Man what a year in the MAC very very interesting in my mind. But its playoff time and I see one of the greatest match up pop up once again. King's at DeSales in the first round how can you ask for anything more.

JP will try to take his team that in my mind is one year away from being a championship caliber team into the shoe box of DeSales and get another win in the playoffs. The Monarchs have had success there in the past but that was a whole different level of team that boarded the buses when it came to the playoffs. I see the Monarchs going down there and putting up a good fight but just not being able to pull it out. Andrejko will key on Braswell big time since he is the main reason Desales won up in Wilkes-barre but it will not be enough. I say close game and good game but Desales comes out the winner by 11.

Next you have a upper class team in Eastern with a home game in the playoffs which will pay off big time in my mind. The Eagles are coming into the game I am sure feeling great about their chances. Now Misericordia is going to come down there tomorrow night and Trevor will have these kids jacked up on speed and they will be ready to go. I think this game is won in the first five minutes if you ask me. If Eastern can handle the emotions that Miseri will try to play with I feel like they have a very winnable game and should be looking at a matchup with Desales in the championship game. Inexperience in the playoffs for the Cougars will hurt them both players and coaching wise I look to see the eagles win this game and am going to make a bold prediction that it will be by 16.

Upset if I had to pick one! King's beats Desales only because of coaching. JP is capable of coming up with a game plan to win this game and like I said if I had to pick an upset I would put my money on the Monarchs before I would the cougars.

Well the transfers I was naming and hinting at were the three that you had mentioned. I feel like they are the little pieces to the puzzle that is keeping this team together and not just a one man show. Not saying it is a bad thing at all because a coach needs to do what a coach needs to do and if he feels he needs to bring in transfers then great it is part of recruiting as well.

Now with all of that said I really have this crazy feeling it is going to come down to experience and coaching towards this second half of the year. Right there alone I have to give the Nod to the likes of King's and DeSales with possibly Eastern right behind them. I feel like Wilkes will buckle under the pressure and will lose a game that they shouldn't like every year down the home stretch like a game at FDU or at Del Val something along those lines. Bow M'ville is always tricky because it is tough to get ready for a game up there. This time of the year it is always cold on the visiting bench do to broken windows right up above and the crowds usually start to play a factor up there and the team really uses that to a huge advantage. With that said Del Val I feel like is a little to one sided right now and trying way to hard to run everything through the big man. They have solid guard and need to let them do their thing and let the big man play off of them. With all of that said I do not think it is a bold prediction of mine to say that we will know who the playoffs teams will be after next Saturdays games on the 13th.

What are some other hot topics that should be looked at this year right now? Any coaches that should be careful who they piss off because they may not return next year?

Okay I am glad to see Eastern gets so much talk on here but I feel like there are better issues to be talking about with the MAC Freedom right now. So I will list below some of my big questions about this season so far.

First I think the biggest question should be what is happening to the Wilkes University Men's Basketball team? They were picked to finish very high at the beginning of the season and many said this was their year with such a great SR. lead team. They are now 3 and 5 in the league and will be fighting for their lives now every night for the rest of the season. Another loss or two and they could very well pack it in a call it a year.

Second how does Desales keep getting all of these transfers? I see they got another one this year that is really helping them out? My only guess is the coach must stay in contact with players he recruits which decide not to go to Desales in the end. But when they realize they made a mistake or thought they were better then d3 ball and find out they will ride the bench at a d2 or small d1 school they see what life is really about and accept that they need to take a new route to their basketball career. Not saying this is a bad thing at all but just curious how he does it because more d3 coaches need to take note because these players have kept him up at the top for the past few years.

Finally for now what is going on at the north end of Main street in good old Wilkes-barre? This is a young decent team. The talent level is not what has been there before and the players are no where near what it takes to win a MAC championship but some how they are right there at the top in second place with a 6 and 2 record. Is this finally the year that Andrejko wins a coach of the year award because of his coaching and now just because of the talent he had under him to win him all of those games. I am happy to see they are not at the level they were last year because that was a shame but I did not see them having such a big turn around within one season. Where do we see this team going and is this team one year away from being a MAC powerhouse again with all of the young guys that are involved right now?

Well it has been a quick year and a busy one as well. I have not posted much but now that the season is coming down to the grind I figured I would throw some questions out there to see what people have to say and try to get off the topic of Eastern I have heard enough about them on this site. Lets talk other basketball and talk about other good headlines right now in the league.

I was in the house for the King's vs. DeSales game and mad what a game it was. DeSales played a decent first half missing two foul shot attempts they got that half and yes i would agree they played right into Andrejko's hands. They just moved the ball around the outside until about 10 seconds on the shot clock and then either forced a three or took a bad off balance shot driving to the basket. Also, DeSales could not really make an outside shot in the second half but i think all of this credit goes to King's and their coaching staff.

There is no other team in the league that i see being 2-10 and playing the way they do. They take a playoff team in alvernia to the wire, they take a team in wilkes right down to the end, the beat miseri and pretty much ended their hopes, they took a FDU team right down to the wire all in the second half of the year. I can say this much if i was Del Val or Eastern i would not want to see them on my schedule right now especially Eastern because they have to travel to King's and who knows what the playoff positions will look like then. I give all the credit in the world the the big guy that runs that **** though and that is Andrejko he will just not let his kids fold and he is already making a statement for next year and getting these kids to realize they can compete.

On another note to all DeSales fans arent you glad King's isn't in the playoffs?? Because i tell you what they just have your number. Year in and year out they come up with a way to beat you guys in an important part of the year. I think Coval got out coached like he has in many situations against Andrejko and i think it is a trent to get use to. Desales walked out of that gym on Main Street with one thing in their mind and that was thank God we do not have to come back here or see that team again because we all know what has happened the past three times they faced off in the playoffs.

So with that said looks like we are going to have a good final two weeks and a lot could be determined this saturday. With an Alvernia win over wilkes and a del val win over kigns looks like the boys down on south river street are fighting for their lives. My predictions...

#1 seed: Manhattanville
#2 seed: DeSales
#3 seed: Eastern
#4 seed: Del Val
#5 seed: Wilkes

Playin: Wilkes loses to Del Val on the road

1st Round: DeSales beats Del Val, Manhattanville beats Eastern

Championship: DeSales watches another team cut the nets down and prays the selection people like them. If not off to the ECAC's for the bulldogs.   

oh yes how could i forget one of the classest, nicest, hardworking kids in the league who deserves just to be on a good team.. yes ryan is top 5 that slides a couple guys down and take stackhouse off the list... its just tough looking at stats i was going by what i saw not really looking at year wise i took the best 15 players no matter if they are a sr or a jr

Here what i came up with for the playoff race..

1st. Desales
2nd. Manhattanville
3rd. Wilkes
4th. Eastern
5th. Alvernia

** the two PAC schools will battle to get crushed by desales in the first round.

As for players here we go...

1st Team

G- Chris Derojas - wilkes
G- Darnell Braswell- desales
G- Wesley Wicks- manhantanville
F- Tom Kresge- wilkes
F- Kevin Conroy
F- Vinny Baumunk- misericordia

2nd Team

G- James Jones- del val
G- Brian Hunter- desales
G- Jason Reels- eastern
F- Steve Kline- wilkes
F- Ed Lipinski- desales
F- Dom Del Prete- misericordia

Honornable Mention

G- Jason Seipt- del val
G- Trevoy Pointer- mantantanville
G- Kyle Stackhouse- king's
F- Tyrick Tucker- eastern
F- Jeff Amponsah- alvernia
F- Jim Schule- king's

Coach of the first half- Scott Coval
Player of the first half- Darnell Braswell
Rookie of the first half- N/A none deserving could have been McGowan from kings but he left

I  Del Val play over break and i really liked what that team had to offer. they played very hard from start to finish and they had some talent that has not been there in years past. I really think this new coach is going to turn things around for that program he just needs to get kids to stay now for four years and not transfer out. With that win over DeSales i think you could say Del Val is right in the middle of things since they have an advantage with their home court.

With that said it might be fair enough to say that King's chances are very much gone i see they lost to eastern on the road and are now 1-5 in the league just not going to cut it. I also noticed that chase mcgowan is no longer with the team does anyone have any word with why or what happened very unlikely for King's players to leave in the middle of the year normally they get players.  Just very shocked to see that program go from the top where they were to the very bottom in one year.

So now that we got a little feeling about the league what does everyone see happening for the playoffs?? lets hear some thoughts with almost half the league schedule out of the way

Well its winter break time and I am sure the kids are about to go home and call it an end to the first part of their season. I see that King's is back to where everyone thought they would be. With 3 losses in a row two of which were at home and all three were league games. Seems like the are close in two of them and could have gone either way with maybe something down the stretch. This is the King's team I expected in that they would give teams a game be close but when it came down to the end they just would not have anyone to go to. They have a game tonight and they are really getting into a must win situation for league games now should be interesting.

For the rest of the league seems like it is going to be a battle all year. There are only at most two easy games on the league scedule in del val and eastern both teams are not really competing and both should be a win for everyone but we all know the stroy of the past and it seems like someone at the top goes into del val and loses in the past it has been wilkes twice. Wilkes looks solid and have a good team and it seems like they will be competing with Desales for the number one seed.  Other then that i feel as if all the teams in the middle are going to be fighting for those 3 last spots. 
   

Well first off just want to say i saw that one coming called that one and should have went to vegas with it. I knew after seeing both wilkes and susquehanna play that susquehanna would pull out the victory that is the first point i want to make.

Now to the good stuf Kings and Wilkes play tomorrow night and i looked for it to be a very even game with wilkes having a slight advantage inside with the amount of depth in big men and kigs is very slim and small with their big men. To me i see that as the reason why kings lost to albright and i see this being a tough matchup for them in this game as well. But this is a big game and the kings guys will be ready to play and will have something to prove. Kings is going to come out and try to show this league they are not a push over and they can still win after graduating so many people.  I look for this game to be close and will be determined down the stretch. What a way to kick of league play.

Speaking to someone that is a wilkes fan told me one thing about this team that he notices and u sumed the game up in one word. So i asked him what would that be and he goes heart. he went on to tell me how this team just doesnt have heart they accept what is giving to them and they do not try to take anything away from anyone. As i said in my earlier post they are not a very good defensive team and when they are not able to put up 90 plus points they may lose a lot of games.  Being their next game is at susquehanna and i actually made it down there this past saturday to watch them play kings i think this is going to be a tough match up for wilkes as well.  They have two guards that are very quick off the dribble and can get to the basket whenever they want and also they are huge inside.  To me susquhanna's bigs will keep wilkes bigs in check and its going to come down to the guard and i just dont see wilkes guard playing good enough defense on them. 

Now as i said i was at the king's susquhanna game and wow thats just about all i can say. This king's team is not like any other in the past four years. They may not have all the talent in the world like JP is use to but i will tell you one thing they have heart and they play defense.  King's guys diving all over the floor winning every loose ball getting 35 second shot clock violations numerous times in the game and getting big stops at the end and in overtime is what won them this game. They are now 4-0 to start the year best start in 4 years for kings and if i recall 4 years ago it was a bunch of freshman that got them to the elite eight with some help of Horgan.  Its going to be interesting they will be tested on Tuesday when they play Albright at home but if King's wins this game on Tuesday this league better open their eyes and realize King's is for real and they are not going to beat you with talent but rather they will beat you with pure heart and desire with a great coach to go along with it. 

Last note i saw FDU handled merchant marine pretty well and merchant marine from what i read is suppose to be very good and was picked to finish second in their conference is FDU turing things around and going to compete this year or is merchant marine not as good as they were thought to be?

I was at the wilkes game and i have one question to ask... where the hell was the defense?  Against a smaller less talented team in baptist bible there is no way wilkes should have let them put up 84 points in a 40 minute game just should not have happened.  I saw a team in wilkes that let guys get to the paint at will and i saw a wilkes team that did not contest three point shots at all.  Every college player can make a three without a hand in his face. On the other end they looked good.  They were playing well of offense and really were able to fill it up. The only questions i have is it looks like there may be some tension between gulla and derojas i noticed on many trips down the floor if gulla was wide open and derojas had the ball he did not pass it to him almost looked the other way as if he didnt see him and vice versa this could lead to some problems down the road if their two starting guard wont play together and be willing to let the other guy gets his too.  My last point is the MAC is going to be very guard based this year with two great ones at desales a great one at fdu a very good one at alvernia and from what i hear mahattenville has a quick shifty guard as well so my question is how is wilkes going to match up with that because number 12 from baptist bible did what ever he wanted and owned derojas off the dribble almost as if he wasnt there.

But again i will say wilkes looked good looks like they may have taken a step forward from last year which is good to see but you will not win a mac championship giving up 84 points that just all there is too it.

Well the season started for some of the teams around the league and it is looking a bit interesting already.

Alvernia start off the year with a loss to etown by 5.  Not a bad loss at all etown is a good team and a tough place to play at. 

Desales starts off the year on the right foot with a win over st. john fisher by 6 on the road.

Eastern opened up is year witha  blow out vistory over philadelphia biblical didnt seem to be much of a game with a 20+ point vistory maybe not the best team to start off with knowing the MAC is going to be good competition. 

FDU opened up at home with william patterson where the lost by 15. thought this was going to be a little better year for FDU getting everyone back and having one of the best players in the league so we will have to wait a little longer to see if they pan out. 

Manhattenville opened up in a tip off tournament where they took on washington and jefferson the first night and won by 5 then in the championship game they took a hard loss to stevens by 22 where the game was played at stevens.

Misericorida opened up on the road in a tournament down at york college where in the first night they played susquehanna and lost by 9. Susquehanna is said to have a good team this year and are very big and physical. In the second night they beat york by 8 who my guess is on a little bit of a rebuilding year after lossing a stuf like mcgowan.

Finally to round out the opening weekend King;s hosted its own tip off tournament where in the first night they play some tech school from new york city. They beat them by 9 and moved on to play sunday in the championship. On sunday they took on #23 Widener and pretty much handled them from the tip. King's out hustled them, out played them, out coached them, and just did everything that was needed. Ended up beating them by 15 was very shocked with this because noone gave King's a chance going into that game on sunday.

Well Scranton to be ranked in the top 25 preseason is a very bold call. I watched them scrimmage kings this weekend who lost 95% of their scoring graduated 8 srs and came into scranton with 8 freshman on the team which 2 of them start and the first guy off the bench was a freshman as well.  Kings who i was told got blown out of the gym by bloomsburg the week before only lost to scranton by 4 or 5.  Kings out played them and the only reason they lost was because they could not execute at the end of the game which is expected from a young team.  Scranton is going to have some questions marks that people may want to realize.  They looked very suspect at the point guard spot.  Two different kids were bringing the ball up and neither did a great job.  Starting their offense from about ten feet behind the three point line and not really getting out on the break.  I hope they turn it around because they have a very sr dominated team and have the talent to be good but they needed to take a young very raw team in kings and blow them out of the gym it should not have been a close scrimmage at all and in the end kings had a chance to win. 

So after 3 weeks of practice teams finally hit the hardwood against someone else and see where they stand. So does anyone have any word on how teams did this weekend?

Glad to see the desales faithfull are still pulling for their team after one of their best classes goes through empty handed losing 3 of 3 to King's 2 at home and 1 on the road.  Hopefully the student support will get that out of the minds of the players and coaches on this years team.

Now in other talk was looking at some different websites today and notices that on October 18th I was looking at some different rosters and one thing caught my eye from the 18th till now.  King's lost a player in Chris Hacker. He played last year started actually and was suppose to serve a 9 game suspension.  Now I notice he is no longer on the roster but was when it first came out so what is going on in Wilkes-Barre.

So this weekend should be the start to some scrimmages so where are teams going or who is hosting some scrimmages this weekend?