Middlebury adds 6-7 wing Reeve Sysco to its recruiting class. Played at Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania.

Described as "an elite long-range shooter."

https://www.neprepbasketball.net/news/perkiomen-school-is-back-after-cracking-the-nation-s-top-20/22716

Quote from: SpringSt7 on March 30, 2026, 09:18:36 PM

Quote from: lumbercat on March 30, 2026, 04:52:54 PMStrahorn's successor does not seem like a big time hire but time will tell on that also.

I have bad news

lol

Great piece on former Hamilton star Matt Hart and his role on the UVa coaching staff:

https://sports.yahoo.com/mens-college-basketball/article/2026-ncaa-tournament-will-feature-new-potentially-crucial-element-the-coachs-challenge-183306667.html

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 07, 2026, 12:06:05 AM

Quote from: lumbercat on March 06, 2026, 10:15:05 PMSure you were sitting with them all day and you like them but let me know the next time you see a call quite like that. Good, marginal and rookie Refs let that go along with most everything else with less than 10 seconds left!!! It's gotta be blatant.
Watch the big tournament coming up and tell when you see a call anything like that in the last 30 seconds of a tied tournament game. 

Again, you can't let it go.  You have to call something.  A guy ended up out of bounds.  You can't no call that.  You're right.  The contact was not something any ref would call on it's own - I doubt even the guy who called it wanted to call it.  You have to say either, the tiny amount of contact led to the guy falling out of bounds or he fell out of bounds all on his own.  Either way one team is upset.

It's a tough call.  It's a frustrating way to end.  It's not a bad call.

You 100 percent can let it go. I've shared the video with two folks who are/have been veteran D1 officials. They both didn't hesitate: Half over.

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on March 06, 2026, 09:35:00 PM

Quote from: lumbercat on March 06, 2026, 08:47:27 PMI try to refrain from complaining about officiating relative to the outcome of any game in any sport but that was a tough one today.....can't ever remember a ref blowing a whistle on a very marginal call like that at the expiration of regulation time. The only way a call like that is made in that scenario is if the kid was on a fast break and got hit from behind or somebody got totally mugged.

I was sitting right next to the official observer.  We were talking most of the game.  Overall the refs did a great job.  That last one was just unfortunate.  In most situations you can let a tap like that go and head to OT, but the kid fell out of bounds before the buzzer, you have to call one thing or the other.

He called for the review so fast, you could tell genuinely hoping the buzzer went before his whistle.  Big props to Zakheim for hitting the shot, though.  Tough situation.

Tremendous game all around.  Bates did really well to come back and be right in it.

Actually, no. Just signal the end of the half. Easy.

Quote from: nescac1 on March 03, 2026, 09:47:09 AMStickthe3, wow, if that Civello rumor is true, that seems nuts to me.  Many high-level guys in D3 test the portal and return if they don't like their options - including Henry Vetter last year!  Trinity is no doubt delighted he decided to return.  As a D3 coach, it's hard to begrudge a star who has an opportunity to maybe get a free ride or even NIL money over and above that.  But if it doesn't work out, why would you deny that player an opportunity to return (especially because it only hurts you / the team if he does not)?  Makes no sense. 

Things could get interesting. In soccer, it's not uncommon for players to transfer within NESCAC. It seems that there's at least one every year or so. Would be fascinating if Civello transferred to another NESCAC school.

Middlebury soccer recently benefited from an all-conference midfielder transferring to Midd from ....Colby. Civello would look great in another shade of blue.

Quote from: AmherstStudent05 on March 01, 2026, 02:03:52 PM

Quote from: nescac1 on March 01, 2026, 01:36:57 PMYeah kinda felt like Trinity was saving this extra gear.  They are now fully in tourney mode and will be very tough to beat.  They can raise their defense up to such an intense level that it wears you down inevitably. I think with three Nescac titles, and what they've done and will likely keep doing in the NCAAs, they've locked down best Nescac team ever and are firmly in the D3 pantheon.  Especially if they reach a third straight final four, which is very, very rare.

Best team ever? Not so fast my friend.  I of course agree that the book on Trinity has not been written yet and a repeat National Championship would be an unprecedented accomplishment in the NESCAC but I do not think anything is "locked down" just yet.  I feel honor bound to remind you that Amherst won three consecutive NESCAC championships from 2012-14 and only lost ONE conference game during that stretch (which of course included some pretty good competition).  We were an overtime a way from a four-peat.  The 2013 team remains the only NESCAC team to win the NESCAC regular season, NESCAC Tournament and NCAA Tournament all in one season. 

That season also featured the Willy Workman free-throw-miracle, Aaron Toomey buzzer-beating win in 3OT at Midd. Otherwise known in these Northern parts as the "Box out, guys!" game.

Quote from: jumbomumbo on February 18, 2026, 09:52:58 PMI haven't seen anyone mention this but Middlebury's Jaden Bobbett is on LSU's roster.

He's even played in a few games (mop-up duty)—recorded a rebound and an assist against Arkansas.

Good for Jaden. Indiana and Big Ten last year, LSU and SEC this year.

Quite a collegiate experience!

Quote from: D3BBALL on February 18, 2026, 01:27:44 PM

Quote from: SpringSt7 on February 18, 2026, 10:30:57 AMI am still working on all league but man it is gonna be tough. There are a lot of second team guys that are worthy and balancing team success and stats is hard this year. Doesn't quite seem like you can justify having 3 guys from one team to me, maybe Lazarre for Trinity but I don't know if I can have a guy who averaged 9.2 points per game on the 3 seed make an all league team. He would have to be Michael Cooper defensively and I don't think he quite got there.

Amherst is another tricky one - they have all league talent but the offense is still pretty anemic so the numbers don't pop out. It reminds me of the Cosgrove years from like 2016-2022 ish. I don't know who I'm gonna pick but they need someone.

A lot of deserving players are going to get left out but I hope the coaches lean towards winning players and not stats on less successful teams. Pouye, Civello, that range of guy, probably second teamers with how strong the top 3 teams are. But who knows! The coaches are always good for a surprise or five 

Agree on your thoughts on Lazarre. I originally had him 2nd team, but when I saw how he shut down Cuevas, he did kind of play like Michael Cooper and to me there just wasn't a clear-cut 7th person. Pouye and Civello, just didn't think they belonged.
I know some will say Trinity is the 3rd seed, and how can you give them 3 on the first team, but as stated above there was no clear-cut 7th player for the first team, and I would still take their starting 5 over anyone else in the and it's not even close. They lost 2 close games on the road. Had 4 games all year that they didn't win by 10 points or more.
Still would prefer they league went back to 2 teams of 5 or 3 teams of 5, the 2 teams of 7, makes zero sense.

Even 1st and 2nd teams with 5 each, plus an Honorable mention listing of 7 would make more sense.

Ray Cuevas has a hard time guarding a parking cone. He can shoot. He can score. But he's far from an excellent all-around player and he plays on a mediocre team. If he's named POY, I'd have to believe it's based solely on a selective reading of a stat sheet.

An all-time heat check first half for Midd senior co-captain Evan Flaks against Bowdoin: At intermission, Flaks has scored 26 points in 15 minutes of play on 11-14 shooting (3-5 from 3). Panthers lead the Polar Bears, 40-31.

Quote from: lumbercat on February 01, 2026, 03:00:43 PMWhat a terrible weekend trip for Hamilton. Up by 7 seven with less than a minute to play and somehow they lost by one at Bowdoin on Friday.
On Saturday they lose by one at Colby. Looks like they missed a 10-12 footer at the buzzer.
Hate to see that for any team.

Pretty sure Hamilton was at home for both games, which might make the losses sting just a little bit more?

Quote from: toad22 on January 22, 2026, 08:01:08 PMI know the Eph trip up route7 to Middlebury this Saturday doesn't carry the weight of many other years, but I am still hoping to make the trip, enjoy the great beauty of Vermont in the winter, and chat with Bucket, one of the great D3 people I have come to know. Many have passed on, Russ Reilly, Butch, and others. The experience of the rivalry between the Ephs and the Panthers remains. I once texted Duncan Robinson about the Middlebury game in 2014. He remember every detail of that game. The rivalry remains - though the stakes may not be quite as high this year.

Safe travels—-look forward to seeing you!

Quote from: BaboNation on January 21, 2026, 06:28:27 PM

Quote from: Bucket on January 20, 2026, 05:09:24 PM

Quote from: NEhoops on January 20, 2026, 03:55:52 PMJust connected the dots that Shane Regan, an all-American last year at Wesleyan, is playing at Chicago and they are currently ranked #2 in the country per the latest D3 Hoops poll. Are there any other former NESCAC players that are thriving in other conferences? Who are the players that have transferred into the NESCAC that are making an impact this year?

Regarding the Williams program - Maker taking the job at Marist was a huge blow. He is arguably the best recruiter/offensive mind in the last 20+ years. 

Yes, but he was not long for Williams either way. He was already seeing the lack of institutional support. The bigger NESCAC what-if/screw-up was at Amherst, with the admin selecting Spears over Maker. Imagine the Lord Mammoths now if they had made the correct hire!

I've got no skin in this, but the logic seems inconsistent.  Maker was seeing a lack of support at Williams, but his radar wasn't tracking anything like that going on at Amherst?  Why would he want to throw his hat in the ring? Isn't the support at Amherst (from what I've read) far less than what it was for most of Hixon's tenure?

That was not at as apparent when he interviewed following Hixon's retirement. Also, he had been fired by Marist and had not landed his next gig yet when he interviewed (and was a finalist) for the Amherst job.

Quote from: Greek Tragedy on January 21, 2026, 10:16:04 AMI don't know the timeline, but was Maker available when Amherst hired Sears?

Yes. He interviewed and was a finalist.