CCC - NESCAC Challenge

League goes 1-3 with some good competive games.

Tufts 88 -84 over RWU (in a close game throughout)
Wesleyan 80-72 over WNEU (another back and forth affair)
Trinity 106-87 over UNE (not so close)
Wentworth 67-64 over Conn College

Nichols, Endicott and Salve, and Gorsdon all win in othet action. Curry continues to slide.

Wow! The league has to be ecstatic about tonight's results. Huge congratulations to Endicott and Nichols getting wins against really good teams tonight. Either way you slice it, there will be a CCC team in the sweet 16! Should be a good one tomorrow.

I thought the same thing , but Dean has actually moved to four years and has begun the transition to becoming an NCAA Division III program. I believe they are joining the NECC next year.

Saint, I've never spoke with you on this site, but I always laugh at your breakdowns of EC games. Couldn't help but think of your thoughts after last night's win.

How 'bout those Saints!!

I'm not going to do an entire team by team capsule. Just a few observations.

* Southern Vermont (5-2) looks to be the team to beat early. Beat Williams and Castleton, took Marymount to the wire.
* Mitchell (1-4) looks pretty awful early. Parris Hill is the best player in the league, but besides him they aren't playing well. 1-4 and they've been pounded in a few games. That being said, if Josh Ford is back at the break, they are instantly a threat.
*Elms (3-5) has played the toughest slate of games. Tight losses to Keene State, Springfield. Bigger losses to RIC and Bowdoin. Once they get in the league they'll be fine.
*Becker (5-2) is kind of quietly playing well. Wins over Brandeis and Clark, plus a 1 point loss to Babson. They should be right in the mix.
*Regis (5-3) looked great early, starting 4-0 with a win over Tufts. Kind of slid lately but beat Daniel Webster today. I like this team, just think they're always a tough out.

Okay, so here is the NECC pre-season coaches' poll

1. Mitchell (67 points, 4 first place votes)
2. Elms (54 points, 3 first place votes)
3. Southern Vermont (52 points, 1 first place vote)
4. Becker (48 points)
5. Regis (42 points, 1 first place vote)
6. Daniel Webster (27 points)
7. Newbury (17 points)
8. Lesley (10 points)
9. Wheelock (7 points)

Sounds about right; Mitchell has to be the favorite, just based off who's coming back. Top four teams all have a realistic chance to win the league.

Questions/Things that seem interesting so far;

*Former Becker point guard Darius Sealy has transferred to Mitchell
*Former Nichols point guard Jessy Michaud has transferred to Becker
(Was there a 3 way trade? Nichols gets the player to be named later? Haha)
*Is Josh Ford back for Mitchell? Don't see him on roster or team pic
*Elms recruiting class looks solid. Picked up some nice transfers and freshmen. Notably the kid Dryden from Jersey.
*Deshawn Hamlet is back for Southern Vermont. I had heard rumors he was out

Any thoughts or answers to questions will be appreciated!

Ah, okay that makes much more sense, regarding part-time salary.

Have to agree with the above post: I can't imagine how someone can do this part-time and be successful at it. Seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day!

So, I'm definitely not an expert regarding Division III coaching hires, but why is the new Nichols coach considered "interesting" in what seems to be a condescending way.

I don't have any connection to the school or the coach, I'm just curious. His resume seems to be about right for the job. Was Nichols expecting more?

Any insight appreciated!

So,

Regarding coach Faucher at DWC, it looks like he was butting heads with the administration, although I don't have specifics as to what their issue was. It seems they had it out, and Faucher decided he'd had enough.

After a few weeks, he has been replaced by Dom Morris, who has been the HC at in league Lesley over the past several years. Lesley had been pretty consistently bad, I'm not sure if he was let go at LC or what the issue was there. Anyway, he is the new coach at DWC.

As far as DWC record from last year, yes they forfeited those games because of Webster participating illegally.

...

Moving on to the league outlook, you have to figure Mitchell is the team to beat with Ford and Hill back again inside. Elms and Becker will probably be right there, along with Southern Vermont. I'll have a more in depth preview soon!!

Bettencourt officially in at Endicott

http://ecgulls.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/20140805v5y1qe

Called my shot a little bit there, haha. Never go against the local guy!

Jackson 5

If they don't get Chadbourne, the other three finalists are terrific candidates as well, so Endicott will end up with someone very qualified.

When I first saw the finalists, I figured Kevin Bettencourt would have a great shot, seeing as he is well known from his playing days in that area (Peabody High School). Guess we will have to wait and see!

Okay, we're about halfway through the conference slate. Let's take a quick look at everyone!

*Mitchell 13-4 (9-1) - Looks to be the top dog in the league. Joshua Ford is the best player in the league, and the new addition of Parris Hill from CA is big. Both of them are double double machines. All of their losses are very respectable. SUNY-Purchase, Albertus, West Conn, and SVC. They could be a tough out come tourney time

*Elms 9-10 (7-3) - Quietly putting together a nice run. Kind of trick or treat because of the way they play. Probably capable of beating anyone in the league or losing to anyone. When they're making shots, they are tough! Good win over SVC the other night.

Southern Vermont 12-6 (6-3) - Still maybe the most talented team in the league, as they went down to Mitchell and completely controlled the game, winning 77-65. Obviously a great early season win over Williams.

Regis         7-10 (6-3) - Playing much better since coming back from the break. Beat Southern Vermont and Becker, lost to Mitchell by 4. They are a tough out for anyone come conference tourney time. I've been really impressed by them, actually.

Daniel Webster 12-5 (5-3) - Definitely another trick or treat team! Shoot a ton of 3s, but when they're shooting a good percentage they are tough to beat. Get the impression they are sliding after starting off 9-0.

Becker 9-8 (5-3) - Feel repetitive, but another tough team to figure out. Lost to Babson by 2, Lost to WPI by 4, beat SVC by 13. Based off that, you'd think they'd be a front runner in the league. On the other hand, manhandled by Regis and blown out at Mitchell, never in it.

Newbury, Wheelock, and Lesley have a combined 1 conference win. Not a lot to say, unfortunately. Lesley took Mitchell to OT tonight, great effort, too bad they didn't get the reward.

In summary, I think Mitchell and Southern VT are the teams to beat, but Elms, Regis, and Becker could all get hot at the right time to sneak away with the conference chip!

Hey everyone,

I'm going to try to breathe some life into this board this year! I'm friendly with a couple guys who coach in this league, and I live in Boston, so I'm able to see a decent amount of games. I'll comment on some other leagues too, but hopefully I can get some chatter going on the NECC!

Quick recap of each team's start to this point! Still very early, of course:

* Southern Vermont (3-1)  - Has to be the main story, right? Big upset of Williams, and respectable loss to Rutgers-Newark. Looking at their schedule, they could post a very impressive final record. Roster obviously is overhauled with first year coach. Has to project at the team to beat.

*Becker (3-1) - Wins over Worcester St, Fitchburg St and Anna Maria. Loss to SUNY-Purchase, who is probably a tournament team. Upcoming slate includes Brandeis, Babson, and WPI; so should learn more about them after playing some top teams.

* Daniel Webster (4-0) - Very quietly 4-0, though they have yet to play anyone. Still, 4-0 is 4-0! No real tests non-league, will have to wait and see.

* Mitchell (2-3) - They've played some good teams early, and have been competitive. 10 pt loss to Albertus, 14 pt loss to SUNY-Purchase, in a game that was close late. Tight loss to West Conn, win over CGA. Have to think they're a top half team in the league.

*Elms (1-3) - Tough transition year with the late hire of Rob Southall from WPI. Good win over Keene St. Bad losses to UMD and Anna Maria. Took a 30 from Springfield too. Next week is big for them: Wesleyan, RIC, and SVC. Yeesh

*Regis (1-4) - 11-5 in the league last year, but off to a poor start. Bowdoin and Tufts are respectable losses. Wheaton is a bad loss. Westfield probably projects similarly talent wise.

*Wheelock (0-3) - Looks like they have brought in a bunch of new kids, many of whom are playing right away. Obviously terrible last year with 3-22 record, but they look to be more competitive.

*Lesley (0-4) - Not bad losses: SUNY-Purchase, West Conn, MIT, Endicott; but 0-4 is a tough start nonetheless

*Newbury (0-4) Big losses to Albertus and Amherst are to be expected. Looks like they lost a lot.