MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[TeeDub]

I thought CLU would dominate this season, but so far the Kingsmen are only 1-3. As for Redlands, they are putting up a lot of points so far, averaging 91 ppg. Traveling Freak Show, Jr.?

OxyBob

OB...don't worry, Mazarei graduated...

[oldchap]

Fact checking:

1.  UR lost in overtime, thus the match up between G. Fox and Chapman
2.  G. Fox coach reviewed the video and suspended the player, not the officials.

1. Sorry, you're right. My mistake. That's what I meant to write. I have corrected it in the original post.
2. The fact that the player had been suspended by tournament officials was entirely a speculation on my part. To me, it appeared to be the most plausible explanation. If what you say is true, then it is a rare occurence and a very commandable gesture from the GFU coach.

[Pat Coleman]

2.  G. Fox coach reviewed the video and suspended the player, not the officials.

Glad you said this, because I was wondering what authority any officials had to do this.

[John Gleich]

No talk in here about Pomona-Pitzer beating Whitworth in the Gateway City last night?

I don't have anything to say about PP beating WW...  but I did catch their game against Wash U on the videocast Saturday night.

Despite the final outcome, PP looked pretty good for much of the first half.  I figured that the pace of the game wouldn't be sustainable for them... and I was right, but they hung with Wash U for 15 minutes.  The stretch where the pace really started to show was from about 5:45 to about 1 minute.  Wash U went 6/7 shooting, including 2 threes during this almost 5 minute stretch.  PP went 2/8 with a turnover, and suddenly, a 1 point game was an 11 point game.

Then Wash U hit their first 6 buckets of the half, and the 11 point game stretched to 18 (PP went 3/6).  Wash U made some defensive adjustments and took away the driving lanes, PP stopped hitting shots the same way they had early, and Wash U kept hitting.  The second half continued like this... and that was the story.

I was really impressed that PP took blow after blow from Wash U early and stuck with them.  The Bears hit 9/16 3's in the first half and started off the game 4/5.  PP held on to the ball pretty well... just 5 TO's, and Wash U scored off of 3 of those.  PP scored twice off of 3 WU TO's. 

I think this game really showed how good Wash U is.  Aaron Thompson had an off night, and they still won by 20+.

PP held strong and, despite the lobsided score at the end, still only had 8 turnovers.  They went cold from the field in the second half, otherwise they might have been able to make it a game.  If they can turn out a full game like that, then they might be a team who can score a few upsets and make some noise next March.

[DIIIghetto]

Ahh, the Hens give the SCIAC hope!  Nice work boys out there in St. Louie.  All if forgotten for the Slug spanking.  We look like we have a team that may be able to do some things in the tournament.

[gordonmann]

The latest blog entry from Chapman's Justin Riley is posted.

[fhsutiger]

Big game for the STAGS tomorrow night vs. Chapman U. I look for the stags to really play good against a team that they haven't faced since the first game of the season last year. JR. Chris Blees is averaging (19.8 pts/10.6 rebs a game), and is having a great junior season. Sr. Mike Bagby is averaging (10.6 pts/3.2 rebs) and Jr. Patrick Lacey is starting to come on strong with (8.8 pts/5.8 rebs a game). Coming off the bench is Conner Faught, who's 3 point shooting can erupt at a moments notice is second on the team in scoring (12.4 pts a game). The Stags are a very deep team and look to still find there rhythm as a team this early in the season. Look for the stags to really give Chapman a game tomorrow night. I see this game coming down the last 2 minutes. Hopefully, my boys will come ready to compete and will give the SCIAC conference some much needed respect in the area. Good luck STAGS!

So how does everything think the outcome of tomorrow nights game will play out?

[DIIIghetto]

I think that your beloved Stags need to step up. 

[stag44]

Big game tonight in the OC

CMS (3-2) @ #12 Chapman (7-0)
730pm - Audio Available through Chapman's website.

Preview:

#12 Chapman comes in sky high after pummelling the competition and coasting through the Lee Fulmer tournament. They defeated UCSC, Chapman and George Fox all by double digits. They did it though suffocating D and punishing the opponents on the boards. They are led by the athletic and always active Justin Reilly (16ppg, 10rph) at PF and Kyle Wood at PG. They are solid all around with a long range gunner in Griffin Ramme, a bruiser inside in Kaiser, and Mr. Do Everything in Aguilar. They play a very controlled brand of basketball, running sets most possesions down to get them into their regular offense. Lots of high-low action as well as being relentless on the O-boards. On defense, they are primarily if not solely a man to man defense with agressive guards and well coached backside protection.

It seems like the Panters are out to prove a point this year, after they felt snubbed by the NCAA last March. They are always tough at home and it will prove to be a nice challenge for CMS.

CMS comes in at 3-2 off a somewhat lackluster win vs La Sierra. The most shocking thing about the Stags this year has been their defense. The biggest issue for the Stags continues to be containing guard penetration. They have been unable to stop quick point guards from getting into the key and either getting layups or setting up teammates with wide open looks. St Olaf's PG had a FIELD DAY vs the Stags, ripping them up for 30 points on only 9 shots. So, a key for the Stags will be to contain Wood, who has had his way with most opponents this year. The other battle will be greeting the Chapman post's early and often, and being physical vs the high-low. Offensively, the Stags have had no problem scoring. This will be put to the test against a physical Chapman D. They are led by Chris Blees, Connor Faught, Pat Lacey and Mike Bagby. They will need to all play well and more importantly play together. It will be a hostile environment, which should be a great time for both teams.

The last time the two met was the season opener of the 08-09 season. It was a tightly contested battle all game long, and if I remember correctly, neither team led by more than 8 the whole game. In the end, Chapman got thier hands on a loose ball when they were up 2 with a minute to go and their shot clock winding down and pushed thier lead to 4. They ended up winning the game, but that game actually helped the Stags down the road in SCIAC.

I look for a hotly contested game.

Here are some keys to the game for my STAGS
Contain Guard Penetration
Beat them on the Boards
Get out in Transition

Looking forward to a great game!

[cmsme]

I am trying to listen to the Chapman/CMS game, but something is wrong with audio and all i am getting is background noise.

Does anyone know anything?

I heard CMS was ahead by 10 somewhere in the middle of 2nd half, but i am not sure. 
Champan said that they would archive the audio so we could at least listen later.

[cmsme]

I heard by e mail that Claremont beat Chapman by one point.
Must have been a very exciting game.

[stag44]

Stags won by 1, 57-56.

I was getting updates from some people in the stands.

Sounded like a great finish. Stags were up 7 with 3minutes to go. Chapman staged a furious rally, and actually took the lead with about 40 seconds to go. Then, I guess Shane Davis got a putback to put the Stags back up 1 with 20 seconds. Stags had a big defensive stand to win the game!!!

Lots of things make this sweet for the Stags:
  Beating a ranked team
  Winning AT Chapman
  Did it without 2 STARTERS (Toney and Bagby)
  Back to STAG D (56pts given up)

Can't wait to talk to the guys and hear what they have to say.

GREAT WIN for the STAGS!!!!

[fhsutiger]

Stags won by 1, 57-56.

I was getting updates from some people in the stands.

Sounded like a great finish. Stags were up 7 with 3minutes to go. Chapman staged a furious rally, and actually took the lead with about 40 seconds to go. Then, I guess Shane Davis got a putback to put the Stags back up 1 with 20 seconds. Stags had a big defensive stand to win the game!!!

Lots of things make this sweet for the Stags:
  Beating a ranked team
  Winning AT Chapman
  Did it without 2 STARTERS (Toney and Bagby)
  Back to STAG D (56pts given up)

Can't wait to talk to the guys and hear what they have to say.

GREAT WIN for the STAGS!!!!

I couldn't be any happier for Scali and the boys for their win at Chapman last night. Since I couldn't be there last night, I had a wonderful assistant coaches wife sending me updates of the game. She probably was the same person giving updates to my great friend up in the NYC.

Attached is a recap of last nights game: 

http://chapman.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2009-10/news/1209

As Stag44 said earlier, it was really good to see that Stags came ready to play and were able to come out of there with a win without two starters. (My sources tell me that Mike Bagby seperated his shoulder in practice earlier in the week, and Jason has a bad ankle sprain). I am really happy to see Shane Davis grow up into the player we all knew he could be when he was recruited three years. Great job Shane, your hard work has really paid off. I was very suprised this morning when I saw the boxscore and noticed Chris Blees line (6pts, 4 rebs), but after talking to the coaching staff, Chris's presence on the defensive end helped the stags get the victory.

Well, finally now I hope all of you who were writing the Stags off after their loss to St. Olaf realize how much potential is on this team. The Stags are a very deep team, with a lot of experience who I believe will be a force in the SCIAC this year. Great job guys, and lets keep this thing going. The Stags return to action Saturday night vs. Hope International at Ducey Gym at 7:30.

[oldchap]

Stags won by 1, 57-56.

I was at the game and here is my totally biased opinion of what happened:

For some reason, and you could see it in their eyes, many Chapman players "looked" a little wary at the start of the game. Maybe subconsciously they were thinking about the possibility of losing such a highly charged game. When you and people around you place so much expectations on your performance, you start second-guessing yourself. And obviously, with a 7-0 start, you start feeling like you have something to lose, as the other team coming into the game feels they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

In any case, the game started with a series of missed shots on both side. However, Chapman continued to miss as eventually CMS' shots started falling. Claremont took a commanding lead during the first half, with continued poor shooting from the Chapman squad. Chapman eventually found the bottom of the nets about three quarters through the first half and managed to tie the game shortly after. The rest of the first half finished with both teams essentially trading baskets and a 31-31 half time score. The only redeeming chance Chapman had during the first half was that the entire team was only sanctioned for 3 fouls against about 12 or so fouls for CMS. The imbalance was so pronounced that some CMS parents were getting pretty obnoxious versus the refs. In fact, what was keeping Chapman in the game was the number of free throws they were converting, because their shooting from the floor was pretty dismal.

The second half started just as badly for Chapman as the first half did: few turnovers but a lot of missed shots. However this time, I don't know if the refs felt they needed to compensate or it just happened that way but Chapman accumulated many fouls in a span of less than 5 minutes. As the second half was unfolding and CMS was slowly pushing their lead to 12 points, you could see that they had the mental edge over Chapman that night. They were relentless and never once did they slack off or let their guard down in defense. Chapman on the other hand was making things difficult for themselves. Sure the CMS defense was good, but it wasn't incredible by any stretch of the imagination. Nonetheless, Chapman either missed obvious open looks, or made bad shot selections because they were frantic and unsettled. Finally, towards the end of the game (around the 3 minute mark) did Chapman find their poise again, which allowed them to make some critical baskets and forced some turnovers in order to bring the score to within striking distance. With their calm finally back, they took a one point lead with 40 seconds left. But on the next possession, CMS responded and retook the lead.

With 20 seconds left, both coaches called timeout, one after the other. It was Chapman's ball and plenty of time to score or get fouled and make free throws. With CMS being up by only a point, clearly Chapman had a really good chance to win. However, they fell back into their frantic ways once again, lost a little bit of their composure and missed a hotly contested layup. The ball came out with one second left on the clock. It was Chapman's ball again, but even the "catch and shoot" they worked out during the ensuing timeout didn't even work. The inbound pass was actually intercepted by CMS for the win.

Overall, it was Chapman's poor shooting that did them in. I'm sure some of you will argue, but in my opinion, they were simply off that night, not so much because CMS played such an amazing defense on them but because of their lack of confidence. Sure, the CMS team is no slouch when it comes to defense, but nothing out of the ordinary. No, I think that Chapman beat themselves by too many individual plays, poor shot selection and just plain missed open looks. I believe the statistics speak for themselves: 4 assists only for the entire game, as they averaged almost 10 per game so far before this game; both of our sharp shooters from 3 point range were 1 for 7, as they were about 40% + in the first 7 wins of the season; yet Chapman turned over the ball only 10 times the entire game. Despite all of this, Chapman lost by a simple missed basket, overall not that bad all things considered.

If Chapman wants to be a believable contender for the playoffs, they need to continue playing with the poise, focus, calm and strength of character they are known to have in normal circumstances. This is what allows them to make their shots and create such suffocating defense that other teams choke. That's what they showed during the first seven games of the season, with critical wins (by a wide margin I might add!) against excellent teams such as CLU, Pomona-Pitzer and Elmhurst.

The next few games for Chapman (especially Redlands and Whittier) will make or break their season. I know that they have the maturity to rebound and the coaching staff is well seasoned to guide them towards helping them regain their confidence.

.... One more thing: Congratulations to the Stags for this excellent win. You deserve it. And just know that we are now officially rooting for you to win the SCIAC Conference. Don't disappoint us!!  ...This way we can have our revenge when we meet in the first round of the playoffs... 

[stag44]

Stags won by 1, 57-56.

I was at the game and here is my totally biased opinion of what happened:

For some reason, and you could see it in their eyes, many Chapman players "looked" a little wary at the start of the game. Maybe subconsciously they were thinking about the possibility of losing such a highly charged game. When you and people around you place so much expectations on your performance, you start second-guessing yourself. And obviously, with a 7-0 start, you start feeling like you have something to lose, as the other team coming into the game feels they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Sure the CMS defense was good, but it wasn't incredible by any stretch of the imagination. Nonetheless, Chapman either missed obvious open looks, or made bad shot selections because they were frantic and unsettled.

With 20 seconds left, both coaches called timeout, one after the other. It was Chapman's ball and plenty of time to score or get fouled and make free throws. With CMS being up by only a point, clearly Chapman had a really good chance to win. However, they fell back into their frantic ways once again, lost a little bit of their composure and missed a hotly contested layup. The ball came out with one second left on the clock. It was Chapman's ball again, but even the "catch and shoot" they worked out during the ensuing timeout didn't even work. The inbound pass was actually intercepted by CMS for the win.

Overall, it was Chapman's poor shooting that did them in. I'm sure some of you will argue, but in my opinion, they were simply off that night, not so much because CMS played such an amazing defense on them but because of their lack of confidence. Sure, the CMS team is no slouch when it comes to defense, but nothing out of the ordinary. No, I think that Chapman beat themselves by too many individual plays, poor shot selection and just plain missed open looks. I believe the statistics speak for themselves: 4 assists only for the entire game, as they averaged almost 10 per game so far before this game; both of our sharp shooters from 3 point range were 1 for 7, as they were about 40% + in the first 7 wins of the season; yet Chapman turned over the ball only 10 times the entire game. Despite all of this, Chapman lost by a simple missed basket, overall not that bad all things considered.

If Chapman wants to be a believable contender for the playoffs, they need to continue playing with the poise, focus, calm and strength of character they are known to have in normal circumstances. This is what allows them to make their shots and create such suffocating defense that other teams choke. That's what they showed during the first seven games of the season, with critical wins (by a wide margin I might add!) against excellent teams such as CLU, Pomona-Pitzer and Elmhurst.

The next few games for Chapman (especially Redlands and Whittier) will make or break their season. I know that they have the maturity to rebound and the coaching staff is well seasoned to guide them towards helping them regain their confidence.

.... One more thing: Congratulations to the Stags for this excellent win. You deserve it. And just know that we are now officially rooting for you to win the SCIAC Conference. Don't disappoint us!!  ...This way we can have our revenge when we meet in the first round of the playoffs... 

Great Post OldChap, but I do have a couple of points and disagreements.

I do agree that while the STAG D may not be where it was in the 06-07 season (Where we were #1 in total D, scoring D, and #3 in FG percentage D), in talking with the guys, this was their sole focus of the night. The BEST defense, personally, isn't the one that is creating steals and visible to the crowd, but rather the one that is UNAFRAID and THRIVES when they play for all 35 seconds and force a shot that is out of rythm. From your explaination, that seems to be the D the stags played. For one thing, to force Wood to shoot 20 times, means either Wood was out to prove a point, or the Stags forced alot of situations where the PG had to shoot, either late in the shot clock, or because all other options were closed down.

Don't get me wrong, Chapman is a VERY talented team and their coach is EXCELLENT, but they HAVE TO run the table to consider going to the tournament. It will be very difficult to justify their bid unless they have no bad losses. Lets be honest, the NCAA has a severe east coast bias, primarily because of the concentration of teams out there, and there are AT MOST 3 teams that will represent the ENTIRE west coast. So, if either the SCIAC or NWC has 2 bid, Chapman may squeeze in with a bid and create at 4 team regional, but the NCAA would rather have play-in game on the west.

Regardless, at the end of the day its pretty simple: The stags won. They did it on the road. They did it shorthanded. They did it against a clown referee crew. Basically, the Stags came in with a goal and took care of business.