MBB: NESCAC

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

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amh63

Nescac1...you maybe on to something! :).  Is there  a Russian connection here??

amh63

Amherst has hired a new "SID"...has a fancy new title.  Maybe the reason that there is the MBB schedule for this season finally on the proper website.  Young man is a Tufts English Major alum with excellent sports related resume.

P'bearfan

Quote from: Bucket on October 16, 2017, 08:01:54 PM
Perhaps the only aspect of Midd's schedule that has me as excited as the home tournament to open the season is the site of the post-holiday tournament: Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

Some of you may know that I grew up in Lex, where I played countless hours of ball on the Warner Center court and its more charming sibling across the hall, Doremus Gymnasium. Elder Bucket and Mrs Elder Bucket still reside in the house where I grew up, so three generations of Bucket will be on-hand in December to cheer on the Panthers (even though two of us will be cheering against our alma mater, and, in my, dad's case, his professional home for 30+ years).

Sounds like a great time!  Hope you enjoy it.

If I remember correctly, Williams played at W&L during the holiday break 5 years ago. This was Mike Mayer's (sp?) first game back from an injury and he was clearly not yet 100%.  Late in the game, with Williams trailing, some kid named Robinson just started launching treys from the county line to lead Williams to the win.  Whatever happened to him?  ;)

P'bearfan

Quote from: PeterEscobar on October 17, 2017, 07:50:24 AM
Quote from: P'bearfan on October 16, 2017, 06:50:19 AM
Quote from: Ubuntu on October 14, 2017, 08:16:15 AM
I'm aware that the NESCAC starts later than the other d3 leagues, and clearly it hasn't hurt there chances late in the season.  Are the kids working out now?  Do they get to practice just without coaches?
And can coaches/interested people watch the workouts?  Is that how you know the good new players etc?

Captains typically lead both weightlifting and pick up sessions in the pre-season.  No coaches are in the weight room or gym during this time.
That's not true. Strength and conditioning coaches, even at Division III, are permitted to work with student-athletes year round. So there are coaches in the weight room and they typically lead the S&C workouts, not captains. At least at the schools that invest in athletics with those roles.

You are correct; thanks for the clarification.  When I wrote the original post I was only thinking of the b-ball coaching staff.

nescac1

Good memory, P'bearfan.  I was at the W&L tournament -- Lexington is a lovely town, by the way, and W&L has a beautiful campus, the Midd fans will enjoy the visit -- and Williams most certainly did not look like the Final Four squad that emerged late in the season.  Mayer wasn't really himself for another month, Greenman was barely playing at that point, and Duncan Robinson, while clearly a special talent, had yet to really be unleashed as one of the two go-to guys in every game ... it will be fun to follow Duncan's final season at Michigan, when he figures to be a much bigger part of the offense than merely a 4th or 5th option. 

amh63

On the topic of former Nescac MBB players moving up to higher level BB....there is a featured website article on the Amherst site.  The New GM of the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers was a former player at Midd!  He is featured on the Amherst website because he talked HC Hixon...as stated in the article...to take him on as an assistant coach....while he was at grad school nearby...UMass-Amherst.  Guess it is another "Nescac small world story". :). Go Panthers!

Ubuntu

Thanks for all the great info.  I've listened to people discuss the NESCAC and how it is so much better than most d3 schools since they can offer an education with benefits that outweigh even a scholarship.   Is it actually fair that they are in d3?  Where else would they be?  It's interesting that many d3 schools "play" d1 schools as openers, but no NESCAC schools?  Just trying to get a view of the landscape.

toad22

NESCAC teams play D1s only very occasionally. I only really know Williams, but we played Davidson in the mid 90s, and lost in OT, and beat Holy Cross in 2003-04. No D1 gets much out of playing a d3.

middhoops

Middlebury played UVM back around 2002-3, as Jeff Brown was an assistant (and hall of famer) at Vermont. 
As a fan of both programs, let me just say I don't want to see it again any time soon.  The difference between D1 and D3 athletes was unmistakable.

If Middlebury could play the University of Maine this year, I'd be less opposed.

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

I think NESCACs play D1s a little more often than many realize, but it also depends on relationships between programs and coaches. For example, Kentucky and Transylvania have a relationship for many reasons and have tried to play the game once in awhile.

Some D1s get quite a bit out of a D3 playing them because they know the D3 won't roll over at any point of the game. D3s have been known to beat D1s far more often than many realize.

There are a good number of D3 v D1 games this season. Some the D3s are considering exhibitions and others are full games.
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.

P'bearfan

Quote from: middhoops on October 19, 2017, 09:02:40 PM
Middlebury played UVM back around 2002-3, as Jeff Brown was an assistant (and hall of famer) at Vermont. 
As a fan of both programs, let me just say I don't want to see it again any time soon.  The difference between D1 and D3 athletes was unmistakable.

If Middlebury could play the University of Maine this year, I'd be less opposed.

Agree with your assessment.  Even good D3 players are missing something compared to their D1 counterparts (e.g. undersized for the position; slower; shorter vertical). FWIW, it seems D1 increasingly puts an emphasis on athleticism and many D3 players have equal if not better skills.


P'bearfan

Quote from: Ubuntu on October 19, 2017, 07:30:05 PM
Thanks for all the great info.  I've listened to people discuss the NESCAC and how it is so much better than most d3 schools since they can offer an education with benefits that outweigh even a scholarship.   Is it actually fair that they are in d3?  Where else would they be?  It's interesting that many d3 schools "play" d1 schools as openers, but no NESCAC schools?  Just trying to get a view of the landscape.

Bowdoin used to open it's season against Harvard but that was way, way back in the day.  I believe MIT and Harvard still play each other but I'm not certain if that is a game or a scrimmage.

jumpshot

The record books show that Williams beat both Harvard and Dartmouth in their gyms in the mid-1960's.

Colby Hoops

Colby played Davidson in 2006-07. Unsurprisingly a 30 pt loss with a baby-faced freshman scoring 29 points in one of his first games in college... Stephen Curry.

The size and strength seem to be one of the biggest challenges -- D3 teams are at a big disadvantage on the boards against D1 teams.

JustAFan

Coach Tong's Williams teams played a home and home series with Yale in the 1975/76 and 1976/77 seasons, losing in New Haven the first year by 25+ and nipping Yale by 2 the following year before a packed house in the magically friendly confines of Lasell gymnasium.  Yale had beaten Clark by 55 earlier in in the season and was coming off of losses to two top 20 teams (Clemson and Holy Cross (the Potter/Vicens/Perry era at HC)) and may have been looking past the Ephs to their Ivy opener but at the same time the Ephs played great and earned the win.