Quote from: quicksilver on June 12, 2024, 07:59:31 PMI would guess that the third (and tallest) Simonds brother will have an impact for Bowdoin.

In a visit to Maine last winter, I saw the "third Simonds brother" play in a game — and he's the real deal. He's big, 6'8" with a mature body, and has varied skills. It's a big jump, to be sure, but I would be surprised if he didn't have a major impact for Bowdoin. 

Not much to add to Bucket's fine summary of Middlebury's climb to Mount .500. I am impressed with the emergence of Tristan Joseph as a crucial contributor — also the play of Edward Witherington in the Stevens game. He was expected to be a key piece this year but has been slowed by injury and illness.

I would underscore the extraordinary play of David Brennan, who had 62 rebounds in the three victories by Midd (two in OT). He will likely not be able to keep up this pace (12.7 rebounds a game, for the season so far) but he did finish second in the league in rebounds last year with 9.0 a game (second to Sobel's 11.7). If you like basketball, his relentless play is a joy to watch: he also leads the league in floor burns. At 6'6" (maybe), he is always guarding bigger people, such as 6'9" Jack Spellman of Stevens, an excellent big man (All-MAC first team last year).

Midd plays Brandeis (7-2) in Waltham (my birthplace!) on 12/29, then it's on to NESCAC play with Hamilton and Amherst the first weekend in 2024. Happy holidays, all!

Well, as Troy Maxson says in Fences, you gotta take the crookeds with the straights — and we sure have some crookeds right now. Middlebury was hammered yesterday by Chicago: as Tom Waits might say, we "got rained on" with threes by the Maroon who were 14 for 31 from the arc. I watched the games on Saturday and was not impressed with either Chicago or Bowdoin, thought we can lick both those guys.

Then, on Sunday, Bowdoin played great and knocked off Carnegie-Mellon, who had been the most impressive of the six reams on Saturday. The Hamilton-Carnegie Mellon game Saturday was close and well played, but both teams lost on Sunday — and Bowdoin played without McGowan (I'm told a concussion). Rochester did to Hamilton what they did to Midd the day before, just ran away in the final quarter.

Middlebury was never in it, down by as many as 25 in the first half and 30 in the second. Really no silver linings. Couldn't make a shot; couldn't guard the perimeter. Kuba Cwalina had 13 points in 21 minutes (3-5 from three). Other than that, just a butt-kicking, down 25 in the first half and 35 in the second. Long afternoon. Coach Brown played every combination possible. We have 4/5ths of last year's starting line-up (and the first two subs off the bench: Flaks and McKersie) So, yes, as NESCAC1 says, Sobel's a huge loss and looms bigger and bigger. But still, this lost?

I text with my friend from Maine during the games. His advice: burn the tape, next practice should be like the beginning of the season. It'll be interesting. We have three games in the next 5 days, Plattsburgh (2-5) there Wednesday, Skidmore (2-5) here Friday, Stevens Tech (6-1) in Hoboken on Sunday and final exams next week.

I grew up in Lewiston, Maine, a Bates kid (though I attended Middlebury, a long time ago). I have lots of Bates friends. One of whom lives in Maine and follows the Bobcats closely. Here (FYI) is what he wrote to me tonight about the Bates five:

Bates  is having a tough year.

I see a lot of potential. However, there is a lot to sort out.

1. Their 2 best players are freshmen. The kid from California is for real. He can rebound, put the ball on the floor, shoot the 3. Just a good all around player. The rest of the team needs to realize he is their best player and look to get the ball to him. They really don't make much of an effort to get him the ball. He has to create his own offense..

2. Their next best player is also a freshman (I know, "first year"). His name is Begin. He is from Florida via Brewster Academy. A 6'2" guard. Very quick, can take the ball to the hoop and finish. Not sure about his outside shot, but he plays with confidence and makes good decisions. He has been in and out of the lineup with injuries, but when healthy is the closest thing they have had to a take charge point guard who can finish is a long time. They also have a point guard from South Portland who, while inconsistent, has shown potential.

3. The big kid (6'8") from Lewiston (Soph) is very raw, but has a lot of potential. I think Jon needs to play him and live with his mistakes. For Bates to be competitive he needs to be part of the solution. He is a year away, but will only improve with experience.

4. Nadeau from Gorham needs to play more!! When he gets significant minutes he contributes in many ways, He is 6'5", can handle the ball, an excellent shooter, rebounds a bit, sees the floor, can play with his back to the basket. In some ways he has the broadest set of skills  (other than our friend from California) of anyone on the team. He lacks confidence. When he gets a long stretch of playing time he is a real contributor. He is one of the few on the team who does not force things and lets the game come to him.. Unfortunately, he seems to be looking over his shoulder wondering if he is coming out of the game, Recent injuries have opened up more playing time for him. Amazingly, there have been a couple of games where he did not get off the bench. Given his recent performances he should be starting or at the very least, getting significant playing time. He is a very nice kid

5. Injuries to multiple players has been an issue. However, I think that Jon needs to settle on who gets the bulk of the playing time and develop a consistent rotation of 7-8 kids. His habit has been to play a lot of kids, which in the end has led to inconsistency.  From where I sit this has led kids to lack an understanding of where they stand and what their role is. Late in games, nobody takes charge. It's an equal opportunity offense and who takes the "last shot" is up for grabs. Kids seem to be looking over their shoulder and never seem to get into a rhythm. This has been an issue for the last 3-4 years.

6. Bates needs to play with more confidence. They have forgotten how to win (They have lost 15 of their last 16 games).

7. Too many 3's!!!! There needs to be more of a focus on getting the ball inside, especially now that they have a kid who can score inside.

8. On the positive side, Bates players appear to be really nice kids. They keep their emotions in check, are respectful of their coaches, opponents and officials. They are very positive representatives of the college and no doubt, Jon has a lot to do with that.

9. It is likely to be a long season, so there needs to be a focus on developing some of the young players.

Soooo, that's my take on the Bobcat hoopsters. I appreciate that I am not at practice to see what might be impacting who plays and how much. Having said that, I have seen enough games to have a pretty good handle on what kids bring to the table.

Bates has far more kids from Maine (7) than either Colby (2), Bowdoin (1) and is probably the most diverse squad in NESCAC (8 kids of color,4 of whom are from Maine!)

Hoping their game vs Emory gives them a sense of what they are capable of and that that leads to success vs Colby next week. We shall see!

Great afternoon at Pepin in Middlebury, though NESCAC got its asses kicked by the UAA: Hamilton got licked by Carnegie Mellon in a great game, Middlebury got schooled by Rochester, and Bowdoin was spanked by Chicago. It's early. We'll see what happens in the post-season.

I think Middlebury can beat Chicago tomorrow. We'll see. Hamilton is good! I think Hamilton's game with Rochester will be a battle. Two good teams. Bowdoin will get trounced by Carnegie Mellon. I don't know if I can get to all three games tomorrow, you know, domestic obligations, but I will try.

By the way, Bowdoin seems to be without McGowen. What's that about? They need him. Nice lively crowd today at Pepin. Midd has become a basketball community. Never thought that would happen in this winter sports paradise where hoop was for so long an afterthought.

My Middlebury hoop friends, my contemporaries, were disparaging of the Panther performance today. I have a problem with that, as I was court-side, and their expertise was derived from their live-streaming, and I thought the Panthers played hard and lost to a worthy opponent. Here's what I wrote to them. Read if you like:

You know, teammates and old friends, I couldn't disagree more with your sentiments. I was courtside and I thought the effort by the Panthers overall was terrific, especially in the first half today.

Rochester is a good team in a good league. We couldn't hit a shot in the first 10-15 minutes — we also had no uncontested shots, but we played fabulous defense, very intense, which kept Rochester from getting a larger lead. We righted the ship. Terrific half of basketball. Probably not good TV. I was exhausted at the half, the play had been so intense and competitive — and we were up 26-22, because we scored 14 unanswered points to get to the break.

Yes, we lost the last 5-10 minutes of the game, decisively, but it wasn't from lack of effort. It happens. Jeff Brown has lots to figure out. We may be middle of the pack in NESCAC this year,  but I guarantee we will be a tough out in NESCAC. Note the NESCAC schedule: we play six at home this year and four away (the three Maine teams and Tufts). As tough as our schedule was last year, it is friendly this year, a good thing.

Not sure how one can discern lack of effort watching the live stream, one camera "high above courtside," as Johnny Most would say. If "lackluster" means not playing well, then it's apt in describing our 4th quarter of play. If "lackluster" means lack of effort, it's way off! The effort was there. Keep in mind that Stevens is hors de combat. He played today but was not himself (3-8, 0-3 from three and 4 TOs).

Some observations about the transition away from two years of Sobel-focused play. It's going to take a while. The problem is that we need to involve new players. Our two best players are Osher, a sharp shooter, and Stevens who has a strong all-round game, but is also likes the ball. I think we'd like to play fast. Can we get the various stykles to mesh?

Tristan Joseph is talented, but today he passed up some opportunities to assert himself offensively (1-7, 0-3 from three in 27 minutes). Charley Moore had his best game as a Panther, playing at the 4 (and occasionally at 5), didn't turn the ball over, and had 3 hoops and 6 boards, in 14 minutes. He is a disrupter, makes things happen, provides a burst of energy. I thought McKersie had a good game, played hard and effectively on defense. I think he's a good player, big, with good footwork. You asked about Witherington. He had the flu and missed the Wittenberg doubleheader (with Redlands). He must work himself back into the rotation but he's a player. Kuba Cwalina had ten points in ten minutes (4-6, 2-2 from three): it's fun to think about what he might be. He can really shoot it. They jumped him on the 3-point line and he moved in and sank a couple of soft bankers.

We need to temper our expectations. I don't think it's about effort, I'm inclined to call upon Yogi Berra, who supposedly said, "You can't win all the time. Sometime the other guy is better than you are." You all remember our days, right? We practiced hard, gave full effort, and got licked. It happens. Perspective. This team plays hard. Get yourself to Pepin!

Old Guy: You undersold Brennan's output by a lot! He had 21 rebounds, not 15.
[/quote]

Brain cramp. I repeated the line of the Gull's Elijah Kenny. Nice one-minute highlight package here of Brennan's spirited play.

https://athletics.middlebury.edu/news/2023/11/27/mens-basketball-david-brennan-secures-nescac-player-of-the-week.aspx

He will will be fun to watch this year as he is the main man on the boards, whereas last year he was second fiddle to Sobel who drew so much attention (though a strong second fiddle). He plays so hard. I'm sure he draws other coaches' envy.

Sam Stevens went down about halfway through the first half with an ankle injury, was helped off the floor, watched the rest of the game from the bench with his ankle wrapped in ice, and left after the game on crutches. We all hope it's not too serious as he was hampered last season with a shoulder injury and was off to a very good start this year. He's a good player and we need him. He hit the opening hoop, a three pointer, in this game, and looked free and easy. We'll see. Midd plays Chicago and Rochester this weekend in that UAA/NESCAC series and that will be challenging. 

Endicott's pretty good (I seem to be saying that a lot about Midd's opponents this year). This game was a barnburner, 90-86, with Midd scoring 56 points in the second half to Endicott's 50. (the Gulls have a 6'7 frosh center, Elijah Kenny, from Nashville, who is a good player, had 25 points, including a 3-pointer, 6-7 from the line, and 15 rebounds. As NESCAC1 pointed out, it took career games from Osher (32 points) and Brennan (23 and 21) to get the win. Brennan is such a workhorse. He should find his way into some end-of-season acknowledgement. He gets every loose ball, it seems, and contested rebound. Inspiring to watch. Osher had a spell in the second half when he couldn't miss, six or seven buckets in a row (12-22, 5-7, 3-3). Tristan Joseph played 30 minutes, had 15 points (6-10, 3-5), and looks increasingly comfortable on the floor. Kuba Cwalina played seven minutes, hit a couple of shots, including a three pointer. He has a great stroke.

Jeff Brown continues to use the whole bench, figuring out which combinations are particularly effective. Important win, if only for confidence reasons. Good win. Nice home crowd, despite students being on vacation. Very entertaining game. It would be nice to pick up a win or two against these big shot schools coming to the hinterlands this weekend.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on November 20, 2023, 11:17:43 AM

Quote from: Old Guy on November 18, 2023, 10:57:19 PM
Midd now 0-4, losing to host Wittenberg 76-73 in a well-played back & forth game. Midd led at the half 35-34. Many lead changes (for some reason there's no box score or recap). Wittenberg's pretty good (3-2); guard Grey Killens is really good. The Tigers hit their shots in the last 90 seconds and the Panthers didn't. I watched every minute of this game, and not a minute of last night's butt-kicking 83-58 loss to Redlands (a good thing!). The announcers at tonight's game were agog at Redland's play ("a juggernaut," "played like their hair was on fire"). Redlands won their game today against #25 preseason Wisc-Oshkosh by 20, 82-62. So three of Midd's four losses are by a total of 12 points. Three of the next four at home.

I'm disappointed but hardly discouraged. It's going to take a while for this team to mesh. Jeff Brown is determining what combinations work. Tonight, Sam Stevens came off the bench. Played very well and confidently (21 pts, 7-13). Hit a couple threes, went hard to the hoop, hit that fadeaway in the paint (he's 6'5, can get it off). Wanted the ball. Osher, 0-9 last night, bounced back with 15 tonight (5-10). Flaks moved the ball well, had ten points. Tristen Joseph is a player (12 pts). It will be fun to watch him develop. Kuba Cwalina hit 3 threes last night, had a nice bucket tonight.

Midd shot better from the line (18-24), had a slight rebounding edge (34-28), only had 7 TOs. Home this Sunday with Endicott (2-2, lost to Wesleyan tonight by just two, 73-71), next Tuesday away at New Engand College, then the weekend UCC-NESCAC series at home: we play Rochester and Chicago. Hamilton, Bowdoin, and Carnegie-Mellon also here. Fun!

There is one now. It may be that Middlebury's limited staff was focused on producing content around the field hockey team winning the national title.

Six in a row too!

Midd now 0-4, losing to host Wittenberg 76-73 in a well-played back & forth game. Midd led at the half 35-34. Many lead changes (for some reason there's no box score or recap). Wittenberg's pretty good (3-2); guard Grey Killens is really good. The Tigers hit their shots in the last 90 seconds and the Panthers didn't. I watched every minute of this game, and not a minute of last night's butt-kicking 83-58 loss to Redlands (a good thing!). The announcers at tonight's game were agog at Redland's play ("a juggernaut," "played like their hair was on fire"). Redlands won their game today against #25 preseason Wisc-Oshkosh by 20, 82-62. So three of Midd's four losses are by a total of 12 points. Three of the next four at home.

I'm disappointed but hardly discouraged. It's going to take a while for this team to mesh. Jeff Brown is determining what combinations work. Tonight, Sam Stevens came off the bench. Played very well and confidently (21 pts, 7-13). Hit a couple threes, went hard to the hoop, hit that fadeaway in the paint (he's 6'5, can get it off). Wanted the ball. Osher, 0-9 last night, bounced back with 15 tonight (5-10). Flaks moved the ball well, had ten points. Tristen Joseph is a player (12 pts). It will be fun to watch him develop. Kuba Cwalina hit 3 threes last night, had a nice bucket tonight.

Midd shot better from the line (18-24), had a slight rebounding edge (34-28), only had 7 TOs. Home this Sunday with Endicott (2-2, lost to Wesleyan tonight by just two, 73-71), next Tuesday away at New Engand College, then the weekend UCC-NESCAC series at home: we play Rochester and Chicago. Hamilton, Bowdoin, and Carnegie-Mellon also here. Fun!

Quote from: nescac1 on November 14, 2023, 10:17:39 PM
NESCAC as a whole is having some uncharacteristic early struggles, with Amherst, Hamilton, Midd, Colby, Bates and Bowdoin a combined 1-8.  Of those teams I expect Midd at least to pick things up in the very near future - they've lost to two tough opponents, and one bright spot today was Tristan Joseph, who looks ready to earn more time and make a bigger impact. 

No relief for the Panthers as they play in Ohio in the Great Lakes Classic at Wittenberg this weekend. They play University of Redlands, CA (good team, good program) and draw the hosts in the second game. Post Sobel, Midd has to figure out who they are: play faster or set it up. It may take a while but they will surely be battle-tested when the 10 NESCAC games are played after the holiday break.

Good intense game at Middlebury: Panthers lost 68-62 to St. Joe's (CT). Midd won the first half 31-24, stood toe-to-toe with the relentless Blue Jays' pressure on the ball, but succumbed to that pressure at the beginning of the second half. (St Joe's had a 22-8 run to open the half). But the Panthers didn't fold and made it a good game, getting within one (46-45) halfway through the half and within three down the stretch. Biggest opening day crowd I've ever seen in Pepin saw an exciting hard-fought game. I think Panther fans were happy with the effort and encouraged, despite the result.

Senior Charlie Moore started with the returnees from last year's starting five (Brennan, Bobbit, Osher, Stevens). I thought it likely to be McKersie, Sobel's understudy last year, and he was the first player off the bench. Moore played 26 minutes and had 11 rebounds. He's very game, especially on the glass: he makes things happen.

Midd had a huge rebounding advantage (53-29)  That's misleading. St. Joe's doesn't even attempt to rebound offensively: they just get back, set their defense and ensure there will be no break coming the other way. Then, they create turnovers with their fullcourt ball pressure. Pretty effective: Midd had 21 turnovers (21-11). I was texting during the game (imagine that — Old Guy texting!) with my Bates friend watching on line, and he wrote as St. Joe's was applying the pressure, "Stevens is the only one not tentative."

That's the best news. The good news was that Midd hung in there with a fast aggressive opponent; the best was how well Stevens played — vintage, fully healthy Stevens. He was stellar, confident, wanted the ball. He hit the first hoop of the game, a three: just stepped into and let it fly. He was assertive and confident throughout. Kept us in the game: 28 points, 13 boards in 36 minutes. Often he brought the ball up against the player defending him, who was not one of the whippet quick other Blue Jay backcourtmen. He played a great game. If Midd is to make noise this year in NESCAC, Stevens is the key and today was encouraging indeed.

Midd has an exciting pre-holiday schedule, playing Clark next on Tuesday in Wuss-ta, and then next weekend in Springfield OH for a tournament, the Great Lakes Classic, playing Redlands (CA) and Wittenberg (OH). The Panthers then come back for games with Endicott (home) and New England College (away) before hosting Rochester, Chicago, Bowdoin, and CWRU in the UUA-NESCAC Challenge (we play Rochester and Chicago), and then three more games before the break.

Hoop heaven at Midd before the holiday break! Certainly makes this time of year not so dreary. Carry on, NESCAC fans!

NESCAC31Hoops:
The two comments about McGowan's tough night were hardly vitriolic. It may be that hype did him no favors.

Having grown up in Maine (Lewiston: Bates) and having had a brother-in-law who coached football at Bowdoin for a long time and worked there even longer, I root for Bowdoin. Again, a (mild) observation would be that he tried to do too much in the 2nd OT and might have involved his teammates further. Tiny sample size. He's a good player.

Really excited about the Panthers home opener tomorrow against St. Joseph's CT. They were 29-2 last year, Sweet 16. Pretty formidable. True, Jim Calhoun doesn't coach them anymore, but Glen Miller does, and his resume is deep indeed!

I don't spend a lot of time in pre-season investigations and discussions. My friends who do, like frosh Kuba Cwalina, 6'6" shooter. We haven't had many players from Archbishop Malloy. He fills a need. We might be hard to guard.

Midd has 12 home games this year (8 last year), 11 away (three at neutral sites). For an old player during the dark days of Midd hoop, for me, the interest and support of the Middlebury community is really gratifying. And fun!

Basically, last year's team returns, minus one — a big one, no question. The cupboard is hardly bare. Last year the offense ran through Sobel, a big man who could pass out of the double team. Seems likely the team will be uptempo this year with some pretty talented sophs (in addition to McKersie, Witherington, and Flaks) getting their chance. Sam Stevens is healthy; Osher can score! One of the reasons Sobel was so terrific last year was because he had a capable back-up in Jackson McKersie who had crucial minutes as a frosh, a big body with quick feet.

The Panthers will be pretty good! Snowed yesterday in VT. Hoops start tomorrow. Winter's solace. Let's tip it off, boys!

Quote from: nescac31hoops on November 06, 2023, 08:58:04 AM
Excited to see Bowdoin open up this season against Husson and Emmanuel this coming weekend. Excited to see how the team looks and how McGowan looks with the new guys. I am expecting a huge season from James (Jimmy, Legend, MJ, Shai, Tmac) McGowan this season and this weekend should be the start of something amazing!

I was checking out the NESCAC Scoreboard, saw that Bowdoin-Husson were still playing, 69-69 going into the 2nd OT. Behind a junior transfer, Riles Neff (Menlo College CA), who had 35 points and was terrific in the 2nd OT (6-6 from the line, 3 or 4 FGS, going hard to the hoop, right and left), Husson won 87-81. McGowan had a tough night, 1-14 from the floor, 9 points, 5 fouls). He has lotsa games left.

Quote from: AmherstStudent05 on March 18, 2023, 09:49:19 PM
Congratulations to Alex Sobel for being named the 2022-23 d3hoops.com player of the year!!!

Not sure whether this changes the Mount Rushmore calculus but it is certainly an impressive honor to cap off a great Middlebury career. In addition to be the only person to win NESCAC Player of the Year and DPOY in the same season I believe he is just the second NESCAC representative to take home d3hoops player of the year honors. Way to do the NESCAC proud, Alex!  And thank you for getting out of the conference!!!

Brief clip of Alex Sobel on the Midd website on the National POY honor: https://athletics.middlebury.edu/news/2023/3/18/mens-basketball-sobel-named-d3hoops-com-national-player-of-the-year-earns-pair-of-all-american-nods.aspx