Haven't posted in a while but this is to important to miss...

Lets all take notice of Rashid Epps and his Rodmanesque 15 rebounds (10 of them offensive!) in a paltry 16 minutes against Mitchell College.  Are you kidding me! kids and animal.

This performance clearly establishes Rashid as a bright spot for a Cardinal lineup that clearly missed their center Glen Thomas, who should be returning soon.

To call Wesleyan's win over SUNY Maritime dominant would be putting it lightly.  Wesleyan defeated the visiting squad by 66 points, 104-38.  While the blowout is partially due to a talent disparity, this win was a nice showcase of the Cardinal's talents.  Callaghan is stretching the floor with an improved jump shot (2/3 from 3) and both Brown (11 assists) and Beresford(18 points on 7/10, 4/7 from 3) submitted quality games.  Also Avery Robinson had one of the most productive games on a per minute basis (10 points from 4/4 shooting, 3 steals in 8 minutes) while rocking a nice high top fade.

Wesleyan faces Daniel Webster in the championship game of their tip off tournament today at 3.

Also, Brian Kattan, Wesleyan's sport's information director has kept up his run of quality head shots with this gem.... Tom Selleck eat you heart out
http://condor.wesleyan.edu/openmedia/athletics/mbbmugs/Pages/11.html

After a long summer away from the boards I was delighted to find some pro Cardinal chatter amongst the usual Middlebury, Williams, and Amherst buzz.  All due respect to those squads, they've clearly designated themselves as the class of the CAC, but Im of the belief that Wes Tech is going to crash that party this year.  Echoing what some of you have already written I think this is the year the Cardinals take the leap and acquire a NCAA bid and/or a top 2 ranking in the CAC (realistically the two should go hand in hand)

Why you ask?

The Cardinals have a lethal one two punch with a proven floor general/elite scorer in Shasha Brown (I think he proved last year that he is clearly capable of wearing both those hats) and arguably the most dynamic big man in the league in Mike Callaghan (should terrorize defenses both down low and from the perimeter both with his ability to shoot the ball and off the dribble).  Along with these two seniors the Cardinals put on the floor one of the hardest working players every night in Derek Beresford (his great D and sweet stroke certainly dont hurt) and a big man who has shown tremendous strides on both sides of the court in Thomas (admittedly fouls have been a regular problem for him).  Along with these soon to be household names for those who follow such things the cardinals have one of the deeper benches in the league.

Regardless of all these exemplary players, the number one reason I know the Cardinals are going to surprise people this year is that this core of seniors under Reilly have pushed the program to new heights every year. I have no doubt they'll continue the trend

Quote from: Old Guy on March 01, 2012, 09:03:14 PM
Midd's low number is a reminder of just how recent their ascent was ... pretty amazing how quickly they flipped from a NESCAC also-ran into a perennial national power.
nescac1

The seeds for Middlebury's turnaround were in '06 when the Panthers went 12-12. The year before the Panthers were 6-16 with a mostly senior team. Then Ben Rudin showed up and started as a freshman; his high school teammate, Kyle Dudley joined him. Mike Walsh, Andrew Harris, Aaron Smith followed and brought outstanding leadership, strong character, and commitment. Tim Edwards brought toughness and defensive prowess. Andrew Locke came in and played 8 minutes a game as a frosh and led the conference with 56 blocked shots. Sharry arrived with a nice game and a ton of potential. Rudin graduated and the backcourt was replenished with Wolfin and Thompson (a virtual walk-on) who started as frosh. Jamal Davis, Ryan Wholey: for years I would tell whomever was listening how important character and leadership were to winning in sports. After experiencing Middlebury men's hoops in the last five years, I actually believe it. The dynamic now is powerful - the young guys emulate the old guys on the team who are such positive models on and off the court.

We have been to the NCAAs for the past five years, been in the NESCAC final four consecutive years. Our record in the conference in these four years is 43-6. All six losses have been to Williams and Amherst, three each, yet our record against the Ephs and Jeffs in four years is 4-3. Perfect against the rest of the conference. This record is unimaginable for old Midd hoopers like me, and, trust me, we have enjoyed every minute. We take nothing for granted and are grateful.

For five years at least, we have challenged the Williams-Amherst hegemony, as Trinity and CT College did before us. Who's next - Wesleyan? Then Bates, Hamilton?

Middlebury's certainly had a fantastic run over the past few years and may have become a member of the hegemony, only time will tell.  Seeing Locke's frosh stats again reminded me how incredible his career was (leading the conference in blocks in only 8 minutes a game WOW).

As for the up and comers I think Wesleyan and Tufts clearly lead the pack, but with the level of play across the league the next breakout team could really come from anywhere

Quote from: Old Guy on March 01, 2012, 09:30:52 AM
Walzy - another early candidate for 2012 All Crazy or at the least honorable mention for seeing the world through Wesleyan tinted glasses.  On Jeff Brown winning COY, this from OchoLoko41: "The only possible explanation I can come up with is that Middlebury's success over Wesleyan, coupled with Hixon made Brown an easy selection."

I'm surprised, though it's not "crazy." The Panthers' three losses in 2011-12 are by five points total. His team lost those two last seconds games at Amherst in a hostile gym with a lot of class and guts (the comebacks). Doesn't that come back to the coach?

How is this looking at the situation through Wesleyan tinted glasses?

Fact: Amherst went undefeated throughout the NESCAC regular season and playoffs, beating Mid twice, despite loosing one of its key contributers (Meehan).

Fact: Wesleyan had the best single season turnaround in NESCAC history, going from missing the playoffs last year to becoming the #3 seed and advancing to the semi finals.

Seeing as Amherst has a better record than Middlebury, with a comparable talent level in their players, and Middlebury did not have the "feel good story" factor in their favor (aka a historical turnaround) what other explanation can we have for Brown winning besides voters valuing record as their first priority, and distain of Hixon as their second?

Congrats to Shasha Brown and Mike Callaghan for there All NESCAC first and second team selections respectively.  With the two of them returning, along with the vast majority of the Wesleyan team (although the loss of Mendell a 2 year captain and 4 year starter will be missed) Wesleyan clearly looks to be one of the teams to beat next year.

I like seemingly everyone else on this board am a little puzzled by the choice of Brown as COY.  If voters were basing their choice purely on record, you would think that an Amherst squad that went undefeated after losing Meehan (admittedly not as big a loss as Locke, but no slouch in his own right) would get the vote, or they would vote for Reilly after the tremendous turnaround Wesleyan experienced.

The only possible explanation I can come up with is that Middlebury's success over Wesleyan, coupled with Hixon made Brown an easy selection. 

This is not to take away from the Panther's season, those fellas had a great regular season and I wish them all the best in the tourney

Mid gets the win 74-52 over Wesleyan.  Cardinals fought hard throughout the game, outplaying the Panthers through a fair portion of the game but the barrage of three pointers to close the first half opened up a deficit that Wesleyan could never quite close.

Some REAL questionable calls from the refs, to a certain extent it really felt like the upstart Cardinals needed to prove themselves to the refs against the established Panthers, particularly half way through the second half when Middlebury made its push.  There was a 3 or 4 minute stretch where Wesleyan couldnt buy a basket or a call on either end (Middlebury on the other hand, benefits from call such as "kneeing"? what the holy heck is that?!?!).  Thomas getting the 4th pretty quickly took out arguably Wesleyans most productive player at the time.

Gotta give Wesleyan a tip of the cap for the hard work theyve displayed night in and night out.  Im still hoping they somehow get a chance to prove themselves and keep the dream alive with an at large.  Reilly has got to be the favorite for Coach of the year after the single season turnaround the program has experienced.

So now we get Amherst vs Middlebury... aka the white bread of the NESCAC tournament. While I know we can count on a quality game to be played, I gotta say that I was hoping for a rematch of the Reilly Classic   

Middlebury up over Wesleyan 42-27 at the half.  Pretty tight game through the first 15 minutes before Middlebury opened it up with 4 straight 3's.

On the plus side for Wes, the Cardinal goon squad of Thomas (10 and 4) and Callaghan (6 and 2) are playing well and Brown really hasnt shown much.  Fully expect Brown and the other Wesleyan guards to show us something in the coming half.

In regards to Amherst v Bates, Toomey's growth has been pretty remarkable to watch this past season.  After playing a year as a talented role player, he's really come on and begun to carve his own place in Amherst history... a pretty tall order for any Amherst point guard, especially as a sophomore

Quote from: lumbercat on February 18, 2012, 06:16:03 PM
A great win for Bates today. They are a hard working, grinding team. Not flashy but they get the job done.

John Squires was dominant today with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Based on this performance and his efforts throughout the year this kid has to be included among the top 10 players in the league. He merits at least a spot on the All NESCAC second team.

The Bobcats will be a big underdog against a great Amherst team but they will bring their best next week.

Caught the Wesleyan vs Bowdoin game in Middletown this afternoon.  While the Cardinals at the #3 seed certainly did not surprise many by winning the game, what was surprising was how in command the Red Birds were throughout the contest.  With very few exceptions, Wesleyan played 40 minutes of mistake free basketball and got dominant efforts from both Brown and Callaghan.  Great to see guys that excited about the game of basketball, as well they should be.

One of the key moments for the game was Staiger getting got hit with two quick fouls to start the game.  Without him in the game the polar bears had to lean on a very raw Swords, allowing the more physical Wes squad almost free reign in the paint. 

I dont envy whoever needs to make the final decisions for all conference this year, particularly at the 4 spot with Sharry, Hanley, Callaghan, and Squires.  While certainly all have had standout moments this season the level that Callaghan is playing at especially during the last 6 games, aka when it counts the most, has been absolutely stellar.

On the lighter side of things, Im sure many of the followers of this board will be at Amherst this upcoming weekend to watch the games.  I implore you to occasionally watch the antics of the Wesleyan bench.  While St Jeans fire has been well documented by Walzy and others, his partners in crime (primarily Tim Gallvin, Avery Robinson, and Big Ziggy) are the finest collection of lunatics this side of the Mississippi.  Always positive, always passionate.

Quote from: BullShark09 on February 17, 2012, 03:14:02 PM
Haven't posted in a long time, but still love reading the NESCAC musings that people throw up here.

Wesleyan's resurgence has brought me out of posting retirement to pass this along: http://www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/news/2012/02/mbbatbowd021012.html.  Great coach and a great group of guys. It's about time for the Cardinals.

I'm excited to be at Silloway tomorrow to see what the playoff atmosphere is going to be like.

Great piece... heres hoping for Mendell to get those 40 more minutes added to his already distinguished career

Quote from: walzy31 on February 15, 2012, 03:22:56 PM
Saturday February 18th NESCAC Quarterfinals Spreads

#8 Hamilton @ #1 Amherst
Amherst -13.0 (unless big bro Lin plays in which case it is Hamilton -12.0)
O/U: 137.5

#7 Williams @ #2 Middlebury
Middlebury -4.0
O/U: 129.5

#6 Bowdoin @ #3 Wesleyan
Wesleyan -5.5
O/U: 137.0

#5 Bates @ #4 Tufts
Tufts -4.0
O/U: 129.0

The best part of the playoffs, especially this year is the fact that every team is truly starting at 0-0.  I dont think anything other that Hamilton over Amherst can be considered an absolute shocker. Bravo to all the squads for producing a league not completely dominated by Amherst, Mid, and Williams (and yes I do realize that 2 of those teams have top spots)

The second best part of playoffs is that I start at 0-0 and get a chance to redeem myself for my mediocre at best picks over the season. and with no further adieu...

Amherst and Under
Williams and Over
Wesleyan and Over
Tufts Under 

In the spirit of passing out congratulations - major props to the Cardinals for both setting a Wesleyan record for wins and the biggest single season turnaround in NESCAC history (#9 to #3)

Quote from: pjunito on February 10, 2012, 09:50:58 PM
Nescac1 - How do the conference playoffs work? How many teams make it?

While admittedly im no nescac1 i'll answer this one.  top 8 teams make the tourney based on in league record.  when it comes down to crunch time head to head results are used to break ties followed by records against common opponents.

Wesleyan notched a nice win up in Brunswick tonight with Beresford and Callaghan leading the charge, Beresford getting 20 points with 6 for 10 shooting from behind the arc and Callaghan continuing to kill it with a monster 25 pt 15 rebound game.  On the Bowdoin side Hanley was one of the few bright spots with a truly balanced game (13 pts, 6 rebs, 4 assists, 5 blks).

Forgive me if im becoming boring by banging this drum again but if you dont like watching the Cardinals then you just dont like good basketball.  This is just a group of good lookin fellas that play good hard defense and where any one of 4 or 5 guys can be "the man" on any particular evening.  Their bench is by far one of the most animated in the CAC, with both stars and benchwarmers cheering as enthusiastically as possible for even the smallest of Wes victories (if any of you get the chance, check out Tim Gallivan, you cant teach that level of enthusiasm).  This is the type of basketball that Joe Reilly(right now the clear coach of the year favorite in my opinion) was supposed to instill in Middletown and I for one am delighted to see it happen.

In other news, as heartbroken as I am to see Amherst win, that was on helluva shot by Toomey... gotta love free webcasts

Good first half of basketball going up at Bowdoin with Wes up 38-30 at the half.  Callaghan and Beresford are leading the charge for the Cardinals with 14 a piece, while Brown is playing more of a facilitators role with 4 assists so far.

Took Hanley a little while to get going but some nifty fast break points jump started his offense. 

Really hope Williams holds on for the win and the big three way tie in the little 3 that would result.

Quote from: Old Guy on February 06, 2012, 10:44:38 PM
I agree with Lumbercat and am glad to have a Bates poster. The Bobcats are an interesting team who could make some noise in the tourney. Mark Brust is one of the better guards in the league. Squires is worthy: just about a double-double - 12.3 points/game; 9.5 boards. He's third in the conference in rebounding. Can't shoot though.

I appreciate Bates' youthful coach, Jon Furbush, who remains composed during games, no matter how intense - unlike Colby's Strahorn who put of a vintage Whitmore-worthy show at Middlebury last Saturday, consistently berating the refs for three quarters of the game (while it was still a game), standing 2-3' on the court when the ball was in the other end. Don't know how he avoided a technical.

In the category of All Crazy Coaching both Furbush and Strahorn, as talented as they are as coaches, dont hold a candle to Trinity's James Cosgrove.  While I have no knowledge of the man besides what I see on the court, that persona is a certified lunatic