Quote from: CCHoopster on April 24, 2020, 10:00:21 AM
What has the world come to when people can't see the WINNING Danzig gives the program. I am sorry but Scranton is nothing special these days, AT ALL, in any way, many schools have caught up to the powers of yesterday and frankly have surpassed them. No recurit today cares about a national championship run how ever many years ago, different age, they are more concerned with how many people like their latest social media post. Some expect Scranton to literally win a national title with a roster from NEPA... get out of here ... times have changed and to think you are winning with NEPA kids all day is borderline laughable. The recruiting landscape in general has changed with tuition costs and less college bound 17-18 years looking for schools today than 20 years ago. Take the top 3 players from Scranton, Marywood, Kings, Wilkes and Misericordia and STILL you aren't better than you are now. Maybe a win or two more. Lets argue the below to start (and no national title or final 4 will get you laughed at):

2019-20 (19-8, 10-4 LAND)
2018-19 (20-6, 9-5 LAND)
2017-18 (13-12, 9-5 LAND)
2016-17 (22-7, 11-3 LAND)
2015-16 (19-8, 11-5 LAND)
2014-15 (23-6, 14-2 LAND)
2013-14 (24-4, 12-2 LAND)
2012-13 (19-7, 10-4 LAND)
2011-12 (23-8, 11-3 LAND)
2010-11 (20-6, 11-3 LAND)

Scranton does very well recruiting in New Jersey. In my opinion, Scranton has not done themselves any favors lately in their non-conference scheduling to prepare themselves for the big games in February\March. The Landmark has not proven to test them efficiently enough without some tough matchups in their non conference games.

Quote from: Titan Q on April 17, 2020, 10:59:17 AM

Quote from: SpringSt7 on April 17, 2020, 10:48:43 AM
In fairness, I think Yeshiva expected to get more out of having Williams, Eastern Conn, and NJCU on their schedule. If they keep those three for just next year their schedule should look better instantly.

I have spoken to some people in the know, and right now Yeshiva is finding it hard to get good teams to play them.  They have reached out to a bunch a top programs who have said no.

I'm pushing hard to get an Illinois Wesleyan/Yeshiva game on the schedule for 2021-22 in NYC.  The schools are talking.  That would fun.

Based on proximity and name recognition, NYU and Yeshiva should play every year.

Quote from: Greek Tragedy on April 16, 2020, 04:46:17 PM

Quote from: Titan Q on April 16, 2020, 03:31:39 PM

Quote from: Smitty Oom on April 16, 2020, 03:29:20 PM
I might go more in depth later this weekend, but personally I think I would go to the South for the first two spots. #1 Emory and #2 RMC.

I think Emory would be my #1.

I think Ryan is putting Yeshiva #1. 

Losing Halpert and Katz is going to be more difficult for Yeshiva than most may realize. The amount of big shots that Halpert made and his ability to space the floor is something they may not be able to replace with what they have returning. Katz was the ultimate glue guy in the paint.

Quote from: stlawus on April 13, 2020, 09:27:34 PM
Ithaca loses some firepower along with Mullins retiring, but I bet they'll be fine with Burton at the helm.  They won't miss too big of a beat.    Next year is going to be interesting.   RPI and Hobart should be top dog, and Union only loses one player.  I can't imagine Skidmore will be as poor as they were this year.   My alma mater did not have a great season but they were quite young and affected by injuries all year, including one who was supposed to be the starting center.   Doesn't hurt to have the last 2 LL rookies of the year in the starting squad next season.    I'd keep an eye out for Clarkson next year too.

I believe this infusion of youth will propel Ithaca to becoming a major player in the LL/East Region for years to come. Between the campus and facilities at Ithaca, there is plenty of reason for top D3 prospects to consider playing basketball for the Bombers. I believe recruiting took a bit of a step back the last couple of years there; maybe this will inject some life into their recruiting efforts.

Quote from: Greek Tragedy on April 03, 2020, 03:34:25 PM
I realize he was hurt last year, giving him a 5th year (had I remembered, I may have drafted him in our fantasy league). Is he coming back for sure? I mean, some kids actually graduate in 4 years. College is expensive, all because he has an extra year of eligibility doesn't mean he's coming back to play. Just curious.

I am fairly certain I heard on one of their webcasts that he was intending on coming back. It makes Stevens a certain top 25 contender if he is back.

Stevens bringing back their AA Cook for a 5th year along with their talented post and point guard. Another team to look out for in the East will be Nazareth. Returning a ton from a 20 win team and should be the favorite to win the E8 next year.

Quote from: Greek Tragedy on March 27, 2020, 08:07:03 PM

Quote from: Dave 'd-mac' McHugh on March 27, 2020, 03:38:13 PM
Centennial:

Swarthmore - they lose O'Dell and Shafer, but they bring back EVERYONE else and their bench is incredibly deep - they would run the second unit for large minutes in every game. I suspect they remain in the conversation for sure.

Johns Hopkins - they lose only Harry O'Neil and everyone else returns including Connor Delaney (who suffered an injury in the last game, but does not require surgery - as he did the previous season with a similar injury). They also probably grow stronger and while O'Neil is a huge loss inside, I suspect there are guys ready to step into that role and maybe even have two on the floor at the same time (to be determined). I always said Hopkins was a year ahead to some degree. I knew they would compete with Swat, but I expected them to be "Swat" next year.

There are also Ursinus, Muhlenberg, and Haverford. I think the Mules are the most likely to compete with the top group, but I am not sure they are ready for the Top 25 as of yet.

CAC:

CNU obviously is one you never forget, but YCP leaves the conference for the MAC Commonwealth. Hiding under them is Mary Washington who had a pretty decent season, though they lost more of their close games against good competition then they won. The conference is ... going to be different, but CNU and Mary Wash are the only two I think are in the Top 25 convo. Salisbury is still finding themselves.

MAC Commonwealth:

I'll add the MACC ... but there is a lot to figure out, I think. YCP enters and that certainly raises the national profile, but they also have Eastern enter from the Freedom (while Arcadia and Lyco leave for the Freedom and several other conferences in DIII get angry again). I think that shakes things up, but I'm not sure how it shakes out. Worth watching, but it will take some time. One thing will be for sure, the MAC Commonwealth will continue to be one of the more competitive conferences top to bottom and the Freedom gains a bit of strength it has been badly missing.

MAC Freedom:

Eastern leaves, but Arcadia and Lyco enter. This gives the Freedom some more competition. Stevens is the only one in the Top 25 convo right now and I'm not sure this conference will immediately become one to watch ... but in time they will.

Swarthmore loses their two bigs, I haven't looked at their roster too indepth, but do they have bigs to replace them?

Stevens loses a ton. Really only returns two of their top 8. Lycoming moving over from the MACC returns 6 of their top 7. Not to say they are Top 25 worthy, but they could be the favorite. I just look at rosters, remember!

Utica with a monster win against Hamilton this afternoon. I may have to rethink my previous post regarding the Empire 8 race!

Having watched mostly every competitive NESCAC team against a quality opponent, my thoughts are Middlebury and Hamilton are a notch above every other conference team. I am impressed with Hamilton's road/neutral wins against TCNJ and Drew; who both look to be at the top of their respective conferences. Middlebury's non-conference was much to be desired but their win on the road at Stevens may look better down the line. I would not count out Williams or Amherst yet but the eye test thus far gives me pause about their NCAA hopes.

I have watched a number of games of E8 teams this year and believe St John Fisher should roll through the conference this year. I did not realize Stevens left the E8 this year. They would have provided the only resistance to St John Fisher. Hartwick looks to be a dangerous team but do not think they have the horses to win enough games to get home court advantage.

I took in the NJCU-Yeshiva game last night and came away impressed NJCU's All-American Sam Toney's scoring ability. His ability to carve space inside, shoot in the midrange and show NBA range at his size is a tough matchup for anyone in Division 3. Yeshiva showed why they are the class of the Atlantic Region but I believe NJCU has the potential to be a tough out in the NJAC and NCAA tourneys provided they get there.

I am not sure what to make of the LL this year but Hobart has had the best non-conference portion of the year of every other LL team thus far. Good wins over St. John Fisher, Rochester and Baldwin Wallace make me believe they are fully capable of winning the league this year. Early test at Skidmore will be telling. Skidmore may be better than their record after playing some tough teams to start.

Interesting to see the different point of view of the Centennial coaches and the national poll voters. Swarthmore is ranked #1 in the country; yet a team not even receiving votes in the national poll (Johns Hopkins) receives 1st place votes in their very own conference. Judging by Hopkins' performance against Division 1 Loyola, you must think the Centennial coaches have a good idea how good both teams can be this year.

Quote from: nescac1 on September 25, 2019, 10:04:21 AM
Those NESCAC-St. Joe's games should be really interesting.  There is a big difference between a team of essentially all first-years, as St. Joe's was last year, and one that is mainly sophomores, all of whom played leading roles last season.  Their talent (especially in the backcourt) is certainly on par with NESCAC teams, just not their level of experience.  But the Calhoun-Miller coaching pair is as good as it gets.  And now they add this dude, who looks like a crazy athlete for the D3 level, to the mix this year: https://newenglandrecruitingreport.com/in-the-news/taelon-martin-to-play-for-calhoun-at-st-joes  I have a feeling that the St. Joe's program is set up to have a quick-ascending run like Cabrini or Rowan did back in the day, starting as soon as the 20-21 season. 

I think Williams has one of the most intriguing non-league schedules I've seen for the Ephs.  If you just go by records, the opponents aren't that impressive, but I think a lot of these teams are going to win their leagues and end up in the NCAA tourney.  Going chronologically, here are the most notable games:

-- Oneonta returns everyone from a team that lost in OT in the SUNYAC semifinals, may be favorites in their always-solid league this year
-- Wesleyan, a Little Three game, always a war, both teams will have very different looks this year so a good early barometer for both
-- Albertus Magnus only loses one guy and brought in some major talent, they will be a lot better this year
-- Springfield -- a healthy Jake Ross (he was not himself most of last year) plus Heath Post gives Springfield one of the best if not the best 1-2 punch in the country
-- Endicott -- brings back their top few guys, including potential all-American Keith Brown, and added Echevarria's little brother
-- Salem State -- brings back two star rising seniors, if they can add 1-2 more guys to the mix (and they usually have a few JUCO transfers), could be much more dangerous, as always the class of MASCAC
-- St. Joe's -- already discussed
-- Amherst -- speaks for itself
-- Yeshiva -- another really interesting game, they bring back their three stars (all of whom are legit players) plus possibly a fourth star who did not play last year, now a really experienced squad

That is one tough schedule for Williams. The games against Magnus (early Sunday afternoon on the road), St. Joes (midweek road game after playing Amherst) and Yeshiva (Monday game after playing on the road on Saturday) are very dangerous. I would not be surprised to see an upset in one of those games. All three teams will have some serious talent that Williams will need to be prepared for.

Any news on Plattsburgh yet? I'm sure those in the know have a clue on what's going on but being outside of the circle, I find it very interesting that a good job like Plattsburgh is still open with a month left until the season starts.

Quote from: WUPHF on June 04, 2019, 01:52:44 PM
NYU should have only lost 1-2 guys.

Do you mind elaborating?

I have been on the d3boards.com for 10 or so years and I feel like once or twice a year, there is a post lamenting the state of NYU basketball.

I know nothing of NYU basketball but it does seems as though the formula (institutional profile, history, future facilities and such) could give NYU serious advantages over most other institutions.

There have been defections over the years of a few of their rotational guys. They have not had a home court the last couple of years so I can justify a few transfers here and there.