MBB: Liberty League

[Caz Bombers]

Rochester opened the season with a win over Bard, so the Yellowjackets are actually 2-2 against the LL, with a game against RIT coming up on Jan. 2.

I saw that RIT story. Incredible. I wonder if the donor was specific about how he wants the money spent. Perhaps Athletics will get a piece of the pie.

The LL looks like Hobart, Skidmore, then everyone else. I was at the Ithaca-Bard game, which the Bombers won in OT. Ithaca is a playoff team for sure.

The story indicated he earmarked 30 million for some sort of entrepreneurship program/a new library and the other 20 million for the school of computer/information sciences. Pffft, academics. Alabama would have used the money for a 300-foot tall statue of Bear Bryant made out of diamonds.

[stlawus]

If Chris Downs doesn't stop playing zone I'm not sure I'm going to watch another game the rest of the season.  I am not going to watch this team give up 15 three pointers every single game.  Enough already.

[magicman]

If Chris Downs doesn't stop playing zone I'm not sure I'm going to watch another game the rest of the season.  I am not going to watch this team give up 15 three pointers every single game.  Enough already.

St. Lawrence has bigger problems than that as they have just lost their leading scorer and rebounder for the season.

[stlawus]

If Chris Downs doesn't stop playing zone I'm not sure I'm going to watch another game the rest of the season.  I am not going to watch this team give up 15 three pointers every single game.  Enough already.

St. Lawrence has bigger problems than that as they have just lost their leading scorer and rebounder for the season.

No s***, but that's not my point here.  Season was a dud with Riley anyways, but now this is just ridiculous to the point of parody.  As an alum I've earned the right to be critical.   

[Greek Tragedy]

If Chris Downs doesn't stop playing zone I'm not sure I'm going to watch another game the rest of the season.  I am not going to watch this team give up 15 three pointers every single game.  Enough already.

St. Lawrence has bigger problems than that as they have just lost their leading scorer and rebounder for the season.

Is he going to try to get a medical redshirt?

[hopefan]

If Chris Downs doesn't stop playing zone I'm not sure I'm going to watch another game the rest of the season.  I am not going to watch this team give up 15 three pointers every single game.  Enough already.

St. Lawrence has bigger problems than that as they have just lost their leading scorer and rebounder for the season.

No s***, but that's not my point here.  Season was a dud with Riley anyways, but now this is just ridiculous to the point of parody.  As an alum I've earned the right to be critical.

Bring Back Paul Evans... he brought in good players.... plus he knew how to win up there... keep those North Country officials in your back pocket!!      (totally in jest)

[stlawus]

I haven't heard if he's going to red shirt or not.  I wouldn't be surprised if he did.  We had a really good soccer player break his leg 2 years ago and he red shirted and finished up his last season this fall.  I'm not sure what Naclerio is studying though, there are only a few graduate programs at SLU.

[magicman]

If Chris Downs doesn't stop playing zone I'm not sure I'm going to watch another game the rest of the season.  I am not going to watch this team give up 15 three pointers every single game.  Enough already.

St. Lawrence has bigger problems than that as they have just lost their leading scorer and rebounder for the season.

Is he going to try to get a medical redshirt?

Yes, I heard from a reliable source that he is going to get a medical redshirt and come back for 1 more year.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

The holidays brought us many presents in Division III basketball. From upsets to impressive performances, many teams made an impression. As a result, there is plenty to recap as Hoopsville returns to the air after the holiday break.

Join Dave as he talks to guests around the country and recaps an incredible few weeks - or tries to recap. From an assistant coach who made a life saving decision, a women's coach who has been fighting cancer without missing time with his team, to coaches around the country who have teams that have many wondering ... just how good are they?

With the midseason return of Hoopsville comes with it some of the more structured aspects of the show. For starters, Thursday nights are dedicated primarily to the East, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, and West Regions for guests. Tonight also sees the season debut of the "WBCA Center Court" which is a segment that allows viewers to learn more about coaches and what they are involved in outside of basketball.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch the show LIVE starting at 7pm ET right here: http://bit.ly/2CoVJhv.

You can also send your questions to the show and have them featured on the Hoopsville Mailbag segment. Email them to hoopsville@d3hoops.com.

Guests include (in order of appearance):
- Justin Smith, Dubuque women's assistant coach
- Brian Newhall, Occidental men's coach
- Guy Rancourt, No. 6 Lycoming men's coach
- Matt Dempsey, Merchant Marine women's coach (WBCA Center Court)
- Jeff Hans, No. 8 Thomas More women's coach
- Joe Burke, Skidmore men's coach

You can also tune into the podcast(s) after the show has aired:
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

Don't forget you can always interact with us:
Website: www.d3hoopsville.com
Twitter: @d3hoopsville or #Hoopsville
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville
Email: hoopsville@d3hoops.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/d3hoopsville

[stlawus]

Downs is KILLING me.  If he doesn't get out of the zone the team is not going to win a single game the rest of the season.  Bard has already made 8 three's and it's not even the end of the first half. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Downs is KILLING me.  If he doesn't get out of the zone the team is not going to win a single game the rest of the season.  Bard has already made 8 three's and it's not even the end of the first half.

Maybe he knows if they play man it will be even worse? Who knows. I know a lot of coaches who tell me they play zone primarily for two reasons - they are really, really good at it (i.e. Syracuse in DI and some others in DIII) ... or their team is incapable of playing good man. That last one for a lot of reasons: match-up issues, size problems, rebounding disadvantages, speed issues, IQ shortfalls, etc.

I don't know why Downs is playing zone, but I usually lean on the coach knowing a lot more than the rest of us about their squad to stick with it.

BTW - if a team is going to shoot that well against the zone, so be it. At least, that is what some coaches would say. They want you to shoot and hope you won't stay hot all game. Kind of like an offense predicated on threes... live by, die by.

[stlawus]

Downs is KILLING me.  If he doesn't get out of the zone the team is not going to win a single game the rest of the season.  Bard has already made 8 three's and it's not even the end of the first half.

Maybe he knows if they play man it will be even worse? Who knows. I know a lot of coaches who tell me they play zone primarily for two reasons - they are really, really good at it (i.e. Syracuse in DI and some others in DIII) ... or their team is incapable of playing good man. That last one for a lot of reasons: match-up issues, size problems, rebounding disadvantages, speed issues, IQ shortfalls, etc.

I don't know why Downs is playing zone, but I usually lean on the coach knowing a lot more than the rest of us about their squad to stick with it.

BTW - if a team is going to shoot that well against the zone, so be it. At least, that is what some coaches would say. They want you to shoot and hope you won't stay hot all game. Kind of like an offense predicated on threes... live by, die by.

The issue is they are dying by it.  They are giving up at least 10 three's a game.  I'm not sure there's much to lose at this point.  I never intended to make the implication I knew more than downs, but as an alum and fan of the program it is incredibly hard to watch the same thing every game. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I understand the frustration... I just contend that maybe Downs knows that if they go to man, 10 threes will be the least of their problems.

I am totally guessing... just thinking through what might be going on per conversations I've had with coaches. It is interesting.

[Bartman]

Two solid Statesmen road wins against RIT and Ithaca this weekend , they are looking strong for the LL Winter run.

[Libertatem Foederis]

Liberty League Power Ranking (Week 2)


1. Skidmore : (8-2 Overall & 4-0 in League, Movement: - ) A little shaky , but held on to the #1 spot in the LL.The margin of victory in league is incredible (18.3 PPG) .
2. Hobart : (8-3 Overall & 3-1 in League, Movement: - ) Playing well, and in my opinion treading towards # 1 spot, & perhaps should be a 1B, in this power ranking.
3. Ithaca : (8-3 Overall & 3-1 in League, Movement: - ) Coming into the LL and showing they are top shelf material. Leading the league in scoring (82.3 PPG).
4. RIT : (5-6 Overall & 3-1 in League, Movement: - ) Proving to be a tough defensive team & winning games that way.allowing 2nd fewest PPG (68.3) in the league and 2nd best Def. FG % (39.9%).
5. Union : (4-5 Overall & 1-3 in League, Movement: +1 ) I think they are a "sneaky" 5 spot @ the moment, playing good teams tough.Some could make the agreement they are as high as 4th in the league & i would listen.
6. RPI : (7-4 Overall & 2-2 in League, Movement: -1 ) Middle of the pack @ the moment, 2-0 @ home & 0-2 on the road, 3 home games coming up & a big test on Tuesday with Hobart to see if they below in the conversation with the top tier teams.
7. Bard : (4-7 Overall & 2-2 in League, Movement: +2 ) The raptors are on the move!  Played teams really tough in non-conference look to be a handful for teams and if they maintain injury free could be knocking on the door of the playoffs all season.
8. St. Lawrence : (3-8 Overall & 1-3 in League, Movement: -1) Going to seriously miss 18/8 a game from Naclerio.having said that if anyone can figure it out Coach Downs & 20+ years @ SLU can figure it out.it would be a hell of a season if they can make the 6 spot & the playoffs.
9. Vassar : (2-9 Overall 1-3 in League, Movement: +1 ) Tough schedule paying off and on an upward trend.
10. Clarkson : (4-7 Overall & 0-4 in League, Movement: -2 ) Tough start to league play, having said that they have been on the road the whole time and if they get back home (3-2) perhaps they can salvage the season.

Not a lot of changes for me @ the top, Union might seem high for some but they beat Hobart & took Skidmore to TO on the road, that carries weight for me.  It will be interesting to see the new travel schedule play out, some teams had schedules this weekend that they have never had to deal with before.