Actually, SVC had a good run for two seasons.  The year they won it and then went on to beat Lasell in round 1 of the NCAA tournament, and then the very next year when they pushed JWU to the wire, bowing out in the GNACS.  That JWU team, mind you, had been to the GNAC finals twice in three years before winning it in 04.  (Pipes, Russell's legal issues had nothing to do with the team's place in GNAC history, so there really is no need to factor that in).  If you read the story you linked to your post, the alleged incient took place while attending a different school.  Again, you can have your favorites just like anyone else - that's why it is thrown out there for discussion and debate.  But as impressive as those two teams were when they peaked, it would be tough to keep them out of the conversation.  To your credit, however, neither team can be listed as part of a strong program or tradition, as both have never come close to those performances in the last five years.  Emerson, however, has one of (if not the most) impressive programs in the conference's history, given the challenges they have faced.  Year in and year out, they will defend, defend, defend. 

pipes...

I thought about that, and I suppose your argument is valid.  However, the GNAC was down in those two years, with the top two having cleaned house in many ways.  I do  not think those NU teams get it done against those top two overall.  But I'd be willing to slide them in and bump WNEC out, maybe reshuffle the group then...it's all arbitrary anyway...just food for thought.  But for one season only, give me either of the top two on my list and you can take the field (anyone left).

Top 4 GNAC Champs of this Century in order..

1. 2002-03 Southern Vermont Mountaineers (Chicago imports in Bennington...)
2. 2003-04 Johnson & Wales Wildcats (Russell, Tamargo, and the Glory Days at Wales)
3. 2001-02 Suffolk Rams (Luisi and the Flex run to a T)
4. 2000-01 WNEC Golden Bears (Physical, defensive-oriented, gritty)

This edition of Lasell may make a run through the GNACs, but they could not play with any of these teams.

Stamp it.

Ok, back again for the first time in a year.  As the GNACs approach, lets discuss the best GNAC teams of all time.  Is it the 02-03 SVC team?  How about some of the Endicott teams early on, or perhaps an Emerson Squad late 90s? WNEC squads?  Suffolk 01 with Luisi?  How about JWU 03-04 that beat SVC twice in one week to win it all?  How do these teams stack up against what is out there now?

Looks like J&W is close to landing a strong recruit out of Fayetteville, North Carolina.  She led her team in scroing for two stright seasons, and the 10-team 4-A county in rebounding.  Coach Ellis' squad may very well become more athletic and much deeper if this recruiting trend keeps up. 

ummm (uncomfortable dinner table silence)..  Creek hoops cheerfully chimes in "hey, how about that Amherst team? "(Pat passes the carrots) Jamit just stares acorss the table, disapproving the attempt in a conversation change...Hoops Fan then speaks up and says 'enough is enough, can I eat my meal in peace?"  The family takes a moment, then proceeds to finish dinner.

So - can anyone give some insight as to what the dynamics of the New GNAC means for a team like J&W?  I've been out of the loop for too long to know what the new teams will be like...

Jamit has indeed given props to the players.  And you know what?  He does care about the program up at Rivier.  That's a whole lot more than most posters on this conference board can say.  A lot of people didn't like Chuck Amato at NC State.  We read about that all of the time down here.  Eventually, the boosters got their way.  But for what it's worth...look at the GNAC.  Your Deans are Hank Smith, Booth up at Norwich,  the guy down at Magnus, and Dave Morrissette.  They've been there since day one, or at least for the longest time.  Having done three years there myself with J&W, I know I came and went. Now I'm back at square one, coaching high school ball and loving every minute of it.  But they are still there. They are steadfast. Granted,  DM and I didn't always get along, but you know what?  I realized that he is a good man.  He's a good father, and a loyal husband.  Sure, some players may not like him.  I know many who didn't like me.  But we have one thing in common now - we both won that conference, once upon a time.  In the very least, the man is a winner.  That can't be taken away.  I still have a little piece of nylon  stashed away - a piece of net to remind me of how it felt to win that conference championship.  I brought it to our conference championship three weeks ago and showed my kids - my new team out here in the sticks who never won squat before.  It aint a NESCAC net, or a NEWMAC net.  It may only be a GNAC net.  But it may as well have been an ACC net to those kids that night. I know Dave has his, too.  The question is ...Who's next?

FYI - Pat IS the master of this posting board, since he does own the site.  That's just like telling Robert Kraft "I don't know who made YOU owner of Gillette stadium, so I'm bringing my OWN beer inside..." - when he actually is the owner.

Just for kicks, I tried that logic this morning at McDonalds.  I went in and walked back behind the counter, and started making myself a mcMuffin.  The manager (I guess she was the manager because she had on a different shirt) said "excuse me, sir, but you can't be back here."  I immediately pulled out my JamIt logic, and said "Hey - I don't know who put YOU in charge back here, lady - OK? So I'm gonna make by damned sandwich and you will like it!"  Needless to say, nobody would tell me where to get the eggs, so that didn't work out too well.

And since there seems to be a lack of interest in creating ANOTHER site for posters of GNAC interest, I'd say Mr. Coleman  pretty much has the market cornered, thus giving him the power to criticize any post he so chooses.  It has been fun to read, though.  It's like you pissed off the Principal or something.  Now he knows your name, though.  Uh ohh...

Despite all of the Morrisstte bashing over the years, the little school in Nashua finally got theirs.  And, if we are willing to criticize DM, we have to be men enough to give the man credit for capturing a title.  Or, at least, for putting the team together that DID capture the title.  The Raiders didn't coach temselves, man. You can't have it both ways.  Who won coach of the year, by the way?  Was it DM?  That's not an automatic award - that must be voted upon by his peers.  Just curious to see how that went down.  More importantly, how does the GNAC change next year?  Is the conference expanding or not?  Will teams stop playing Southern Vermont now that they are out?  How will the new teams impact the haves and have nots of the GNAC?  When will Johnson & Wales be one of the "haves" again?  What the hell happened to my hair line?  Are Hall & Oats really making a comeback?  C'mon, people - lets start addressing these important issues!  and one more thing:  QTIP.  (Quit taking it personally, man).

It's too far of a stretch to put JWu in 7th or 8th place.  You have to believe that they anticipated losing Bannister, Moran, and Fernandes - and recruited accordingly.  I'd hold off on that pick until after the first round of confernce play.  EMU will be tough, and similar to the Wales teams of 02-04 - but beatable with solid defense.  Emerson, with their new facility and a fantastic city to recruit to, will begin their upward climb.  My thoughts are that they will be a Babson-like program before too long (that is, when Babson was good).  I couldn't care less about 5 through 10, but 1-4 is more likely to be Emerson, Emmanuel, Norwich and Wales.  Oh, and Rivier - they are getting over that hump.  They will be in the mix, as well.  Sounds crazy - but that's what predictions are all about: speculation.  Let's see.

They say there is no such thing as bad publicity...I can't believe all of the SVC Mountaineer chatter going on!  These guys are getting more blogs than any team in the GNAC - and they aren't even good anymore! 

Hats off to the spin doctors behind this one...Emmanuel goes 17-1 and has MAYBE 4 posts regarding their season.  SVC can't get out of their own way and we find ourselves talking about the glory days of the Marxist regime. 

Go ahead and dig up Sean Key (is he 30 yet?) or even Lydalle Waller, Sean Ezeill, and Jack the 7 foot wannbe point guard Wolfinger.... they couldn't win it in '04, and they won't win it in '07.  True, they locked down a weak GNAC in '03 - but failed to repeat.  Marks left for St. Ed's, Norwich grabbed the reigns, and Emerson rediscovered defense.  The rest is history.

The thing about rising to the top - you need to climb faster than your competition. However, once you get to the top, you need to have staying power.  SVC lacks staying power,  and they always have. 

Emerson kids stay.  Norwich kids stick around.  Do you think Coaches Booth, Smith, and Jackson intend to allow SVC to just pass them by? 

One thing proven by Marks was that any team - in any given year - can compete for the GNAC with one , solid, "recruiting" class.  Give Rivier a 6'7" center and an athletic swing man - they become contenders.  Look what Magnus did in 02-03 with Blizzard, Douthwright, and Russell.  Anyone can do it for a year.  Great teams do it year in and year out.  In Division III, THAT is coaching.  Not only getting kids to come, but to actually go to class, pay their bill, and promote good citizenship. 

Get them to come back, like Rob Hennigan, the Godbout kid from WNEC and Hensley from Norwich.  DIII is loaded with patchwork teams and instant, EZ bake contenders.  (Hell, I used to build them myself).  But when you step back and look at the big picture, you finally see that the great teams do it the right way.

Norwich isn't going away.  Emmanuel is going to be around for a while, because Jackson does it right.  Emerson - now that they will be in their own building - they will be able to draw those Babosnian - type kids.  The classy teams have made this conference better each and every year.  They need no promotion. James Dean said "it's better to burn out, than fade away".  Some teams do both.  Enjoy the SVC chatter - I do!  But let's hear about the true contenders, the big picture, and the future of the GNAC.

The Ocean State would love to have Salve, Roger Williams, Johnson & Wales and RIC in the same conference.  However, RIC is happy in the Little East, Salve and RWU would never join the GNAC, and JWU isn't a CCC type school.  However, travel would certainly be easier!  Regardless, how could Colby Sawyer and Gordon get into a more competitive conference?  Would they join the NEWMAC or spawn off a newer conference?  A shakeup is bound to happen, I agree.  But what scenario makes the most sense to you - say, 5 years from now?

I think they will be able to play with most teams, but the CCC has better, overall competition than the GNAC today.  However, don't count out a CCC/GNAC swap.  You don't need Regis to even things out.  I know you don't want to hear this, but a CCC team has expressed interest in coming to the GNAC.  Think bootom tier team...think used to be pretty good back in the Nicky Pappas days (89-93)...think not so good right now.  But an AMCAT team joining the GNAC could be great for the GNAC.  Other teams interested have be Lasell, St. Joes, and Green Mountain.  I think Anna Maria would be a nice fit, unless you are SVC or Norwich, having to travel to Paxton - another long trip.  However, the Paxton house of Pizza right on 122 is a nice place to stop after a game, you must agree!  The Dunkin Donuts closes early, so hit it up early on a Saturday road trip or you'll miss it on the way out of town.  A WNEC for Anna Maria swap makes both conferences more competitive.

Hoops Fan -

You missed the point like ENaz misses free throws.  I am not comparing GNAC basketball to the Civil War (where would the comparison be?)  Simply put, the "Big Man" continues his rant on (to paraphrase)"rising again" up at SVC, much as TODAY's southerners often threaten "the south will rise again". 

Much as the South chose their own fate and reluctantly surrendered, SVC has chosen their fate and gotten away from the "Marks"ist athletes they once brought in.  It is the retrospective ranting that is being compared, not the American Civil War.  Uh oh - I said "Marks"ist, not "Marxist", so please don't accuse me of calling your CCC the proletariates to the GNAC's struggling working class.  Albeit a viable argument...

Sticking to basketball, what are WNEC's chances of winning the GNAC in their final season - and how does WNEC basketball fit into the CCC in 2007?  Will they be Salvesque, or will they become more of a NEC with a W?  Hoops fan - do tell!

Man, can someone teach this guy how to punctuate?  I assume he isn't an English major...
Big Man - it is my opinion that SVC will never see the likes of the teams they had in 2002-2003, and 2003-2004.  Ryan Marks brought the new flavor to Bennington, that sweet, Chicago style of basketball that was too big, to strong, too fast, and too powerful for the town to fathom.  It couldn't last forever, though.  Coach went to a DII team, many players left or graduated - and despite an outstanding performance from Hammond this season, there are lots of reasons why SVC won't have it like that again. 
Everyone is trying to get better.  Emmanuel is going to be stacked, Wales is hot on the trail of some studs, and Norwich has established themselves as contenders.  SVC will have to compete with them, without the benefit of Ryan Marks' kids.  It is tough to attract kids to many schools in the GNAC, SVC being one of those schools.  All of the smack talking, 8 month - out predictions, and runnin' ball up at SVC between now and May will not change the fact that the Mountaineers have already reached their summit, and can expect a steady decline, back to the have-not status they enjoyed in the Pre-Marks era.  That is nothing to be embarrassed of - not at all.  But even Southerners still scream "the South Will Rise Again!" despite the treaty signed at Appamattox Courthouse.  Enjoy your banner from '03, and the one you almost had in '04. 

Congrats to both Emerson and Norwich.  Should be a great rematch - two teams know eachother very well, having played in last year's final and twice this season.  Tough place to play - long trip in the Emerson Vans, but those are tough kids and they have the drive to get it done.  Norwich withstood the brunt of a tough second half of the season, and here they are once again.  Deservedly so.  I believe Emmanuel will receive an ECAC invite, as will the runner up.  Either way, the GNAC will be well represented in the post season.  A well-balanced season from the GNAC, with several teams within just a game or two from one another.  Lets hope the best team wins it, and gets the GNAC a win in the NCAA tournament. Pipes - I can't believe you missed this game!!