Over the past week or so, we have had some good conversations about a variety of different topics that pretty much anyone could weigh in on.  I guess the Framingham State situation is really not something the majority of participants want to read page after page about.  Maybe it's time to "move on" for the sake of keeping this message board fun and interesting for everyone.  There must be other stuff to talk about.

Trivia Question:  Which NEFC team has a player who is a relative of the late, great Harry Agganis?

Yeah, SullyMustGo, I would have to agree... as with any salesman, the product behind the sales job has to be a good one or the consumer (in this case the kids) will figure out pretty quickly that they've bought a raw deal.  But the motivator piece of the 2 part doesn't seem to be there, maybe that's where he's falling short?   

I agree that facilities are a lousy bribe to influence kids to attend a certain school; most of these athletes were members of places like Gold's, etc during high school and are not that easily impressed. 
So, what do I feel are the 2 key attributes to a coach getting the recruits?
1.  personality
2.  coaching talent
In that order.
In the recruiting game, coaches have to be good salesmen.  The ones who understand the psychology of hooking the kids and their parents (don't forget the influence of the parents who are paying the bills) to buy into the whole experience come out winners. How many recruits go to play for Steve Nelson at Curry because their fathers were excited after a meeting with him?  The guys who understand this psychology are better motivators, too.  We've talked about not having facilities - back in the days when Salve was a powerhouse, Coach Coen had those kids so into it that they didn't even care that they had no field house, no weight room, no lockers - they had to wash their own uniforms and keep them and their equipment in their rooms.  But, he was still able to get the recruits, still able to make them buy in, and still able to produce a championship team. 

Framingham's new facilities are great, but it's going to take more than that to turn things around,

 

Who is this fullback from Maine Maritime?  Sounds like he is commanding some respect!

Is Worcester State falling off some?  Salve was able to ALMOST take the game only because of WSC mistakes, but that's an important part of the game: being able to capitalize on the other team's mistakes.  Is WSC making too many?

Speaking of Salve, how has Endicott dealt with the loss of Scott Peters to Salve?  He was EC's everything guy if I remember correctly.  Will it matter?  Did he help Salve against WSC?

What's up with Curry??

How long will Framingham keep Sullivan?  Is he somebody's relative or something?  Geez...

Bridgewater looks strong this year?

Point #1- Whether by class rank or GPA, schools that want a kid with a B, or top 20%, or whatever are drawing from a different pool than the rest.  That's what makes them tier 1 schools. The point is, we have some decent academic schools in our conf.

I'm glad to hear some feedback on Curry/MMA.  Any other talk?

Quote from: bostonbomber on September 19, 2005, 06:42:44 PMincomming high school gpa doesnt mean anything.  Ive used the example many times of the west roxbury high school player that had a 3.7 gpa and got denied at boston college....and he was their top basketball recruit!!!!!!!

The fact that BC denied your 3.7 basketball player simply means, that MOST of their kids at BC have GPA's that high and admissions just wasn't impressed enough.  The FACT is that the average GPA a school shows, means that's what they are getting ACADEMICALLY.  Whether or not admissions will cooperate with coaches is another issue entirely.  The better a school's average incoming GPA, the tougher is is for any student to shine above the rest academically. 

Mass Maritime reports their incoming freshman GPA below 3.0.  A 3.0 is a B.  With MIT at 3.8, Salve at 3.3, and WNEC, Endicott and UMD all above 3.0, they have incoming classes that average out at B or above.   I stand by my earlier post, with the addition of UMD.

But, let's talk about the past weekend's games??

As NEFC goes, don't forget Endicott is ranked #20 in the comprehensive colleges.  Now there's a school that's come a long way in a short time - their acceptance rate is only about 45% and they have a waiting list every year.  It was only four or five years ago when they'd take just about anybody.  And they've had just four years of football - they've come a long way there for sure! 
Princeton Review also recognizes 2 NEFC schools in their publications-  MIT is (of course) listed in their "361 Best Colleges" (nationwide) and Salve Regina is listed in their "224 Best Northeastern Colleges" (District of Columbia to Maine).   
I missed UMD at#56, and since the rankings were my source I don't know about MA or ME Maritime.

Speaking of the Maritime schools,  what happened with Maine Maritime vs Curry?!!  I had to read that one twice.  Where's the press release??

And, for that matter, what about Worcester State vs. Salve???  That was a close one, won by WSC with just 32 seconds left??

Let's face it, the NEFC is a melting pot.  Academically, you have MIT as definitely one of the nation's top academic institutions, Salve and Endicott are tier one schools, WNEC is at the top of the second tier.  Then you have the state schools educating the masses in the fourth tier, with Nichols and Curry, two schools that make success stories out of kids that might struggle academically elsewhere.  You have a school like Bridgewater with over 9,000 students and Nichols with just over 800.  Some schools allow some leeway when admitting athletes, and some like MIT, WNEC and Salve won't budge.  Then, there is the issue of which schools have full time and part time coaching.  All the disparities seem to make it ridiculous to band these teams together, but it's what we're stuck with and I guess it keeps things interesting...