MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[sciac_is_fun]

Here's the game write up from the VC Star.  Nice interview with Oxy coach Brian Newhall at the end of the article.

It's funny how Inniss' shot keeps getting further and further away: 24 ft, 25 ft, 30 ft!

[scandihoovian]

You had to sit in the Illinois section and watch that slaughter? Geez, what did you do to deserve that kind of punishment?

Four cousins with degrees from Illinois... Promised my cousins that I'd host if the Illini made the Rose Bowl before all of them qualified for Medicare.  Great family visit, awful football game. 

I sensed a whole lot of "just happy to be here" from the Illini faithful - they needed to get off their butts, stop bemoaning the loss of Chief Illiniwek, and generate some good old fashioned enmity toward the cardinal and gold.  Would have probably helped a bit, too, if their football team could have held onto the ball.

[Howlinwolf]

Oxy continues its winning ways with a thorough thrashing of Chapman tonight, 69-45. The Tigers played suffocating defense; only Chapman's Wood (not Chapman Woods) did any damage.

Chapman came into the game 8-4 and its four losees were by a total of ten points. A quality win against a respectable opponent.

Latest D3Hoops poll has Oxy at #25.

[Greek Tragedy]

The UWSP radio guys were practically sitting outside in the lobby, about as far from the play as they could be, so I'm not surprised they didn't see it very well.

It's funny how Inniss' shot keeps getting further and further away: 24 ft, 25 ft, 30 ft!

I heard he shot it out by the UWSP radio guys, is that true?  lol 

[Browneagle64]

Thanks Bob and others for keeping this board updated with b-ball scores during the holiday season. I was glad to see every update as i was traveling for my holiday break. I hope all of you guys enjoyed the games (tourney's) and your holidays as well. 8)

[TeeDub]

Pomona 63, Chapman 54
P-P: Jabarri Reynolds 16 pts and 10 rebs, Justin Sexon 14 pts and 7 rebs, David Brown 10 pts
CU: Max Piner 11 pts, Justin Riley 12 pts
http://www.oxyathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2007-08/stats/0103cupp.htm

Pomona is 5-4; Chapman is 8-6 (5-5 vs. SCIAC). Pomona next plays La Verne on Jan. 12 at Rains Center in the SCIAC opener.

It appears that Pomona is starting to get it together just as conference begins...I wouldn't count them out of it...

I am already looking forward to the first conference tourney at the end of the year...it is going to be a wild race to get there.

[castle]

Congrats to Cal Lu on their historic win over UWSP!!!

[April]

The Grinnell / Caltech game is on Sunday, no?

[Gray Fox]

Wow, I scooped OxyBob on this.  The early bird etc.

Article on Gary Smith from today's Times.

  http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-grinnell6jan06,1,1802816.story?coll=la-headlines-sports

[Howlinwolf]

Don't like the system? Then find a way to render it ineffective. If it didn't achieve some measure of success, it would disappear. Levy all the aesthetic criticisms you want, but that's a matter of taste, not any moral high ground. It's a novel approach that forces opponents to approach the game far differently than your run-of-the-mill game strategy.

And if the Grinnell players appear physically unimpressive and less skilled, than all the more power the "the system." The sum is then greater than the parts. It affords an entire team - not a select seven or eight - to play and contribute every game, and, it appears in Grinnell's case, to win far more often than it loses.

Some folks decry the zone, others the reliance on the three-point shot. Viva la difference.  The potshots have grown old from the 'three yards and a crowd of dust" folks (to mix my sports metaphors).

[NWCer]

Don't like the system? Then find a way to render it ineffective. If it didn't achieve some measure of success, it would disappear. Levy all the aesthetic criticisms you want, but that's a matter of taste, not any moral high ground. It's a novel approach that forces opponents to approach the game far differently than your run-of-the-mill game strategy.

And if the Grinnell players appear physically unimpressive and less skilled, than all the more power the "the system." The sum is then greater than the parts. It affords an entire team - not a select seven or eight - to play and contribute every game, and, it appears in Grinnell's case, to win far more often than it loses.

Some folks decry the zone, others the reliance on the three-point shot. Viva la difference.  The potshots have grown old from the 'three yards and a crowd of dust" folks (to mix my sports metaphors).

Hi from the NWC, just peeking around your board, saw the last few posts, and just had to say: 

Well said Howlinwolf..........

Cool article too in your LA Times, and I think the last line from Gary Smith in that article says it all.

[scandihoovian]

Don't like the system? Then find a way to render it ineffective. If it didn't achieve some measure of success, it would disappear. Levy all the aesthetic criticisms you want, but that's a matter of taste, not any moral high ground. It's a novel approach that forces opponents to approach the game far differently than your run-of-the-mill game strategy.

And if the Grinnell players appear physically unimpressive and less skilled, than all the more power the "the system." The sum is then greater than the parts. It affords an entire team - not a select seven or eight - to play and contribute every game, and, it appears in Grinnell's case, to win far more often than it loses.

Some folks decry the zone, others the reliance on the three-point shot. Viva la difference.  The potshots have grown old from the 'three yards and a crowd of dust" folks (to mix my sports metaphors).

I respectfully disagree on two counts:
Success? Go to Currier and look at the banners, please take note of when the Bulldogs stopped winning SCIAC championships under Gary Smith.  I know that in Grinnell's particular case it helped them tremendously, but the success of the system is far from universal in every application.

Moral high ground?  The system as practiced by Redlands in the final years of Smith's tenure was predicated on an extremely aggressive pressure "defense" so full of fouls the officials could not call them all.  There are some people who believe that bending the rules in this way is effective strategy. IMHO this is where the system no longer resembles basketball, and does raise ethical/moral questions.

[snoop dawg]

I have to agree with Scandi and OB....."the system" is awful to watch.  I watched UR play 3 or 4 times last year and it was, to say the least, frustating.  Players coming in and out every 4-5 minuets is simply stupid.  You get a player witha hot hand and then he is on the bench for 5 mins.  The pressure defense ends virtually at half court, so that, a well coached team should be able to get lay ups or high percentage shots at a minimum.  UR had a couple of guys who seemed to have the ability to make a presence inside, however, they never got the chance.

Fast breaking open court basketball with pressure defense is "a lot" of fun to watch.  "The system" is frustating and is not spectator friendly in my opinion. 

[TeeDub]

.... I watched UR play 3 or 4 times last year ....  "The system" is frustating and is not spectator friendly in my opinion. 

But you kept showing up...

[snoop dawg]

My son was a student there and I am a big basketball fan so........hell, I watch the Clippers!