He actually brought in two solid kids so far. Two Salem (MA) High 6'2'' swingmen: Chris Hanson and Nick Linear. Hanson is a little more talented, Linear plays a little harder, and both will see minutes as freshmen. Neither is a top of the line type of recruit, but certainly a step in the right direction for the Daniel Webster program.

Just showin some love to Eric Downie for receiving Northeast Region Player of the Year.

Hey im all for Keene vs. Salem annually. Yessir, Downie and McCombs are gone. B had a real solid game i think, and E bounced back with a solid 2nd half, so their college finale couldve been worse. The other three starters are back next year. Marquis  is a junior, Nick is a freshman, and Holmes is a sophomore. They'll probably still be the class of the MASCAC, but not as solid as this year's squad. Salem is known as a revolving door though, so dont be surprised if a couple of one and done fellas stroll in.

Yo is Keene gonna get RIC or wat man. You gotta be hype about the LEC representation.

I believe Wheaton is getting a solid backcourt from the Greater Boston area in next years class. PG Ryan Sasso from Peabody who attends Bishop Fenwick, and 2 Man Anthony Coppola from Watertown. Theyre both solid, fundamentally sound players. If youre a Wheaton fan and live near Boston, these guys are playing each other Tuesday the 6th at Revere High School at 7:30.

meOak, congrats to Keene brother, they played their asses off. I know he had foul trouble in the 1st half, but Travon Little should get some more burn! he had a big time impact on the game when he was in, but rode the pine down the stretch. im sure the Keene coach has a better feel for his players than I do... but let the young fella get up and down a little!

couldve been a case of Keene not getting credit for tipins or putbacks... but I see what youre saying.     Probably wasnt as aware as I thought I was.

what a thriller in salem... KSC 76 SSC 75. Salem guard Nick Tokarski with a great look to win it- a layup- but couldnt convert. Dylan Holmes tipped it in, and the Salem fans rushed the court, but it was determined that the tip-in did not beat the buzzer. Great game, lots of ups and downs, both teams played with tremendous heart. Lot of touch fouls called, but that hindered both teams. Sontag and Drouin were huge for Keene, and their star Kathan didnt get a lot of touches late. Marquis Victor was immense for the Vikings, as he had to pick up for a slow start for Eric Downie (1 for his first 9). Downie did have a very strong 2nd half in his college finale.

I see that the Salem State site says that Salem out rebounded Keene by 12, but i think those are inflated numbers. It really seemed that Keene had a lot of 2nd chance buckets.

One final note: Despite the SSC fans booing the refs, I think it was a very well officiated game. It was tight, but they were consistent, and thats all you can ask for. There was a missed goaltending call, but thats a great nights work by the three officials.

what a thriller in salem... KSC 76 SSC 75. Salem guard Nick Tokarski with a great look to win it- a layup- but couldnt convert. Dylan Holmes tipped it in, and the Salem fans rushed the court, but it was determined that the tip-in did not beat the buzzer. Great game, lots of ups and downs, both teams played with tremendous heart. Lot of touch fouls called, but that hindered both teams. Sontag and Drouin were huge for Keene, and their star Kathan didnt get a lot of touches late. Marquis Victor was immense for the Vikings, as he had to pick up for a slow start for Eric Downie (1 for his first 9). Downie did have a very strong 2nd half in his college finale.

I see that the Salem State site says that Salem out rebounded Keene by 12, but i think those are inflated numbers. It really seemed that Keene had a lot of 2nd chance buckets.

One final note: Despite the SSC fans booing the refs, I think it was a very well officiated game. It was tight, but they were consistent, and thats all you can ask for. There was a missed goaltending call, but thats a great nights work by the three officials.

no doubt fam. im gonna pull for SSC cause im a state school guy, but I got love for both squads.

Me Oak, your KSC boys cruised the other night, even with Kathan and Anderson combining for 15. You gonna make the trip to Salem on Saturday?

Salem State Vikings
24-2    (14-0 MASCAC)

Key Wins : WPI , do Gordon or Bridgewater qualify?
Key Losses : Roger Williams, Wheaton

Starters:

Eric Downie :  Senior  6'4'' swingman, 2 Time MASCAC Player of the Year. Averages of : 21.1 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 45.3 FG %, 44.1 3PT FG %, 1.56 STL.

Brandon McCombs: Senior  6'5'' plays 3/4. Well Built, has some range, runs the floor well.
AVGS:  15.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG (1st in Con.), 46.5 FG%.

Dylan Holmes: Sophomore  6'7'' F/C.: Fundamentally sound big man who is still improving.
AVGS: 12.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 52.8 FG%, 2.35 BLKS.

Marquis Victor: Junior  Plays both backcourt slots. Athletic, can shoot it, active defensively.
AVGS: 9.3 PPG, 2.4 APG, 1.4 STLS, 33.6 3PT FG %.

Nick Tokarski: Freshman Point who had a great rookie campaign.
AVGS: 6.4 PPG, 4.9 APG, 1.87 STLS, Assist - Turnover : 1.92 (2nd in Conf.).

Key Reserves

Guard Alex Finn brings offense off the bench (8.1 PPG) as a deadly 3 pt shooter: 47%, good for first in the MASCAC.

Guard Ramon Cruz handles the ball well and can push it as well as run the half court sets effectively.

Forward Rawleigh Preaster brings a big body and rebounding tenacity.

Pretty much an 8 man rotation, Downie, McCombs, and Holmes all average 30+ minutes.

Coach Sean Doherty has compiled an impressive 91-19 record in 5 years at the helm of SSC, including a 51-4 mark in MASCAC play. He has yet to reach a Sweet Sixteen, twice eliminated in the 2nd Round. He was an assistant at Holy Cross for 4 years prior to his present head coaching post.

Outlook: Salem is very athletic and has pretty good size. The guard play is erratic, but at times very good. It is easy to fall in love with them when they run the floor and share the ball, but can sometimes appear disinterested. The biggest knocks on them are: how weak their conference is this year, and their lack of quality wins (aside from WPI). Ive seen them six times this year, and if they play together they will give any team in NE trouble. I have never seen teams from other regions, so I couldnt even guess about what could happen if they advance out of their bracket.

                 

Ive seen Keene 3 times this year, and I really like them. I saw them beat Endicott and UM Boston, and lose to Tufts in one of the best games of the year. I really like Nate Anderson as a complement to Kathan inside. All through the front line they are quick and pretty athletic, similar to Salem. In reference to Downie, he plays a little more on the perimeter, so I'm not sure whether the Keene bigs will go out and check him, or if KSC will choose to go with a 2 or 3 on him. Dylan Holmes get no love, but he has had a great year in the middle for Salem. I think this game would come down to guard play, and who takes better care of the ball. I really like #41 for Keene who was efficient in each of the games I saw. They had some difficulty against UM-B committing a lot of turnovers.  Salems back court of Marquis Victor and Alex Finn are up and down, and I think they will have to be on point for Salem to win against Keene.

Man Keene State is my squad mostly cause of the dude tyler kathan. he fills it up and duke is only a sophomore.  Now I only saw Rivier once this year (in a loss to at Suffolk), but I am aware of the all Greater Boston backcourt of Giardano and McMahon.

I cant see Keene State losing this game.
KSC 84 RIV 71

goddamn people can get touchy. I made the trip up to SSC for both of those games, and they were trailing at half of both of them. thats a fact not an opinion. and how would it matter that a team's points came from the line?

Salem took the last two games of the tourney despite trailing at half of both of them. The Medford representative Eric Downie with 30 and 10 in the championship. SSC ends up at 24-2 for the year. Anyone know if Downie will get any All - America love at 21+,8+ ?