Begley seems highly regarded by former players judging by some of the Instagram comments and I would imagine the administration feels the same given the hire but I am having a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around hiring a coach with a 5-39 league record.

That level of NEPSAC Class A/B has been a really good level for NESCAC recruiting. It is high enough competition where you clearly have to be a college level player to succeed and you are playing against other college level players but it is not so high that these kids are playing limited minutes and you are projecting what they might do in college.

Just in the last 3 years that covers (in no particular order):

Henry Vetter, James Morakis, Josh Bernstein, Hank Morgan, Sam Stevens, Nate Karren, Shane Regan, Nicky Johnson, Max Poulton, Ray Cuevas

From this year's incoming class that would be:

Amherst:
Hunter Stoll, Choate

Bowdoin:
Zach Baum, Nobles and Greenough
Josh Belcher, Phillips Exeter

Colby:
Riley Clarke, Brooks
Mekhi Simmons, St. Paul's

Conn College:
Finn Brennan, Holderness

Hamilton:
Jameson Stockwell, Deerfield

Trinity:
Rowan Introzzi, Greenwich CDS
Alexander Echeverria, St. Mark's

Tufts:
Liam Simpson, Deerfield

Wesleyan:
Treyvon Miller, St. Paul's

Williams:
Elijah Webb, Deerfield
Devan Williams, Milton Academy

This is a more or less arbitrary cut off that doesn't include guys in AA (the higher level) or C (lower level)

Quote from: PolarBaller on June 26, 2026, 03:12:09 PMWith the departure of Ray Cuevas, 2026-2027 could be a tough year for the polar bears. Losing Cuevas definitely hurts but the offense was almost too reliant on Cuevas and his ability to create his own shot. As an outsider, the Polar bears offense seems to rely on isolation play more than any other team in the CAC and I can't say the results of this have paid off for the bears. 

The Polar bears haven't gone above .500 in conference play since 2014-15. The Alex Lloyd regime change has certainly been a breath of fresh air and the recruiting seems to be a strong point for the bears (though I don't think you can count on getting a Ray Cuevas caliber talent every year and talent retention remains a struggle... what happened to Natrell Allen???) 

I expect big things from rising Sophomore Mason Dawkins who has impressed with his defensive prowess and ELITE athleticism. A sizeable jump in his jumpshooting ability could put Dawkins in serious consideration for player of the year. I remain optimistic that the offense will look different (better) next year and that we will see a Bowdoin team without major injuries for the first time in what feels like forever.

Way too early 2026-2027 Record Prediction: 13-12 overall (4-6 in conference play with wins over Colby, Bates, Conn, and Hamilton)

Can you say more about why you think the Lloyd era has been a breath of fresh air? Gilbride went 8-16 (3-7) in 2020 which was not good but it was his first losing season since 2003. Lloyd has 4 losing seasons in 5 years. I'm curious to hear

The gap between the two schools on D3Datacast's efficiency rankings this season was 247 spots

Good for him but that is kind of crazy to me. WAC has 3 winning seasons since 2000. Seems like it is going to hard to win there too. 4th place behind JHU, Swat, and F&M gets you nothing in that league. 5th place in the NESCAC could make the tournament. Not trying to come across as an elitist but seems a lot different than leaving other jobs in that conference

Conn search will be fascinating. I think Begley would do a great job but you would have to think that it is going to be very competitive with a number of candidates both from within the region and beyond interested. I think it will be enticing to D1 assistants especially considering they have shown that they will take transfers.

Did Newport hire a coach yet? I read that the Keene St coach was a finalist there. So that could potentially be another job that opens up in the area.

Also last thing - Tim Sweeney replaced Nick Nichay at F&M who left to be an assistant at Dartmouth, who obviously needed a new staff after moving on from MacLaughlin. Who knows if that position would've been open if he took the Colby job last year. Another interesting piece to that whole carousel

Quote from: ccd494 on May 27, 2026, 10:10:48 AM

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on May 18, 2026, 01:55:50 PM

Quote from: Stickthe3 on May 18, 2026, 12:20:56 PMWow, that's big news about Ippolito.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised given the current climate of college basketball, but that's a tough loss for Trinity.

On an unrelated note, Bentley HC Jay Lawson just announced his retirement.  It's probably too late for Nolan Ames to make any changes at this point, but got to feel for the kid as he initially committed to Colby, only to decommit after their coaching change, and now the coach he was planning on playing for is retiring (assuming he did not know about Lawson's plans).

I think that Bentley timing is weird.  Very late to make that announcement.  I'm watching this in conjunction with the rumors that more of the NE10 are exploring d3.  If (and I have no reporting on this at all) a school makes the decision to go that direction, it's often during this time of year.

No chance Bentley goes D3.  They have D1 hockey, just built them a brand new arena, and have been to the NCAA tournament two years in a row.  The barn door has closed on D3 play-ups.  If anything, they'd move up to D1.

I hope Bentley goes D1, it would be a shame if they ended up D3. They would fit best as a UAA school but Brandeis already has that occupied. I love D3 but it would make no real sense for Bentley to be playing NEWMAC schools.

Makes a lot of sense to leave late if you want your kid to get the job

Where can I get an Ephraim McCook jersey

Quote from: Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) on April 23, 2026, 09:48:23 AM

Quote from: SpringSt7 on April 23, 2026, 09:41:56 AM

Quote from: NEhoops on April 22, 2026, 06:23:10 PMWill Davies (NE10 player of the year) from Saint Anselm is rumored to be transferring to Vermont ($100K+) and will have two years of eligibility remaining. He would have had D1 interest regardless of the upcoming transition from D2 to D3. I'm sure a handful of other players on the roster will be on the move too - with some potentially making moves to D3 schools in New England. 

Their whole rotation is already transferring to D1 schools this offseason and I don't think the transition down will affect anyone on the current roster. The entire staff will probably leave too. This will have as much effect on the NE D3 scene as Hartford did IMO

I'm curious why you think the staff will leave.  I doubt the pay scale will be much different in d3 than it was in d2, especially if they aim to be on par with top schools in New England.  I'm not saying they won't look elsewhere, but the lead assistant came from Trinity and graduated from Springfield and the other assistant is a St. A alum and definitely in the second half of his career.  What they're paying the HC might be on the higher end of d3 salaries, but I doubt it's outrageous.

They might all leave, but there's also plenty of reason to stay.

https://saintanselmhawks.com/news/2026/5/1/mens-basketball-saint-anselm-announces-leadership-transition-in-mens-basketball-program.aspx

The main argument for Coach Santos staying is that he is an alum and that could be very valuable/important to him. But he has spent his entire career in D1/D2 and usually that doesn't scream D3 lifer or guy who really wants to be there. Ryan you are right that if there is still a commitment to athletics then it is a different story but I am just skeptical about the whole thing.

It will be interesting to see what kind of kids they attract/recruit. There isn't really a like for like contemporary in the northern part of New England.

What schools have dropped down a level and have shown any sort of ambition? And what will make St. Anselm's a good D3 program?

Quote from: NEhoops on April 22, 2026, 06:23:10 PMWill Davies (NE10 player of the year) from Saint Anselm is rumored to be transferring to Vermont ($100K+) and will have two years of eligibility remaining. He would have had D1 interest regardless of the upcoming transition from D2 to D3. I'm sure a handful of other players on the roster will be on the move too - with some potentially making moves to D3 schools in New England. 

Their whole rotation is already transferring to D1 schools this offseason and I don't think the transition down will affect anyone on the current roster. The entire staff will probably leave too. This will have as much effect on the NE D3 scene as Hartford did IMO

How would the NESCAC police intraconference transfers? The students are not on scholarship, they receive no sort of benefits from the school as athletes. Non athletes transfer all the time, I don't see how this would be much different.

Re: LaFrance in particular, this is very much "make your bed, lay in your bed" as far as Conn should be concerned. You took a kid who went to St. Thomas More for prep school, a national power that is basketball basketball basketball, that transferred from Eckerd College, a middle of the road D2 school in Florida. I don't know the kid from a hole in the wall so I don't want this to come across any slight on his character but it should've been pretty obvious academics are not driving the ship here. You should've known that him transferring again was always a possibility.

Maybe Sweeney knew that and was willing to live with it and try to replace him again, if that's the case then good for him, it's definitely against the grain in the NESCAC but if the admin will play ball then go for it, more power to them. But this should've surprised nobody

At this point you just kind of have to feel bad for the kids at Colby. I've always been impressed by their team chemistry and the way they interact with each other and carry themselves. Part of the appeal to a NESCAC school or most/all D3s really is knowing that you are going to play 4 years with your teammates and with the coach who recruited you and get to come back and feel that sort of tradition and connection. Instead of playing for 3 coaches in 4 years