Defense, Defense, Defense.  Wow.  The intensity and activity on each defensive possession was quite impressive.  Curis Peery starts at center for Roanoke (perhaps they played against each other in high school?? Salem, C. Spring?) and impresses as he has the entire season from the floor - a solid 8 points, but it was the job he (and others) did against Kaase, pairing up with a second defender throughout the game, that made a big difference.  The doubling down on Kaase worked I thought very well, although as Jim noted he did get his 20...but it almost always came on time and caught Kaase seemingly further away from the basket than he wanted to be.  A few shots were forced (his shooting was 8 of 18) or kick it back out, and the rotation back out of the double teams were also impressive, as very few shots went uncontested.  Shooting for HSC for the game, 32.8%.  Roanoke ran their offense with patience similar to what I saw at times before the Christmas break, took good shots and stayed way away from silly ones.  The first of the bench guards (Shrader/Dowell - thank you, HSC, for letting him get away) played within the offense so well today - 33 points.   Also...........a REBOUNDING edge?  It goes RC's way, 40 to 38, with a hard working LaPorte leading the way with 15.  (His stat line, other than the shooting - 9 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals.)  Amazing.  This is the squad that lost to Guilford by 18?  To Wesleyan by 17?  That had trouble all season blocking out, rebounding, with defense?  Running the offense?  Most everything was tremendously improved, looked like a completely different team.  Quite a turnaround from previous games, looked like quite a bit of effort to return to fundamentals and to play with new intensity.  Hope it all continues....

With due respect for the Generals - Roanoke lays a big one with this game today.  Season after season I keep hoping for a fundamentally sound team, one that is coached to devote themselves to playing solid defense game in game out, and most of all, shows that they're led to learn some semblance of an offense instead of looking like they're let go to do whatever comes most quickly on the offensive end.... but season after season I slowly, as the season moves on, am left feeling bewildered.  I see, season after season, so much talent.  And passion from alot of the players.  I'm always happy to see fight in them, what I think is a want to win.  But then I see different teams in different games - such as a team that took the time to set up plays nearly every time down the court in the B'water game... or like today's a team that seems be directionless on offensive possessions... a team that for a handful of plays seems to play solid defense but on others..... ah.....eh...how 'bout I'll just list what I thought the Generals did well today, I'm tired of feeling so negative....how's that.  W&L looked solidly coached today, and their players stepped up, moved their feet, played solid defense, didn't lose defensive assignments, blocked out, took smart shots, looked disciplined in what they could and could not do, and won the game.  Congrats.  Someday I hope a consistent "system" meets the talent we always have at RC, and the players are given the tools to move beyond themselves and their individual talents once again at Roanoke......

Jim - Odd that RC is playing at 5 or is it just me?  Don't we usually play the late game? 

Couple more stats from the RC game - let me get the negative out of the way:  out rebounded 37 to 33, not too bad, but 16, yes 16 offensive rebounds for the fighting emus - if Roanoke turns half of those into possessions and points, I wouldn't have been quite as sweating it down the stretch as I was.  Great game though by both teams.....
Here's more stats, expounding on Jim's post: 50.9% shooting for the Maroons tonight, continuing (actually bettering) the 46% so far this year.  The team seems alot more patient to find a good shot than any time in recent memory.  Hope that continues.  Nice contributing minutes from that deeper bench - Diggs (6 rbs in 18 min, and just a good presence on the court) Peery (10 pts in 13 min) Dowell (11 pts in 21 min, plus 5-6 FT down the stretch) Sigmon (8 pts 6 rbs in 11 min) helps so so much.... Jim I can't remember how long its been since I've seen game after game multiple double figure scorers (tonight, five).  
p.s. Congrats to all that picked EMU over Roanoke in your pick 'em contest.  

Roanoke news of note - The Roanoke Times reporting this morning that RC's Ben Shrader will not play in tonight's game due to the ankle sprain....

I have the soph. guard so far at 12.8 pts/gm and 19 of 39 from the field so far, coming off the bench avg. 21 min/gm.  Hopefully he'll be back this weekend if indeed out tonight.

I certainly enjoyed has' little stories about those creative Cameron Crazies - regardless of whether you're "one of them" or not you have to enjoy such atmosphere at a college game....

On the other side of the world, I'm off tonight to take my usual place in the stands of the Bast Center, where students are encouraged (and threatened with removal occasionally) to keep quiet and cheer only with golf claps.

yeah, I finally got both box scores from the other schools.... but I noticed in this afternoon's - no Ben Shrader?  Any word on what's up with his absence from today's game?

A couple of good games from Jackson.  Glad to see him get off to a good start...  I've lived through the stat sheets and box scores so far, but the lines from Peery are a welcome surprise from the freshman.... It would seem Lawler is playing well..... Jared Butler, business as usual for the most part... I'm withholding commenting on LaPorte, I don't think the opposition so far has really been too tough a challenge, but still.....

Wondering about Shrader though, hope everything's well.

wow, 18 in a half.... it'd help if I knew who else did what, yet still no box scores to these 2 games....

Eh, another close victory.  Methinks its going to be tough to do perpahs perform this way once conference play gets going.  But Jim, gasp, no box score as of yet!  Doesn't look like Goucher even does box scores, and Roanoke hasn't posted theirs yet, although for the first time in memory, they have this funny little top scorer notation included as part of the listed score on the RC men's bball schedule page.   

Oh, I understand - and as far as looking forward to the season, I am as well...... W&L fan huh?  there's always something about each road trip that I enjoy other than the game itself, usually its the place we stop and grab a bite to eat - with Guilford its Stamey's.... the W&L trip, ah....I assume nothing's happened to the Palms...  Looking forward to it......

Just a note to the baselinejam and j. loesel discussion - Just like a preseason poll, any talk of where a team might end up, or how good a season a team will have, is of course pure speculation at this point, as we all know.  Morever, no offense baselinejam, but using any stats on what's "returning" or not is not a very good was to get a bearing - it assumes that the returning players basically perform exactly the same as they did the year before; it doesn't take into account input by returning good players that will have more time on the floor, more impact, more opportunities now that last year's seniors are gone, plus it doesn't take into account freshmen of course, or the intangible factor that while a team might not seem on paper all that formidable, the chemistry could be better, who knows.  That said, I think both Jim and I feel that with our knowledge of what Roanoke has coming back - I'm sorry, there's just no discounting a backcourt or team led by Jared Butler..... or more "room" for Josh LaPorte, who didn't start til after Christmas break last year but bypassed Kevinn Hunter in rebounds per game by nearly 2 a game and by 50 defensive rebounds on the year, plus Mr. Intangible, no mistake Tee Jackson, 3 point bombers in Shrader, Butler and the incoming Dowell, plus any at all help that the freshman provide, give us the possibility of having a very strong year.  Yes, the center spot sort of worries me, but we'll have plenty of people to try out there.

As a postscript, concerning the players from last year's team not on this years - I will miss them all, of course.  McComas was a more than capable point guard, but he was originally at Marshall anyway - is he from there, or simply wanted to return?  And could the absence of Killen and Zurek have anything to do with the fact that several of the new incoming freshman (Edsall, Diggs, Tyson, Peery), and yes, somewhat heralded, nearly all sought after by other ODAC teams (HSC, RMC) all making the varsity team, play at their positions?  Please note I'm not talking about anyone being a spoiled player here, or a player thinking that he's "deserving" of court time no matter what, all I'm attempting to note is that DI or DIII, high school or whatever, if someone ahead of you is more adept, they're going to start ahead of you. 

Capt Obvious.... I participate in more than a few sports related boards and one thing I've learned I've needed when a post such as yours hits the board is greater accuracy, just in case the thoughts and opinions of a couple, or few, are misread as the thoughts and opinions of several, or all.   As a RC grad and a lifelong Maroons fan, in my own opinion, I find it more than a little surprising that there is dissention in the ranks, or as much as you seem to lead me to believe.  Considering the long line of talent and subsequent, multiple ODAC championships, the record number of wins, and most importantly the virtual endless string of good recruits that come to campus each year, can you provide then a little more specific information to support a claim that there is either current, faltering support for Coach Moir, or certainly a lack of coaching ability?  Its not often that Roanoke does indeed end up in the lower echelon of the ODAC, and usually our worst "enemies" (HSC, RMC, VWU) are teams that are also filled with substantial talent, so year after year, yes, natually, it's a difficult road to travel.  I would question then, your claim that RC is virtually always ahead in terms of talent, I would say that we are often on even par with those other teams.  I would question why, as a couple others have, why players would not leave the team now if there is that much of a problem.  I would question why recruits continue to come, as we seem to have a few very nice prospects this year.  I would question even the surprise over the "release" of players - yes, Zurek comes as a surprise, being a senior, and I certainly remember him winning that game last year for the Maroons on that last second layup, but I also, quite frankly, remember the under 3 rebounds a game avg from last year, and the 1 point something average he had when he was a starter several games at the beginning of last year which I can only imagine led him being removed from the starting lineup.  I'd also ask that a phrase such as.... what was it...plethora of questionable coaching decisions be more fully explained, I'm not flaming or attacking here, but those kinds of words are usually opinions. (And yes, I know the substitution patterns are sometimes odd, but towards the end of each and every year you see how those slim way way down once which players RC can count on is truly established.)  So, a little more help here, if you can provide, would be greatly appreciated.

Seminole - Bowne I can't help you with, but the story came out in the Roanoke Times several months ago about Dowell, in a "local notes" type section by staff writer Doug Doughty - Dowell chose to return closer to home (Salem) and thus transferred to Roanoke, where he'll play for the Maroons this year.  I certainly am looking forward to his shooting touch from outside he displayed for the Tigers last year adding yet another long range bomber to the squad.

Hey Jim - how about a mid game or so 3 guard lineup of Dowell, Butler, Shrader.... 

p.s. That 3 position - not always wanting to put perhaps the absolute best offensive team on the floor as starters, but looking for chemistry and a well rounded team as well - how about Jackson for starting 3?  Mr. Make Everyone Around You Better?

Continuing on about LaPorte and the 5 position this year with the Maroons squad:  .....and what a job LaPorte 'might' do in the center position - inserted into the lineup after 8 or so games last year, he REALLY helped out on the boards where the team needed it so much - he averaged nearly 8 rebounds a game the rest of the way, hitting both the offensive and defensive glass and showing an innate ability for positioning and blocking out.  I'm with everyone else though, a 5 pos. for him seems unnatural, he's a little under 'sized', under weight, etc... and hope he continues at the 4 for us this year.  What an upside, yes - besides the shooting touch, which came and went for him a little last year and I'm sure will improve, he averaged the 7.6 boards a gm, right at 2 steals a game, 2.4 assists/gm, and 1.4 blocks/gm.  I said at the end of last season these next 3 years are going to be something special to watch. 

No, I'd agree with Jim - Lawler most likely will start at the post, or its going to be by committee from the get go.  The only other thing I can see happening is that one of these taller recruits really impresses and starts there, but with Lawler's game experience vs. a freshman, I would probably doubt it.  Perhaps by mid season that happens?

Having said that, here's the silly little dream I've had since last season concerning center at Roanoke with Lawler starting there:  Lawler is definitely a hard worker.  I don't really think he's the 6'8" we list him at, but he's surely one of the tallest players in the ODAC and certainly on our team.  He actually passes pretty well, evidenced by passing out of the post last year, and if you've seen him play only once, you know he is more of an outside shooter than a post up player - he the memories of him shooting a 10 to 12 ft jumper from the baseline are many from last year, and he has a nice touch.  Unfortunately, he's sometimes cannot stay with quicker post players on d.  With apparently alot of ODAC teams having a talented center this year, I'm again with Jim that it may be tough defensively down low for him this season.  Add to this that LaPorte needs to post up himself ALOT more, we saw him not only rebound well but offensively, he's got some moves down low and seems pretty well at home down there vs. being out on the perimeter.  Keeping him down low would only be filled with positives. 
------My silly little dream?  Consider everything I just said, and ...well... my, how I like high post offensive sets.  It would bring the opposing center out away from the basket, as its supposed to do, give us that tall "spoke" at that top of the key position to pass out of, and get Lawler where he can pass out of that position since he seems to pass pretty well (down from there to LaPorte, posting up), give him the 10 -12 ft. jumper that he can hit, and also let some of our guards who drive fairly well one less big defender to drive against.  Just my arm chair coaching for today....
....anyway...... getting more excited everyday about the start of season, no matter what......