you are correct the personnel is key to the zone.  I saw quite a few teams play this year and wondered why alot of these teams didn't run a zone.  Most of the teams didn't have that type of personnel to run man to man and be effective.  I noticed that Rutgers played a very aggressive zone against Connecticut and was very successful till the end when the Huskies finally hit some outside shots.

88 not bad and you are right about the greens right now they are in transition and tougher to putt. I'm pretty sure you could not play to much in Pennsylvania back then  because of the weather and all.  So you will be given a mulligan on another game if you come back to Texas. :)

Sioux

Any news on recruits for next year in the ASC?

Rob Don

Quote from: dballa on April 01, 2008, 10:15:42 AM
Dr. Don Newbury's Article "NCAA Abandon's Hope"

This is a great article as is pretty much everything he writes.

thanks for posting that, i had read it but didn't think to post it on here!

here is a link to the latest issue which talks about Dr. Newbury's struggles to actually get to the final four.

http://www.speakerdoc.com/Idle%20American.htm

Ralph Turner

Breanna Anderson-Burton is a back-up guard on the McMurry basketball team.  She also just jumped the second-longest distance in the Triple Jump this year, 11.71 meters.

McMurry has the two longest jumpers in the Triple Jump this year.

Texas Twilight Meet.

Raceberry Jam  Click on Outdoor; then click on the 2008 best performances.

It is clearly possible that Breanna will be an All-American in track this year if she qualifies and scores a point in the National meet.


dballa

I just heard today that HPU's Meia Daniels had a tryout with the WNBA Orlanda Dream and even had a call back.  Not sure what the result of the call back was.  She also has several European teams after her.  Good luck to her and apparently that will put law school on hold :)

Ralph Turner

Congratulations to Tarra Richardson for being one of 29 Winter Female NCAA Athletes to win an NCAA Post-graduate Scholarship.  Tarra is one of 9 women competing in the winter sports in D-III to receive this scholarship.

golden_dome

#3553
Ralph,
  I know this is the women's hoops board, but Tyler Winford also earned one of the 29 Male Post-graduate scholarships. Not a bad year for the ASC with a national championship for HPU and two of the 58  Post-graduate scholarships awarded by the NCAA.
Tyler Winford

JACKET84

Kielsmeier leaving HPU for NCAA Division II program Wayne State
By Derrick Stuckly - Brownwood Bulletin
Published: Wednesday, May 7, 2008 5:24 PM CDT
The Howard Payne Lady Jackets' undefeated run to the NCAA Division III women's basketball national championship turned head coach Chris Kielsmeier into one of the hottest commodities throughout the country. With numerous job offers pouring in, one proved too good for Kielsmeier to refuse.

After nine seasons -- the last eight as head coach -- Kielsmeier is leaving Howard Payne to become the head coach at Division II Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb., located 100 miles northwest of Omaha and four hours from his hometown in Iowa.

Kielsmeier broke the news to the returning members of the Lady Jackets roster during a team meeting Wednesday afternoon. More information on this story will appear later on the Brownwood Bulletin Web site and in Thursday's print edition.