MBB: Liberty League

[mhm0417]

Another SLU note, tomorrow they host their boys basketball camp which is the best in our area by a mile.  When my son went to the camp I was always amazed by the amount of quality instruction he got there. He worked hard, but I will always credit their coaches for helping improve his shooting.
As a high school coach, I want as many of my guys there as possible.  That entire coaching staff does a tremendous job with the kids. They come away with individualized plans on how to grow their game.

[stlawus]

Another SLU note, tomorrow they host their boys basketball camp which is the best in our area by a mile.  When my son went to the camp I was always amazed by the amount of quality instruction he got there. He worked hard, but I will always credit their coaches for helping improve his shooting.
As a high school coach, I want as many of my guys there as possible.  That entire coaching staff does a tremendous job with the kids. They come away with individualized plans on how to grow their game.

That used to be the total opposite as of ~15 years ago.  I went to SLU's camp in 2006 and 2007 during the middle of the team's 4 year run to the NCAAs, and that was after 3 years of going to Potsdam's camp, and even then Potsdam was very much THE camp to be during that time.  SLU mainly had players and local high school coaches running things, whereas Potsdam had college coaches from all over the place.  SLU did do more individual work at the time, as I can remember being in a room with Downs who gave me instruction on my shot form so that at least has remained consistent all these years later. There was less of that at Potsdam, but that camp felt like a major regional event to be at whereas SLU felt very local.  I remember Jerry Welsh coming to give lectures every year and the aura was off the charts.  I learned quickly why he was so revered given the reactions of the coaches when he showed up, as it felt like a John Wooden equivalent was there to talk to all of us kids.   So all in all it's nice to see SLU's camp really take off recently given the state of things when I went through.

[mhm0417]

I went to Potsdam's as a kid (1980s).  You're right - it was THE camp back then. Man were those fun times and you had the players from those great teams coaching as well as Coach Welsh. Today, they've partnered with a shoe company and it's just not what it was although I believe they still get good numbers. 

SLU just has that reputation that Potsdam used to. They've had a lot of successful teams and people know that, plus it's an excellent camp. Word gets around quickly which makes parents want to send their kids there.

[stlawus]

Really nice write up on RIT's incoming class.  Wish more programs would do this.  https://ritathletics.com/news/2025/7/23/mens-basketball-announces-incoming-class.aspx

One player they got is from Perkiomen which has mainly been a Skidmore pipeline.  Don't know if they even recruited him but something interesting nonetheless. Very strange to see Skidmore so down the past several seasons.

I'm not going to make any predictions, at least not yet, in terms of how the upcoming season will fare.  In a post covid Liberty League world it has been a fairly unpredictable league.  Very little linear progression/regression.  Teams you thought would be better due to returners haven't been consistent and teams you thought would struggle have done pretty well. 

Someone made a post going into last year about who they though would be players to watch in terms of taking a big leap, and there are a few that immediately come to mind for me. One of them is Jaylon O'Neal from Ithaca.  He had a good season last year, but from the few Salt City ProAm games I've caught he looks poised for a great season.  Ithaca's going to need someone to step up next year and he should be it.  He looks like he's bulked up a bit more, and he's already a lock down defender with explosive athleticism.  A player to keep an eye on for sure.

His Salt City ProAm teammate Dan Anderson from SLU is another.  At least I hope!  He had a very good season last year after having not even played competitive basketball for 2 years while playing lacrosse at Denver.  2nd on the team in scoring and team's best shooter, and now with a full season and summer circuit under his belt will hopefully be a very steady force at point guard next year on both ends of the court. Just a pure athlete, he joined SLU's lacrosse team halfway through the season after basketball ended and helped turn the season around resulting in a sweet 16 appearance. 

There are plenty more, but the third that immediately comes to mind is Monty Nedd from Hobart.  Had a very nice first year campaign and would not shock me if he's at least the 2nd leading scorer for the Statesmen next year.  Has good size for his position and already a solid frame, Hobart will need him next year to fill some big graduating shoes.