MBB: Liberty League

[labart96]

Hobart gets handled easily down in Daytona Beach putting them at 4-6 (5 game losing streak).  Need to start picking up some wins starting with IC on 1/8!

Go Bart!

Somehow, I don't think Ithaca is the medicine for what ails Hobart. The Bombers are just 5-4 overall, but losses include 11-point one at Potsdam at start of season, an 11-point one at Stevens, which is going to win the E8 this year, and a 6-point loss to Ripon at a holiday tourney. Ithaca also lost to St. Lawrence, which is awful this year, but it was only by 4 points in OT and IC was missing their starting point guard and best player in Burton.

I agree.  IC BB beat us pretty well last year and seem to be playing better team ball than Hobart is so far this season.  Still, Hobart did win the year before so I guess it could go either way.  Seems like after an encouraging start Hobart's either a) not good, b) ran into some good teams or c) going thru an early slump or d) some kind of combo of a-c?

[hoops]

Quick recruitng thing as I found on a New England recruiting report about a Vermont Native who has commited to Union. I have posted the link below.


http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/276/Three-More-Division-III-Commitments.php

[with age comes?]

Shooters-  should think your positive thinking must have rubbed off on the conts with a great win over a highly touted Brockport team (which had all their big guns back).   LL might not be as weak as some have previously indicated by their posts-  Vassar is 7-1, big win for Hamilton,  Union has won 3 in a row and they finally get their student body back next week, even lowly Skidmore now sports a winning record at 5-4.  Not sure what is wrong at SLU but a win over (albeit a Burton-less) Ithaca team is not bad, but the Saints will be marching in by the end of the year to stand up and be counted. RPI has had a tough schedule but will be in the thick of things for a playoff spot. Only Hobart and Clarkson seem to be struggling.  But the Statesmen do have a victory over SJF and Clarkson avenged 20 point loss win a win at Potsdam. Before the league starts I'm going to predict finish order (barring a major injury)

1) Vassar
2) Hamilton
3) Union
4) St Lawrence
5) RPI
6) Skidmore
7) Hobart
8) Clarkson

6-8 are interchangeable and probably will be hard pressed to really contend for a playoff spot.  1&2 could be a real dog fight too but I'm in the mood for Hamilton to be displaced. Union is  better team with the rumored Grimm reinstatement. I trust SLU to right the ship and contend for a playoff spot and RPI just always seems to be in the hunt.  Most improved - Skidmore- let's face it there was no where to go but up. Hobart and Clarkson have to get consistency but each have solid wins so I'm hoping for parity and no "walk overs" like last year.

[buck1053]

Union has won 3 in a row and they finally get their student body back next week, even lowly Skidmore now sports a winning record at 5-4.  Not sure what is wrong at SLU but a win over (albeit a Burton-less) Ithaca team is not bad, but the Saints will be marching in by the end of the year to stand up and be counted. RPI has had a tough schedule but will be in the thick of things for a playoff spot. Only Hobart and Clarkson seem to be struggling.  But the Statesmen do have a victory over SJF and Clarkson avenged 20 point loss win a win at Potsdam. Before the league starts I'm going to predict finish order (barring a major injury)

1) Vassar
2) Hamilton
3) Union
4) St Lawrence
5) RPI
6) Skidmore
7) Hobart
8) Clarkson

6-8 are interchangeable and probably will be hard pressed to really contend for a playoff spot.  1&2 could be a real dog fight too but I'm in the mood for Hamilton to be displaced. Union is  better team with the rumored Grimm reinstatement.

Union dropped one today, falling by 11 in the championship game of its tourney today. Saw the note on Grimm, didn't know he needed to be reinstated. I thought he was hurt, what did he do?

[Hoaf]

Glad to see Hamilton beat Brockport. I'm not too sure that Brockport is that good this year though. Maybe it was just a mediocre team playing another mediocre team.

I think Hamilton is hurting since losing Dave Alston in the off season. Jay Simpson and Harlee Wood have really stepped up this year. The freshman class for Hamilton has being playing well as well.

Glad to see you gave them some credit in your ranking. I think it's pretty close to spot on.

[OlBallCoach]

Vassar Brewers, Early Season Mirage or L.L. Championship Bound??

The Brewers are out of the gate & off to another fast start in 2007-08.
Yet for those who haven't noticed, this has been a fairly typical occurrence over the past 3 seasons where the Brew Crew have come out strong.
In 2004-05 they started the year 6-3, 2005-06 saw more early season success when they came out a red-hot 7-1 before finishing a mere 12-12 (1-3 in over-time affairs), while last seasons team (06-07) that went on to win the ECAC Upstate Championship (Vassar 66- Oswego St 65) and also finish tied with a school record 18 wins overall, began the season 7-3.

This seasons team is obviously fueled by the senior leadership of All-Region player Lawerence Avitable (30- double-doubles in 79 games, scoring in double figures 68 out of those 79 games) and the unsung and severely underrated play of Tyson Brazell, one of the best on ball defenders in the Liberty League, whose offensive game has gotten exponentially better over his 4 years in a Vassar uniform. These two young men will need to show up every night during the Liberty League campaign if they want any chance of coming away with the Liberty League Crown. Their importance to the success of this season simply can not be overstated!

We agree with many posters here that the Brew Crew certainly have their best chance, since becoming a member of the LL, to win it, but we just aren't able to automatically put them in that top spot do to their mediocre play in-league.

If we take a closer look at the Vassar Brewers schedule to date, one could raise a few red flags as to why their fast starts may be a little deceiving.
So far this season (2007-08), the Vassar Brewers (7-1) hold down the third best overall record in the  East Region, putting them behind University of Rochester (9-0) & Geneseo (8-0) . A handful of very good two loss teams including Plattsburgh (8-2) , Nazareth (8-2) , N.Y.U (7-2), Cortland State (7-2), & Oswego (6-2) on their heels.

Vassar began the season by playing a home tournament in which they stumbled in the Championship Game to an upstart Emerson (7-0) team now boasting a perfect record on the season, with quality wins over Wheaton (9-1) and M.I.T. (8-4).
Vassar's first round win came via CUNY Conference Baruch Bearcats (4-9) .

The Brew Crew next traveled to Delaware Valley and defeated the lowly D.V. Aggies (1-9) .

Returning home the Brewers edged a quality Manhattanville (8-3) team 63-61.
This Manhattanville program set a school-record in wins last season with 23, won its first Skyline Conference championship ever, and played in the NCAA tournament.
So far this season the Valiants have invaded the ultra-competitive NJAC Conference three times...coming away with three victories over N.J. City, Rutgers Newark, & Ramapo. 

Next on tap, Vassar played in the annual Hudson Valley Shootout, and when all was said and done collected their 4th straight H.V. Shootout Championship.
In the first round, the Brewers discarded its cross-river foe New Paltz State (3-5) with little trouble . New Paltz's best win this season comes over a very sporadic SUNY Old- Westbury squad.
The championship game showcased the Brewers defeating the Mt St Mary Knights (7-5) , out of the Skyline Conference.
[size=09pt]Tyson Brazell scored 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting from the floor and was named MVP of the Hudson Valley Shootout, it was his second career MVP selection. He was named MVP of the 2007 ECAC Upstate Tournament after scoring 28 points and leading the Brewers to the championship over Oswego State, 66-65.[/size]

The Brewers closed out their first half of the season with wins over other two questionable squads. Vassar defeated CUNY Conference, N.Y.C Tech (4-8) and Independent
So. Vermont (1-9)

Although the players at Vassar are to be commended for the work they have put in to date, with further examination one could state a favorable schedule has certainly helped in that course.
The overall records of the teams the Brewers have played is a combined 13 games under .500 for the season (35-48) , which indicates some soft scheduling.

The Liberty League on a night in,night out basis will provide no scheduling relief.
We need not forget how regular season L.L. champion Hamilton, who lost only 3 games in conference, got tripped up by a hapless Skidmore squad last season. A team that finished a putrid 2-22 on the year.

So let us not be to fast in giving away a L.L. title to the kids from Poughkeepsie yet.  They certainly have the team talent and leadersip to win it all...but they must EARN IT.

The champion of the L.L. this season is going to have to lace up their boots, putting in nothing less than yeoman type work every time they take the floor.

In order to do that...You can never assume it will happen, You must make it happen!

[labart96]

Nice win for Hobart ending a 5 game skid:

http://web.hws.edu/athletics/hobart/showrelease.asp?id=4331

[airball55]

Wow have I been out of it for a while.  Vassar?? Good??  I wasn't even aware that they had a basketball team.  So for that reason I still have Ham Tech and the St. Lawrence Larries as the top two teams.  BTW, not only is the Vassar thing a bit of a surprise but some of the teams they played I also have never heard of!

[shooters]

Vassar Hamilton next wknd will be the test for Vassear until then lets just hold off on the three page letters that praise their team.

[with age comes?]

I was away for the past few days and I return to see that the Liberty League (that everyone seems to think is the weak sister league in upstate NY as compared to the SUNYAC and e-8) went 4-0 with solid wins by Hamilton & SLU and most surprising to me Hobart over Ithaca. 2 wins over b-port and a win over Oswego.  No answers to my post over on the e-8 board as to what gives.  Anybody see the games?

[bucketsallday]

shooters - can you ever give vassar any credit? agreed, that post was a little long (and im a vassar guy. wasted five minutes of my life readin that) but cmon, this is essentially the same team that was one possession away from beating washington university (a final four team by the way) last season. ok, they haven't played that tough of a schedule this year, but manhattanville and emerson are both legitamite ncaa contenders. they also get springfield college at home the week before hamilton.

so all in all, yes, that novel about vassar was premature, they still do need to prove to me that they are a top three team in NY state. but before you hate they should also need to prove to you they arent.

basically, im sayin its gonna be a, exciting season in the LL

[labart96]

video from the bart-IC game:

http://web.hws.edu/athletics/hobart/showrelease.asp?id=4335

[with age comes?]

TGP- thanks for the link.   That was very interesting.  Hadn't seen Hobart at all this year.  Thought that Ithaca might be too tough for them even at home. Nice way to stop a skid.  Good win for the Statesmen and the LL. Saw Clarkson's struggles continue this past weekend in NYC.  Lehman game was theirs for the taking but the team couldn't seem to get a big basket when it needed it. Lehman finishes on a 12-2 run to win by 3.   NYU game was much closer than the final score indicated.  Huge moment in second half when a made Clarkson 3 by Lasita was wiped out by a call away from the play under the basket that I couldn't even begin to understand. NYU is not a tremendous team by any stretch of the imagination.  Barring a major injury I think U of R will handle them by 20.  NYU's bigs are pretty slow and methodical but will not be able to withstand U of R bigs. NYU can and did at the end of the Clarkson game get hot from the outside (even one the plodding bigs had good range). NYU finished on a 17-4 run over the last 4-5 minutes to win by 21.

[airball55]

Any predictions on this weekends game in the LL??  Vassar finally gets to play a team that will play five guys at a time... If they want to be considered a contender for the LL they should probably get Hamilton at home, a team that has yet to win a game outside of Utica (won at Utica college). 

[labart96]

Contenental whupping put on the Statesmen by Hamilton.  Only bright spot for Hobart was their frosh putting up 21 pts in an otherwise ugly showing.