Quote from: nescac1 on August 05, 2020, 11:32:03 AM
Speaking of Duncan, this is unreal.  He's the best shooter currently healthy and playing in the NBA.  He's come a loooooong way in just six years ... if you watch him now teams freak our defensively whenever he's a tiny bit open on the perimeter.  Changes the entire defensive strategy (as you'd expect for someone who averages generating 1.35 points each time he touches the ball with a clean view of the rim). 

Miami's Duncan Robinson has 252 3's this season on .446 shooting from beyond the arc.

The only other player in NBA history to make that many 3's and shoot them that well over a full season?

Some guy named Stephen Curry.

Was coming to comment similarly about how freaking good Duncan Robinson is. It is crazy to think that he became a 6th man his senior season at Michigan but has become this good this quickly in the NBA. He made some huge 3's against the Celtics last week to win it for the Heat. I'm sure it was sweet for him to play that well against his hometown team.

I'm a pretty young guy so I have to ask: is Duncan Robinson the best NESCAC player ever? I'm not talking about what they did when they played in the NESCAC but their career as a whole. I don't know if there are other NESCAC players who ended up going to play in the NBA or not.

Also, I'm watching the Utah Jazz game right now and hear the name Miye Oni. Oni is now on the fringe of the Jazz rotation. Took me a minute to remember, but Oni had committed to Williams before changing and going to Yale. Would have been something if he went to Williams, even if he went the transfer route after one year like Duncan did.

Not quite sure what you are arguing for Ryan, but the evidence is mounting quickly that keeping a physical distance from others is helpful for slowing the spread of the disease. There is a big difference between sitting in a crowd together for an extended period and going to the supermarket quickly in how likely you are to get coronavirus.

https://www.ft.com/content/ad7ae6b4-5eab-11ea-b0ab-339c2307bcd4

Some high praise from the NBA's most informed writer. Makes it seem like Hardy is destined for a future NBA head coaching job which would be incredible. How has NESCAC1 not posted about this already? Is he slipping??

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1136813672796499969

"Expect Will Hardy, one of the league's impressive young coaches, to take on a more prominent role on the Spurs coaching staff with Udoka's departure."

Man, I love the Duncan Robinson and am rooting for him, but I think it will be tough for him to make it to the NBA. Duncan can't be an above average like he has been the past two years at Michigan. He needs to be one of the best shooters in the world, capable of punishing teams from well beyond the arc with little space. Basically, he needs to do what he did against Bowdoin his freshman year when he made some shots from so deep that I thought my live stream had glitched. And most likely he will need to develop the ability to hit threes on the run, coming off of screens at least enough to be a threat. I didn't watch a ton of Michigan games, but boy did Duncan spend a lot of time just standing in the corner acting as a decoy.

The best comparison I can think of for Duncan is James Jones, someone who carved out a 14 NBA career on his shooting ability and a close friendship with LeBron. Jones was also 6'8" and not very athletic, but he was always a good enough defender and a guy who didn't have any real negatives to his game. Jones was a good enough pure shooter that he won the 3 point contest one year. That's how good of a shooter Duncan will have to be. Right now, even though there is the rhetoric of him being that good, the stats don't bear it out. 38% from three in college is a good number, but it's nothing spectacular.

The good news for Duncan is that it is now easier than ever to make your way onto an NBA roster and get a shot than ever. The two way contract the NBA now uses makes it easier for them to give roster spots to players in the G-League (NBA development league). Or guys who play in Europe get a good long look when they come back and play in summer league. Plus, wings are a constant need for NBA teams now that they are playing usually only one traditional big man at a time (if that). So if he continues to improve and becomes a deadly shooter as well as getting a lucky break or two, he can do it.

I really did think that Bowdoin was going to pull off the upset Saturday, and they came about as close as possible to doing it. Amherst is Bowdoin basketball's kryptonite. The Mammoths have now bounced Bowdoin from the NESCAC tournament the last three times Bowdoin has made the tournament. Yesterday makes it now 11 straight wins for Amherst with a 69-68 Bowdoin win in January of 2010 the last time the Polar Bears won.

Even crazier, directly before that win, Amherst won another 11 straight games against Bowdoin. So in their past 23 games, Bowdoin has beaten Amherst only one time. Bowdoin has only beaten Amherst one time since Bill Clinton was President. That's insane.

I can't remember the details about Wesleyan's futility against Middlebury, but I think that this rivals it.

There might be a better time for this than right before a huge weekend of conference play, but I'm interested in hearing what people think about Duncan Robinson's career at Michigan. Here is the link to his stats: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3157465/duncan-robinson.

After his sophomore year, the sky seemed like the limit. On a team that made the NCAA tournament and featured a solid NBA player in Caris LaVert, Robinson played 29 minutes per game and averaged 11.2 PPG while shooting 45% from 3 point range. He took a step back last season and hasn't rebounded much this year as a senior. His playing time in some important games has dipped into the single digits.

I think Robinson's first season spoiled me, and that I would see this season as a success without it. At the same time... I am surprised that Robinson wasn't able to improve every year. Additionally, Michael Crotty's quote that Robinson is one of the best shooters on earth has aged poorly this season with him shooting just 36% from 3 this year. He is at 92% FTs though.

Is too bad how quiet the board has been considering what an intriguing season this one is! I haven't really been able to watch any Bowdoin games because of my work schedule, but what a win for the Polar Bears last night! Liam Farley was the star with 20 points on 8-12 shooting. Farley is a talented scorer, but he usually has to take a backseat to Jack Simonds and now David Reynolds as well. It's great to see him stepping up in a big conference home game as a senior. The win gets Bowdoin to 3-2 in conference, and a home win today against Amherst would just be gravy! The Morrell Madhouse (TM pending) is not to be messed with!

Now, I should say that the long drive for Hamilton might have had an effect on the outcome. The Continentals had 19 turnovers, and Bowdoin isn't exactly known for their tenacious defense. 68 points is well below Hamilton's normal output offensively as well. This loss is a huge setback for them, and suddenly they face a must-win game today against Colby. I have a feeling that Gilmore, Hoffman, and co. will come out with something to prove today.

http://blog.masslive.com/patriots/2018/01/sean_harrington_patriots_engin_1.html

An article well worth reading on former Jumbo standout Sean Harrington chock-full of fun tidbits from NESCAC players and coaches about his time at Tufts and his career now working for the Patriots. A very fun read that is so NESCAC in every way.

Quote from: middhoops on December 08, 2017, 02:44:21 PM
Does the Rhoden article say that the Bradley option is gone?  Can a kid not rock the world in AAU play, star at Harvard, and then make his living in the NBA?

Mr. Ingram is a heroic dad.  I admire him greatly but I do not envy him.

Jeremy Lin did it, so it's possible. Some high profile recruits, top 10 guys nationally out of high school, have also listed Harvard in their final list, but they decided to go elsewhere.

Another modern equivalent to Bradley is Myron Rolle. He starred as a safety at Florida State, completed his premed requirements in 2.5 years, went to Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship for a year, and then went to the NFL for three years. In 2013 he retired from the NFL, went to medical school, and is now a first year neurosurgery resident at Mass General Hospital. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myron_Rolle

As well, a former NFL player, Colin Allred, is now running for Congress in Texas after going to law school and working in the Obama administration after retiring. https://www.colinallred.com/

Guys, the Polar Bears just beat the defending national champs! The Polar Bears only play one senior of consequence, Liam Farley, and they just handily took down the #7 team in the country. Bowdoin handed out 20 assists, and I want to highlight that Zavier Rucker had five while Stephen Ferraro had six. Ferraro went 0-5 from the field, but he more than made up for it with those assists along with six rebounds and four steals. May I say it was 2016-2017 Jack Daly-esque? I've said it a thousand times: you don't come into the Morrell Madhouse (trademark pending) and walk out with win!

Alright, so is the Bowdoin bandwagon about to get crowded? I think that it might. Looking ahead at the schedule, Bowdoin should be favored in their six games before the Christmas break. Bates and Colby are both down, and a visit to Anna Maria this week is probably the trickiest game in the near future. Add it up, and the Bears have a decent chance at being 10-0 heading into 2018. OK, I'll back away from the computer.

To pour some cold water on the win, Bowdoin has played Babson tough the last few years, and Bowdoin beat them in Morrell in 2015 as well. That didn't mean much as the year went on. Babson appears to still be adjusting to losing Joey Flannery, and there is a chance that they end up not being that good this year. Whatever, Bowdoin is now 4-0.

My only chance to get to a Bowdoin game this year was last night, and so I went up for the game. As Polbear73 said, it was a bit of a joke as UNE employed an offensive strategy of shooting threes as early in the shot clock as possible. Their defensive strategy was to allow Bowdoin as many wide open layups and threes as possible. I'm not a college coach, but it seemed a little bold. Bowdoin SID, Jim Caton, has put up a short highlight video of the game which concentrates in large part on some of Jack Bors' nice assists. Unfortunately, left off the highlight tape was a nice jam from Zavier Rucker at the end of the game which showcased what he can do. I'm biased, but I think Jim is one of the best SIDs around and an awesome guy on top of that.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=0rCxSfGZJEI

Four observations
1. Tim Ahn is gone for good from the team (still at Bowdoin of course). While his loss hurts, point guard is probably the one position where the Polar Bears could afford it. Bors looks really good as the main guy, and Steven Ferraro is another tough nosed guy. I applaud Coach Gilbride for recruiting those tough Jersey guards, Bors and Ferraro.

2. Freshman Sam Grad is listed as a guard for whatever reason, but he is very much a center. UNE had no size, and Grad used great composure around the rim to finish almost every one of his shots. He finished 10-11 for 24 points in just 15 minutes. Between him and Hugh O'Neill, Bowdoin might be behind just Williams in terms of caliber of their centers. Having Grad will allow O'Neill to play his default 100 MPH style and not have to worry about fouls because Grad is more than capable of coming in and holding down the fort.

3. Bowdoin is fully capable on offense. What worries me going forward is how good the defense can be. There is no real perimeter stopper, though Bors certainly does battle out there and draws more than his fair share of charges. Zavier Rucker will probably be that guy who gets the best perimeter offensive player as the year goes on. I can't really say how good he is defensively from this one game, but it's something to keep an eye on.

4. It was cool at the end of the game to see big 6'11 freshman Andy Ward get in and score a basket. He is certainly a work in progress, and I don't think until his junior year can be counted on for too much. He did hit two free throws with a very good looking stroke for a big man so that is encouraging. I will say that while he is a large human being, he still isn't as big as John Swords is.

Bowdoin might still be a year away from making real noise, but given that almost all of their big contributors are still underclassmen, that's alright. I feel confident they are clearly better than Bates, Colby, and Conn College and I would be disappointed if the team didn't return to the NESCAC playoffs. Last note, it was fun to go back and watch a game in a NESCAC gym. I restrained myself from calling anyone on the other team a scrub, but I really really wanted to just for old times sake.

I haven't watched any Williams games this year so I don't know how good Maimaron is really. His stats for the season are not as impressive as I thought they would be when I looked (200 YPG passing, 12 TDs, 8 INTs, 402 yards on the ground.) However, from reading this board he appears to be almost as important as anyone in the league to their team. I think that Ryan McDonald for Tufts is another really strong candidate who does have a stats edge. 208 YPG passing, 11 TDs, 10 INTs, 722 yards rushing

Couple of questions:
1. Has a freshman ever won NESCAC POY for football?
2. Does anyone know of a NESCAC football player transferring up for football? It has happened in basketball I know. Justin Ciero left Colby after the 2013 season to go to Union I think it was. However, I don't think he was on their roster ever and think I remember someone saying he left with no intentions of playing football there.

I don't ask the second question to say that Maimaron should or could leave, just purely curiousity.

I think the reason why Hamilton won't end up higher is simple: their defense is not very good. Last season they ranked last in PPG allowed in conference games at 81.3. Having your 5'9" point guard defend the other team's center might be unconventional and work in spurts, but it is telling: Hamilton has to do funky things on defense just to throw the offense off balance.

Now, part of those numbers being so bad last year are a function of youth, and one would think that with another year under their belts that the defense gets better. On the other hand, I don't remember Hamilton having a decent defense while Stockwell is the coach and don't anticipate this team making a great leap on that end.

Quote from: nescac1 on November 09, 2017, 10:19:58 AM
Well-done, fan of NESCAC!

Here's a shot at pre-season all-NESCAC in terms of individual players:

First team:

Johnny McCarthy
Kyle Scadlock
Vinny Pace
Jack Simonds
Jack Daly

Second team:

Matt Folger
Michael Riopel
Jordan Bonner
Peter Hoffmann
Kena Gilmour

Third team:

James Heskett
Michael Grassey
Eric Savage
Jeff Spellman
Salim Green

What sticks out to me from this group is the utter lack of post players in this group. None of these guys are centers, and even the bigger guys like Scadlock, Folger, and Heskett bomb it from the perimeter somewhat. After the graduation of Ogundeko, Palleschi, and the Delpeches, there is an utter lack of players who are score-first options inside. That could make for a real up-tempo pace in a lot of NESCAC games this year.

I haven't been around that long, but can other people remember a time when the NESCAC was so bereft of scoring big men?

Quote from: PolarCat on November 04, 2017, 10:39:18 PM

Hats off to a gritty Polar Bear team that kept grinding and had a legitimate shot at coming back for the W with under 2 minutes remaining.  Maimaron gets all the headlines, but Bowdoin's Grif Stallcup and Bates' Brendan Costa are both pretty special.  A great QB Class of 2021 for the CAC.

Sadly for the Mule fans, I think Bowdoin gets the W next week.  The White has more playmakers on both sides of the ball.

Stalcup has looked good for the Polar Bears, but it should be noted that it was the junior Noah Nelson who was the QB today for the Bears.

Getting a win to finish up the season feels like it is really important for JB Wells for two reasons. 1. It will be a big lift for the team, especially young players, and will hopefully help to get them energized for the offseason. 2. Finishing with a win should help a bit with recruiting as well. I know that a lot of recruiting is already done at this point, but you still have the ED2 timeline for kids who might not have gotten into their first choice. Bottom line, Wells needs to show that there is some sort of forward momentum in Brunswick.